Contents and Arrangement Collection View
Description:

The Correspondence Subject Files series contains files of personal letters sent to and from General Lanham. The folders run from his retirement from the military until his death and are composed of mainly personal correspondence. There are a number of legal documents, employment information, articles, and one book that were attached or related to the correspondence and were therefore enclosed in the file. The series contains his correspondence with a varied range of people from close friends to journalists writing on military history and theory. A number of the folders are devoted to different organizations, groups, and institutes that Lanham corresponded with, such as the Twenty-Second Infantry Associations, the Aspen Institute, and US Naval Academy. Several individuals, he corresponded with were former and current military men and government officials including: Henry Cabot Lodge, Robert McClintock, Raymond Lee, Sandy Sigoloff, and Dr. James Bell. The letters cover an assortment of subjects such as his career, the military, political campaigns, his travel, and opinions on a variety of topics.

Arranged chronologically by year and alphabetically by correspondent within each year.

1964, 1964

2 boxes

1966, 1966

2 boxes

A, 1967

1 folder

B, 1967

1 folder

C, 1967

1 folder

D, 1967

1 folder

E, 1967

1 folder

F, 1967

1 folder

G, 1967

1 folder

H, 1967

1 folder

I, 1967

1 folder

J, 1967

1 folder

K, 1967

1 folder

L, 1967

1 folder

Mc, 1967

1 folder

M, 1967

1 folder

N, 1967

1 folder

O, 1967

1 folder

P, 1967

1 folder

Q, 1967

1 folder

R, 1967

1 folder

S, 1967

1 folder

T, 1967

1 folder

U, 1967

1 folder

V, 1967

1 folder

W, 1967

1 folder

XYZ, 1967

1 folder
Description:

The Military Career series documents Lanham's career, particularly 1944-1954, through articles, letters, speeches, publications, military orders, and his 201 (personnel) files. The series does not reflect his early career, but does have some information on the West Point Class of 1924. There are also a number of published materials including bound volumes of the Infantry Journal, West Point Alumni information, and magazines produced by units Lanham previously served with.

Divided into two subseries: Military Correspondence and Subject Files.

Description:

The Personal Materials series contains Personal Documents and records materials that fall outside the scope of the Military and Private Sector series. This includes biographical information, photographs, and letters from General Lanham collected by individuals and sent to Jane Lanham after Charles's death. The majority of this series is books of the General's poetry and prose. There also are court documents relating to a lawsuit against Penn-Texas in 1968. Photographs found in this series include Lanham family photographs, such as images of Charles Lanham as a child. Some military photographs, the majority of which are events Lanham attended after retiring from active service, are also included in the series.

Arranged alphabetically by document type.

Description:

The Private Sector series is composed of materials related to his civilian career as a public relations director and corporate executive. Some Personal Correspondence may also be found within files in this series

Divided into three subseries: Market Relations Network Inc., Penn Texas Group, and Xerox Company.

Description:

The Oversized Materials series contains materials that are too large to fit inside normal record cartons. The appointments, certificates, and commissions grouping contains all official and decorative documents awarded to Lanham for all ranks from Corporal in Second Regiment of the Eastern High School Cadets to Major General in the United States Army. The Awards and Citations found in the papers include scrolls given by American Units and foreign honors bestowed on Lanham, including a French Knighthood and Czechoslovakian War Cross. The series also includes several photobooks and scrapbooks. The photos often have information written on the back providing date, context, and identifying people. The scrapbooks document Lanham's career from 1945 until his retirement and contain various articles, pictures, commentary, and artifacts that detail his experience. Only one incomplete ledger documents 1955-1978. The vinyl records are recordings of speeches given by Lanham or events held in his honor.

Arranged alphabetically by type of material and then alphabetically by subject within each section.

Scope and Contents

The Charles T. Lanham Papers documents the general's WWII and post war military service, his private sector employment with several corporations, and his extensive correspondence from 1944 until his death in 1978. The papers contain correspondence, scrapbooks, photographs, journals, speeches, and legal documents. The materials that compose the private sector series, the majority of which are correspondence, document his individual work and the activities of the Market Relations, Penn Texas, and Xerox corporations. There are also a large number of scrapbooks and photos encompassing the entirety of his military service from 1944 to 1954. Other highlights found in the collection are a cache of WWII letters to his first wife, text and audio recording of speeches, and a number of books containing the undated poetry Lanham wrote throughout his life.

Please see the series descriptions in the contents list for additional information about individual series.

Collection Creator Biography:

Lanham, C. T. (Charles Trueman), 1902-

C.T. Lanham was a life soldier who retired as a general. In 1944, during World War II, his troops were among the first to break out from Normandy, enter Paris, and attack the Siegfried Line in Germany. He became friends with Hemingway and corresponded with him for the next 17 years. After the war, he was chief of troop information and education; post-retirement he was associate editor of Infantry Journal.

Acquisition:

Mrs. Jane Lanham donated the bulk of the papers on April 6, 1982 , as part of a larger donation of Lanham papers given to Princeton University. Another shipment of correspondence between General Lanham and Sandy Sigoloff was received from Mrs. Lanham in July 1983 .

Appraisal

No materials were separated from this collection during processing in 2008.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Pete Asch in 2008. Finding aid written by Pete Asch in June 2008.

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

A number of vinyl records can be found in Series 5: Oversized Materials. The majority are recordings of speeches given by General Lanham at military functions or graduations.

Credit this material:

Charles T. Lanham Papers; Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/c247ds12v
Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-30
Related Materials

Collections at the Mudd Manuscript Library that include correspondence with Charles T. Lanham are the Papers of David Lawrence, James V. Forrestal, and Hamilton Fish Armstrong.

A collection of correspondence between Lanham and Hemmingway is held in the C. T. Lanham Papers on Ernest Hemingway, 1945-1978 (C0305), Manuscripts Division, Firestone Library, Princeton University.

Bibliography

The following sources were consulted during preparation of the biographical note: Biographical Sketch of Major General C. T. Lanham, USA, Ret. Washington, D. C.: War Department Special Staff Public Relations Division. "Charles Trueman Lanham No. 7293 Class of 1924." Assembly 38, no. 1 (1979): 117-18. Who's Who in America 1958-1959. New Providence, N.J.: Marquis, 1958.

Subject Terms:
Corporations--United States.
Motion pictures in military education.
Public relations and law--United States.
United States. -- Army -- Public relations.
United States. Army--Officers--Correspondence.
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 4th.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Poetry.
World War, 1939-1945 -- photographs
Genre Terms:
Correspondence
Photographs, Original.
Poetry.
Records (sound recordings)
Scrapbooks.
Speeches.
Names:
Xerox corporation
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. SHAPE and Allied Command Europe
Penn-Texas Group
Bradley, Omar Nelson, 1893-1981
Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969
Lanham, C. T. (Charles Trueman), 1902-
Lodge, Henry Cabot, Jr., 1902-1985