John T. Mason

Educator, archaeologist. Topics include: youth and education; Ministry of Education in Peru, 1909; Rector of University of Cuzco, 1910-23; Director General of Education of Peru, 1923-31; educational problems and policies in Latin America, student strikes; archaeological discoveries and collections; Inter-American Conferences; American Embassy in Lima from 1931; Tacna-Arica Plebiscite Commission 1925-26. Impressions of Hiram Bingham, Axel Wenner-Gren, Paul Fejos, Gen. John J. Pershing, and many others.

Naval officer. Topics include: family background; Naval Academy; early cruises, Central and South America; naval aviation training, Pensacola, 1919; aeronautical engineering, 1922-24; shore and sea commands, 1924-40: cruiser duty, dive bombing squadron, war games, Naval Air Maintenance Procurement Division, Bureau of Aeronautics; executive officer, Enterprise, 1940: ship organization manual; Langley, 1941; World War II: duty in Java, Australia, 1942; Captain of the new Lexington, 1943-44; the Marshalls, Truk; Commander, Carrier Division 24, 1944-45: operations in Western Pacific and Philippines areas, Leyte, air strikes; technical training command, Chief of Naval Air Technical Training, 1945-48; Korean War; Commander NATO striking fleet. Comments on naval colleagues, especially Admirals William Halsey, Hart, William Moffett, and Arthur Radford.

Archbishop. Topics include: childhood in Syria; refugee, illness; orphanage and monastery care; St. Mark's monastery and seminary, Jerusalem; exploration of caves near Jericho and Jordan; Egypt; archaeological studies; St. Catherine's monastery at Mount Sinai; Archbishop and Metropolitan of Jerusalem, 1946; Dead Sea scrolls: discovery, problems of interpretation and authentication; United States, 1949: lectures and exhibits, sale of scrolls, 1954; detailed description of scrolls, contents and significance.

Naval officer. Topics include: Naval Academy; early cruises, gunnery training; World War I: Scapa Flow, German Fleet surrender; Navy Department reorganization; arms limitation, naval budget, congressional liaison; Hoover good will cruise to South America, 1928; Naval War College, 1937; War Plans Division, 1940; World War II: United-Canada Joint Board Armed Defense, convoys and patrols, Murmansk, Iceland; Pacific theater commands: detailed analysis of amphibious assault at Tarawa; operations at Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima, Okinawa; plans for assault on Japan; National War College, Naval Academy superintendent; Naval Home. Accounts of Generals Douglas MacArthur and Holland M. Smith; Admirals Ernest King, Chester Nimitz, Raymond Spruance, Kelly Turner, and othrer military, naval, and political figures.

Cotton executive, government official. Topics include: childhood and education in Mississippi; Jerome Hill and the cotton business; Anderson, Clayton and Co.; Congressional investigations; New Deal agricultural policy; Liberty League; John W. Davis, Jesse Jones, Nelson Rockefeller, Henry Wallace, Edward Stettinius, James Byrnes, George Marshall, the Marshall Plan.