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Merle Antony Tuve
A Register of His Papers in the Library of Congress
Prepared by Joseph Sullivan and Joseph McKeever
Revised and expanded by T. Michael Womack
1996
Manuscript Division
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress
Manuscript Division, 2001
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents for Merle Antony Tuve
Collection Summary
Selected Search Terms
* Names:
* Subjects:
* Occupation:
Administrative Information
* Provenance:
* Processing History:
* Copyright Status:
* Security Classified Documents:
* Preferred Citation:
Biographical Note
Scope and Content Note
Description of Series
* Family Correspondence, 1915- 1953.
* General Correspondence, 1912- 1972.
* Laboratory File, 1928- 1940.
* Administrative File, 1941- 1969.
* Subject File, ca. 1920- 1972.
* Speeches and Writings, 1920s- 1960s.
* Miscellany, 1914- 1960s.
* Printed Matter, 1908- 1960s.
* Notebooks of Winifred Gray Whitman, 1930-1931.
* Addition, 1901- 1982, n.d.
* Classified, 1941.
Container List
* FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE, 1915- 1953
* GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1912- 1972
* LABORATORY FILE, 1928- 1940
* ADMINISTRATIVE FILE, 1941- 1969
* SUBJECT FILE, ca. 1920- 1972
* SPEECHES AND WRITINGS, 1920s- 1960s
* MISCELLANY, 1914- 1960s
* PRINTED MATTER, 1908- 1960s
* NOTEBOOKS OF WINIFRED GRAY WHITMAN, 1930- 1931
* ADDITION, 1901- 1982, n.d.
* CLASSIFIED, 1941
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Collection Summary
Creator: Tuve, Merle Antony, 1901-1982
Title: Papers of Merle Antony Tuve 1901-1982 (bulk 1941-1966)
Size: 147,000 items; 420 containers plus 1 classified; 168 linear feet
Repository: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Abstract: Physicist. Correspondence, memoranda, speeches, articles,
reports, laboratory and personal notebooks, notes, personnel records,
printed material, blueprints, diagrams, photographs, and other papers
relating to Tuve's administration of government-sponsored scientific
projects such as the development of the proximity fuze for the U.S. Navy
during World War II.
Selected Search Terms
Names:
Bush, Vannevar, 1890-1974--Correspondence
Fleming, J. A. (John Ambrose), Sir, 1849-1945--Correspondence
Hafstad, Lawrence, 1904- --Correspondence
Merriam, John C. (John Campbell), 1869-1945--Correspondence
Tatel, Howard E. (Howard Edwin), 1913- --Correspondence
Van de Graaff, Robert Jemison, 1901-1967--Correspondence
Van Doren, Carl, 1885-1950--Correspondence
Weatherwax, James Lloyd, b. 1884--Correspondence
Carnegie Institution of Washington. Dept. of Terrestrial Magnetism
Johns Hopkins University. Applied Physics Laboratory
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
National Radio Astronomy Observatory (U.S.)
Whitman, Winifred Gray. Scientific notebooks (1930-1931)
Subjects:
Astronomy
Atmosphere, Upper
Cosmic rays
Defense industries
Electricity
Geomagnetism
Geophysics--International cooperation
High voltages
International Geophysical Year, 1957-1958
Nuclear physics
Physics
Physics--Washington (D.C.)--Congresses
Proximity fuzes
Radiation
Science--Societies, etc.
Seismology
Van de Graaff generator
World War, 1939-1945--Science
Occupation:
Physicists
Administrative Information
Provenance:
The papers of Merle Antony Tuve (1901-1982), experimental physicist and
developer of the proximity fuze during World War II, were donated to the
Library of Congress by Tuve in 1972. A small addition was given by Winifred
Gray Whitman, wife of the donor, in 1982.
Processing History:
The papers of Merle Antony Tuve were arranged and described in 1974.
Additional material received in 1982 was incorporated into the collection
in 1996.
Copyright Status:
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Merle Antony Tuve in these papers
and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of
Congress has been dedicated to the public.
Security Classified Documents:
Government regulations control the use of classified material in this
collection. Manuscript Division staff can furnish information concerning
access to and use of classified items.
Preferred Citation:
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following
information: container number, Merle Antony Tuve Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date Event
1901 , June
27 Born, Canton, South Dakota
1922 B.S., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
1922 - 1923 Teaching fellow, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis,
Minn.
1923 - 1924 Instructor in physics, Princeton University, Princeton,
N.J.
1924 - 1926 Instructor in physics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore,
Md.
1926 Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.
1926 - 1946 Member, Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie
Institution, Washington, D.C.
1927 Married Winifred Gray Whitman
1940 - 1945 Director, Section T, Office of Scientific Research and
Development
1945 - 1946 Director, Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins
University, Silver Spring, Md.
1946 - 1966 Director, Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie
Institution, Washington, D.C.
1966 Retired
1982 , May
15 Died, Bethesda, Md.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Merle Antony Tuve span the years 1901-1982, with the bulk of
the items concentrated in the period between 1941 and 1966. The collection
focuses on Tuve's work as a physicist and consists of ten series: Family
Correspondence, General Correspondence, Laboratory File, Administrative
File, Subject File, Speeches and Writings, Miscellany, Printed Matter,
Notebooks of Winifred Gray Whitman, and Addition. Included in the papers
are correspondence, memoranda, reports, laboratory and personal notebooks,
diagrams, blueprints, personnel records, speeches, articles, notes,
photographs, and near-print and printed matter.
Although some of Tuve's files are personal in nature, the greater number
concern his administration of government-sponsored scientific projects such
as the development of the proximity fuze for the United States Navy during
World War II. Other administrative office files reflect his directorship of
the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University, 1945-1946, and
the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of
Washington, 1946-1966. Subjects of note include the Radio Astronomy Project
at Greenbank, West Virginia, seismics, cosmic-ray flares, magnetism, and
the composition of the upper atmosphere. Material in the file relating to
the Applied Physics Laboratory concerns the conversion of war industries to
peacetime use. Other topics of interest are the International Geophysical
Year, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Washington Conference on
Theoretical Physics, 1939-1940.
A sizable portion of the files in the Laboratory and Miscellany series
relate to Tuve's academic years, his early teaching career, and his
experimental research projects before 1940 with the Carnegie Institution .
Project reports, many in Tuve's handwriting, describe experiments with high
voltage, the Van de Graaff magnetic field, and basic studies in nuclear
physics. Of interest are Tuve's personal notebooks in the Miscellany series
which reflect his thoughts on a wide range of topics. The collection also
contains scientific notebooks of Tuve's wife, Winifred Gray Whitman . On
the medical staff of St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C., Whitman,
who retained her maiden name, collaborated with Tuve from 1928 to 1932 in
analyzing the effects of high frequency resonance radiation on animals. The
notebooks, which record experiments relating to this subject, cover the
period 1930-1931 and contain observations in Tuve's handwriting and
notations by Whitman .
Among Tuve's prominent correspondents are Vannevar Bush, John A. Fleming,
L. R. Hafstad, John Merriam, Howard Tatel, Robert J. Van de Graaff, Carl
Van Doren, and J. L. Weatherwax .
The Addition contains correspondence, writings, and miscellaneous material.
For the most part, the correspondence in this addition consists of
exchanges of letters between Tuve and professional colleagues and friends
concerning physics, astronomy, terrestrial magnetism, and related topics
during the period following his retirement until his death. There is a
small amount of correspondence concerning family matters.
Writings among the addition are divided into two sections, writings by Tuve
and writings by others. Writings by Tuve include offprints of scientific
papers, speeches, and eulogies. Of note is Tuve's 1973 publication Velocity
Structures in Hydrogen Profiles, coauthored with Soren Lundsager . Writings
by others consist primarily of offprints written by colleagues as well as a
copy of the doctoral dissertation by each of Tuve's children. Also included
are drafts of The Deadly Fuze: The Secret Weapon of World War II, submitted
to Tuve for commentary by the author, Ralph B. Baldwin . This work,
published in 1980, chronicles the efforts of Tuve and other scientists in
the field of weapons research.
Miscellany includes awards, biographical material, obituaries, retirement
material, and wills. Also represented are organizations such as the
American Geophysical Union, the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the
Carnegie Institution of Washington , the Cosmos Club, the Applied Physics
Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University, and the National Academy of
Sciences, for which Tuve served as home secretary for many years. There are
biographical files on Tuve's children as well as his father, sister, and
brothers, and numerous photographs, including images of buildings, Tuve
family members, award and dedication ceremonies, luncheons and receptions,
demonstrations of electronic equipment, and group portraits of formal
gatherings as well as single portraits of Tuve. The file on the Ronne
Antarctic Research Expedition details the discovery and naming of Mt. Tuve
on the southernmost continent.
Description of Series
Box Series
BOX 1 Family Correspondence, 1915 - 1953 .
Letters between Tuve and family members.
Arranged alphabetically by name of family member.
BOX 2-3 General Correspondence, 1912 - 1972 .
Letters sent and received.
Arranged chronologically.
BOX Laboratory File, 1928 - 1940 .
4-25
Correspondence, reports, notes, diagrams, mimeographed material,
personnel records, printed matter, and miscellaneous material
concerning Tuve's work in the Terrestrial Magnetism Department of
the Carnegie Institution.
Arranged chronologically by year.
BOX Administrative File, 1941 - 1969 .
26-255
Correspondence, reports, notes, diagrams, blueprints,
mimeographed material, personnel records, printed matter, and
miscellaneous material comprising the director's office files for
the Office of Scientific Research and Development, the Applied
Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University, and the
Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution.
Each file is arranged by period.
BOX Subject File, ca. 1920 - 1972 .
256-357
Mostly files related to Tuve's scientific interests beyond his
direct duties as director of the Carnegie Institution's
Department of Terrestrial Magnetism.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
BOX Speeches and Writings, 1920 s- 1960 s.
358-369
Typed and printed articles and speeches.
Unarranged.
BOX Miscellany, 1914 - 1960 s.
370-403
Notebooks, student and teaching materials, correspondence, desk
calendars, etc.
Arranged by type of material.
BOX Printed Matter, 1908 - 1960 s.
404-411
BOX Notebooks of Winifred Gray Whitman, 1930-1931.
411-413
Research notebooks kept by Whitman, Tuve's wife, at Johns Hopkins
University relating to radiation and cancer.
BOX Addition, 1901 - 1982 , n.d.
414-420
Correspondence and writings by Tuve and others, arranged
chronologically, and miscellaneous material, arranged
alphabetically by name of individual, organization, topic, or
type of material.
BOX CL1 Classified, 1941 .
Report removed from the Office of Scientific Research and
Development subseries within the Administrative File.
Organized and described according to the series, box, and folder
from which the item was removed.
Container List
Box Contents
FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE, 1915 - 1953
BOX 1 Larsen, Charlotte (aunt), 1923
Larsen, Emily Carolyn (aunt), 1916-1924
Larsen, Lewis L. (uncle), 1922-1935
Tuve, Anthony G. (father), 1923
Tuve, George Lewis (brother), 1915-1932
Tuve, Ida Marie (mother), 1924-1936
Tuve, Richard Larsen (brother), 1924-1925
Tuve, Rosemond (sister), 1924-1925
Whitman, Mrs. (mother-in-law), 1929
Whitman, Winifred Gray (wife), 1934-1953
GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1912 - 1972
BOX 2 1912-1926
BOX 3 1927-1972
LABORATORY FILE, 1928 - 1940
BOX 4 Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, D.C.
1928-1931
BOX 5-7 1930s
BOX 8-11 1930-1932
BOX 12-16 1933-1936
BOX 17 1937-1939
BOX 18-22 1937-1940
BOX 23-25 1939 (cyclotron development)
ADMINISTRATIVE FILE, 1941 - 1969
BOX 26-28 Office of Scientific Research and Development
1941
BOX 29-44 1941-1942
BOX 45-62 1941-1943
BOX 63-64 1942
BOX 65-83 1942-1943 See also Classified
BOX 84-90 1942-1945
BOX 91-99 1943
BOX 100 1943 (blueprints)
BOX 101 1944-1945
BOX 102 1945
BOX 103-107 1942-1943 (blueprints and drawings)
BOX 108-112 1942-1943 (blueprints)
BOX 113-114 Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University,
Silver Spring, Md.
1945
BOX 115-118 1945-1946
BOX 119 1946
BOX 120-124 Carnegie Institution of Washington, Department of
Terrestrial Magnetism, Washington, D.C.
1946-1947
BOX 125-127 1946-1947
BOX 128-134 1947-1948
BOX 135 1948
BOX 136-138 1949
BOX 139-142 1949-1950
BOX 143-145 1950-1951
BOX 146-149 1950-1952
BOX 150-152 1951-1953
BOX 153-158 1952-1953
BOX 159-164 1953-1954
BOX 165-175 1955-1956
BOX 176-178 1957
BOX 179-182 1957-1958
BOX 183-187 1958-1959
BOX 188-192 1958-1961
BOX 193 1958-1962
BOX 194-199 1959-1960
BOX 200 1960-1963
BOX 201-207 1961-1962
BOX 208 1961-1963 (magnetism)
BOX 209-214 1962-1963
BOX 215 1962-1964
BOX 216 1963 (magnetism)
BOX 217-222 1963-1964
BOX 223 1963-1965 (magnetism)
BOX 224-231 1963-1966 (seismic)
BOX 232 1964-1965
BOX 233-238 1965-1967
BOX 239-242 1966-1967
BOX 243 1966-1967 (Carnegie image tube)
BOX 244-245 1967 (Carnegie image tube)
BOX 246-251 1967-1968
BOX 252 1967-1969 (magnetism)
BOX 253-255 1968-1969
SUBJECT FILE, ca. 1920 - 1972
BOX 256-258 Asian trip
BOX 259-263 Civil defense
BOX 264-267 Geophysical Research Board
1962
BOX 268-275 1965
BOX 276-279 1965-1967
BOX 280 Guided missiles
BOX 281-285 International Geophysical Year
1956-1957
BOX 286 1957-1959
BOX 287-289 1958-1960
BOX 290 Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., Board of
Trustees
1955-1956
BOX 291 1956-1957
BOX 292 National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.
1948-1950
BOX 293 1957-1958
BOX 294-296 1963-1965
BOX 297-298 1967-1968
BOX 299-301 1968
BOX 302-303 1968-1969
BOX 304 1968-1971
BOX 305-306 1969-1970
BOX 307 1970
BOX 308-310 1970-1972
BOX 311-315 National Research Council, Committee on Growth,
Washington, D.C.
1946-1949
BOX 316-319 1947-1948
BOX 320-322 1948
BOX 323 1949
BOX 324-329 Radio astronomy
BOX 330-333 Seismic project
BOX 334 Telescope
BOX 335 UNESCO
1946
BOX 336-340 1948-1949
BOX 341-342 1949
BOX 343 1949-1950
BOX 344-345 Miscellaneous subjects
ca. 1920-ca. 1930
BOX 346-349 1947
BOX 350-353 1948-1949
BOX 354-355 1949
BOX 356 1950-1952
BOX 357 1950-1953
SPEECHES AND WRITINGS, 1920 s- 1960 s
BOX 358-369 1920s-1960s
MISCELLANY, 1914 - 1960 s
BOX 370 Articles by others
Apparatus file
BOX 371 Blueprints, drawings
BOX 372-374 Desk calendars, 1940s-1960s
BOX 375 Clippings on music, 1923-1924
BOX 376 Computer materials
Insurance papers
Bills and receipts
BOX 377 Farm, 1950-1952
Desalination, 1960-1961
Howard Tatel, 1954
BOX 378-379 Greeting and Christmas cards
BOX 380-383 Ionospheric records, 1944-1945
BOX 384-386 Notebooks, 1940s-1960s
BOX 387 Notecards and notes
Photographs
BOX 388-398 Student material, 1916-1926
Diary, 1914
BOX 399-401 Teaching material, 1922-1926
BOX 402-403 Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous correspondence
PRINTED MATTER, 1908 - 1960 s
BOX 404-411 1908-1960s
NOTEBOOKS OF WINIFRED GRAY WHITMAN, 1930 - 1931
BOX 411-413 1930-1931
ADDITION, 1901 - 1982 , n.d.
BOX 414 Correspondence
1923-1976
(7 folders)
BOX 415 1977-1982, n.d.
(2 folders)
Writings
By Tuve
1925-1968
(6 folders)
BOX 416 1970-1982, n.d.
(3 folders)
By others
1952-1975
(5 folders)
BOX 417 1976-1981, n.d.
(7 folders)
Miscellany
Address book, n.d.
American Geophysical Union, 1972-1976
BOX 418 Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins
University, Silver Spring, Md., 1946-1982
Awards, 1945-1980, n.d.
Biographical material, 1933-1982
Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington,
D.C.
Department of Terrestrial Magnetism,
1932-1978, n.d.
(2 folders)
General, 1948-1964
Comly, Lucy Winifred Tuve (daughter), 1945-1959
Cosmos Club, Washington, D.C., 1946-1981
Marriage certificate (photocopy), 1927
Miscellaneous material, 1949-1977, n.d.
BOX 419 National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.,
1971-1976
(6 folders)
Obituaries, ca. 1935-1980
Photographs
Buildings, exterior, 1920-1923, n.d.
Electronic equipment, 1930-1934
Miscellaneous locations, 1954, n.d.
Other individuals, 1922-1957
Tuve family
Family members, 1910-1951, n.d.
Home and local scenes, 1913-1916
BOX 420 Tuve, Merle A.
Group shots
Award ceremonies, 1966
Dedication ceremonies, 1946,
1960
Demonstrations of electronic
equipment, 1931-1934
General, 1949
Luncheons, receptions, etc.,
1945-1970
Portraits, 1923-1956
Single shots
Demonstrations of electronic
equipment, 1934
Portraits, 1901-1962, n.d.
(2 folders)
Retirement, 1966
Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition, 1946-1953
Tuve, Anthony G., 1904-1968
Tuve, George Lewis, 1961-1980
Tuve, Richard Larsen, 1961
Tuve, Rosamund, 1951-1961
Tuve, Trygve Whitman (son), 1948-1971
Wills, 1943-1944
CLASSIFIED, 1941
BOX CL 1 Uranium fissions, report submitted by Enrico Fermi, 1941
(Container 66)
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