[ARCHIVE] WYMAN, James V. (1923-2014), Providence, R. I. Journalist & Editor, and World War II veteran. by WYMAN, James V: 1941 Manuscript amateur "newspapers" The Vaglienti Times Herald, by Johnnie Vaglienti, League City, Texas,

"Something big was in the wind. 8th Army was going in to Leyte and a few of us -- supposedly handpicked operators-- were to go up with them as the foreword echelon to set up signal communications." Sept. 6, 1945.

[ARCHIVE] [WWII] WYMAN, James V. (1923-2014), Providence, R. I. Journalist & Editor, and World War II veteran. Wide-ranging collection of correspondence, documents, and miscellaneous ephemera from Wyman's school years (high school) through his early career in journalism, with a concentration of World War II material. Under James V. Wyman's leadership, The Providence Journal won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting. Full banker's box, fresh to the market, containing hundreds. Overall, VG condition. Below is a general overview, though we only examined a few handfuls of randomly selected letters.

WWII/ Philippines : Packets of letters from Wyman to his family, both typed and handwritten, often a few pages long, covering his training and active service in the Pacific Theater in the Signal Corps; letters from other soldiers, including Sgt. George A Bariscillo Jr, Manilla, P. I.; official correspondence and documentation, with a typed letter "signed" by James Forrestal, on Secretary Of the Navy letterhead (see below); a U.S. A.F. Japanese propaganda flier and other miscellany: a teletype news report on celebrations in the Philippines on the first anniversary of General Macarthur's liberation forces landed; Wyman's wartime poems, ("He's a tall, strong, strapping fellow, | With sort of gentle ways-- | Not bred for aimless killing--still-- | Not one for dodging frays.").

WWII-Era letters from Margaret "Peggy" Moreland Stathos, "gifted pianist and a born scholar, Peggy received a performance diploma from the New England Conservatory in 1946 and a B.A. in musicology from Boston University under Karl Geiringer in 1949" (Obituary).

Manuscript amateur "newspaper" The Vaglienti Times Herald, Issued from "Cowboy Villa" by Johnnie Vaglienti, League City, Texas, Vol. 1, no. 1, Feb. 12, 1941; "Convention Issue" August 18, 1940, signed by 5 AAPA members; Issue 2, undated.]Misc. High School & College (Northwestern University; Boston University): Issues of school newspapers, The Taunton Enterprise (1) & The Tauntonian (5 complete issues, 3 partial); Boston Univ. decals (2); manuscript & typed essays, graded and annotated by teachers; attempts at writing standard journalism pieces (book reviews, radio news, etc.); hand-colored maps; rejection slip from The Boston Post; typed poems & other juvenilia; variety of pen pal letters; "reading report" cards; examination booklets; school guide booklets, etc.

Ephemera: Business and address cards; tickets, greeting cards, telegraphs, a few photos, etc.

2 letters from Al Ross, "AAPA" American Amateur Press Association

Numerous letters from his girlfriend/ wife, Viola M. (Bousquet) Wyman; wedding invitation; cards, etc.

Last but certainly not least, a pair of tickets to the Newport Folk Festival, Sunday, July 28, 1963; box 53, nos. 317 & 318.

Quick note on the James Forrestal letter, with what has to be a printed signature-- an internet search shows that it often gets local news coverage when it turns up, probably because it's surprisingly appreciative and thoughtful in what had to be blizzard of confusion and red tape-- so much so that a few of the envelopes are actually stamped SNAFU. As an NPR reporter noted," This may have been a "form letter," but there was a compassionate presence behind those words. Someone, either James Forrestal, or an anonymous aide serving under him, had the humanity to think about the hundreds of thousands of sailors who were going to have to adjust to civilian life. Maureen Corrigan, " After WWII, A Letter Of Appreciation That Still Rings True." (Fresh Air, May 27, 2013.)

I have addressed this letter to reach you after all the formalities of your separation from active service are completed. I have done so because, without formality but as clearly as I know how to say it, I want the Navy's pride in you, which it is my privilege to express, to reach into your civil life and to remain with you always.

Thanks for looking. Inquiries welcome.