The collection contains extensive materials on World War II as it documents Salomon's involvement in the preparation and writing of the History of United States Naval Operations in World War II; his personal correspondence to family during the war; and his involvement in the creation and production of Victory at Sea, a television program based on the Navy's exploits during the war. The collection has been organized in five series: Biographical Information, Correspondence, Naval Career, Television Career, and Writings.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION includes biographical sketches, obituaries, and press releases about his death.
Business and personal communications comprise the CORRESPONDENCE series. Discussed in the business letters are routine financial affairs, efforts to publish his writings, critical comments about his writings by potential publishers, and attempts to find employment. Of special interest are a letter to the editor in which Salomon commented on civilian loyalties during the 1948 Communist uprising in Greece; a letter by S. N. Behrman in which he critiqued several of Salomon's writings; and a letter to Robert Sarnoff in which Salomon discussed the rights to the proposed program Victory at Sea. Most of this series consists of personal outgoing correspondence to family members, particularly Salomon's letters to his mother during the war. Salomon discussed his social activities, routine family affairs and financial matters, and the various overseas assignments he held during the war. Personal correspondence with members of his family and Samuel Eliot Morison can also be found here. Also included are several letters of condolence to Salomon's mother from acquaintances and friends such as Samuel Eliot Morison; Nathan M. Pusey, president of Harvard; Romney Wheeler, president of NBC International, Ltd.; and Robert W. Sarnoff, president of NBC.
The NAVAL CAREER series contains a file on the Victory Corps, a national high school organization designed to mobilize students for more effective preparation for wartime services. Included are scripts for Victory Hour, speeches, and articles. The remainder of the series documents Salomon's involvement in the writing and preparation of the History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Much of the correspondence is between Salomon and historian Samuel Eliot Morison, on whose staff Salomon worked. Although some of their correspondence is routine, much of it describes specific World War II naval battles and events as they attempted to clarify their facts. Salomon also reports on his trip to postwar Japan to seek information on Japanese naval operations. Included in the Research Material are The Memoirs of Prince Fumimaro Konoye which discuss American-Japanese negotiations during the period of the Koneo Cabinet (April-October 1941); a report on the development of an American anti-submarine detachment organized to rid the seas of U-boats; a paper on German naval operations in Australia; notes about conversations with ex-naval officers of the Japanese Imperial Navy; and descriptions of South Pacific naval operations from August 1942 through the end of 1943. Of particular interest are Salomon's Navy logs or diaries in which he recorded events and his impressions of several operations he visited or in which he participated. Among these are the Marshall Islands, Bougainville, the Leyte Gulf, and Okinawa operations. Also included are entries for a 1948 trip to Europe.
The TELEVISION CAREER file includes the narrations for several episodes of Victory at Sea plus articles and reviews about the series, motion picture, and book. There are also articles and reviews and some promotional booklets about Project 20 in general and specific episodes such as “Three, Two, One--Zero,” “Nightmare in Red,” “Life in the Thirties,” “The Jazz Age,” “The Great War,” and “He Is Risen.” Also in this section is a film showing Salomon arriving in London.
WRITINGS consist of essays, short stories, and articles authored by Salomon. Included is a summary of a talk Salomon had with Edda Mussolini, daughter of the Italian dictator, in which she briefly discusses anti-Semitism in Italy after the war and the results of American demand for unconditional surrender. Also included are a playscript, It Came to Pass, and a poem written by Salomon. A small file of miscellaneous writings by Samuel Eliot Morison completes the collection.
