http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt258032ht No online items Finding aid prepared by Tess McCarthy Hoover Institution Archives 434 Galvez Mall Stanford University Stanford, CA, 94305-6010 (650) 723-3563 hooverarchives@stanford.edu 2008, 2014 82110 1
Title: William Rudolph Date (inclusive): 1911-1978 Collection Number: 82110 Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Archives Language of Material: English Physical Description: 3 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box, 1 oversize folder(5.2 linear feet) Abstract: The papers of William Rudolph Gruber, U.S. Army brigadier general, consist of correspondence, orders, reports, memoranda, writings, certificates, printed matter, maps, and photographs relating to American military administration of the Panama Canal and American military operations in France during World War I and in the Far East during World War II. Physical Location: Hoover Institution Archives Creator: Gruber, William Rudolph, 1890-1979. Access Collection is open for research. The Hoover Institution Archives only allows access to copies of audiovisual items. To listen to sound recordings or to view videos or films during your visit, please contact the Archives at least two working days before your arrival. We will then advise you of the accessibility of the material you wish to see or hear. Please note that not all audiovisual material is immediately accessible. Publication Rights For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Archives. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], William Rudolph, [Box number], Hoover Institution Archives. Acquisition Information Acquired by the Hoover Institution Archives in 1982. Accruals Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. To determine if this has occurred, find the collection in Stanford University's online catalog at http://searchworks.stanford.edu/. Materials have been added to the collection if the number of boxes listed in the online catalog is larger than the number of boxes listed in this finding aid. Biographical Note December Born, Cincinnati, Ohio 17, 1890 November Named commander, United States Army 30, 1912 1913-1917 Served in Panama 1917-1918 Served as batallion and regiment commander, 17th Field Artillery, 2nd Division, in the Soissons, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, Champagne, and Meuse-Argonne operations June 16, Married Helen L. Drennan 1919 1924 Attended Field Artillery School, Fort Still, Oklahoma 1925 Graduated with honors from the Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 1925-1928 Instructor, Command and General Staff School 1929 Attended Army War College, Washington, D.C. 1929-1930 Served as commander, 7th Field Artillery 1930-1938 Director, Panama Railroad and Steamship Company 1933-1937 Served as assistant to three secretaries of war on affairs of the Panama Canal, Inland Waterways Corporation, Army engineer projects, and War Department negotiations on the treaty with Panama 1936 Attended Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island 1936-1938 Served as commander, 36th Field Artillery 1938-1941 Served as G.A., chief of staff, Hawaiian Division 1940 Oversaw Army housing construction project in Hawaii 1941 Served as commander, 26th Field Artillery Brigade, Camp Roberts, California February Named brigadier general 1942 82110 2
1942-1945 Served as artillery commander, 38th and 24th Divisions, Burma, India, China, S.W. Pacific, New Guinea, and Philippine operations 1945 Served as assistant Army-Navy Foreign Liquidation Commissioner, State Deptartment, Europe 1946 Retired from the U.S. Army January 27, Died, Carmel, California 1979 Source: Marquis Biographies Online. Who Was Who in America. http://search.marquiswhoswho.com/profile/200010813094. Accessed 26 November 2014. Related Collection(s) Papers of William R. Gruber, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library Scope and Content of Collection The William Rudolph consist of correspondence, orders, reports, memoranda, writings, certificates, printed matter, maps, and photographs documenting Gruber s wide-ranging career in the United States Army. The Military Career File includes correspondence, memoranda, citations, certificates, and reports documenting Gruber s promotions, assignments, decorations (notably the Silver Star with Third Oak Leaf Cluster and the French Croix de Guerre), leaves of absence, and retirement. The World War I File consists of printed matter documenting military operations in France, particularly the Battle of Blanc Mont. The World War II File consists of Gruber s military analysis on the vulnerability of Pearl Harbor, as well as reports and other materials relating to the China-Burma India Theater, where Gruber led campaigns under General Joseph Stilwell, providing intelligence and communications in liaisons with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and analysis on the military readiness of China and India. The Panama Canal File consists of correspondence, reports, agendas, and printed matter related to the American military administration of the Panama Canal, gathered during Gruber s role as assistant to three U.S. secretaries of war. The Correspondence series includes Gruber s letters to and from notable figures, such as presidents Eisenhower, Truman, and Hoover and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. The Writings series includes Gruber s letters to the editor for various publications, authored articles reflecting on military operations, reports, and manuscripts, as well as research materials. The Photographs series consists of photographs of the Panama Canal (including Franklin D. Roosevelt s visits in 1934), World War I battles, and portraits of figures such as Douglas MacArthur and Chiang Kai-shek. Finally, the Maps series includes annotated war period military and civilian maps of Panama and Asia, comprised of collected data in the field used for military analysis and civilian reports. The military maps are strategic in nature and depict troop movement. The collection is organized according to Gruber s original arrangement, in chronological order. Subjects and Indexing Terms Chiang, Kai-shek, 1887-1975--Pictorial works. Chiang, Kai-shek, 1887-1975. MacArthur, Douglas, 1880-1964. Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945. Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919--Pictorial works. Stilwell, Joseph Warren, 1883-1946. United States. Army--Officers. Army War College (United States) Panama Canal. Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941. United States--Armed Forces--Hawaii. United States--Armed Forces--Panama. United States. Army--Officers. World War, 1914-1918--Campaigns--France. World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Burma. World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--China-Burma-India Theater World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--China. World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Pacific Ocean. World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Philippines. 82110 3
Military Career File, 1918-1957 Military Career File, 1918-1957 Citations, recommendations, certificates, correspondence, reports, memoranda, and an autobiographical sketch pertaining to Gruber's military career, including his promotions, assignments, decorations (notably the Silver Star with Third Oak Leaf Cluster and the French Croix de Guerre), leaves of absence, and retirement. Box/Folder 1 : 1 Citations, recommendations, and correspondence regarding military decorations, 1918-1957 Box/Folder 4 : 1 Citations, certificates, and records of military decorations and promotions, 1918-1944 Box/Folder 1 : 2 Promotions, assignments, leaves of absence, and retirement, 1935-1946 World War I File, 1918-1928 Box/Folder 1 : 3 Printed matter, 1918-1928 Includes General Orders Nos. 53 and 88 of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), Citation Orders No. 2 (AEF), and mongraphs highlighting the French campaigns in the Champagne region in World War I. Box/Folder 1 : 4 Battle of Blanc Mont, 1918-1922 Materials about Blanc Mont in the Battle of Blanc Mont of the Second Field Artillery Brigade written by Gruber, as well as American Expeditionary Forces Citation Orders No. 8 and monographs published by the United States War Office, such as A Study in Battle Formation, and Blanc Mont. World War II File, 1938-1975 Box/Folder 1 : 5 Pearl Harbor military analysis, 1938-1947 Reports, clippings, and analysis on the possibility of an attack on Pearl Harbor. Box/Folder 1 : 6-7 China-Burma-India Theater, 1942-1972 Includes reports, military analysis, transcripts of wire communications between General Joseph Stilwell and Gruber, as well as reports and muster rolls of the Tenth U.S. Airforce and members of the National Military Council, including Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. Box/Folder 2 : 1 Army housing project in Hawaii and clippings, 1940-1956 Box/Folder 2 : 2 "The United States Army and the China-Burma-India Theater, Chapter III," review manuscript and correspondence, 1940-1950 Memoranda, chronologies, reports, inventory of United States and Chinese forces, tables and schedules, and drafts for messages to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, as well as a proposed plan for opening a second front under Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell. Also includes a letter and manuscript from the Department of the Army, Special Staff of the Historical Division for review. 82110 4
Panama Canal File, 1931-1979 Panama Canal File, 1931-1979 Correspondence, agendas, and reports of the United States and Panama Canal Zone governments with regards to foreign visits and the Panama Canal Company. Included with the correspondence are listings of Panama Canal Company board members, reports, inquiries, and printed matter. Box/Folder 2 : 3 1931-1933 Some materials regarding the visit of Governor Burgess and President Arias to the Canal, with agenda and reports. Box/Folder 2 : 4 1931-1938 Box/Folder 2 : 5 1951-1955 Box/Folder 2 : 6 1955-1979 Box/Folder 3 : 1 Printed matter, 1970-1975 Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries report and congressional hearings and Panama Canal Company annual reports for 1974 and 1975. Correspondence, 1920-1962 Organized according to Gruber's original arrangement. Box/Folder 3 : 2 Personal, 1920-1946 Letters sent and received by Gruber to a variety of personal contacts, including Republican Congresswoman Clare Boothe Luce and informal letters from General Douglas MacArthur. Box/Folder 3 : 3 Professional, 1935-1968 Includes correspondence with Chiang Kai-shek, General Douglas MacArthur, George H. Dern (United States War Secretary), and presidents Eisenhower, Truman, and Hoover. Writings, 1936-1970 Box/Folder 3 : 4 "The Foreign Relations of the United States," 1936 Box/Folder 3 : 5 Reports, articles, correspondence, clippings, and research materials, 1947-1970 Photographs, 1911-1978 Box/Folder 3 : 6 Family and historical scenes, 1911-1978 Depictions of Gruber, his wife Helen, and figures such as Franklin D. Roosevelt (during a 1934 visit to the Panama Canal), as well as World War I battles and the Panama Canal. Box/Folder 4 : 2 Portraits, 1918-1934 Larger format photographs of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, Madame Chiang Kai-shek, United States War Secretary George Dern, and General Douglas MacArthur. 82110 5
Maps, 1918-1971 Maps, 1918-1971 Annotated military maps and research maps of Asia, France, the Panama Canal, and the United States. Box/Folder 4 : 3 Burma, China, Panama Canal and the United States, 1934-1970 Map case Annotated military analysis maps, 1918-1971, bulk 1922-1928 82110 6