Ohio University Electronic Communication


   Date:  31-Aug-1993 02:44pm EST


   From:  Doug McCabe                                Dept:  Library
          MCCABE                                   Tel No:  (614) 593-2715

Subject:  Ryan Collection


    The Cornelius Ryan Collection contains the papers, research materials,
    and library of the writer Cornelius Ryan who wrote _The Longest Day_,
    _A Bridge Too Far_, and _The Last Battle_.  The collection is housed at
    Ohio University's Alden Library in Athens, Ohio.

    "The Ryan Collection consists of material relating to World War II,
    European Theater of Operations, in the form of his research papers and
    files for his three basic books....  There are personal files for 3,072
    individuals, both military and civilian participants of the battles,
    containing 2,551 questionnaires, 955 interviews, and numerous letters,
    diaries, accounts, and observations.  In addition, there are 166 audio
    recordings of interviews Ryan considered especially important.  Of
    particular note among the interviews are those with Prince Bernhard of
    the Netherlands, President Eisenhower, and General Simpson, all from
    1963.

    "In addition to the personal files, there are numerous newspaper and
    magazine articles and book excerpts dealing with the battles.  Ryan
    also collected military documents of all types: combat interviews and
    after-action reports, war diaries, message files and logs, strategic
    and tactical analyses, maps, and unit histories from all national
    forces involved.  Of particular note among the military documents are
    war diaries and message logs of the major German commands from all
    three battles and accounts, interrogations and unit histories from the
    moscow Archives concerning the storming of Berlin.  The bulk of the
    German documents had not been consulted by any researcher prior to Ryan
    and, in the case of the Russian documents, no one else [Westerner] has
    ever been allowed access to the Moscow Archives.

    "There are in excess of 1900 original photographs in the files,
    collected from various national archives and private individuals, the
    vast majority of which are unpublished.

    "The remainder of the Ryan Collection deals with his journalistic
    productions...."

    "Any qualified researcher [that means anyone] may examine any materials
    in the collection, subject to the rules and regulations of the Ohio
    University Library....  Researchers are requested to cite collection
    name, collection number, and Ohio University in all footnotes and
    bibliographical references.  [from the Scope and Content portion of the
    Collection Description]  The Finding Aid fills three three-ring binders
    and covers the collection down to the folder level.  We charge $.10 per
    xcopy.  Charges for research help and other services are available upon
    request.  A microfiche set of the entire collection is available at the
    Normandy Museum in Caen, France.

    The collection also includes Ryan's entire personal library which runs
    up to the year of his death in 1974.  Some items have been added over
    the years as suppliments.  (Two maps, Omaha Beach left and Omaha right,
    came in last year from an OU alum.  They show the shore, beach, and
    back beach plus sub photos, tides, moon and sun cycles, beach
    gradients, and water depths.  They are labeled "Top Secret - BIGOT.)  A
    room dedicated to the collection is a part of the Archives and displays
    pieces of the collection along with memorbelia including a large wall
    map of Normandy with Ryan's grease-pencil notations dealing with the 24
    hours of D-Day.

    The files contain hundreds of stories from individuals which were
    edited down by Ryan to use in his books or were never used.  (Recently
    found in a file were photo negs of shots of one of the London Fire
    Company's extended ladders rigged with BARs to support the Pointe du
    Hoc attack and two shots of troops on Omaha Beach, probably taken early
    in the landing.  None of these photos were known to have existed, as
    far a I know.)

    Anyone interested in more information about the collection can contact
    me at the addresses below.  Anyone wishing to forward this post to
    other Lists or individuals is more than welcome to do so.

    Doug McCabe
    University Records Manager
    Alden Library
    Ohio University
    Athens, OH 45701

    Phone: (614) 593-2715
    E-Mail: mccabe@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu
    FAX: (614) 593-2959



Received:  31-Aug-1993 02:44pm