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                                John Osborne

            A Register of His Papers in the Library of Congress

    Prepared by Michael McElderry with the assistance of Brian McGuire

                                    1999

                 Manuscript Division, Library of Congress

                              Washington, D.C.

       Contact information: http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mss/address.html

                Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress
                         Manuscript Division, 2003

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Collection Summary

Title:    Papers of John Osborne , ca. 1900 - 1983 (bulk 1941 - 1983 )
ID No.:    MSS60400
Creator: Osborne, John, 1907-1981
Extent:    34,300 items ; 98 containers plus 1 oversize plus 1 classified ;
39.2 linear feet
Repository:    Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Abstract:    Author, editor, and journalist. Correspondence and memoranda;
family papers; drafts of published and unpublished articles, reports,
columns, and interviews; notes and notebooks; dispatches and news cables;
research material; and other papers documenting Osborne's career as a
reporter, editor, and columnist for Time, Life, and the New Republic.

Selected Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of
person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and
listed alphabetically therein.

Names:

Osborne, John, 1907-
Carter, Jimmy, 1924-
Ford, Gerald R., 1913-
Forrestal, James, 1892-1949
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963
Luce, Henry Robinson, 1898-1967 --Correspondence
Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-
Reagan, Ronald

Subjects:

Life (Chicago, Ill.)
New Republic (New York, N.Y.)
Time
Foreign correspondents--England--London
Foreign correspondents--Italy--Rome
Foreign correspondents--Japan--Tokyo
Journalism--New York (State)--New York
Journalism--Washington (D.C.)
Korean War, 1950-1953--Journalism
Presidents--United States
Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975
World War, 1939-1945--Journalism--Europe
London (England)--History--Bombardment, 1940-1945
United States--Politics and government--1969-1974
United States--Politics and government--1974-1977
United States--Politics and government--1977-1981
United States--Politics and government--1981-1989

Occupations:

Authors
Journalists

Administrative Information

Provenance:

The papers of John Osborne, journalist and writer, were deposited in the
Library of Congress by his wife, Gertrude McCullough Osborne, 1982-1993. In
1999, the deposits were converted to gifts by Osborne's son, John Osborne
III.

Processing History:

The John Osborne Papers are described in Library of Congress Acquisitions:
Manuscript Division, 1982, pp. 26-28.

Transfers:

Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial
divisions of the Library. Audiotapes have been transferred to the Motion
Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. Photographs have been
transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. All transfers are
identified in these divisions as part of the John Osborne Papers.

Copyright Status:

The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of John Osborne is
governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).

Classified Material:

Government regulations control the use of classified material in this
collection. Manuscript Division staff can furnish information concerning
access to and use of classified material.

Preferred Citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following
information: Container number, John Osborne Papers, Manuscript Division,
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Biographical Note

 Date          Event

 1907 , Mar.
 15            Born, Corinth, Miss.

 1925 - 1926   Attended Southwestern University, Memphis, Tenn.

 1926 - 1927   Attended University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.

 1927 - 1931   Reporter, Commercial Appeal and the Associated Press,
               Memphis, Tenn.

 1933 - 1935   Public information officer, Tennessee Valley Authority and
               National Recovery Administration

 1936 - 1938   Labor affairs writer and national affairs editor, Newsweek

 1938 - 1961   Writer, editor, and foreign correspondent, Time, inc.

 1942          Married Gertrude McCullough

 1946 - 1948   London bureau chief, Time, inc.

 1948 - 1951   Foreign editor, Life magazine

 1951 - 1953   Washington editor, Time, inc.

 1953 - 1956   Senior Far East correspondent, Time, inc.

 1956 - 1961   Staff writer, Life magazine

 1961          Published Britain: A Country of Character (New York: Time,
               inc. 176 pp.)

 1961 - 1968   Free-lance writer

 1968          Published The Old South (New York: Time-Life Books. 192
               pp.)

 1968 - 1981   White House correspondent and associate senior editor, New
               Republic; wrote regular columns "The Nixon Watch" and
               "White House Watch"

 1970 - 1975   Published annual volumes of collections of "The Nixon
               Watch" columns

 1974          George Polk Memorial Award for magazine reporting

 1977          Published White House Watch: The Ford Years (Washington:
               New Republic Book Co. 482 pp.)

 1981 , May 2  Died, Washington, D.C.

Scope and Content Note

The papers of John Franklin Osborne (1907-1981) span the years ca.
1900-1983, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period after
1941. Although he worked as a reporter and writer for several newspapers
and Newsweek magazine from 1927 to 1938 and as a free-lance writer from
1961 to 1968, Osborne's most important work as a journalist and editor was
largely confined to two phases of his long career, each identified with the
news magazine with which he was associated at the time. The first phase
covers the period from 1938 to 1961 when he worked as a writer, editor, and
foreign correspondent for Time, inc. The second, from 1968 until his death
in 1981, began when Osborne joined the staff of the New Republic to write
an analysis of Richard M. Nixon's presidency in a column entitled "The
Nixon Watch," which was continued under the title "White House Watch"
during later administrations. Records originating from both news
organizations are contained in subseries in the Journalism File. The Time
files contain correspondence and memoranda, drafts of published and
unpublished articles and reports, notes and notebooks, dispatches, news
cables, and research material. Osborne's field reports reflect the
political and international repercussions of American foreign policy during
and immediately following World War II, while his office files provide
insight into the operations of Henry Luce's publishing empire. The New
Republic files contain material similar to those of Time, including an
important set of notes transcribed from Osborne's tape-recorded interviews
and telephone conversations, and serve as source material for the study of
twentieth century American politics as viewed through the office of the
United States presidency. In addition to the files associated with Time and
the New Republic, the collection also includes family papers, general
correspondence, research and production material for Osborne's books and
free-lance writings, and miscellaneous items.

As an editor and foreign correspondent for Time, Osborne reported many of
the major events of the mid-twentieth century. A selection of the stories
Osborne covered while stationed in London, Rome, Tokyo, New York, and
Washington includes World War II reports from Europe and the London
"blitz," the Communist takeover of China, and the Korean War. Osborne's
files include dispatches, news cables, and memoranda. The geopolitical
file, representing Osborne's collected notes and research material on
specific countries and foreign policy issues, documents postwar
international realignment, especially in the Far East.

In his role as adviser and editor, Osborne exchanged correspondence and
memoranda with other top editors and decision makers throughout the
corporate hierarchy of Time, inc., including Henry Luce. These exchanges
outline various administrative and editorial policies and suggest the
extent to which the company shaped its product through tight editorial
control and a centralized world view. For some years, Osborne was a
colleague of Whittaker Chambers on the staff of Time magazine. Reflecting
on his relationship with Chambers, Osborne responded to John Chabot Smith's
book, Alger Hiss: The True Story, in a controversial review published in
the New Republic in April 1976. Material relating to the review and the
relationship is located in the New Republic files.

In an effort to advance his career and broaden his opportunities for
independent writing, Osborne left Time in 1961 to become a free-lance
writer. The Books and Writings File contains correspondence, drafts, notes,
and other material detailing the contract negotiations, research, and
writing he pursued during this period. The series contains a large
collection of notes and research material gathered in support of an
intended, but unpublished, biography of James Forrestal. Similar files
accumulated for prospective volumes on John F. Kennedy and Vietnam
illustrate Osborne's research methods.

In 1968 Osborne became the White House correspondent for the New Republic.
The collection contains drafts, notes and notebooks, and reference files
produced and collected by Osborne while writing his regular columns, "The
Nixon Watch," and "White House Watch." Although Osborne's columns
chronicled the record of incumbent presidents from Richard M. Nixon to
Ronald Reagan, his attention was drawn more closely to the study of the
American presidency as an institution. It was the office of the presidency,
more so than its occupant, that Osborne admired and sought to document. The
New Republic files include full sets of drafts, proofs, and tearsheets for
these columns, which were later collected and published as The Nixon Watch
in annual volumes, 1970-1975, and White House Watch: The Ford Years, 1977.
Material relating to these published volumes can be found in the Books and
Writings File.

Despite his access to inside sources, Osborne preferred official documents
and transcripts for his information. His work habits are further reflected
in the set of notes, notebooks, and reference material he used in
preparation for his columns. These materials are in the White House file,
among the files of the New Republic. Although Osborne kept notebooks
throughout his career to record both facts and impressions, his holograph
entries are fragmentary and difficult to read. Of greater importance are
his typewritten notes, which he categorized and filed both chronologically
as a set and selectively within subject headings. In addition to research
material, the notes include transcripts of personal and telephone
interviews conducted by Osborne with a variety of administration officials
and recorded by him on cassette tapes.

Correspondence and memoranda exchanged between staff members of the New
Republic detail administrative decisions that influenced editorial policy
at the magazine. Readers' reactions to his columns were always important to
Osborne, and their letters, along with his replies to the more thoughtful
responses, are contained in the New Republic files.

Organization of the Papers

The collection is arranged in six series:

   * Family Papers, 1915-1983, n.d.
   * Journalism File, 1941-1981, n.d.
   * Books and Writings File, ca. 1900-1980, n.d.
   * Miscellany, 1940-1981, n.d.
   * Oversize, ca. 1900-1974
   * Classified, 1978
   
November 5, 2003