U.S. Naval History Featured in National Archives Lecture Series in May and June 2002
Press Release · Wednesday, March 20, 2002

Washington, DC

In May and June, the National Archives and Records Administration presents a series of lectures relating to U.S. Naval History, Jackie Kennedy, World War I, and espionage.

The programs are free and open to the public and will take place in Room 105 at the National Archives Building, Pennsylvania Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW and at the National Archives at College Park, located at 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD. Due to limited seating in Room 105 of the National Archives Building, reservations are recommended, call (202) 208-7345. The public may verify times and dates by calling the National Archives public events line at (202) 501-5000. TDD users may call (202) 501-5404.

May

Monday, May 6 - U.S. Navy Lecture Series
Naval historian Edward Marolda will discuss "The US Navy in the Persian Gulf." Based in part on his book, Shield and Sword: The United States Navy and the Persian Gulf War, he will narrate and examine the history of United States naval operations in this area. Noon.

Tuesday, May 7 - U.S. Navy Lecture Series
On the 60th anniversary of the battle of the Coral Sea, Colonel James Hammond USMC (Ret) USNA '51 will discuss his book, The Treaty Navy: The Story of the US Naval Service Between the World Wars. Hammond narrates how the U.S. overcame the pacifist opposition, a stingy Congress, and isolationist attitudes to create the balanced fleet with its multitude of innovative thinkers at the helm as it won the greatest naval war in history in the Pacific. 7 p.m. Room 105.

Wednesday, May 8 - U.S. Navy Lecture Series
On the 57th anniversary of VE Day, archives specialist Patrick Osborn will discuss "Using Modern Military Records to Research Your World War II Navy Ancestor." He will describe the naval records housed at the National Archives and the kind of information they contain that could be of use for genealogists. Mr.Osborn highlight records relating to several upcoming anniversaries of major milestones in World War II, including Midway, Battle of the Coral Sea, and D-Day. Noon.

Thursday, May 9 - Jackie Kennedy
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis is the ultimate American fashion icon. Jay Mulvaney, author of Jackie: The Clothes of Camelot, celebrates her unique style as he discusses some of her two hundred outfits, photographed in both black and white and color, many previously unpublished or rarely seen. 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 16 - World War I
On the 87th anniversary of the infamous event, author Diana Preston will speak about her book, Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy. In May, 1915, toward the end of a routine crossing from New York to Liverpool, England, RMS Lusitania became the target of a terrifying new weapon and a casualty of a terrible new kind of war. Sunk by a torpedo fired from the German submarine U-20, she exploded, burned, then sank in eighteen minutes, taking with her over twelve hundred people, more than half of the crew and passengers. It also jolted the United States out of its neutrality-124 Americans were among the dead-and hastened the nation's entry into World War I. Noon

Wednesday, May 22 - U.S. Navy Lecture Series
Jean Ebbert and Marie-Beth Hall will discuss their book, The First, the Few, the Forgotten: Navy and Marine Corps Women in World War I. The authors tell the story of the women who served in the military during World War I. Effectively shattering the misconception that women's military role in the war was limited to nursing, they recount that from 1917 to 1920, some 12,000 enlisted women served in the U.S. Naval Reserve and 305 in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. They examine the surprising variety of military duties carried out by women, including a number of non-clerical, highly specialized billets. Noon.

Thursday, May 23 - U.S. Navy Lecture Series
Commander David A. Rosenberg USNR will discuss "Admiral Arleigh Burke and his role in creating the modern US Navy." Based in part on his upcoming book, Commander Rosenberg reveals how today's Navy still bears Admiral Burke's significant imprint, from its forces and tactics to the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers that are now the mainstay of our surface combatant ships. Commander Rosenberg is the Admiral Harry W. Hill Professor of Maritime Strategy, National War College, Washington, D.C. 7 p.m.

Tuesday, May 28 - U.S. Navy Lecture Series
Professor Ronald H. Spector will discuss his book, At War at Sea: Sailors and Naval Combat in the Twentieth Century. He begins with a gripping account of one of the most decisive battles in history, the 1905 Battle of Tsushima, between the Japanese and the Russians, and ends with the sophisticated missile engagements off the Falklands and the Persian Gulf. Spector, former director of naval history for the U.S. Navy, is Professor of History and International Affairs at George Washington University. 7 p.m.

Wednesday, May 29 - Charles Lindbergh
In May 1927, in Paris, Charles Lindbergh alighted from his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, and entered history as the first person to complete a nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic. Celebrating the 75th anniversary of Lindbergh's New York-Paris flight and the 100th anniversary of his birth, authors Dominick Pisano and Robert Van Der Linden will discuss their book, Charles Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis. The authors, both curators at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, emphasize the degree to which Lindbergh's achievement was related to his sophisticated grasp of aviation technology and his superb skills as a pilot. Noon.

June

Monday, June 3 - U.S. Navy Lecture Series
Dr. Gary Weir will present his topic, "Anti-Submarine Warfare and Cold War Ocean Surveillance," based in part on his book, An Ocean in Common: American Naval Officers, Scientists, and the Ocean Environment. Dr. Weir is Head of the Contemporary History Branch of the U.S. Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C. Noon.

Wednesday, June 5 - Senator John McCain
Elizabeth Drew returns to discuss her latest book, Citizen McCain. Granted unique access to the Senator and his closest aides, prizewinning journalist Elizabeth Drew offers a close-up, fascinating account of Senator John McCain as he goes about the legislative business of achieving campaign finance reform, his signature issue, building coalitions, and working across party lines. Noon.

Monday, June 10 - Espionage
John F. Sullivan will discuss his book, Of Spies and Lies: A CIA Lie Detector Remembers Vietnam. Sullivan was a polygraph examiner, recruiter, and team leader with the CIA from 1968 to 1999. He was one of the CIA's top polygraph examiners during the final four years of the war in Vietnam, where he served longer and conducted more lie detector tests than any other examiner and worked with more agents than most of his colleagues. Noon.

Thursday, June 13 - Espionage
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the creation of the O.S.S., Linda McCarthy returns to discuss her book, Spies, Pop Flies, and French Fries: Stories I Told My Favorite Visitors to the CIA Exhibit Center. Ms. McCarthy, the founding curator of this widely acclaimed collection, will provide an engaging and revealing look at some of the more popular items featured in the attraction and the heroes and heroines forever linked to them. Noon.

Monday, June 17 - Preservation of the "Charters of Freedom"
Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler and Kitty Nicholson of the National Archives Document Conservation Branch will offer a behind the scenes look at the research and conservation work being undertaken on the "Charters of Freedom"-the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. Noon.

Wednesday, June 26 - Preservation of Federal Records
Doris Hamburg, Director of Preservation Programs at the National Archives, will talk about the role of the National Archives in preserving the records of the Federal Government. As Director, Ms. Hamburg is responsible for overseeing preservation, conservation, and reproduction programs at National Archives facilities nationwide. Noon.

For additional PRESS information, please contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (301) 837-1700 or by e-mail. Visit the National Archives Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.archives.gov.

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