Individuals Correspondence Series

The Harry L. Hopkins Papers, Part IV primarily consist of correspondence, newsclippings, manuscripts and photographs, all centering around the career and family life of Harry L. Hopkins during the Second world War. The Papers are arranged in 60 folders in on box and 1 oversize container. Harry L. Hopkins was the right hand man of Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Second World War, attending international summits and party conventions with and in the place of Roosevelt. This fourth accession of Harry Hopkins' papers deals almost exclusively with Hopkins' career and personal life during the War. Items in the collection have been arranged in five series: The Hopkins Family Series, the Individuals Correspondence Series,the Manuscripts Series, the Photographs and Printed Materials Series and the Oversize Materials Series. The Hopkins Family Series contains correspondence between Harry Hopkins, his sons David and Stephen, and with his former wife, Ethel G.Hopkins. Most of the correspondence concerns the welfare of the children.A family event of major significance was Stephen Hopkins' death in action in the Pacific in early February, 1944. Included in this series are the last letter sent by Harry Hopkins to his son before he died, returned undelivered, and a letter from Harry Hopkins to his former wife and the mother of Stephen, Ethel Gross Hopkins. The Individuals Correspondence Series consists of social correspondence between Hopkins and individuals he knew through his professional life, including political leaders, diplomatic friends,military leaders and popular writers. Many letters offer condolences on the deaths of his son Stephen and President Roosevelt. Included among the political correspondents is Winston Churchill, Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt and Felix Frankfurter; military leaders include General Henry H.Arnold, Field Marshall Sir John Dill, Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King and admiral Harold R. 'Betty' Stark. Diplomatic correspondents include Walter Nash of New Zealand, Herbert Vere Evatt of Australia, and H. H. Kung and Kung Ling-Kai of China. Popular writers include Carl Sandburg and Leonard Lyons. The Manuscripts Series mainly consists of speeches and diary entries by Hopkins. Included are Hopkins speech before the 1944 Democratic national Convention regarding Franklin Roosevelt's acceptance of the nomination and a eulogy for Hopkins written by John Steinbeck which was read by Burgess Meredith at his memorial service. The diary entries are xerox copies and consist of some of his most fascinating moments, including interviews with George Vi of England and the King of Norway. The Photographs and Printed Materials Series consist mainly of photos taken by Robert Hopkins at Malta and Yalta and newsclippings about Harry Hopkins. Robert Hopkins, Harry Hopkins' son, accompanied Hopkins to a meetings in Malta and the Yalta Conference at which he photographed Franklin Roosevelt meeting with Winston Churchill, Marshall Stalin and Ibn-Saud, King of Saudi Arabia. The newsclippings focus on Hopkins,including a cover story about him in Time Magazine and inflammatory reports that Hopkins had given 'atomic secrets' to the Russians during the War. The oversize Material consists of further photos by Robert Hopkins and newsclippings about Harry Hopkins.