Main content
T. H. Vail Motter Papers
Notifications
Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
T. H. Vail Motter (Princeton Class of 1922) received a Ph.D. from Yale University and spent two years in the Middle East during World War II, prior to serving as Chief of Middle East Section, Office of the Chief of Military History.
Motter, T. H. VailT. H. Vail Motter (Princeton Class of 1922) received a Ph.D. from Yale University and spent two years in the Middle East during World War II, prior to serving as Chief of Middle East Section, Office of the Chief of Military History.
The collection consists of manuscripts and correspondence reflecting the historical and literary interests of Motter (Princeton Class of 1922), including drafts, notes, and relevant correspondence for his book The Persian Corridor and Aid to Russia (1952); drafts, notes, and correspondence with Bernard Baruch, Henry W. Bragdon, Charles G. Osgood, William M. Sloane, and others relating to the editing of Woodrow Wilson's book Leaders of Men (1952); and other notes and articles about Woodrow Wilson.
Also present are drafts, notes, illustrations, relevant correspondence, and reviews of The School Drama in England (1929); scripts for a play, Heaven on Friday (1930); articles and notes on Victorian poetry, and a great deal of material used in the preparation of The Writings of Arthur Hallam (1943), collected and edited by Motter. Hallam (1811-1833) was a poet and close friend of Alfred Tennyson. Motter's papers include transcripts and copies of Hallam's poems and letters, bibliographies, articles, reviews, and correspondence on Hallam and Tennyson subjects.
In addition, there are letters by Edith Bolling Wilson, Motter's cousin, to Motter, Mrs. Murray Galt Motter, and Margaret Motter, and letters from Edith Hamilton and Doris Fielding Reid to Motter.
A later accession includes additional correspondence of Vail Motter, along with drafts, outlines, and notes for his various writings, published books, books, reviews, plays, and poetry.
Publications: The School Drama in England (London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1929); Heaven on Friday, A Fantasy in Three Scenes (New York: Longmans, Green & Co., 1930); The Writings of Arthur Hallam (New York: Modern Language Association of America, Oxford University Press, 1943), collected and edited by Motter; The Persian Corridor and Aid to Russia (Washington: Dept. of the Army, 1952); Leaders of Men by Woodrow Wilson (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1952), edited by Motter.
The collection was formed as a result of a departmental practice of combining into one collection manuscript material of various accessions relating to a particular author. A later 2014 accession was a gift of Dickinson College (AM 2015-22).
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
Folder inventory prepared by Alex Rodgers '2013 in 2011. Inventory for 2014 accession added by Kristine Gift.
No appraisal information is available.
People
- Hallam, Arthur Henry (1811-1833)
- Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, Baron (1809-1892)
- Wilson, Woodrow (1856-1924)
Subject
- College and school drama, English. -- 19th century
- Economic assistance, American -- Soviet Union. -- 20th century
- English poetry. -- 19th century
- Leadership
- Presidents' wives -- United States -- 20th century
- Theater -- England -- 19th century
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Iran
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Soviet Union
Place
Occupation
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Date
- 2013
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 box
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
8 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
2 boxes
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
2 folders
1 folder
3 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
3 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
4 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 box
1 folder
1 folder
7 folders
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
Original order was maintained.
This file group includes correspondence of Vail Motter with various libraries, universities, and former students, along with drafts, outlines, and notes for his writings, including nonfiction book projects and reports on his travels, reviews, fiction, plays, and poetry.
Physical Description2 boxes
Folder contains newspaper clippings, informational brochures from New York Public Library and Harvard University Libraries, correspondence regarding Leaders of Men and copies of which he donated to several university libraries, acknowledgements of yearly donations made to the Harvard University Library, correspondence with Yale University Library, Yale Library Associates, and Yale Graduate School Alumni Fund regarding yearly donations, correspondence with the Library of Congress, correspondence with Princeton University Library especially regarding a file of the Eritrean Daily News, correspondence with Columbia University, correspondence with Washington Cathedral College of Preachers regarding book donations, and correspondence with the Hoover Institute and Library.
Physical Description1 folder
The bulk of the letters in this folder are letters from Vail Motter's father from 1917 during Vail Motter's last year of prep school and first year at Princeton University, with some commentary on WWI developments from Dr. Murray Galt Motter in late 1917 and through 1918-1919.
Physical Description1 folder
Correspondence regarding jobs and job opportunities with Princeton, Wellesley, Northwestern, Yale, the US State Department.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
All concerning The Writings of Arthur Hallam.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
Published in Military Affairs, Summer 1949, Vol XIII, No. 2.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
Lectures and notes.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
Notes from evening course taught in academic year 1956-1957, also containing newspaper clippings from 1962-1964 and notes from lectures given in 1959.
Physical Description1 folder
Lecture notes from 1956-1957, newspaper clippings from 1963.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
Review of Under the Red Sea Sun. Published in Infantry Journal May 1947.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
Many items in the folder are undated; folder consists of random thoughts Vail Motter put to paper.
Physical Description1 folder
Noteable is a October 3 1956 article on the reception of performances of "The Diary of Anne Frank" in Germany, as well as several articles about the staging of Eugene O'Neill's last play "Long Day's Journey Into Night" which was performed several years after his death.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
Various notes, articles and short stories (written by others).
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
Many of the poems are by Carey C.D. Briggs.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
Bound, though in poor condition, copy of The Abyssinian Campaigns, published 1942. Notes are from 1945 and later.
Physical Description1 folder
Includes invitation to the White House, news article clippings regarding the oral histories of President Eisenhower, notes on the interview with and seminar by General Eisenhower, and other correspondence regarding presidential research.
Physical Description1 folder
Bound copy of A Draft of Cantos XXXI-XLI by Ezra Pound (1935) with notes by Vail Motter in margins.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder