Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1346

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

1 box (0.20 linear foot)

Preferred Citation:

Howard C. Rice scrapbook, 1944-1945, Ms. Coll. 1346, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1944-1945 (inclusive)

Creator:

Rice, Howard C. (Howard Crosby)

Form:

Manuscripts, American -- 20th century, Maps, Clippings (information artifacts), Photographs, Reports, and Scrapbooks

Abstract:

Scrapbook created by Howard C. Rice spanning the years from 1944 to 1945. The volume documents Rice's World War II assignment with Allied Information Service, operating public address systems for the French communities liberated on June 21, 1944. Rice was stationed in Cherbourg, France. The scrapbook contains photographs, clippings, proofs of articles written by Rice, official correpondence, and event programs.

Rice was one of three children born to newspaper publisher Howard C. Rice and Amy Jones. The family lived in Battleboro, Vermont. He graduated with a bachelor of arts from Dartmouth in 1926. He continued his education in Paris where he taught in American and French schools and received his doctorate from l'Université de Paris in 1933. Rice married France Chalufour in 1934. He returned to the United States where he was an instructor of French at Harvard University from 1936 to 1942. By 1943, Rice joined the Office of War Information and was assigned to the Broadcasting Division, French section. Following the invasion of Normandy, Rice received a concurrent assignment in the U.S. Army Psychological Warfare Division, Operation of Public Address units. Following World War II Rice served as director of the United State Information Library in Paris in the US Embassy. From 1948 until his retirement in 1970, Rice was associate professor and librarian for Rare Books and Special Collections at Princeton University. Among his many articles and books reviews on historical and literary subjects Rice was editorial consultant of the Papers of Thomas Jefferson.

An oversize volume comprising the scrapbook of Howard C. Rice, Jr. spanning the years from 1944 to 1945. The volume documents Rice's assignment with the Allied Information Service while stationed in Cherbourg, France and traveling to surrounding towns. The scrapbook contains photographs, clippings and proofs of articles written by Rice, official correspondence, and event programs. Rice entered the deep water port of Cherbourg immediately following its liberation on June 21 1944. He was assigned and operated one of four Public Address Units. The role of this operation was to provide information to the people of Cherbourg and the surrounding towns with announcements, civil affairs updates, instructions, children's whereabouts, and news through use of a mobile public address system attached to an automobile. Due to non functioning private radios and lack of electricity the civilian population was unable to receive information. The volume contains thirty-two photographs with captions on the verso by the Office of War Information, articles in French and English written by Rice regarding the liberation and conditions. A typed final report to from Rice to the Allied Information Service (PWD/SHEAF) outlines the results public address units, set up, assignments, and success including hand drawn maps and anecdotes. The photographs depict crowds coming to listen to the Public Address system, other soldiers in the Allied Information Service, and graves of American soldiers. There are two programs from events. Laid in the volume: a folded map dated 1943 of a French agricultural hamlet and a note written in French regarding broadcast times for the BBC. Two envelopes containing folded items regarding the deaths of soldiers are pasted in the volume.