Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Manuscripts
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
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Manuscripts
Approx. 65 items. Letters and memos. (Fewer famous names crop up among NBW correspondents after his retirement) Subjects and correspondents include: (6/27) NBW neatly refutes Ida Eaton of Palm Springs, who wrote saying - "one of the greatest threats to freedom of thought is freedom of the press"; (5/30) 9-pp. letter [brown paper clip] to James Chambers, Jr., of Dallas Times Herald, giving advice on problems at the Dallas paper; (5/4) letter to David Laventhol, Editor, Newsday, saying "With the issue of April 23 I think you've got it... [except for one item in Sports] I can't find a quibble"; (4/18) 11-pp. letter (red ppr clip) to Chambers, of Dallas Times Herald critiquing the April 3 - April 12 issues of that paper. NBW writes "the entire paper...has been goosed up...(but) there are a couple of points on which I have considerable doubts"; (4/10) 2-pp. memo to Otis Chandler on Times Herald issues; (4/5) letter to "Doc" Young on the ingredients of a successful newspaper; (4/3) 3-pp. memo to Otis Chandler on Newsday Editorial; etc.
mssLAT
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Manuscripts
Approx. 80 items. Letters and memos. (a higher percentage of NBWs' correspondence takes the form of friendly, chatty letters, sharing news of his own activities, etc.) Subjects and correspondents include: (10/18) 4-pp. letter to David Laventhol (Newsday) on developments at that paper (blue ppr clip); (10/13) 2-pp. memo to Otis Chandler with thoughts on The Pilot (OC), Laventhol & Newsday and Dallas Times Herald; (10/11) 3-pp. (red ppr clip) letter to Robert Atwell of Pitzer College with NBW's thoughts on the goals of that college; (11/30) ditto last entry; (11/8) 2-pp. letter to Robert Donovan (LAT, DC bureau) on health problems of his wife, Elizabeth; (12/7) letter to Judge John Shidler, Torrance Superior Court; In 12/6 letter to Zena Guenin, NBW muses on the central problem of journalism, "wrestl(ing) with the issues in a way that its readers can understand and enjoy....Zest is what matters"; (12/6) letter to Ms. Price Hicks, Producer of "Citywatchers" (KCET-tv), discussing it and the role LAT staffers Champlin and Seidenbaum played; (12/6) letter to John Vasconcellos in which NBW's says of his politics, "(I'm) a moderate conservative, (but) try hardest to be an idealistic pragmatist"; (12/31) brief letter to Mayor Sam Yorty; etc.
mssLAT
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Manuscripts
Approx. 90 items. Letters, memos. Subjects and correspondents include: reply to reader who accused NBW and columnists he disliked of being "owned by the Chandlers"; letter to Charles Bennett, Editor of The Oklahoman, informing him that NBW and James Bassett would be resigning from their posts with ASNE as of Spring 1971, and suggesting the names of Robert Donovan and Anthony Day as replacements (3/30/1971; a letter in which NBW admits that he is "the man who fiddles with the comic page," because "an editor must have something to do to pass the time"; (3/29) letter on LAT editorial on SST (Super sonic transport); plans for meeting between "key members of the editorial staff" and "not more than five members of the trial lawyers association" (3/30/'71); letter to David Laventhol (Newsday) - "I hope it's no secret that I am an admirer of Newsday"; (3/23) 3-pp.letter to Otis Chandler on several topics, incl. a plan to specify "senior editors" to be "super-reporters of subjects"; letter to Ashraf Ghorbal, Minister Plenipotentiary, United Arab Republic Interests Section, NYC; 2-pp. letter to Kathleen Carr on NBW' college education and his interest in archeology; (3/22/'71) letter to Janet Foulkes on the virtues (or not) of several comic strips; several letters to Robert Chandler, Editor/Publisher., The Bulletin (Bend, OR); (3/11/'71) 3-pp. reply to Dan Jamison, CMC student, on his criticisms of LAT coverage of the Manson trial and the Nixon administration); (3/9) letter to J. Edward Murray, Arizona Republic, explaining some of the changes among top LAT staffers; the John Anson Ford memoirs.
mssLAT
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Manuscripts
Approx. 85 items. Letters, memos. Subjects and correspondents include: 2-pp. letter to Walter Berquist (Bullock's Pres.) on LAT article his company found offensive; a late-Oct. '70 cartoon by Conrad must have struck a nerve, there were a larger than usual stack of "Conrad serves a useful purpose" letters at that time; letter to John Robinson, Jr., Exec. Dir., Los Angeles World Affairs Council, on Joseph Alsop; letter to Gene GiWoff [sic] on "Los Angeles" mis-pronounciations ; letter to Evelle Younger, County District Atty. ((10/29/1970); letter to Herbert Klein, White House Comm. Director (10/22/1970); 3-pp. letter to Ben Bradlee, Editor, Washington Post (10/21/1970); letters related to a controversy involving LAT columnist Dr. Frederick Stare, a nutritionist; (10/14/1970) 3-pp. letter to Otis Chandler on Times-Post News Service; letter to "Secretary General" [no name used] of United Nations, sending regrets regarding invitation to "Editors' Roundtables"; letter to reader on Head Start and unnecessarily long trials / justice system ; letter (10/7/1970) to J. Edgar Hoover, FBI chief ; 3-pp. memo to Otis Chandler headed "Joint Office Space in Washington; etc.
mssLAT
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Manuscripts
Approx. 90 items. Letters, memos. Subjects and correspondents include: (2/25/71) lighthearted note to Paul Bovarnick of Claremont Men's College, on LAT vs. NY Times; memo to Otis Chandler on efforts to "wrench our Editorial Library into the 20th Century"; letter to David Riley of Claremont MC on the The Christian Science Monitor newspaper; (2/24/71) letter to Chester Gould, cartoonist of "Dick Tracy"; (2/24/71) memo to Otis Chandler - "the major political parties...(are now) gearing their national nominating conventions to television"; flap about Dr. Frederick Stare and his LAT column; more "Conrad serves a useful purpose" letters; (1/23/71) memo on upcoming visit to LAT of Sec. of Labor James Hodgson; exchange with Supervisor Warren Dorn on coverage of Rams and pro football; letter (2/11/71) to David Laventhol, Newsday Editor, about writer Hannah Achtenberg; etc.
mssLAT
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Manuscripts
Approx. 60 items. Letters and memos. Subjects and correspondents include: two letters of 3/23, one to Libby Afflerbach, Editor, The Daily Skiff (Texas Christian U.), suggesting she contact LAT Editor William Thomas during her post-graduation job hunt, "just for the hell of it," and one to Thomas describing Afflerbach as "serious, aggressive in an un-repulsive way, alert mind...(not) a sexpot type...I'd guess she had potential"; more regrets sent for invitations to speak, etc., because of the "short notice" nature of NBW tasks for Otis Chandler; 16-pp. text (orange paper clip) for NBW Walter Humphrey Memorial Address, delivered at Texas Christian U. on topic of press freedom; (2/23) 2-pp. memo to Otis Chandler on "Associated Press rates"; letter to James Tilford of Florida refuting Tilford's assertion that major US newspapers "work together" to shape political opinions--NBW says "It just ain't so"; (2/15) memo to Otis C. on the "Ditchley Conference on the Pacific and East Asia"; more short, chatty letters to readers: (2/3) letter to reader John Daly on "what is news, what constitutes advertising?" and on junkets, freeloading and "favors" in the news game; (1/20) 3-pp. letter to Rivian Taylor, Asso. Editor of The Daily Trojan at USC, critiquing a special edition of that student publication; (1/19) letter to Earl Foell, Editor, Christian Science Monitor; etc.
mssLAT