Guide to the Donald M. Goldstein Collection, 1886-2005 UA.90.F78

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Donald M. Goldstein Collection
Creator
Goldstein, Donald M.
Collection Number
UA.90.F78
Extent
114.75 Linear Feet (72 manuscript boxes, 12 photograph boxes, 4 oversize boxes, 8 record center boxes)
Date
1886-2005
Abstract
This collection contains the professional papers of Donald M. Goldstein (1932-2017 ), an historian of the Pacific theater of World War II and professor at the University of Pittsburgh. The crux of this collection is the World War II series. It contains invaluable primary documentation, the bulk of which is unique to this collection and consists of interviews and personal papers from the military leaders and government officials involved in the Pearl Harbor attack. In addition to the World War II series, this collection highlights Goldstein's other research interests: Amelia Earhart, International Relations, Korean War, Spanish-American War, Vietnam War, Ennis Whitehead, Williwaw War, World War I and Jacob Deshazer. Largely composed of textual documents such as correspondence, diaries, financial records, interview transcripts, manuscripts, notes, publications, reports, and subject files; this collection benefits from an exhaustive collection of photographs.
Language
English .
Author
Jaimie George. Additions processed by Ian McGlory, Andrew Brown and Marianne Kasica.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Biography

Donald M. Goldstein (1932-2017) was a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and best-selling author, who dedicated over thirty years to teaching at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of International Affairs (GSPIA). A well-respected professor, Goldstein received numerous awards such as the Excellence in Teaching Award from the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration in 1999 and the Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award in 2001. Acting as either the author or co-author, Goldstein published over twenty books. His best sellers, At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor and Miracle at Midway, have obtained international acclaim and are printed in several languages. Over the years, Goldstein emerged as an authority on the Pacific theater of World War II. As such, he participated in hundreds of speaking engagements and consulted for numerous television news programs. Most significantly, Goldstein received two George Foster Peabody awards for his contributions to the ABC specials "Pearl Harbor: Two Hours that Changed the World" and "D-Day: A Soldier's Story."

Donald M. Goldstein was born on December 15, 1932 in New York City, New York. He studied history at the University of Maryland where he received a B.A. in 1954 and a M.A. in 1962. In 1963 he received a M.S. in political science from Georgetown University, and a M.S. in public administration from George Washington University in 1965. In 1970, Goldstein received a PhD in history from Denver University. He also graduated from the Squadron Officer School, the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College Resident Program, and the Air War College Nonresident Program.

Spanning over 40 years, Goldstein's professional career in academia covered a variety of topics such as U.S. history, military history, arms control, international security, international relations, and foreign policy process. Prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh, Goldstein worked in the history department of several institutions including the University of Tampa, United States Air Force Academy, and Troy State University. Since the fall of 1974, Goldstein was associated with the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) at the University of Pittsburgh. During this time, Goldstein held several administrative positions and became a tenured full professor in 1992. A favorite among his students and co-workers at GSPIA, Goldstein received fourteen awards as either the Teacher of the Year or Outstanding Teacher between the years 1987-2006.

In addition to his teaching career, Goldstein was an accomplished editor and author. He published a multitude of World War II books that are based upon the research of his mentor Gordon Prange (1910–1980), including several best sellers. In addition to the World War II books, Goldstein published other manuscripts, including a biography of Amelia Earhart, an international relations text book, and eight pictorial books on the United States' participation in foreign conflicts. Goldstein wrote a military history of the United States published in 2007, and a biography of World War II pilot Jacob Desazer, which was published in 2010.

Goldstein was married to Mariann, a retired nurse practitioner from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, with whom he had four children and six grandchildren. Goldstein passed away on December 17, 2017.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 16 series, loosely grouped by topic. Extensive scope and content notes are provided at the following series levels:

Series I. Amelia Earhart

Series II. International Relations

Series III. Korea

Series IV. Spanish American War

Series V. Vietnam War

Series VI. Ennis Whitehead

Series VII. Williwaw War

Series VIII. World War I

Series IX. World War II

Series X. Prange Enterprise

Series XI. Personal, Donald Goldstein

Series XII. Academic Career and Course Materials

Series XIII. Photographs

Series XIV. Oversized Materials

Series XV. 2012 Additions

Series XVI. 2013 Additions

Scope and Content Notes

This collection documents Donald M. Goldstein's professional pursuits in researching, writing and teaching from the 1970s through 2005, and consists of correspondence, contracts, course materials, diaries, financial records, manuscripts, notes, photographs, publications, reference files, reports, transcripts, and videos. The first nine series represent Goldstein's primary research interests, which resulted in publications about Amelia Earhart, International Relations, Korean War, Spanish-American War, Vietnam War, Williwaw War, Ennis Whitehead, World War I and World War II. Of these series, World War II is the most significant, as it contains valuable primary documentation gathered directly from World War II participants and archival institutions located throughout Japan and the United States. In general, these resources provide first-hand accounts of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the resulting Pacific War from the perspective of military commanders, political leaders, and enlisted men. The World War II series also contains substantial documentation on the D-Day Invasion of Normandy, and the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes. In addition to the research files, the first nine series also contain manuscripts and related materials that document the process of writing manuscripts, editing drafts, creating page proofs, and marketing the final product. This entire process requires a constant flow of communication that is documented through correspondence, lists of corrections, and revised manuscript drafts. The remaining series detail Goldstein's personal interests, his affiliation with Prange Enterprises, and his teaching career, as well as the photographic and oversized materials that give some depth to this largely textual collection.

Two additional series, processed in 2012 and 2013, respectively, consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, publications, images and manuscript materials for a biography about Jacob Deshazer, a former Doolittle Raider.

Access Restrictions

The student papers are restricted. A signed confidentiality agreement is required for access.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Donald M. Goldstein on March 12, 2006.

Custodial History

The bulk of the World War II research files were originally amassed by Gordon W. Prange. During his tenure with General Douglas MacArthur's Historical Division from 1942 to 1951, Prange collected primary documentation from and interviewed World War II-era officials in Japan. Over the next twenty years, Prange and his assistant, Katherine V. Dillon, contacted American veterans and frequented archival institutions to develop the American perspective. During this period, Prange began his four-volume study of the Pearl Harbor attack, "Tora, Tora Tora," as well as several related projects such as the diary of Matome Ugaki, an analysis of the Battle of Midway, and biographies of Mitsuo Fuchida and Richard Sorge. With his health declining, Prange contacted Donald M. Goldstein to complete the necessary revisions and negotiate with publishers to ensure the publication of his books. Upon his death in 1980, Prange's files were transferred to his research assistant Katherine V. Dillon and his protégé Donald M. Goldstein. Goldstein received the remainder of Prange's files from Katherine V. Dillon upon her death.

Previous Citation

Donald M. Goldstein Collection, 1886-2005, UA.90.F78, University Archives, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh

Preferred Citation

Donald M. Goldstein Collection, 1886-2005, UA.90.F78, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Jaimie George and Michael C. Oliveira in 2006. Additional series were processed by Ian McGlory and Andrew Brown in 2013.

Existence and Location of Originals

This collection contains manuscript materials photocopied from the Library of Congress, National Archives, University of Wyoming, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Naval Historical Center, Hoover Institute on War, and additional archival institutions. It also includes reprints of images from the National Archives, Smithsonian Institute, Army War College, U.S. Naval Institute, German Bundesarchive, and similar institutions. The agencies of origination are documented within the files.

Related Material

Additional information about Gordon Prange can be found at the University of Maryland.

  • Papers of Gordon Prange, 1920-1980, (unprocessed)
  • The Gordon W. Prange Collection, 1945-1949, www.lib.umd.edu/prange/index.jsp

Separated Material

Books noted in this finding aid are catalogued and stored separately. For preservation purposes, the photographs are stored separately in the media room. The oversized materials are also stored separately.

Copyright

The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.

Subjects

    Personal Names

    • Earhart, Amelia
    • Fuchida, Mitsuo
    • Goldstein, Donald M.
    • Prange, Gordon W. (Gordon William)
    • Sorge, Richard
    • Ugaki, Matome
    • Whitehead, Ennis Clement
    • Sell, Oliver M.

    Genres

    • Faculty papers

    Other Subjects

    • World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Pacific Ocean
    • Battle of Midway, 1942
    • Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941
    • World War, 1939-1945
    • University of Pittsburgh
    • International relations
    • Korean War, 1950-1953
    • World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Alaska -- Aleutian Islands
    • World War, 1939-1945 -- Naval operations, Japanese

Container List