Register to the Joseph Abraham Mendenhall papers, 1927-2011
Register to the Joseph Abraham Mendenhall papers, 1927-2011
Hoover Institution ArchivesStanford University
Stanford, California
- Processed by:
- Hoover Institution Archives Staff
- Date Completed:
- 2011
- Encoded by:
- Machine-readable finding aid derived from MARC record by Rita Morin.
| 1920 | Born, Calvert, Maryland |
| 1940 | B.A., University of Delaware |
| 1941-1946 | U.S. Army service, attaining rank of captain |
| 1946-1975 | U.S. Foreign Service officer |
| 1946-1949 | Vice consul, Istanbul, Turkey |
| 1949-1951 | Assistant chief, Economic Cooperation Administration Mission to Iceland |
| 1952-1955 | Second secretary of embassy, Switzerland |
| 1955-1959 | Department of State Bureau of Southeast Asian Affairs officer, Washington, D.C. |
| 1959-1962 | Counselor of embassy, South Vietnam |
| 1962-1963 | U.S. National War College student |
| 1963-1964 | Director, Department of State Vietnam Working Group, Washington, D.C. |
| 1964-1965 | Director, Department of State Office of Far Eastern Regional Affairs, Washington, D.C. |
| 1965-1968 | Director, U.S. Agency for International Development Mission to Laos |
| 1968-1970 | Deputy and acting assistant administrator for Vietnam, U.S. Agency for International Development, Washington, D.C. |
| 1970-1972 | U.S. Foreign Service inspector |
| 1972-1975 | Ambassador to Madagascar |
| 1975 | Retired and took up residence in Italy |
| 1992 | Returned to the United States |
Scope and Content of Collection
Collection Contents
Early Life and Ancestry, 1927-2010.
Scope and Content Note
Genealogy
General. Mendenhall family history, with related charts, correspondence and miscellany, 1994-2008
Mendenhall Family Association newsletters, 1996-2010
Education
Elementary and high school report cards and memorabilia, 1927-1936
University of Delaware. Correspondence, campus newspaper issues and university history, 1937-1940
Law school and graduate school application correspondence, 1940-1946
Military service. U.S. Army personnel file, War Department application correspondence and Air Force Reserve discharge certificate, 1941-1955
U.S. Foreign Service File, 1945-1976.
Scope and Content Note
Department of State personnel file, including application materials and evaluation reports, 1945-1975
Official correspondence
1945-1958
1959-1962. Includes correspondence with Elbridge Durbrow
1963-1964. Includes U.S. National War College correspondence
1965-1968. Includes correspondence with Chester Bowles and William H. Sullivan and with Edward M. Kennedy and other members of Congress
1969-1971. Includes correspondence with Edgar Buell, Ellsworth Bunker, William H. Sullivan and members of Congress
1972. Mainly letters of congratulation upon ambassadorial appointment. Includes correspondence with Ellsworth Bunker, Shelby Cullom Davis and William Rogers, and with J. Caleb Boggs and other members of Congress
1973-1974. Includes correspondence with William H. Sullivan
1975. Includes correspondence with Henry A. Kissinger and Eliot Richardson
Speeches and writings
Orientation talk on political background of Vietnam for newly arrived Americans in Vietnam, 1962 March 30. Mimeograph
"Viet-Nam: Land of Crisis," University News (University of Delaware publication), 1962 Summer. Typescript, printed copy and correspondence
Department of State seminar on collective security in the Far East, 1965 February 2. Presentation outline
Department of State briefing on foreign policy in the Far East, 1965 April 16. Presentation outline
Counterintelligence seminar on Southeast Asia, 1965 April 21. Presentation outline
Debate on Vietnam, Freedom Forum, Albion College, Albion, Michigan, 1965 May 13. Presentation outline, correspondence and press coverage
Talk to Military Government Association on Vietnam, Portland, Oregon, 1965 May 29. Presentation outline
Lecture on Communist challenge in Asia, Westminister College, Fulton, Missouri, 1965 July 12. Presentation outline
Counterintelligence seminar on Vietnam, 1965 August 13. Presentation outline
Statement to press upon appointment as U.S. Agency for International Development director in Laos, 1965 September 8. Typescript
Talk to AID Laos Mission staff, 1965 September 24. Presentation outline
Briefing on AID program for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, 1965 October 27. Presentation outline
Talk on rural development program, 1965 October 31. Presentation outline
General orientation talk on AID program, 1966 January 18. Presentation outline and background data
Remarks at laying of cornerstone for medical warehouse, Vientiane, Laos, 1966 May 12. Typescript
Talk to Laotian teachers participating in training program in Thailand, 1966 June 7. Typescript and Lao translation
Talk to Rotary Club (Vientiane?) on U.S. aid to Laos, 1966 July 11. Typescript and French translation
Talk at far cargo vessel ceremony, Laos, 1966 July 12. Typescript
Talk to AID cluster managers, Laos, 1966 July 27. Presentation outline
Talk at presentation of certificates to Laotian teachers, 1966 August 18. Typescript
Talk and briefing to Laotian trainees, 1966 September 22-23. Typescript and presentation outline
Talk at Vientiane Prefecture ceremony, 1966 October 11. Typescript
Voice of America interview on AID program in Laos, 1966 November 22. Transcript
Speech to Laotian trainees, 1966 December 7. Typescript
Remarks at dedication of medical warehouse, That Luang, Laos, 1966 December 8. Typescript and French translation
Briefing on AID program for Senator Stuart Symington, 1966 December 20. Presentation outline and background data
Remarks at Ministry of Finance ceremony, Vientiane, Laos, 1967 January 17. Typescript (in French) and background data
Refugee relief officers conference, 1967 January 18. Presentation outline
Speech at dedication of Sedone Valley development projects, Laos, 1967 January 27. Mimeograph and French translation
Talk to U.S. Information Service personnel, Laos, 1967 February 7. Presentation outline
Speech at agricultural conference, Vientiane, Laos, 1967 March 7. Mimeograph
Speech at signing of small industries project agreement, Vientiane, Laos, 1967 March 10. Typescript and French translation
Speech at orthopedic center, Vientiane, Laos, 1967 March 17. Mimeograph and French translation
Remarks at school dedication, Kengkok, Laos, 1967 April 10. Mimeograph
Staff meeting, 1967 April 27. Presentation outline
Remarks at groupes scolaires dedication, Pakse, Laos, 1967 May 18. Mimeograph and French translation
Remarks at groupes scolaires dedications, Xieng Ngeun and Luang Prabang, Laos, 1967 May 19. Typescript, mimeograph and French and Lao translations
Speech at groupes scolaires dedication, Vientiane, Laos, 1967 May 22. Mimeograph and French and Lao translations
Talk to Chao Muong personnel, 1967 May 29. Presentation outline
Speech at dedication of Hia Nakok Dam, Laos, 1967 June 29. Mimeograph and French and Lao translations
Speech to graduating nurses, Vientiane, Laos, 1967 July 15. Mimeograph
Speech at dedication of Hong Sa-Tha Souang Road, Laos, 1967 December 3. Typescript
"The United States National Interest in Viet-Nam," 1967 December 20. Typescript statement prepared for Senator Abraham Ribicoff, and correspondence with Ribicoff
Talk on AID program in Laos, 1968 January 25. Presentation outline
Conference on changing the people of Laos, 1968 February 10. Presentation outline
Conference on community development in Laos, 1968 February 15. Presentation outline and agenda
Remarks at dedication of groupe scolaire and warehouse, Sayaboury, Laos, 1968 May 14. Typescript
Remarks at dedication of groupe scolaire and warehouse, Ban Houei Sai, Laos, 1968 May 15. Typescript
"Is Laos a Viable State?" 1968 September 10. Typescript
"The Aims and Methods of U.S. Aid Programs in Southeast Asia," speech, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 1968 November 14. Typescript
Notes on book by David Schoenbrun, Vietnam: How We Got In, How to Get Out, 1968 November 30
"TV Notes" (reference unclear; re Vietnam), 1968 December 10
"Progress in Vietnam's 'Other War,'" 1968 December. Typescript
Talk on Vietnam economic-civil front, 1969 January 24. Presentation outline
"Miracle Rice in Vietnam," letter to the editor, Baltimore Sun, 1969 February 14. Printed copy
Statement to U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Vietnam AID program for FY 1970, 1969 June 16. Typescript
Statement to U.S. House Appropriations Committee Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Vietnam AID program for FY 1970, 1969 July 14. Typescript
Talk on Vietnam to President's Science Advisory Council, 1969 November 22. Presentation outline
Statement to U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Vietnam AID program for FY 1970, 1969 November 26. Typescript
Talk on Vietnam (occasion unclear), 1969 December. Presentation outline
Assignment to Turkey. Memorandum, and speech by Esther W. Boyer on 500th anniversary of conquest of Constantinople, 1948-1952
Assignment to Iceland. Background data, and printed article on Marshall Plan (in Icelandic), 1951-1953
Assignment to Switzerland. Diplomatic corps directory, printed article, and ocean liner passenger list, 1954-1955
Assignments re Vietnam
South Vietnamese government directories
1960
1961
1962
Diplomatic corps directory and U.S. Embassy personnel directory, 1960 and 1962
U.S. Operations Mission to Vietnam annual reports, 1958 and 1960
U.S. Agency for International Development Mission to Vietnam annual reports, 1968 and 1969
Expense vouchers, 1959-1962
Miscellany. Memoranda, speeches by others, and lists, 1951-1968
Printed matter. Background printed articles and serial issues, 1963-1975
Assignment to U.S. National War College. Faculty and student rosters and annual report, 1962-1963
Assignments re Laos
Schedules and guest lists, 1965-1968
Background and briefing materials on Laos and on U.S. aid to Laos, 1959-1968
Miscellany. Speeches by others, printed articles and memorabilia, 1961-1974
Assignment to Madagascar. Memoranda, list of Madagascar government officials, Madagascar newspaper issues, and memorabilia, 1972-1975
Miscellany. Schedules, lists, biographical data, Department of State publications, Nigerian and South Korean newspaper issues, and memorabilia, 1946-1975
Press coverage. Official publications and news stories re Mendenhall's diplomatic career
1960-1969
1972 (ambassadorial appointment)
1975-1976 (retirement)
Personal Correspondence, 1938-2011.
Scope and Content Note
1938-1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983-1984
1985-1986
1987-1989
1990-1993
1994-1996
1997-1999
2000-2002
2003-2005
2006-2008
2009-2011
Undated
Retirement Formal Correspondence, 1975-2010.
Scope and Content Note
1975-1979. Includes correspondence with William H. Sullivan
1980-1982. Includes correspondence with Fernando E. Rondon and William H. Sullivan, and with U.S. News and World Report Books re projected book on Vietnam War
1983-1985. Includes correspondence with Fernando E. Rondon and William H. Sullivan
1986-1989. Includes correspondence with Bui Diem, and with Brian VanDeMark re his dissertation on Vietnam War policy
1990-1993
1994-1996. Includes correspondence with Marshall Green and letters to William E. Colby and Henry A. Kissinger
1997-1999
2000-2002. Includes correspondence with Elbridge Colby
2003-2006. Includes letter to Paul Wolfowitz
2007-2010
Retirement Speeches and Writings, 1976-2011.
Scope and Content Note
"Missing Madonna of Carda Mourned by Italian Villagers," 1976. Typescript and correspondence
"Communist Vietnam and the Border War: Victim or Aggressor?" Strategic Review, 1978 Summer. Typescript, printed copy and correspondence
"Essentials for Economic Development," 1978. Typescript and correspondence
Review of William Colby and Peter Forbath, Honorable Men: My Life in the CIA, Strategic Review, 1979 Spring. Typescript, printed copy and correspondence. Includes correspondence with Colby
"Could the Vietnam War Have Been Won?" 1979. Typescript and correspondence
"Next Vietnamese Communist Target: Northeast Thailand?" 1979. Typescript and letter
"Laos: Vietnam's Stepping-Stone to Thailand," Conflict, 1980. Typescript, printed copy and correspondence
Review of Amphay Doré, Le partage du Mekong, ca. 1980. Typescript
"Southeast Asia: Challenge and Opportunity for the Reagan Administration," 1980. Typescript and correspondence
Review of Ronald Steel, Walter Lippmann and the American Century, Strategic Review, 1981 Spring. Typescript, printed copy and correspondence
"The Portents of the New Neutralism and Neo-Isolationism," 1982. Typescript and correspondence
Review of Norman Podhoretz, Why We Were in Vietnam, Strategic Review, 1983 Spring. Typescript, printed copy and correspondence
Interview with U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian re involvement with Vietnam War policy, 1983 December 27. Memorandum of interview prepared by the Office of the Historian, photocopies of supporting documentation, and correspondence
"The Meaning of Vietnam for El Salvador," 1983. Typescript and correspondence
Review of Zbigniew Brzezinski, Power and Principle: Memoirs of the National Security Adviser, 1977-1981, Strategic Review, 1984 Spring. Typescript, printed copy and correspondence
Review of Gary Sick, All Fall Down: America's Tragic Encounter with Iran, 1986. Holograph
Review of Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam, 1988. Holograph and correspondence
Review of William E. Colby with James McCargar, Lost Victory: A Firsthand Account of America's Sixteen-Year Involvement in Vietnam, Strategic Review, 1990 Winter. Typescript, printed copy and letter
"America in Crisis," 1990. Typescript and correspondence
"The United States and China: A 21st Century Superpower Confrontation?" 1993. Typescript and correspondence
"No to U.S. Troops in Bosnia," 1995. Typescript and letter
"America at the Threshold of the 21st Century," 1997. Holograph
"What Is a Viable U.S. Politico-Military Strategy vis-à-vis China?" 1998. Typescript
"Syria: Little-Known Treasure Trove for Tourists," ca. 1990s. Typescript
"America's Geopolitical Context: Past and Future, or The Geopolitical Destiny of the United States," 2000. Holograph
"A Long-Enduring Friendship with Marge," 2000 (re Marjorie Tilghman). Typescript and correspondence
"Beware of the Big Lie," 2001. Typescript and letter
"The Struggle with Militant Islam," 2001. Typescript and correspondence
"The United States and Europe," 2002. Typescript and correspondence
"The Foreign Policy Scorecard of America's Presidents since World War II," 2003. Holograph
"The Korean Conundrum," 2003. Typescript and correspondence
"Assessment of U.S. Iraq Policy," 2004. Typescript and letter
Message to funeral of Icelandic diplomat Thorhallur Argivisson, 2005 November 18. Holograph and letter
"Can America Long Endure?" 2005. Typescript and letter
"Lessons from the Vietnam War for Iraq," 2005. Typescript and correspondence
"The Past Can Help Counterinsurgency in Iraq," 2006. Typescript and correspondence
"America's Loss of Memory in Both the Vietnam and Iraq Wars," 2008. Typescript and letter
"Why the Japan-India Security Pact Is of Prime Importance to the U.S.," 2008. Typescript and letter
Letters to the editor, 1979-2011. Typescripts and some printed copies
Miscellaneous draft holographs
Biographical and Personal File, 1942-1989.
Scope and Content Note
Personal and financial records, 1942-1989. Includes Who's Who biographical entries and University of Delaware Alumni Wall of Fame citation
Family miscellanea, mainly re children, 1951-1979
Miscellany. Includes appointment book and notebook
Subject File, 1954-2009.
Scope and Content Note
Iraq. Printed articles and writings by others, 2003-2008
Vietnam and Laos
General. Printed articles, 1980-2008
Texas Tech University Vietnam Center. Correspondence, conference agenda and printed matter, 2003-2006. Includes conference papers from 2003 Conference on the Rise and Fall of Ngo Dinh Diem
Miscellany. Notes, printed articles and other printed matter, mainly re American domestic and foreign policy, 1954-2009
Audiovisual File, 1949
Scope and Content Note