This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
By Finding aid prepared by Trevor Sandgathe
Title: Charter Heslep Papers, 1932-1963
Predominant Dates: 1950-1963
ID: MSS Heslep
Primary Creator: Heslep, Charter (1904-1963)
Extent: 0.75 cubic feet. More info below.
Arrangement: The Charter Heslep Papers are arranged into five series: 1: Correspondence, 1950-1957; 2: Speeches, 1950-1963; 3: Ephemera, 1945-1961; 4: Photographs, 1932-1961; 5: Sound Recordings, 1958-1961. Materials are arranged chronologically within series.
Languages of Materials: English [eng]
The Charter Heslep Papers are primarily comprised of materials dating from Heslep's time as an employee of the Atomic Energy Commission. The collection includes correspondence, speeches, ephemera, photographs, and sound recordings relating to Charter Heslep's work with the AEC, with emphasis on his efforts to televise U.S. nuclear tests on behalf of the Commission.
The contents of Box-folder 1.6 in Series 1, Correspondence, and Box-folders 1.36 and 1.38 in the Photographs series, have been digitized and are available upon request.have been digitized and are available upon request.
The Charter Heslep Papers document Heslep's work as a member of the Atomic Energy Commission. The bulk of the collection is comprised of materials relating to Heslep's participation as an official observer in several nuclear weapons tests including detonations in Operations Crossroads, Upshot-Knothole, Tumbler-Snapper, Teapot, and Redwing. Notably, the Heslep Papers contain extensive correspondence between Heslep and his wife, Margaret, describing recording and broadcasting preparations for the Upshot-Knothole, Tumbler-Snapper, and Redwing tests. The collection also includes certificates of participation from Operations Teapot and Redwing, and photographs of the Nevada Test Site and the Pacific Proving Grounds, Heslep in his role as official observer, and assorted nuclear detonations.
The collection also contains speeches authored by Heslep on various topics such as nuclear energy, television and radio, and the practice of ghostwriting. Ephemera related to Heslep's position at the Atomic Energy Commission, including event programs and publications, can also be found in the Heslep Papers. In addition to photographs of military tests, sites, and personnel, the collection also contains photographs of Heslep at the Washington Daily News, Atomic Energy Commission and International Atomic Energy Agency events, and assorted sites and individuals associated with nuclear weapons and atomic energy during the 1950s and 1960s.
The contents of Box-folder 1.6 in Series 1, Correspondence, and Box-folders 1.36 and 1.38 in the Photographs series, have been digitized and are available upon request.have been digitized and are available upon request.
More Extent Information: 165 photographs; 2 boxes
Statement on Access: The collection is open for research.
Physical Access Note: Due to preservation concerns, reel-to-reel sound recordings are unavailable for playback.
Acquisition Note: Materials were purchased by the Oregon State University Special Collections in 1990 as part of the History of Atomic Energy Collection. The Charter Heslep Papers were separated from the larger collection in 2013 and are now held by the OSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center.
Separated Materials: Radioisotopes and Radiation: Recent Advances in Medicine, Agriculture, and Industry by John H. Lawrence, Bernard Manowitz, and Benjamin S. Loeb (1964) has been transferred to the History of Atomic Energy Collection (RB Energy). The volume includes a letter from Glenn T. Seaborg to Margaret Heslep dated October 29, 1964.
Related Materials:
Related collections on nuclear history in the United States include the Barton C. Hacker Papers (MSS Hacker), History of Atomic Energy Collection (RB Energy), and the Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers. Volumes from the library of Charter Heslep are located in the History of Atomic Energy Collection (RB Energy).
Additional materials relating to Heslep can be found in the Charter Heslep Papers at the University of Wyoming American Heritage Center and the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.
Preferred Citation: Charter Heslep Papers (MSS Heslep), Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
Heslep, Charter (1904-1963)
Atomic bomb--Marshall Islands--Testing.
Atomic bomb--Testing.
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Ghostwriting.
Heslep, Charter, 1904-1963
History of Science
Hydrogen bomb--Testing.
International Atomic Energy Agency
Marshall Islands
Mutual Broadcasting System
National Broadcasting Company
Nevada Test Site (Nev.)
Nuclear weapons--Testing.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Operation Crossroads, Marshall Islands, 1946.
Operation Greenhouse, Marshall Islands, 1951.
Operation Plumbbob, Nev., 1957
Operation Redwing, Marshall Islands, 1956.
Operation Teapot, Nevada, 1955.
Radio broadcasting.
Television broadcasting.
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
Washington Daily News Publishing Company
Audiotapes.
Photographic prints.
Series 1 is composed predominantly of letters to and from Charter's wife, Margaret, between 1950 and 1958. Their correspondence includes personal and family news, descriptions of Heslep's work on behalf of the Atomic Energy Commission, and extensive correspondence dating from Heslep's observation of nuclear tests in Nevada (1952 and 1953) and the Marshall Islands (1956). Notably, Heslep provides detailed descriptions of activities surrounding the Tumbler-Snapper Charlie test, the Upshot-Knothole Annie test, and the Redwing Lacrosse and Cherokee tests--the first thermonuclear drop--including setup of broadcast relays, weather reports, the detonations of nuclear devices, and life at Camp Mercury and aboard the USS Mount McKinley. The series also includes several letters to the Heslep children, a telegram regarding a cancelled meeting with Harry S. Truman, correspondence granting clearance for Heslep to attend the Eniwetok-Bikini Atolls tests, and a letter to Captain H. G. Rickover describing plans for Heslep to author a book on nuclear submarines.
The contents of Box-folder 1.6 have been digitized and are available upon request.
Series 4 is comprised of both color and black and white photographs relating to Heslep's work as a news reporter and member of the Atomic Energy Commission. The collection contains photographs of nuclear test preparations and explosions including images of Operation Trinity; Operation Tumbler-Snapper's Charlie test; Operation Upshot-Knothole's Annie, Nancy, Ruth, Dixie, Ray, and Grable tests; Operation Plumbbob's Priscilla and Fizeau tests; Operation Greenhouse; and Operation Redwing. The collection also includes photographs of test dummies and buildings, portions of the Nevada Test Site including "News Nob" and Camp Mercury, and photos of work aboard the USS Mount McKinley, an observer ship in the Pacific Proving Grounds during the Redwing tests.
The series also includes photos of Atomic Energy Commission events, meetings of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy, an Oak Ridge National Laboratory conference, Britain's first plutonium factory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, protests surrounding the Rosenberg espionage hearings, and other events and people relating to nuclear science and history. The series also contains numerous career photographs of Heslep in his position at the AEC, the Washington Daily News, and the Mutual Broadcasting Company as well as headshots and studio portraits.
The contents of Box-folders 1.36 and 1.38 have been digitized and are available upon request.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.