Papers of Ruth Cowan Nash, ca.1905-1990

Series I, Biographical and family (#1-64), includes documents explaining the lack of a birth certificate for Nash and her use of different names; job applications and security investigation data provided by Nash for federal employment; entries for various biographical dictionaries with accompanying correspondence; reminiscences by her and interview tapes and transcripts; correspondence and other papers about her University of Texas education (see especially her letter to her mother in #14); press passes, membership cards, certificates, tributes; articles by others about Nash; and numerous photographs of her from early childhood through about 1983.

This series also contains papers relating to various relatives, including correspondence with the Central Oklahoma State Hospital, where Nash's mother was institutionalized for a number of years; correspondence about her mother's death while Nash was working overseas; papers relating to her father's death; letters from aunts and a cousin; photographs of various aunts and other, unidentified family members.

There are a few papers of Bradley D. Nash, including press releases, biographical clippings, and a campaign card from his 1956 congressional campaign; a few letters to Nash; and photographs.

Series II, Financial (#65-91), contains income tax returns and related documents; bank statements and canceled checks (see also #120); a sample of Nash's AP pay receipts; and papers concerning life insurance, personal property taxes, household receipts and inventories, purchase of a house in Washington D.C., etc.

Series III, Correspondence and related papers (#92-157), consists primarily of personal and professional correspondence. In addition to Nash's original alphabetical sequence, a chronological sequence was created from the numerous letters found loose. See the index at the end of this inventory for names of correspondents.

Personal and professional correspondence are intermingled. Nash's correspondence with the AP (#98-103) is particularly candid, discussing morale, personal ambition, the Army's obstruction of her pursuit of stories overseas, and so forth. Her early pursuit of journalism jobs is documented in #127. Several folders (#130-134) contain wartime correspondence, travel orders, letters of introduction and recommendation for Nash to present to foreign colleagues or officials, and related papers. The correspondence with the U.S. War Department (#117) contains an Nash letter describing the difficulties of hosting a racially segregated event to present War Department awards to journalists. Also included are letters about the possible publication of Nash's wartime memoirs ("Why Go To War"), and correspondence and clippings about Nash's inclusion in Julia Edwards's Women of the World.

The respect and affection that colleagues and friends held for Nash is clearly documented in this series. It was not unusual for the subjects of her articles (e.g., Frances Perkins, Eleanor Roosevelt, the Landon family) to become her friends as well. There are many interesting letters written in response to Nash's marriage; those who merely sent cards with congratulatory remarks were listed (#149), and the cards removed from the collection. This was also done with holiday cards (#155). The alphabetical sequence includes personal correspondence with Elva Cunningham; Women's Army Corps Public Relations Officer "Hank" Horak; Senator Jennings Randolph (D-West Virginia); various Harper's Ferry garden clubs and historical associations; Hazel White (later Reavis); and the sisters of journalist Wiley Smith.

The series also includes a few photographs, and some address books and lists.

Series IV, Writings, speeches, notes and related papers (#158-528), includes Nash's early writings (a short story, movie reviews and other articles for the San Antonio Evening News and the Houston Chronicle, UP articles, etc.); typescript carbon copies ("flimsies") and clippings of articles for the Associated Press (AP) written in the United States and Europe; feature stories (not published) about Oveta Culp Hobby and Byron Price; a chapter in the Overseas Press Club Association's Deadline Delayed; and speeches.

The clippings and articles in this series were too fragile for research use, and are therefore available only on microfilm (M-135). Clippings of articles by Nash originally found with the typescripts have been integrated chronologically in each folder; loose clippings were arranged chronologically and filmed separately.

The bulk of Series IV consists of articles written for the AP. They are arranged in two main categories, as established by Nash: an alphabetical sequence of articles written while in the Washington bureau, and articles written while overseas covering World War II. The alphabetical sequence includes stories written before and after her overseas assignment (i.e., 1940-1942 and 1946-1956). These "Washington articles" were folded and stored in labeled envelopes by topic; mixed in were programs, guest lists, articles by others, a few letters, and miscellaneous related items. Published material by others was removed, and relevant items transferred to the Schlesinger Library's vertical files. Articles without by-lines or other identifying information were placed at the end of each folder. Most articles are signed "rbc" or "cowan," and most are dated by Nash. Many are marked with AP's classification as "AMS" (day-side) or "PMS" (night-side); Nash's AP designation was "rucow."

Folder headings, contents, and alphabetical arrangement of "flimsies" are by Nash. Nash articles arranged chronologically within each folder; some folders also contain reference material and unattributed articles, maybe by Nash. Most clippings are in #165f+-166f+. Folder dates, added by the processor, refer to Nash stories, not to additional material. Information in brackets added by processor.

Most (but not all) of Nash's dispatches from overseas carry dates written in the European style: day/month. The processor has consistently followed Nash's use when marking subsequent pages. Bracketed dates, added by the processor to undated items throughout the collection, are in U.S. style: month/day. In many cases there is a discrepancy between Nash's transmission date and the article's publication date. The processor has used the publication date (when noted on clippings) to date some of the typescripts.

The numbers included in Nash's folder headings (e.g., "London #6") apparently refer to the numbered outline for her World War II memoirs (see #453). Copies of some articles may appear in more than one folder, dated in one place but not in the other.

Some of Nash's notebooks (not filmed) have numbers precariously attached to their spines that perhaps correspond to the numbered folder headings. The notes include names and addresses of, and interviews with, soldiers, nurses, WACs, et al., information about field hospitals, and so forth. Some of the entries, written in faint pencil, are fading. The notebook numbered 486 has several pages of diary-like entries. There are also related materials, collected by Nash while overseas, including a U.S. counter-intelligence report on Germany (Nov. 1945) and a variety of memorabilia.

The "Other writing" section begins with drafts of and correspondence about two feature-length articles, written for magazines but not published. "Mr. Price Goes to Hollywood" (ca.1946) details the career of AP executive Byron Price, his tenure as director of the Office of Censorship during World War II, and his move to Hollywood as vice-president of the Motion Picture Producers of America; "Mrs. Hobby and Gentleman" (ca.1954) recounts the life of Oveta Culp Hobby, the organizer and first director of the Women's Army Corps. Deadline Delayed (1947), a publication of the Overseas Press Club of America, is also filed here, with correspondence and reviews. Nash's published chapter about difficulties in keeping her hair bleached blonde to match her military credentials is missing; see #518 for the typescript. In addition there are two folders containing articles with no attribution.

Speeches or remarks by Nash make up the last portion of this series. Included are a history of the AP (ca.1939); transcripts of several radio broadcasts from Europe (1943-1945); autobiographical remarks to a women's press association (1959); and undated comments about First Ladies.

NOTE: FOLDERS 158-479f+, 507, AND 515-528 ARE AVAILABLE ONLY ON MICROFILM (M-135) UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Series V, Professional associations and other memberships (#529-612), is an alphabetical sequence of press clubs and other organizations to which Nash belonged. There are membership directories, newsletters, constitutions, and/or other papers of the American Newspaper Women's Club, the Overseas Press Club of America, the Washington Newspaper Guild; and the Women's Press Club of London.

Records of the Women's National Press Club (WNPC) constitute the largest segment of the series. Nash served as the club's president from July 1947 through June 1948. The records of her tenure include minutes, newsletters, financial reports, correspondence, and photos, programs, press releases, and related material for the many events sponsored by the WNPC, including her inauguration as president. The WNPC segment also contains correspondence with members, including Inez Robb; correspondence about the club's role in the controversy over the Navy's barring of a woman journalist (May Craig) from a battleship; letters from abroad requesting aid, and an essay in German about women and peace; some personal correspondence; Nash radio remarks and a speech to a women's club; and clippings about the WNPC (available only on microfilm).

Additional club records include constitutions, a club history, member directories, and a body of papers relating to the club's preparation of a 50th anniversary book; as coordinator of the foreign correspondents Nash collected stories, photographs, clippings, and related material about their overseas assignments.

This series also contains information about Nash's non-press memberships. There is a 1946 conference transcript from the National Civilian Advisory Committee for the Women's Army Corps, as well as minutes, reports, correspondence, membership lists, photographs, and other papers from the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS), 1958-1979 (scattered).

Series VI, Republican National Committee (#613-625), contains letters of congratulation on Nash's appointment as Republican National Committee consultant and her replies (1957); various editions of "Women in the Public Service" (a series of leaflets compiled by the Republican National Committee), including Nash's 1958 compilation; "Work Now, Win in November," the handbooks for the Republican National Women's Conference including Nash's instructions for doing party publicity; and more general material on women in the Republican Party and in Congress.

Series VII, United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) (#626-681), covers Nash's tenure as confidential administrative assistant to Under Secretary Bertha Adkins. The series documents Nash's involvement in all aspects of the programs for which Adkins was responsible. It includes personal congratulatory letters; general correspondence, including a chronological file; Nash's employment records; her 1960 engagement calendar; minutes of the Secretary's staff meetings; correspondence, memos, and minutes of the Federal Council on Aging (which Nash served as liaison) and related organizations; records of rural and urban area redevelopment programs, and of the White House Conference on Children and Youth; materials, including photographs, about Adkins; and a government personnel directory. Other government publications have been removed.

Clippings and articles by and about Nash (#31f+; Series IV), clippings about the WNPC (#574o), and clippings about Bertha Adkins (#679f+), were fragile and closed to research use. They have been microfilmed; the film (M-135) is available for research. Most clippings were discarded after filming.

Although documentation of Nash's pre-college years is scant, her career as a journalist is well represented. There are few "family" papers as such, in large part because she was an only child whose father died when she was young, and whose mother was not able to sustain their relationship. She apparently had little, if any, contact with other relatives until she was in her 30s. Marrying when she was 55, she and Bradley D. Nash had no children, but have generously contributed to scholarship funds and given substantial acreage for wildlife preservation.

These papers portray a talented, witty, tenacious woman who was able to make her way in a field dominated by men; who was generous in her praise of others; and who earned the respect and affection of friends and colleagues.

The following abbreviations of archival terms are used throughout the inventory.

A letter or symbol after a file unit number indicates whether it is a volume, audiotape, or item of memorabilia, and the size if larger than 8 1/2" x 14".