Synopsis "Clifton Bledsoe Cates, 1893-1970: Register of His Personal Papers"
The Clifton Bledsoe Cates Papers (P.C. 57) are an important segment of the rich primary source materials to be found in the Personal Papers Collection of the Marine Corps Historical Center. Encompassing the three major American military actions of the first half of the 20th century, they constitute a good cross-section of primary source material reflecting Cates' rise from second lieutenant to Commandant of the Marine Corps. Significant to General Cates' collection is the original letter of apology, written by President Harry S. Truman to General Cates, as Commandant of the Marine Corps, for the President's use of the term "Navy's police force" in reference to the role of the Corps in the military forces of the United States. The collection's series of diaries cover Cates' tour with the American Expeditionary Force in France, World War I and his role with the First Division on Guadalcanal, August-December 1942. Cates' manuscripts deal with the 96th Company, 2d Battalion, 6th Marines in World War I. There is also included in the collection a short study on the Japanese operations against Shanghai in 1932, written while Cates was a student at Command and Staff College, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico in 1935, and a manuscript derived from his diary entitled '"My First' at Guadalcanal ... 7 August-22 December 1942." The family correspondence includes many holographic letters that cover his entry into the Marine Corps, through the tour of duty during World War I, and culminating, in this series, with his duty at Brest, France following the war. General Cates maintained close contact with his family during his active duty period, and numerous letters written throughout his career are included. The collection contains letters detailing his trip around the world in 1939; letters to his mother from June 1942 to January 1944, covering his experiences in New Zealand, Fiji, Guadalcanal, and Melbourne, Australia.
