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James Reston, Jr. papers

 Collection
Identifier: ACCN 2674

Scope and Contents

The James Reston, Jr. papers consists of photocopied letters written between Reston and Fawn Brodie discussing their individual work and research regarding Richard Nixon. Also included in the collection is an article by Reston entitled "The Mormon Excommunication of Fawn Brodie: Why Banishing the Famous Biographer Reverberates 65 Years Later."

Dates

  • 1977-2012

Creator

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical Note

James Reston, Jr. was an assistant to U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Stewart Udall (1964–1965) and served in the U.S. Army (1965–1968) as an intelligence officer. He was a lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina (1971–81). Reston is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C. and has been a fellow at the American Academy in Rome and a scholar in residence at the Library of Congress.

Reston is the author of 13 books, three plays, and numerous articles in national magazines. His works of both fiction and non-fiction cover mostly historical and political topics. He was awarded the Prix Italia and the Dupont-Columbia Award for his 1983 90-minute radio documentary on National Public Radio, "Father Cares: the Last of Jonestown." He is also author of Galileo: A Life, The Last Apocalypse, and Warriors of God. His latest work, The Accidental Victim, is a non-fiction book about John F. Kennedy's assassination which argues that Texas Governor John Connally was Lee Harvey Oswald's intended victim.

Reston's articles have appeared in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Time, The New York Times Magazine, George, Esquire, American Theatre, Playboy, and Rolling Stone.

(This biographical note was taken from the biographical sketch available on Wikipedia.)

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet (2 folders)

Abstract

The James Reston, Jr. papers (1977-2012) consists of photocopied letters written between Reston and Fawn Brodie discussing their individual work and research regarding Richard Nixon. Also included in the collection is an article by Reston entitled "The Mormon Excommunication of Fawn Brodie: Why Banishing the Famous Biographer Reverberates 65 Years Later." Reston is the author of 13 books, three plays, and numerous articles in national magazines. His works of both fiction and non-fiction cover mostly historical and political topics.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by James Reston, Jr. in 2012.

Existence and Location of Originals

Donor has maintained ownership of original correspondence.

Processing Information

Processed by Betsey Welland in 2014 and 2019.
Title
Inventory of the James Reston, Jr. papers, 1977-2012
Author
Finding aid created by Betsey Welland
Date
© 2014 (last modified: 2019)
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid encoded in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository

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