Gibson B Smith

Thomas Holcomb 1879-1965: Register of His Personal Papers Gibson B Smith

Publisher Marketing: The Thomas Holcomb Papers (P. C. 207) are an important contribution to the understanding of the political and social pressures exerted by and upon the office of Commandant, U. S. Marine Corps, from 1936 to 1944. During that time the Marine Corps grew from a small guard and expeditionary force of 17,000 men to over 400,000 men and women waging war over vast reaches of the Pacific Ocean. Although this collection of papers is very thorough on some details of Holcomb's administration of the Marine Corps; it ought to be used in conjunction with other manuscript collections from the period as well as the official files of the Commandant, located at the National Archives in Washington, D. C. There is no single item which stands out above the rest, but a number of letters exchanged by General Holcomb and Admiral Harold R. Stark reflect the close working relationship between the Commandant and the contemporary Chief of Naval Operations which made possible the phenomenal growth of the Marine Corps during these years. Much of the material in the collection shows Holcomb's tremendous concern for his men, particularly his officers, and therein also exhibits his ability to mold a successful, cohesive, fighting force. Except for a few items from 1936 which pre-date his appointment as Major General Commandant (MGC) in December of that year and a number of letters from the early period of his retirement 1944-48, the entire collection dwells on Holcomb's seven years as Commandant.