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San Diego Ryan Aeronautical Co., 1960-1961

 File — Box: 650, Folder: 4
Identifier: Folder 4

Scope and Contents

A large collection of company Annual Reports, letters, memos, telegrams, photos & other items. Examples are: 1 four page membership information card re/ H.R. Committee on Armed Services, 87th Cong., 1st Sess.; one packet containing letters (Feb.-Mar. 1966) from RAdm. (Ret.) Leslie E. Gehres (Corporate Manager, Security & Civic Affairs, Ryan Aeronautical Co.), Congressman Wilson & a copy of Ryan Annual Report 1960 re/ the circulation of copies of this report to Wilson’s congressional colleagues; stapled packet containing corresp. (Aug.- Sept. 1960) from Congressman Wilson, John J. Courtney (Special Counsel, Subcommittee on Special Investigation for Armed Services Committee). Major General Thomas C. Musgrave, Jr. (Legislative Liaison, Dept. of the Air Force), Margaret M. Young (Sec., Wilson Office), RAdm. (Ret.) Leslie Gehres (Ryan Aeronautical Co.), C.A. Stillwager (V.P., Ryan Aeronautical Co.) & 3 photocopies of an editorial from The Wall Street Journal (7/14/60) re/ figures reported in the Aviation Daily (7/12/60), controversy over their accuracy & RAdm. Gehres’ partisan commentary on the Journal editorial as “one of the best pieces on the Demo’s platform ... I ever expect to see in print;” 1 letter from RAdm. Gehres, Congressman Wilson’s reply (June-July 1960) & attached news clipping from the Evening Tribune re/ “Industry Faces Uphill Fight in Trying to keep Modernized” & reference to “Nixon;” stapled copy of memorandum & office notes (4/60) re/ “Ryan Awarded New Navy Contract for Doppler Navigators” for $17,350,000, “a follow on contract to a $34,000,000 contract;” stapled copy of letter from B. Kenneth Goodman (Sec. & General Counsel, Ryan Aeronautical Co.) to Senator Joseph C. O’Mahoney (Chairman, Subcommittee on Patents .... Committee on the Judiciary) (6/15/60) re/ information on patent aspects of Ryan’s R & D contracts for the period July 1, 1949 to June 30, 1959 -- “the approximate dollar value of these contracts was $52,680,000;” loose collection of letters & telegram from Leslie Gehres & Leon W. Parma (Admin. Asst. to Wilson) (Ap.-May 1960) re/ politically partisan concerns & DOD action on Navy Electronics & Army Drone Awards; 1 letter from Gehres to Wilson (3/8/60) & 3 copies of “Ryan Aeronautical Company Annual Report to Stockholders for the 1959 Fiscal Year;” office note from William Wagner (Ryan Co.) to “Leon Parma & Bob Wilson” (3/60) & attached news clippings from The San Diego Union (2/25/60) & the Evening Tribune (2/24/60) re/ $5,914,000 Navy contract with Ryan for airborne navigational gear; 1 page copy of contract award (2/24/60) from Bureau of Naval Weapons to Ryan Aeronautical Co. with extensive hand written notes on both sides of the paper; 1 copy of letter from Congressman Wilson to RAdm. Gehres (1/19/60) & attached office note re/ “Maggie tells me you are interested in the Nixon set up in San Diego;” stapled packet containing copy of letter from Margaret M. Young (Wilson Office) to Leslie Gehres, note from Gehres to Wilson, “Memorandum to Aircraft Manufacters Council” from Orval R. Cook (Pres., Aerospace Industries Assoc.) (11/60) with attached 6 page copy of “Memorandum on the Aircraft and Guided Missiles Minimum Wage Case [11/10/59];” 1 copy of a “Notice” of a U. S. Army Signal Supply Agency contract to Ryan Aeronautical Co. “for 36 each automatic navigation and flight control systems in the amount of $3,831,183” (7/7/59); 1 photocopy of Ryan Co. “Inter-Department Correspondence” (5/22/59) re/ “Current status schedule for next week;” 1 letter from William P. Brotherton (Manager, P.R., Ryan) to Congressman Wilson (5/20/59) re/ “regret that we were not able to get in contact when I was in Washington ....at an Aviation Writer’s Association meeting;” 1 letter from William P. Brotherton & Wilson’s reply (4/59) re/ distributing copies of Ryan’s 1958 Annual Report “to members of the Military Affairs committee;” 1 copy of letter from Leon W. Parma to J.W. Lent (Ryan Co.) (5/19/59) & attached packing sheet (5/12/59) for Models Q-2A, Q-2C & KDA re/ “the squadron of Firebees arrived last week .... As you requested, the obsolete model has been cleared from the decks;” 1 letter from RAdm. (Ret.) Leslie E. Gehres & Wilson’s reply (4/59) re/ “Charter approved April 2 for Ryan employees Federal Credit Union;” stapled packet containing corresp. from Congressman Wilson, Robert Dechert (General Counsel of the DOD), Capt. (USN) Carlton R. Adams (Office of Legislative Liaison, Sec. of Defense) & Roy L. Knox (Knox & Knox) (Feb.-Ap. 1959) re/ “an outstanding patent application of the Ryan Aeronautical Company” & a request to “accelerate the prosecution of this application;” two letters & a note from Leslie E. Gehres (Manager, Personnel & Security, Ryan) & Wilson’s reply (3/59) re/ “I will be happy to again send a copy of Ryan’s Annual Report for 1958 to all Members of the House Armed Services Committee.... Thanks, too, for the copy of your letter to Goldwater. I have no intention of weakening the Taft-Hartley Act;” 1 letter from Robert L. Tillotson (Executive Advisor, Ryan) to Leon W. Parma (Adm. Asst. to Wilson) (2/24/59) re/ “thank you and Bob for the kind treatment received in Washington .... I trust the two little packages have been received.... [These are examples of Ryan’s] support of Junior Achievement here in San Diego;” 1 news clipping, “Test Pilot Hurt in Vertiplane Landing Crash” (The San Diego Union, 2/14/59); two letters from Leslie E. Gehres to Congressman Wilson and to Vice President Richard Nixon, one letter from Dr. I. Lester Furnas to Vice President Nixon (1/59) re/ invitation to the Vice President “to deliver the opening address” to the “Annual Convention of the California-Nevada-Hawaii District, the largest in Kiwanis International;” 1 letter from Leslie E. Gehres & Wilson’s reply (12/18/58 & 1/19/59) re/ “Here are a hundred dollars’ worth of 4 cent stamps to assist in mailing out your Newsletters to your constituents;” 1 letter from William P. Brotherton (Manager, Personnel Relations, Ryan) & Wilson’s reply (11/25 & 12/4/58) re/ “Congratulations on your sweep at the last election” and enclosure of “seven photographs, showing you in action;” copies of 2 letters (10/7/58) from Congressman Wilson thanking Ryan employees, Guy Baker & Jeff Conrad for “Showing me through the Ryan plant last Monday;” 1 copy of a DOD news release for 10/15/58 re/ “Navy Awards $20 million contract to Ryan for Automated Radar Navigation Equipment” & 2 page photocopy of “unclassified Navy Dept. message, 13 October 1958 re/ “A contract for more than $20 million for automatic radar navigation equipment;” 1 copy of a letter from J.R. Giant valley to Wilson (10/10/58) re/ AN/ARW-59 radio control equipment, Ryan use & declassification problem; 1 letter from William Wagner (Dir., Public & Employee Relations, Ryan) & Wilson’s reply (2/28 & 3/21/58) re/ “we are enclosing a copy of the Ryan Aeronautical Company Annual Report to Stockholders for the 1957 fiscal year;” 1 letter from William P. Brotherton (Manager, Ryan) to Wilson (2/3/58) re/ “our sincere appreciation to you for the excellent presentation you made to the members of House Armed Services Committee recently;” “Note For File ... Cathy,” which includes large packet of corresp. from Congressmen Wilson, Bennett, Devereux, Fisher, Lankford, Winstead, Kilday, Brooks & Huddleston (Jan.-Feb. 1958) re/ Wilson’s letter of 1/28/58 “sent to members of the Armed Services Committee relative to the advantages of the Vertijet;” large packet containing a letter (11/29/57) from RAdm. Leslie E. Gehres (USN Ret.) to Congressman Wilson re/ “excerpts from a speech by General O.P. Weyland, Commander, Tactical Air Command,” 3 copies of the British magazine The Aeroplane (9/27/57) featuring “an editorial titled, ‘Towards Operational Verticality’” and “reprints of a photograph of the Ryan X-13 Vertijet;” 1 packet containing copies of 20 letters sent by Congressman Wilson to members of the Armed Services Committee (1/28/58) extolling the Ryan Co.’s Vertijet & the interest the Marines and the Army have expressed in this VTOL; large, stapled packet containing corresp. (3/56) from Edward F. Terrar, Jr. (Admin. Asst. to Wilson) & William Wagner (Dir., Public & Employee Relations, Ryan), copy of an article by Col. Paul H. Kemmer (USAF, Ret.) entitled “Survival Insurance,” a 1 page advertisement for the “Firebee--600 MPH ‘Bullseye’” & 1 copy of the Ryan Firebee Pilotless Jet Plane, a 17 page promotional booklet (n.d.).

Dates

  • created: 1960-1961

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Access to some records is restricted, please consult with Special Collections & University Archives staff for details. Patrons wishing to use the Robert C. Wilson Papers must sign a "Researcher's Agreement," a copy of which can be obtained from Special Collections & University Archives staff.

Extent

From the Collection: 0.00 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections & University Archives Repository

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