Series I: Correspondence, 1917-1988

The material in the collection is divided into eight series. Three of these series contain items that span Harris’ entire life, the rest relate to specific periods of his career.

Series I, Correspondence, is divided into two parts: business correspondence and private correspondence. The business correspondence consists of letters concerning Pan American Airlines, of which Harris was a vice-president and chief operating officer. These letters are correspondence to and from Harris and another Pan American vice-president John D. MacGregor. The business correspondence also consists of letters from Harris to the Pan American board of directors, and correspondence Harris wrote while on business trips for Pan American Airlines. The correspondence covers such topics as flight schedules, business trips, pilot personnel, Pan American’s competition, airplanes, and various other topics. This correspondence is arranged chronologically and spans the years 1929-1939.

The second part of this series is Harris’ private correspondence. This correspondence is mainly letters to and from his old colleagues and friends. Much of this private correspondence deals with the early years of Pan American-Grace Airlines (PANAGRA), in Harris’ attempt to gather information and documents for his book on PANAGRA. This section is arranged in alphabetical order and each correspondent is given its own file folder. Span dates for this entire series are 1917-1988.

Series II, Pan American Airlines, contains Harris’ travel diaries, report, correspondence, newsletters, newspaper clippings, articles, a pre-trial brief, and statement of evidence (concerning anti-trust laws), and Harris’ unpublished book about PANAGRA. Some of the more interesting materials are the Pan American Clipper newsletters, PANAGRA history, and the unpublished book about PANAGRA. Span dates for this series are 1926-1988.

Series III, American Overseas Airlines, contains articles, correspondence, and reports. One of the most interesting parts of this series is the correspondence concerning the last days of American Overseas Airlines. This series spans the years 1945-1950.

Series IV, North West Airlines, contains Presidential Reports, Supplementary Reports, Operating Statement and Financial Reports, Board of Directors minutes, correspondence, and miscellaneous papers and reports. Some of the more interesting materials in this series are the letters and papers concerning Harris’ resignation from North West Airlines, and a letter Harris received from President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and a letter to the President of Korea, Dr. Rhee, from Harris. Span dates for this series are 1952-1955, plus one report dated 1984.

Series V, Personal Logs, contains Harris’ personal logs from 1931-1937 (odd years only) and from 1948-1954 (even years only). These logs tell where Harris went, who he met, how he traveled, and what he did. This series also contains a diary for the year 1979.

Series VI, Speeches, contains miscellaneous speeches given by Harris. They deal mainly with aviation and Harris’ own personal experiences. This series also contains “Tail Daggers and Props,” which is recollections from Harris’ log books from 1917-1925. “Tail Daggers and Props” highlight old records and plans, flight test personnel, and the rebuttal of false claims. Span dates for this series are 1922-1987.

Series VII, Photographs and Awards, contains photographs that are arranged into several categories, including portraits, World War I, World War II, Huff Daland Dusters, Airplanes, and award ceremonies. There are three photo albums in this series. The first contains pictures from Harris’ trip to South America in the 1920’s, the second pictures are from World War II, and the third pictures are from Pan American Airlines. Two of the more interesting items in this series are a film of the Barling Bomber and of PANAGRA in Argentina and a Citation from King George VI of England to Harris. There is also a file in the oversized drawers that has World War II photographs along with various other photographs. The contents of boxes 14 and 15 include awards and medals that Harris received during his lifetime. Also of interest in this series is a scrapbook (box 20 and 21) that contains the earliest material in the collection, dating from Harris’s school days in California in 1915, up to about 1930, with focus on Harris’s aviation career, including service in Italy in World War I and time at McCook Field. The span dates for this series are 1915 to 1992.

Series VIII, Memorabilia, contains various files concerning aviation records and meets, Harris’ emergency parachute jump, Huff Daland Dusters, World War II material, various newspaper clippings, articles, and miscellaneous aviation material. There is also the U.S. Air Force Museum Friends Bulletin in which Harris has a continuing article. However, the file is missing the third installment of the Bulletin. This series also contains Harris’ Passport from the 1920s and a map of Europe that is marked with an unknown route. Several “Grace Logs” and a “Peruvian Times” are located in this series. The span dates for this series are 1886, 1908 to 1990.