William B. Simpson World War II Pacific Theater collection,
Scope and Content of the Collection
The collection contains newspapers, periodicals, correspondence, maps, military documents, including declassified items, and a variety of publications - government, military and other - relating to the Pacific Theater during World War II, specifically the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and the American return to the Philippines, the American occupation of Japan and Korea, the Japanese war crime trials and the post-war economies of the Philippine Islands, Japan and Korea. Of particular note is Simpson's 161-page documentation of the investigation into the atrocities at Chusan Camp, Hanaoka, Akita-Ken.
Dates
- Creation: 1935-1994
Creator
- Simpson, William Brand (Collector, Person)
Languages
Languages represented in the collection: Chiefly in English; some in Japanese, Chinese, Tagalog and Spanish.
Access
This collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to reproduce or to publish must be submitted in writing to Special Collections.
Biography / Administrative History
Emeritus Professor of Economics (Claremont Graduate School, Ph. D., 1971), William Brand Simpson served as Special Agent in the Counter Intelligence Corps, U.S. Army during World War II, mainly in the Philippines and Japan. He was called back to Japan in 1947 to assist the Legal Section of SCAP (Supreme Commander of Allied Powers) in Tokyo in the Japanese war crime trials. Simpson advised Japan Public Television (NHK) in 1993 on a documentary of the treatment of Chinese forced labor in Japan during World War II. In 1994 he assisted a group in Japan seeking reparations for Chinese survivors of Japanese prison camps. Simpson died in January 1995.
The manuscript and published materials contained within this collection were collected and assembled by Simpson, who gifted the collection to Pomona College in 1992.
Extent
4 boxes
Abstract
Emeritus Professor of Economics (Claremont Graduate School, Ph. D., 1971), William Brand Simpson served as Special Agent in the Counter Intelligence Corps, U.S. Army during World War II, mainly in the Philippines and Japan. The manuscript and published materials contained within this collection were collected and assembled by Simpson and consist of newspapers, periodicals, correspondence, maps, military documents, including declassified items, and a variety of publications - government, military and other - relating to the Pacific Theater during Word War II, specifically the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and the American return to the Philippines, and the American occupation of Japan and Korea. Post-war materials document the treatment of Chinese forced labor in Japan, the Japanese war crime trials, and the post-war economies of the Philippine Islands, Japan and Korea.
Series Arrangement
Series 1: Japanese occupation of the Philippines
Series 2: Commonwealth of the Philippines and American return to Philippines
Series 3: Publications by U.S. military for civilian population
Series 4: Manila civilian newspapers
Series 5: American occupation of Japan and Korea
Series 6: Post-war, regarding war crimes
Series 7: Miscellaneous documents relating to the Philippine economy
Series 8: Miscellaneous documents relating to the Japanese economy
Series 9: Miscellaneous documents relating to Korea
Series 10: Atlas and maps
Physical location
Please consult repository.
Source of Acquisition
Gift of William B. Simpson, 1992.
Accruals
No additions to the collection are anticipated.
Processing Information
Arranged and processed by Special Collections staff. Simpson's original order has been retained where possible; exceptions have been made, however. Items removed from his original order were done so based on size or fragility.
Genre / Form
- Correspondence
- Government publications
- Maps
- Newspapers
- Video recordings
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Maps
Topical
- Forced labor
- Japan -- History -- Allied occupation, 1945-1952 -- Sources
- Philippines -- History -- Japanese occupation, 1942-1945 -- Sources
- Tokyo Trial, Tokyo, Japan, 1946-1948
- War crime trials -- Japan
- War damage compensation -- China
- War damage compensation -- Japan
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Pacific Area
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Military intelligence -- United States
- Title
- Guide to the William B. Simpson World War II Pacific Theater collection
- Author
- Finding created by Russell Michalak, 2008; Modified by Lisa L. Crane, 2012
- Date
- 2012
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the 01 - Special Collections & Archives, The Claremont Colleges Library Repository
800 North Dartmouth Ave
Claremont CA 91711 United States
Email: specialcollections@claremont.edu