10,000th Kaydet is delivered Friday to armed forces
Creator: Wichita Eagle
Date: July 29, 1944
This article from the Wichita Eagle covers the release of the 10,000 Boeing/Stearman Kaydet training airplane and the B-29 "X" airplane. Both airplanes had their production numbers painted on their fuselage to represent their respective milestones in aircraft production. The "X" on the B-29 denoted the fact that the official production numbers for the B-29 were classified during World War II.

1000 B-29's
Creator: Boeing Airplane Company
Date: 1945
This article, published in the March 1945 edition of the Boeing Magazine, covers the completion of the 1,000 B-29 Superfortress in Wichita, Kansas.

Address by Col. E.L. Wilbur
Creator: Wilbur, Colonel E.L.
Date: February 8-11, 1942
Delivered at six regional meetings in Kansas (Dodge City, Salina, Chanute, Hays, Topeka, and Wichita) during the winter of 1942, Col. E.L. Wilbur's remarks strike at the heart of the effort on the home front during World War II. Explaining that the present crisis required more than a military solution, Wilbur extols the virtues and importance of civilian involvement in defense matters.

Adjutant General of Kansas to Governor Andrew Schoeppel
Creator: Kansas. Adjutant General's Dept.
Date: Between 1943 and 1947
This memorandum, from the Adjutant General of Kansas to Governor Andrew Schoeppel, addresses the use of conscientious objectors on dairy farms. During World War II, thousands of men applied to the Selective Service as conscientious objectors to war based on their religious beliefs. Many, as this memo indicates, worked on farms during the war.

Affidavit from Homer W. Hunter to U.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle
Creator: Hunter, Homer
Date: March 22, 1943
Affidavit from Homer Hunter of Coffeyville, Kansas, to U.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle. The affidavit describes the treatment endured by Melvin L. Jackson, F. Jerry Molohan, and Homer W. Hunter during World War II. The three men, all Jehovah's Witnesses and conscientious objectors, describe the harsh treatment and threats of violence they faced from some members of the American Legion due to their religious beliefs.

Alfred Mossman Landon
Date: Between 1941 and 1945
This black and white photograph shows Kansas Governor Alfred "Alf" Mossman Landon purchasing war stamps in the shoe department of a department store in support of the United States efforts during World War II.

Allan H. Hand to Pauline D. Beatty
Date: December 15, 1945
This letter is from Allan H. Hand, Trustee & Liquidation Agent for the Petroleum Industry War Council, Washington. D.C. to Mrs. Pauline D. Beatty, Petroleum Industry War Council, Washington, D.C. Hand is notifying Mrs. Beatty that the Petroleum Industry War Council has been dissolved and that her service as office manger will no longer be required.

Andrew Schoeppel to James Boyack
Creator: Schoeppel, Andrew Frank, 1894-1962
Date: April 20, 1943
In this letter Kansas Governor Andrew F. Schoeppel informs James E. Boyack that he can not provide detailed information concerning Kansas' contributions to the war effort that Boyack wanted, for the 1943 addition of the aviation yearbook Aerosphere, because of the secret nature of the information. However, Schoeppel does praise the achievements of Kansas' aviation companies up to that point in World War II.

Anna M. Hogsett to Governor Payne Ratner
Creator: Hogsett, Anna
Date: October 22, 1942
This letter from Mrs. Anna Hogsett of Brownell, Kansas, to Governor Payne Ratner, details her efforts to help her son Luther who refused to join the U.S. military because he objected to war of any kind. In addition, Mrs. Hogsett's letter is important because it details the stance of many Jehovah's Witnesses toward armed conflict and violence.

Anne G. Cravens to Governor Andrew Schoeppel
Creator: Cravens, Anne G.
Date: August 15, 1944
In this letter to Governor Schoeppel, Anne G. Cravens of Santa Monica, California, tells Schoeppel that he should work to establish a "Veterans City" in Kansas where returning soliders could live following the war.

A resolution approving and requesting legislative action on a program of basic military training and drill in the high schools of the state of Kansas
Creator: Sunflower Junior Statemens Club
Date: October 4, 1942
This resolution, produced by the Sunflower Junior Statemen's Club: Alumni Association of Sunflower Boys' State, asks that "a program of military drill and training" be required for all junior and senior high school boys throughout Kansas.

Army Airfield, Pratt, Kansas
Date: December 16, 1943
This photograph shows the base operation tower at the Army Air Field in Pratt, Kansas. The facility housed and prepared members of the United States Army Air Force for overseas operations during World War II.

A.R. Sleeper to Senator Arthur Capper
Creator: Sleeper, A.R.
Date: August 20, 1943
A letter from A.R. Sleeper of Iola, Kansas, to Kansas Senator Arthur Capper in Topeka. Sleeper, a member of the Allen County Selective Service Board, asks that the operation of Selective Service be reviewed by Congress. He states that there are not enough men left in the county to run the farms, businesses, and factories that drafted men had once filled and that action should be taken to fix this problem.

Arthur Capper to Major General Clarence Danielson
Creator: Capper, Arthur, 1865-1951
Date: June 02, 1944
Arthur Capper's telegram to General Danielson relays the concerns of Kansas farmers who fear that their supply of POW labor is about to run out.

Arthur Capper to Milton Tabor
Creator: Capper, Arthur, 1865-1951
Date: February 22, 1947
In this letter, Senator Capper responds to an earlier letter sent to him by Milton Tabor, the managing editor of The Topeka Daily Capital. In response to Tabor's comments regarding the rising racial tensions in Topeka, Capper argues that "we must protect these groups who are quite often discriminated against." Furthermore, Capper explains that Washington D.C. had many similar problems because "there is a strong prejudice among the whites here against the Negroes." He also mentions prohibition efforts and the American Red Cross.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's military train
Date: Between 1939 and 1945
This black and white photograph shows members from the U.S. Tank Corps taking a break beside an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's passenger car. In the background, a flat car of army tanks are visible.

Avis Atkinson and Governor Andrew Schoeppel correspondence
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1943-1947 : Schoeppel)
Date: February 12-16, 1943
This correspondence deals with the possibility of moving Japanese Americans to Kansas to serve as laborers during World War II. In the letter to Governor Schoeppel, Avis Atkinson of Fall River, Kansas, urges the Governor to do everything in his power to keep the U.S. government from allowing Japanese Americans to work in Kansas because "Once a Jap Always a Jap." Governor Schoeppel's reply is cordial but reinforces the fact that, if the federal government so desires, he will comply with their wishes and house Japanese Americans and/or Japanese prisoners of war.

Await a Parsons Boom
Creator: Kansas City Times
Date: July 01, 1941
This article, from the Kansas City Times, details the often significant economic impact associated with the building of military or defense related facilities. In Parsons, Kansas, the most obvious impact of the decision to build a artillery munitions plant was on the area around Parsons where more than 300 homes were built to house the men and women who worked at the plant.

B-29 backlog of 1 1/2 billion dollars held
Creator: Wichita Eagle
Date: December 30, 1944
This article from the Wichita Eagle details the huge demands placed on the Boeing Aircraft Company by the War Department which needed more B-29s for the U.S. air effort in World War II. Totaling over $1,150,000,000.00 in new orders, the War Department's requirements led Boeing employees to work around the clock to produce the requisite number of aircraft.

B-29 is city's big contribution to the war effort
Creator: Wichita Eagle
Date: June 15, 1944
This article from the Wichita Eagle details the features of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. The B-29, the most powerful U.S. bomber during World War II, put Wichita on the map and provided the city with the tremendous influx of money and people that were required to build the airplane.

B-29 is rated as deceptive in appearance
Date: June 16, 1944
This article from the Wichita Eagle details the experience of a Wichita Eagle writer and their flight in a B-29.

B-29s, Salina, Kansas
Date: Between 1942 and 1955
This black and white photograph shows the B-29 Superfortress at the Smoky Hill Army Air Force Base in Salina, Kansas. These advanced bomber airplanes were used during World War II.

Back 'em up, buy extra bonds
Date: Between 1939 and 1945
This World War II era poster for war bonds shows a drawing of General Dwight D. Eisenhower in uniform. Many posters were designed and distributed to promote the sale of war bonds during World War II.

Back the attack! Buy more bonds
Date: Between 1939 and 1945
This World War II era poster of a drawing of a farm family is promoting the purchase of war bonds. Many posters were designed and distributed to promote the sale of war bonds during World War II.

Beatrice Coats interview, WWII oral history, Kinsley, Kansas
Creator: Coats, Beatrice Josephine (Basgall)
Date: December 29, 2009
This is an interview with Beatrice Coats, part of an oral history project entitled "Patchwork of Dependency: The Effects of WWII on Edwards County, Kansas" conducted by the Kinsley Public Library. The project was supported by a Kansas Humanities Council Heritage Grant. Beatrice talks of her family, education, and the home front during WWII.