Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing John Carson Rather Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
- Unit of Service: Army Airways Communication System (AACS)
- Location of Service: Atlantic City, New Jersey; Chanute Field, Illinois; Allahabad, Gaya, Karachi and Bangalore, India
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/29476
Fresh out of Amherst College in June 1942, John Rather joined the Army and parlayed a course he had taken in school to become a specialist in cryptography and cryptanalysis. (His interview explains the difference.) His first duty station would be Allahabad, India, best known as the hometown of that country's emerging political leader, Jawaharlal Nehru. The four men in his group sent and received coded transmissions regarding the movements of the Air Transport Command, the American planes flying "over the hump" to and from Burma. Rather used his free time to make friends with the locals and immerse himself in the culture. He contracted polio but did not suffer grievously and remained in India until he was pronounced cured.
Interview / Recording
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PlayWorking with the chain of supply for troops fighting in Burma and India; interacting with Indians; playing chess with a local; becoming a cryptographic chief; not much traffic for sending messages; duties of a cryptographer. 00:22:27.0 - 00:35:02.6
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Play"The critical thing that altered my whole career in India;" developing a mysterious fever; sent to nearest military hospital, then to Karachi; confined to Section 8 ward; making a fuss and sent back to duty in Bangalore; there for two years. 00:35:03.3 - 00:45:02.8
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PlayDifference between cryptography and cryptanalysis; his lack of contact with any physical danger. 00:50:32.5 - 00:53:11.1
More Resources
Interview / Recording
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PlayDescribes the two photographs in his collection as a way of dating his experience with polio. 00:00:47.6 - 00:08:47.1
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PlayHis life and work after he was released from the hospital. 00:23:27.0 - 00:30:38.1
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PlayHow little the war affected individual Indian citizens he met; clashes in bars with British and Australian soldiers. 00:31:12.5 - 00:35:26.8
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PlayTypical work day for him; typists making surprisingly few errors; mechanisms of cryptography; work flow; nature of the messages he dealt with. 00:37:23.1 - 00:45:57.6
Interview / Recording
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About this Item
Title
- John Carson Rather Collection
Names
- Library of Congress
- Rouse, Sarah Dashiell
- Rather, John Carson
Home State
- Maryland
Headings
- - Rather, John Carson
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army Air Forces/Corps.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Status
- veteran
Service History
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World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
- Unit of Service: Army Airways Communication System (AACS)
- Location of Service: Atlantic City, New Jersey; Chanute Field, Illinois; Allahabad, Gaya, Karachi and Bangalore, India
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Dates of Service: 1942-1945
- Entrance into Service: Drafted
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Video: MiniDV [3 items] -- Oral history interview (collected 2005)
- Photograph: Digital print [2 items] -- Photograph (collected 1944)
- Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2007-11-30; 2007-11-30)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/29476
Cite as
- John Carson Rather Collection (AFC/2001/001/29476), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- video