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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Navy
  • Unit of Service: Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
  • Location of Service: United States; European Theater
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/8441

View full service history

"It was sort of a father-son relationship, which I will always treasure. (Audio Interview, Part 1, 3:17)

Even before he graduated from law school, Edwin Putzell, on a bet with a friend, proved he could land a job with a prestigious Wall Street firm. And not just any law firm, but one headed by legendary World War I hero William (Wild Bill) Donovan. Putzell's job served him well during the Second World War, when President Roosevelt picked Donovan to head up a new intelligence agency which became the OSS, and Donovan picked Putzell to be his right-hand man. The two followed Allied advances through Sicily and Italy, then moved on to the China-Burma-India Theater, devising ingenious ways to confuse the enemy and to learn of his plans.

Edwin J. Putzell, Jr. Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript

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Edwin J. Putzell, Jr. Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript

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Edwin J. Putzell, Jr. Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript

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About this Item

Title

  • Edwin J. Putzell, Jr. Collection

Names

  • Story Books
  • Robinson, Mary Jane
  • Putzell Jr., Edwin J.

Headings

  • -  Putzell Jr., Edwin J.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Navy.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Navy
    • Unit of Service: Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
    • Location of Service: United States; European Theater
    • Highest Rank: Lieutenant
    • Dates of Service: 1942
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served directly with General William J. Donovan.

Materials

  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2010-09-22)
  • Audio: Audio Cassette [2 items] -- Oral history interview (collected 2003-03-12)
  • Audio: Audio Cassette [2 items] -- Reference copy (collected 2006-03-03; 2006-03-03)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2007-11-07; 2007-11-07)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/8441

Cite as

  • Edwin J. Putzell, Jr. Collection (AFC/2001/001/8441), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • online text

Additional Metadata Formats

Wars & Conflicts

Service Branch

Location of Service

Service Unit

Highest Rank

Service Entrance

Discharge Status

Gender

Interviewee

Interviewer

Organization/Affiliation

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Story Books, Mary Jane Robinson, and Edwin J Putzell Jr. Edwin J. Putzell, Jr. Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.08441/.

APA citation style:

Story Books, Robinson, M. J. & Putzell Jr, E. J. (1942) Edwin J. Putzell, Jr. Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.08441/.

MLA citation style:

Story Books, Mary Jane Robinson, and Edwin J Putzell Jr. Edwin J. Putzell, Jr. Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.08441/>.