Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum


President Truman with Medal of Honor recipients

PRESIDENTIAL
MEDALS AND AWARDS

ARCHIVAL MATERIALS AT THE LIBRARY

Prepared by David Clark, June 2003

[ Truman Papers | Other Personal Papers | Additional Resources | Additional Contact Information | Related Links ]

The Truman Library has material covering various aspects of medals and awards presented to the President and others during the Truman administration. The medals include both military and civilian awards. The Truman Library has extensive information about the Medal of Honor and the Medal for Merit but little information about other military awards issued during the Truman administration. Many medals that were awarded during the Truman administration were presented by individuals other than President Truman. For example, the Medal of Freedom could be awarded by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of War, or the Secretary of the Navy or by officials designated by the Secretaries. As a result, information pertaining to most of the medals and awards presented during the Truman administration will not be located at the Truman Library but at other National Archives facilities.

For information about medals or awards relating to individuals, other than the Medal of Honor and the Medal for Merit, better resources are available elsewhere. The best source of information is the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) located in St. Louis. NPRC is a central repository of personnel-related records, both military and civil service and provides service to Government agencies, military veterans, former civilian Federal employees, family members, as well as researchers and historians. An excellent source for guidance on medals and awards is NPRC's Military Awards and Decorations page.

In addition to a listing of holdings at the Truman Library, this subject guide also includes contact information for other National Archives facilities, additional resources including printed materials and related links to web resources to assist with researching medals and awards presented during the Truman Administration.

The page numbers in brackets represent estimates as to the amount of relevant material to be found in each collection. It should be noted that other collections at the Truman Library, in addition to the ones listed here, may contain more information relating to Presidential medals and awards.

[ Truman Papers | Additional Resources | Additional Contact Information | Related Links ]

HARRY S. TRUMAN PAPERS

PRESIDENT'S SECRETARY'S FILES-Copies of Medal of Honor citations and information about Medal of Honor presentation ceremonies and information about the Medal for Merit and the Medal of Freedom [900 pages]

WHITE HOUSE CENTRAL FILES- OFFICIAL FILE-Relevant material can be found in such files as the Official File 55A (Inaugural Medals), 190P (Memorials sent to next of kin by War Department in case of death of a member of Armed Forces of World War II), 252J (Awards to Federal Employees for Meritorious Suggestions and for Exceptional or Meritorious Service), 357A (Army-Navy Production Award), 357B (Legion of Merit), 357C (Medal for Merit), 357D (War Food Administration's Awards), 357E (Women's Army Corps Service Medal), 357F (Medal of Honor), 357G (Purple Heart Medal), 357H (Award of the Office of Price Administration), 357I (Medal of Freedom), 357J (Distinguished Service Medal), 357K (World War II Victory Medal), 357L (President's Certificate of Merit), 357M (Presidential Unit Citation), 357N (Distinguished Service Cross), 357P (Collier's Trophy-Aviation Trophy), 357Q (Collier's Congressional Award), 357R (Harman Trophy), 357S (John Wesley Hyatt Award), 357T (Awards, Medals, Decorations, Gifts, etc., to active, former or retired United States Personnel by Foreign Governments), 357U (Vice Presidential Medals), 357V (William the Silent Award), 357W (Armed Forces Award), 357X (Korean Service Medal), 357Y (Accolade to be issued to the next of kin of record of deceased personnel of the armed forces whose death occurs on duty in the Korean Operation), 357Z (Distinguished Flying Cross), 357AA (President's Trophy-Award of Merit), 357BB (United Nations Medal and Ribbon for Men fighting in Korea under the United Nations Command), 357CC (Medal for Humane Actions), 357DD (Physician's Award), 357EE (Young American Medal for Bravery), 357FF (Young American Medal for Service) [10,000 pages]

WHITE HOUSE CENTRAL FILES: PERMANENT FILE-contains materials pertaining to awards, medals, and decorations [81 pages]

WHITE HOUSE CENTRAL FILES: PRESIDENT'S PERSONAL FILE-contains material on medals, decorations and awards for the President [800 pages]

WHITE HOUSE CENTRAL FILES: GENERAL FILE-contains materials pertaining to awards, medals, and decorations [100 pages]

MATTHEW J. CONNELLY FILES--Includes President Truman's Daily Appointments Calendar which includes information about awards ceremonies such as type of award or medal, individuals attending ceremony, and text of speech [4,800 pages]. The calendar is also available online.

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Department of the Army. The Medal of Honor of the United States Army. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1948.

Department of the Navy. Medal of Honor, 1861-1949.

Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Harry S. Truman, 1945-1953. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1966. The Public Papers are also available online.

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ADDITIONAL CONTACT INFORMATION

When contacting the following, please provide as much information as possible such as: name, date of birth, branch of military or government agency, duty station location, service years, etc.

National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Telephone: 1-866-272-6272
Fax: 1-301-837-0483
Web site: http://www.archives.gov

National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20408
Telephone: 1-866-325-7208
Web site: http://www.archives.gov/facilities/dc/archives_1.html

National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
Telephone: 314 801-0800
Web site: http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/military_personnel_records.html
See especially "Military Awards and Decorations" page.

National Personnel Records Center
Civilian Personnel Records
111 Winnebago Street
St. Louis, Missouri 63118-4126
Telephone: 314-801-9250
Fax: 314-801-9269
Web site: http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/civilian_personnel_records.html
E-mail: cpr.center@nara.gov

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RELATED LINKS

Congressional Medal of Honor Society

National Archives and Records Administration. Access to Military Service and Pension Records

National Archives and Records Administration. An Overview of Records at the National Archives Relating to Military Service

National Personnel Records Center Other Helpful Sites page contains links to Military Service Departments (Official Sites), Military Historical Organizations (Official Sites), Service Branch Organizations, Veterans Affairs & Veterans Organizations, Museums, Memorials & History Sites, Alumni Organizations, and Government Agency Web Locator.

Military Order of the Purple Heart

U.S. Air Force Personnel Center-Awards and Decorations

U.S. Army Center of Military History Full-text Listings of Medal of Honor Citations

The creation of this online resource was made possible in part by funding from the Estate of Susan T. Tait.

The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum is one of thirteen Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.

500 W. US Hwy. 24. Independence MO 64050
truman.library@nara.gov;
Phone: 816-268-8200 or 1-800-833-1225;
Fax: 816-268-8295.

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