Bunce, W. Kenneth Papers

Chief, Religious and Cultural Resources Division, Headquarters, Supreme Commander Allied Powers (SCAP), 1945-1952

The papers of W. Kenneth Bunce consist of U.S. Government publications and reports mostly pertaining to Japanese religion, culture, natural resources, and wartime damage. The collection also includes printed materials, a dissertation, and a thesis.

[Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List]

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ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Size: 10 linear inches (about 1,000 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: W. Kenneth Bunce donated to the U.S. Government his copyright interest in all writings in this collection. Documents created by U.S. government employees in the course of their official duties are also in the public domain. Copyright interest in other documents in the collection presumably belongs to the creators of those documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Erwin J. Mueller (1973).
Updated by: Taylor Hersh (2013) as part of the Truman Library Internship Program.
Supervising Archivists: Randy Sowell and David Clark.

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

1907 (31 August)		Born William Kenneth Bunce, Gallipolis, Ohio
1930		A.B., Otterbein College
1931-1943		Held various academic positions in the United States and Japan
1933		M.A., Ohio State University
1939		Ph.D., Ohio State University
1943-1946		Served in the U.S. Naval Reserve, rising to the rank of Lt. Commander
1945-1952		Chief, Religious and Cultural Resources Division, Headquarters, SCAP, Tokyo, Japan
1952-1954		Chief, Program Planning Staff, U.S. Information Service, U.S. Embassy, Tokyo, Japan
1954-1955		Acting Public Affairs Officer
1955-1971		Held various U.S. Government positions in India, Washington, D.C., and South Korea
2008 (23 July)		Died, Chestertown, Maryland

[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

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COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

The W. Kenneth Bunce Papers include printed materials, a dissertation, a thesis, and U.S. Government publications and reports mostly relating to his career as the Chief of the Religious and Cultural Resources Division at SCAP Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan during the U.S. occupation after World War II.

The collection contains U.S. Government books, handbooks, and reports relating to Japanese religion, culture, government, natural resources, and wartime damage. Also included are newspaper articles covering the end of the war.

Some of the printed materials relate to U.S. civil affairs in Italy, Taiwan, and the Ryukyu Islands. These printed materials include civil affairs handbooks from the Army Service Forces Headquarters and the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.

The collection includes a dissertation and thesis that relate to religion in Japan. The dissertation and thesis focus on the origin and status of churches, missions, and temples in Japan. A glossary of Japanese terms, SCAP memorandums on Japanese religion, and several War Department field manuals are also included.

More information about Japanese culture and the U.S. occupation of Japan during the Truman administration can be found in the papers of Dale Hellegers.

[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

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