-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: 1943 aerial maps of the USA done by the Army
Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 16:07:37 -0600
From: Hadden, Robert L ERDC-TEC-VA <[log in to unmask]>
To: Linda R Zellmer <[log in to unmask]>
CC: <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>
References:
Dear Linda:
There may be several ways to attack this problem, and I suspect that
a combination of these methods is the best technique for finding these
photos.
The original film is not held by the Air and Space Museum, but by the
National Archives and Records Administration (www.nara.gov). A formal letter
from the attorney general's office through official channels would probably
be the best method to track down these images, although this is likely to be
a slow process. There may also be substantial cost to reproducing these
images, especially if you need an evidentiary or legal trail of who handled
the imagery, and was it correct, notarized, etc.
There are specialists who do this work for a fee. All NARA sites have
the names and addresses of local people who search the NARA files for
information for clients. However, most of these people are genealogists- be
sure you find someone who knows federal and army files and does archival work
instead of family histories. Alternately, someone from the criminal justice
office may have to go physically over to the Archives site (probably the
Kansas City office) and look through reels and reels of microfilm to find the
necessary frames.
Other imagery was flown during that period as well, and is still
being flown, by the Dept. of Agriculture, the US Geological Survey, the US
Forest Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, Soil and Conservation Service,
etc. The film data was indexed in an older DOS database called ASPRS (or
something similar to that). The one person I know of who can access this
database today is Mr. Bruce A. Wallace, US Geological Survey Library,
[log in to unmask]; 703-648-5526. You will need to give him the county name of
the grid locations and any relevant other data.
The most under-utilized work is often available through either the
local public library, or the county civil engineer's office. The local public
library may have all sorts of data filed away in corners somewhere, and
aerial photographs could be reproduced in local history books, newspaper
clippings, or otherwise made available. The county engineers deal with
transportation, emergency response, land zoning, storm water drainage, and
all kinds of neat stuff. Well, neat to me. In any case, they often have
extraordinary maps and imagery, and many of them dating back a number of
decades, concerning their county. Best of all, they too, are free.
Under the "As an Army librarian I'll deny I ever said such a crazy
thing" corner of librarianship, perhaps the easiest way to get all this data
is to go through your local congressman or your US Senator's office. You will
probably not even talk directly to the congressman, but to one of his
assistants. They enjoy doing these favors for constituents, since it is very
little effort on their behalf- they simply contact some poor schnook known as
the "Congressional Liaison" at the Pentagon, who will do all the heavy
lifting. Ask the congressman to help supply these photographs, and the
Congressional Liaison will look up and contact the relevant offices (99% of
the problem is finding the relevant office and people involved) for the
congressman. If you, as a private citizen, tried to do this, they would
simply blow you off, or send you around and around between offices in a funny
little game called "bottom fishing for data". Little chance of that happening
when a congressman controls their budget. They will do a good job for the
congressman, with no cost. The congressman looks good, and you and your
family recognize his/her accomplishments, and some votes in the next election
will shake out of the tree that fall their way. Everyone is happy, except the
poor schnook of a congressional liaison, who will have to handle the next odd
question from another congressman.
As a previous corporate librarian, I invested a large amount of time
in training the local politicians in finding me federal information, but boy,
did it ever pay off. I almost cried when my local senator lost the election,
and I had to start the training all over again with the new senator's office.
I could probably be more precise about some things I've mentioned
above, but it is after hours, Bruce Wallace has already gone home for the
day, and I'm about to go home myself. Let me know if I can be of any more
help.
Regards,
Lee Hadden
R. Lee Hadden
Geospatial Information Library (Map Library))
Topographic Engineering Center
ATTN: CEERD-TO-I (Hadden)
7701 Telegraph Road
Alexandria, VA 22315-3864
(703) 428-9206
[log in to unmask]
"Curiosity is not a nice virtue- and it never leads to innocence." -Donna
Haraway
See some of my writings, both online and on paper, at my author page at:
http://www.librarything.com/author/haddenrobertlee
-----Original Message-----
From: Linda R Zellmer [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 4:19 PM
To: Hadden, Robert L ERDC-TEC-VA
Subject: Fwd: 1943 aerial maps of the USA done by the Army
Lee,
Can you help with this? Linda Zellmer
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: FW: 1943 aerial maps of the USA done by the Army
Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 14:13:10 -0600
From: Johnson, Stephen <>
To: <>
I'd do anything for your help with that. Thanks!
Steve
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 2:12 PM
To: Johnson, Stephen
Subject: Re: 1943 aerial maps of the USA done by the Army
With your permission I can post this inquiry to a discussion list for map
librarians (which I moderate).
Angie
Johnson, Stephen wrote:
> Hi Everyone, I am working with the head of our criminal justice program at
the University of South Dakota who does a lot of work for the cold case unit
in our state attorney general's office. That unit is working to bring
closure to a disappearance [likely murder] of a person from a farm in South
Dakota circa. 1941 or 1942. This was a case that was never solved.
>
> What we've been told is that the United States Army used to fly missions in
which aerial photographs were taken of the entire United States in a grid map
format [as I'm reconstructing my notes from a phone conversation with him
this morning]. My faculty member is of the understanding that these aerial
photography flights ended in 1943. We need to get ahold of those aerial
photographs from that year for grid numbers 475 and 452 here in South Dakota.
Do any of you in govdoc-l land know where or who to begin to go to for
getting ahold of these photographs? Is this something that the National
Archives would have? Somebody also told me that it might be available through
the National Air and Space Museum.
>
> More than anything, thank you very much for your time and consideration of
this.
>
> Stephen Johnson
> Business and Distance Education Librarian [log in to unmask]
>
--
Linda Zellmer
Government Information & Data Services Librarian
415 Malpass Library
Macomb, IL 61455
[log in to unmask]
Phone: 309-298-2723
Fax: 309-298-2791
|
