-------- 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