45 research outputs found
Letter - Colonel Albert D. Shaw to Francis Lynde Stetson, 31 March 1892
No full textA letter from Colonel Albert D. Shaw to Francis Lynde Stetson dated March 31, 1892. The letter is in regards to correspondence with the Attorney General in efforts to expedite the passing of an Act through Ontario Parliament. The act was introduced a week later (April 6, 1892) confirming the agreement between the Queen Vctoria Niagara Falls Park and the Canadian Niagara Power Company
Letter - James Wilson to Colonel Albert D. Shaw, 29 February 1892
No full textA letter from James Wilson, Park Superintendent to Albert D. Shaw in the year 1892. Wilson describes plans to produce hydroelectric power using Niagara Falls. He details advantages to the plan in this five page correspondence with Shaw
Pascal DeAngelis to Albert Britt, June 13, 1919
No full textIn a letter to Albert Britt on June 13, 1919, Pascal DeAngelis announces the release of the newest .22 caliber rim-fire rifle. He informs Britt this project involved seven years of work and consultation with rifle experts, such as Captain T. K. Lee, Captain C. L. Gilman, Lieutenant Colonel Townsend Whelen. Mr. DeAngelis recommends Horace Kephart view and describe this rifle for a review in “Outing” since he is one of the most well-known gun experts. He asks Britt for Kephart’s address to send him the rifle.(Copy.)
SAVAGE ARMS CORPORATION.
UTICA, NEW YORK. U.S.A.
June 13, 1919.
Mr. Albert Britt, Editor,
Outing Publishing Company,
1*1-145 West 36th Street,
New York City.
Dear Sir:
Replying to your courteous letter of the 4th inst., we are about
to announce the appearance of the most seriously designed .22
caliber rim-fire repeating rifle that has ever been manufactured.
The rifle is the result of seven years experimental work in the
factory, guided and checked by suggestions and criticisms from
the ablest and most highly respected firearms,authorities of the
country. We have had the close co-operation and assistance of
Captain T. K. Lee, formerly of the Corps of Rifle Demonstrators,
Ordnance Department, USA, who has been international small-bore
champion for many years, and is unquestionably the finest smallbore shooter in the world. Captain C. L. Gilman, USA- former
Secretary of the Western League of the N.R.A., Lieut. Col.
Townsend Whelen, USA, author of the book "American Rifles'* and
the highest military firearms authority in the country,
Lieut. Col. D. C. McDougall, USMC, Major J. J. Dooley, USMC,
Major H. L. Smith, USMC, Major W. D. Smith, USMC, and others too
numerous to mention.
We should be delighted to submit one of these rifles to the writer's
old friend, Mr. Horace Kephart, for critical review to be published
in OUTING. Mr. Kephart is one of the highest firearms authorities
in the world, and easily ranks with the men mentioned above. We
feel that it is a decided honor both to the Savage Arms Corporation
to have the rifle criticised and reviewed by Mr. Kephart, and to
Outing to have a man of Mr. Kephart's distinction as a contributor.
We should very much prefer, however, not to have this rifle or any
other arm of our manufacture criticised editorially by a man of
markedly less ability, experience and reputation, whose favorable
criticism would carry no weight with the well informed shooting
public, and whose unfavorable criticism would be of no value in
producing any suggestions or changes, or any modifications which
would not be desirable.
In other words, we would be delighted to have anything we make
submitted to Mr. Kephart, knowing that his criticism would be fair
and impartial, based on the widest experience and knowledge of his
subject, and entitled to the greatest respect. We should not have
the temerity to suggest any change or modification in any criticism
that Mr. Kephart should write, no matter how unfavorable it might be
to our own product. If our arms have weak points, we have no right
to have fair criticism "soft pedaled," but we would dislike to
submit a firearm for editorial criticism to anyone whose standing
or ability does not entitle him to recognition as an authority.
If you will be good enough to give us Mr. Kephart's address, we
would be glad to ship the rifle to him for critical review.
Very truly yours, T**^%±3&L«**r
PDeA;MFMj Savage Arms Corporation. "*** w^yi££y
The Development of British civil affairs and its employment in the British sector of allied military operations during the Battle of Normandy, June to August 1944
No full textCivil Affairs and its more robust sibling, Military Government, were military
organisations designed to ensure that basic civil order and welfare were
maintained in those allied and enemy states encountered on operations during
the Second World War. In so doing, they enabled formation commanders to
focus on defeating enemy forces without being distracted by possible civilian
problems. Using the battle of Normandy as a case study, this research assesses
the utility of Civil Affairs in supporting military needs during operations. This
contrasts with previous studies that concentrate on aspects of social and
diplomatic history.
If the need for Civil Affairs was generally axiomatic, there was much debate as to
the extent and method of delivery required. Civil Affairs quickly recognised that
in dealing with direct problems such as “disorganisation, disease and unrest” it
was necessary for seemingly indirect aspects of civilian life to be maintained.
Various forms of bureaucratic friction resulted and several Civil Affairs
approaches were used, before the model for the North West Europe campaign
was agreed. Nevertheless, the organisation employed in Normandy was
arguably the most extensive and best prepared of the war. However, it also had
to deal with many different civilian problems and in trying military
circumstances. Consequently, the battle is fertile ground for the examination of
the extent and nature of the organisation’s operational utility.
Using primary and secondary sources, this paper argues that Civil Affairs was
militarily both useful and necessary. Furthermore, it was able to provide wider
diplomatic and political benefits as well as serving core military needs. The
research concludes by acknowledging that whilst mistakes were made, the
various improvements made to Civil Affairs in preparation for, together with the
lessons learnt during, Normandy stood the organisation in good stead for the
significantly larger problems encountered later in the war
Reputations made and lost: the writing of histories of early twentieth-century British photography and the case of Walter Benington
No full textWalter Benington (1872-1936) was a major British photographer, a member of the Linked Ring and a colleague of international figures such as F H Evans, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen and Alvin Langdon Coburn. He was also a noted portrait photographer whose sitters included Albert Einstein, Dame Ellen Terry, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and many others. He is, however, rarely noted in current histories of photography.
Beaumont Newhall’s 1937 exhibition Photography 1839-1937 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York is regarded by many respected critics as one of the foundation-stones of the writing of the history of photography. To establish photography as modern art, Newhall believed it was necessary to create a direct link between the master-works of the earliest photographers and the photographic work of his modernist contemporaries in the USA. He argued that any work which demonstrated intervention by the photographer such as the use of soft-focus lenses was a deviation from the direct path of photographic progress and must therefore be eliminated from the history of photography. A consequence of this was that he rejected much British photography as being “unphotographic” and dangerously irrelevant. Newhall’s writings inspired many other historians and have helped to perpetuate the neglect of an important period of British photography. As a result, the work of key photographers such as Walter Benington is now virtually unknown.
Benington’s central involvement with the Linked Ring and his national and international exhibition successes demonstrate his significance within post-1890 British photography. Recent moves in the writing of histories of photography have called for the exploration of previously unknown archives and collections. A detailed examination of a cross-section of Benington’s work will illustrate that he was a photographer of great distinction and marked individuality fully worthy of a major reappraisal
After victory: projections of the Second World War and its aftermath in British feature films, 1946-1950.
No full textPhDWith reference to British feature films about the Second World War, the received wisdom among
film historians has been that in the immediate aftermath of the conflict film-makers and audiences
no longer had an appetite for the subject of war. The perceived dearth of war-related films in the
first five or so years of the peace is seen as representing a gap in the production of war films
between those made during the war itself and the boom in war film production that got under way
from the early fifties. This thesis establishes that such an assumption is mistaken, and that a
considerable body of war and aftermath films were made, screened and enjoyed by audiences.
The argument,then, is that far from ignoring the war in the late forties, as has been assumed, the
film industry was actively involved in the cultural process of re-interpreting the experience and its
consequences. The second theme of the thesis is an analysis of these films, and an exploration of
how they projected the war and its aftermath to contemporary audiences, and why particular
perspectives,subject interests,underlying values and preoccupations emerged. A multi-faceted
body of films, they are shown to engage with the shifting concerns and preoccupations of a
population emerging from war, and to be a distinctive phase in the cinematic history of the conflict
The signifier returns to haunt the referent : blackface and the stereotyping of African-Americans in Hollywood early sound film
No full textThis thesis investigates the persistence of blackface in Hollywood's early sound era
1927-1953. It establishes the extensive and complex nature of this persistence against
previous historical accounts of its decline after the introduction of sound. Specifically
this thesis considers the overlooked phenomenon of co-presence where blackface was
juxtaposed with the increased visibility of African-Americans in Hollywood film. It
argues that the primary historical significance of the persistence of blackface lies in its
involvement in, and exposure of, the formal stereotyping of African Americans in
film.
The thesis is founded on research which identified 124 blackface films and on
viewings of 75 of these films. Primarily the argument is advanced on the basis of
close textual analysis. In addition to its theoretical engagement with key positions on
blackface and related areas the thesis also makes use of secondary sources in order to
establish the historical context behind its persistence in film.
Principle areas discussed include the formal practices used to racially mark African Americans
in film, co-presence in the films of Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor, and
blackface and the racial containment of African-American vernacular dance and
music.
This thesis contributes to an understanding of the place of blackface in Hollywood
history by setting down what is, to the best of its author's knowledge, the most
extensive account to date of its persistence in the early sound era. In doing so it
brings new material to the debates on the 'nature' of blackface and argues that current
attempts to revise understandings of its racial bias may be misguided. In conclusion
this thesis finds that the case study of co-presence indicates that one explanation for
the longevity of Hollywood's African-American stereotypes lies in the sheer density
of their textual construction
Trousers and tiaras : growing up with Audrey Hepburn
No full textThis thesis considers the construction and circulation of the image-text 'Audrey
Hepburn', and its reception by young British women across two moments: the
1950s and 1960s, and the 1990s. The project uses a tripartite methodology: close
analysis of film texts, press and publicity relating to Hepburn; archival research
using sources including women's and film fan magazines, and interviews with
women who admire and have admired Audrey Hepburn. The thesis argues that
Hepburn can be understood as a star who offers an address to a feminine
audience, and goes on to explore the taking up of that address through analysis of
the data gathered in the interviews, paying particular attention to questions of
class, generation and socio-historical moment. The research presents a number of
different kinds of material: it considers Hepburn as a star and the reasons for her
enduring popularity; it suggests the flexibility of her image as key in
understanding this longevity and in enabling her to appeal to women across lines
of class and generation. The thesis argues that it is this flexibility, and the ways in
which Hepburn's image manages social contradictions, which have been key to
the way consent has been secured from women around her as a star. It
investigates the nature of the relationship between Hepburn and the women who
admire her, and also, through their detailed talk, offers insight into the social
history of femininity. In attending to both text and audience, the thesis attempts
to think the relationship between them outside psychoanalytically informed
theories of identification which have been hegemonic in film theory, offering
instead the terms resonance and recognition as ways of understanding that
relationship. An interdisciplinary project, the thesis represents a 'cultural studies
of film' which extends existing work on stars such as Dyer (1979,1982,1986,
1991) and Stacey (1994)
Defining a US defence diplomacy for Brazil at the beginning of the century
No full textAt the beginning of the 1990s, the US military was apparently considered to be a significant threat by the Brazilian Armed Forces. Other military establishments in the Hemisphere likewise expressed a lack of confidence, and even a sense of fear, regarding the North Americans. After an ‘opening’ in military relations between Brazil and the United States, directed by General Barry McAfree, commander-in-chief of the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) in the mid 1990s, Brazilian military sentiment regarding the US marginally improved. Nevertheless, by the end of the 1990s and the beginning of this Century, the Brazilian Armed Forces again felt threatened by the unilateralism of the US military.
This work examines the the concept of ‘defense diplomacy’ and the process by which the Clinton Administration initiated an experiment in conjunction with the National Defense University (Fort Leslie McNair, Washington, DC), at the request of the Deputy Assitant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs, that established between 1999 and 2001 a broader understanding of possible US defense diplomacy for the subsequent seven years. I was an invited participant in this experiment, along with more than two dozen North American and Latin American academics, including Brazilians, the aim of which was to complete a proposal under contract with the Defense Department. Although it was ended soon after the Bush Administration began, this experiment, and the broader concept of ‘defense diplomacy,’ may well have represented an important option for future hemispheric military relations
The struggle for legitimacy: a study of military lawyers in Israel
No full textThis thesis examines the involvement of lawyers in Israel Defence Forces operational decisionmaking. By linking the legal requirements of international legitimacy to the institutional relations within Israel, the thesis reveals a dynamic of Israeli civil-military relations that connects the demands of Israel's external environment to its internal political relations and exposes the role of the IDF
lawyers as an important locus of Israeli civil-military relations.
The traditional approach to civil-military relations in Israel employs a framework of analysis that relies heavily upon domestic legitimacy, rooted in the requirements of representative government. In so far as such an analysis considers the role of law and lawyers at all, the domestic perspective focuses on the importance of the Israeli Supreme Court as a mechanism of civil control of the
military. However, this level of analysis alone fails to explain the growing importance of military lawyers in operational matters. This study argues that Israeli civil-military relations cannot be properly understood without an examination of the requirements of international legitimacy and the largely unexplored field of legal-military relations.
It is the conclusion of this thesis that there has been a rapid growth in the involvement of lawyers in IDF operational decision-making since the start of the Second Intifada in 2000 that can be only partially explained in terms of an institutional response to a growing involvement of the Israeli Supreme Court in matters of security at a time of heightened military activity. The increased power of
the military lawyers is further explained by a domestic political response to the growing external demand for military compliance with international humanitarian law by the Israeli military as a prerequisite of legitimate military action and the legitimacy of the Israeli state itself. The result has been a strengthening of the position of the military lawyers that has secured for them a veto over operational decision-making. Analysis of international reaction to Israel's military operations during the Second Intifada, which began in 2002, the 2006 Second Lebanon War, Cast Lead 2008-2009 and the 2010 Turkish Flotilla reveals a growing appreciation among Israeli elites of the importance of defending Israel's legitimacy that is likely to lead to greater empowerment of the military lawyers and increase their importance to the study of Israeli civil-military relations.
A legal analysis reveals not just a strengthening of international humanitarian law, but also the extent to which the balancing of humanitarian and military requirements in conflicts involving non-state actors politicises the processes of construction of judgments of the legality of IDF military operations. The analysis exposes the opportunity for military behaviour to be constrained or enabled by the exercise of choice in the selection of legal advice. The case studies and previously unpublished accounts of the legal actors show that, to date, the International Law Department of the IDF has acted
to empower the military. However, the increasing pressures of international and domestic civil institutional constraints, which are driven by a growing recognition of the need to use international humanitarian law to defend the legitimacy of Israeli military operations against non-state actors, suggests that the unbridled support of the military lawyers for their military employers may soon
become a thing of the past with the choice of law to be applied a matter of political contestation rather
than military preference.
In short, the role of lawyers in the military is a new area of research. The methodology brings together legal and IR scholarship with original variations. The thesis examines previously neglected aspects of the Israeli legal environment, analysing previously unexplored and highly topical developments including the Universal Jurisdiction arrest warrants for Israeli political and military elites travelling abroad, the legal controversies surrounding the Goldstone Report and the Israeli responses to the Gaza
flotillas. While the research focuses on Israel, the analysis and many of the conclusions are of wider
application for those interested in the uses of law in promoting and condemning military strategies employed in military conflict against non-state actors, and more generally law and the employment of lawyers as a mechanism for the civil control of the military
