Max Frankel papers, 1896-2008, bulk 1940-2008

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Series I: Personal Files, 1940-2008

This series consists of papers relating to Frankel's personal life and career in journalism.


Subseries I.1: General Files, 1940-2008

This subseries contains of files collated to facilitate the writing of Frankel's memoirs. It includes clippings and drafts of articles from Frankel's career in journalism, letters and diaries from his time as a foreign correspondent in Europe and Moscow, files pertaining to the publication and subsequent legal defense of the Pentagon Papers, notes for the 1976 presidential debates, and several folders of correspondence. This subseries also contains notes from off-the-record conversations with President Lyndon B. Johnson. The subseries is arranged roughly in chronological order.



Box 1 Weissenfels, 1964-1993


Box 1 Poland, 1993-1994


Box 1 1940 1940-1991, 1940, 1940-1991


Box 1 Atrocities, 1966-1995


Box 1 Holocaust, 1975-1995


Box 1 Anti-Semitism, 1991-1995


Box 1 Jewishness, 1967-1996


Box 1 Jewish Papers, 1985


Box 1 Immigrants, 1991-1995


Box 1 Growing Up, 1940-1995


Box 1 FDR, 1995


Box 1 WWII, 1993-1995


Box 1 Harlem, 1995


Box 1 Personal Papers, 1944-1972


Box 1 High School of Music and Art, 1946-1991


Box 1 Overtone, 1946-1995


Box 1 College, undated


Box 1 College Papers: Literature, undated


Box 1 College Papers: Philosophy, undated


Box 1 College Papers: History & Economics, undated


Box 1 College Papers: Government, undated


Box 1 New York Times Clippings, 1949-1950


Box 1 Summer '51 --NYT, 1951


Box 1 Columbia 1951-52 --NYT, 1951-1952


Box 1 Postgraduate 1952-53 --NYT, 1952-1953


Box 1 Columbia, 1954-1994


Box 1 Clippings, 1950-1955


Box 1 Early Reporting, 1952-1994


Box 1 Army Reporting, 1954-1994


Box 1 Nuclear Weapons, 1955-1995



Box 2 Promotions, Visas, 1957-1960


Box 2 European Letters, 1956-1957


Box 2 Moscow, 1957-1995


Box 2 Russia, 1957-1960


Box 2 Moscow Letters, 1957


Box 2 Moscow Letters, 1958


Box 2 Moscow Letters, 1959


Box 2 Moscow Letters, 1960


Box 2 Soviet Travel Diaries, 1958-1960


Box 2 Diplomacy and Trade, 1957-1959


Box 2 Art and Propaganda, 1957-1959


Box 2 Cuttings, 1960


Box 2 Russia From Afar, 1959-1965


Box 2 Khrushchev, 1959-1964


Box 2 Khrushchev, 1983-1995


Box 2 Khrushchev: Brown, 1994


Box 2 Stalin, 1995


Box 2 Moscow, 1966-1995


Box 2 Cold War, 1967-1995


Box 2 Job Offers, 1960-1967


Box 2 JFK, 1995-1996


Box 2 Dean Rusk, 1961-1965


Box 2 Cuba, 1960-1995


Box 2 Missile Crisis, 1961-1995


Box 2 Oleg Penkovsky, 1961-1967


Box 2 LBJ, 1964-1993


Box 2 Talks with LBJ, 1963-1996


Box 2 LBJ: Style and Rhetoric, 1966-1967



Box 3 Robert McNamara, 1967-1996


Box 3 Correspondence, Drafts, Notes: Cold War, 1963-1968


Box 3 Correspondence, Drafts, Notes: Education, 1965-1966


Box 3 Correspondence, Drafts, Notes: Columbia University, 1968-1973


Box 3 Correspondence, Drafts, Notes: US Politics, 1968


Box 3 Nixon-Kissinger, 1969-1996


Box 3 Press Passes, 1967-1990


Box 3 Trips, 1967-1972


Box 3 Mao Cloth, undated


Box 3 China Memorabilia, 1972


Box 3 Pulitzer Prize, 1973


Box 3 Ford Foundation -- TV Report, 1967


Box 3 Korry Affair, 1976-1977


Box 3 Fable, undated


Box 3 General, 1973-1996


Box 3 McCarthyism, 1992-1995


Box 3 James Reston, 1988-1995


Box 3 CIA, 1995-1996


Box 3 Philosophy of History, 1993-1995


Box 3 Pentagon Papers, 1971-1994


Box 3 Pentagon Papers: Legal, 1971-1972


Box 3 Pentagon Papers: Reaction, 1971-1995


Box 3 Pentagon Papers: Drafts, Reaction, 1971


Box 3 Pentagon Papers: Court, 1971-1996


Box 3 Pentagon Papers: Court Documents, 1971


Box 3 Pentagon Papers: Diary, 1971-1996


Box 3 Pentagon Papers: Comments on Government Briefs, 1967-1989


Box 3 Pentagon Papers: Sources, 1961-1971


Box 3 Pentagon Papers: Readings, undated



Box 4 1976 Presidential Debate: Question Cards, Transcript, 1976, 1976, 1976


Box 4 1976 Presidential Debate: Pre-Debate, 1976, 1976, 1976


Box 4 1976 Presidential Debate: Post-Debate Mail, 1976, 1976, 1976


Box 4 1976 Presidential Debate: Press, 1976, 1976, 1976


Box 4 Ford-Carter Debate, 1976-1989


Box 4 'What's News?' Course Material, 1959-2001


Box 4 Columbia Admin, 2000-2001


Box 4 New York Times and Holocaust, 1939-2001


Box 4 Libby: Sources, 2003-2007


Box 4 Libby: Chill, Threats, 2001-2007


Box 4 Libby: Conference, 2007


Box 4 VIP Letters, 1951-2008


Box 4 Fan Mail, 1964-1968


Box 4 Correspondence, 1958-1975


Box 4 Oddities, 1986-1990


Box 4 Plaints and Plaudits, 1961-1976



Box 5 FBI File, 1962-2000


Box 5 Prizes and Kudos, 1973-1994


Box 5 By & About Max, 1952-1994


Box 5 About Frankel, 1965-1973


Box 5 Personal Mementos, 1974-1990


Box 5 Max Advertism, 1986


Box 5 Personal and Family, 1970-1992


Subseries I.2: Speech Files, 1925-1992

This subseries contains drafts and reading copies of speeches given by Frankel. Subjects include United States and Soviet foreign policy, domestic politics and culture, and journalism.


Box 5 'The Overseas American', Smith College, 6, May 1963


Box 5 'Is The Cold War Over?', World Affairs Council, Philadelphia,, November 1963


Box 5 'Moscow Through Washington's Eyes', Columbia University, February1964


Box 5 'Is the Cold War Over?', Central Connecticut State College, 23, March1964


Box 5 'Law Day, U.S.A.', Washington, D. C., 1, May 1964


Box 5 'Soviet Internal and Foreign Policy as It Appears to Washington Correspondents', Harvard University, 8, May 1964


Box 5 'The Election and the Real World', National Council of Jewish Women, Cedarhurst, 23, September 1964


Box 5 'Youth Dissent', Student Press Association, 4, February1965


Box 5 'The Little Man in Today's Big, Big, World', Ohio State University, 29, February1965


Box 5 'Washington After Khrushchev', Columbia University, May 1965


Box 5 Report: 'Do Teachers Teach?', October 1965


Box 5 'A Memorandum on a Random Sampling of NET Shows Dealing with International Affairs',, 1965


Box 5 'Communism in a Changing World', University of Southern California, April 1966


Box 5 'Vietnam, Our Past and Future in Asia', Foreign Affairs Council, Reading, Pennsylvania,, April 1966


Box 5 'The Nature of Jewish Distinctiveness in US & Israel', Rehovoth, Israel,, July 1966


Box 5 'Can We End The Cold War?', October 1966


Box 5 '10th Anniversary -- Suez + Hungary', October 1966


Box 5 Morse-Stennis Vietnam Debate, 1966


Box 5 'American Roots and Realities', Williamsburg International Assembly, 14, June 1967


Box 5 'The World As It Looks From the White House', "Main Line" Association, Philadelphia, 18, October 1967


Box 5 'History in the Making', Muhlenberg College, 15, November 1967


Box 5 Some Thoughts on One Year as The Washington Correspondent, 1967


Box 5 'A New Start at the White House', 1968


Box 5 'Washington's World', 1970


Box 5 Address to Graduates, Commencement, High School of Music and Art, Carnegie Hall, 25, June 1973


Box 5 New School, 17, November 1973


Box 5 'The Worlds We Face Today -- and Tomorrow', Bank of America Conference, 23, January 1975


Box 5 World Affairs Council, Philadelphia, 13, March1976


Box 5 'Commentary Symposium', June 1976


Box 5 Goldman Sachs, New York City, 23, November 1976


Box 5 WQXR, 1976


Box 5 'The Newspaper and the Reader -- Who Influences Whom?', Men's Club, 27, March1977


Box 5 'Fieldston Graduation', 10, June 1977


Box 5 Foreign Policy Association, New York City, 5, October 1977


Box 5 'Censorship in All Its Forms', Wellesley College, 7, April 1979


Box 5 John Jay Award Dinner, Columbia University, 16, April 1980


Box 5 Horace Mann School, 5, May 1980


Box 5 'A New Decade: After 'Me' Comes 'You'', Convocation, Brown University, 15, September 1980


Box 5 'The Reagan Priorities', Chicago Committee, 7, April 1981


Box 5 Remarks to ad luncheon, N.Y. Times, 22, January 1985


Box 5 'Journalism as CC, Contd.', Columbia Spectator Dinner, 28, January 1985


Box 5 New York Times Advertising Sales Department Conference, 15, September 1987


Box 5 'What's New In News', Circulation Conference, 9, May 1989


Box 5 Columbia Spectator Dinner, 6, February1991


Box 5 New York Times Board of Directors, 21, March1991


Box 5 Arrowwood, 6, February1992


Box 5 International Center, New York City, 28, April 1992


Box 5 Alexander Hamilton Award Dinner, Columbia University, 12, November 1992


Box 5 Speeches, undated, 1925-1992


Subseries I.3: IRS Files, 1977-1993

This subseries contains legal documents, transcripts, and opinions pertaining toFrankel v. Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service,a tax case relating to self-employment and home offices.


Box 5 Tax Decision, 1977-1984


Box 5 Frankel v. Commissioner: Correspondence,, 1976-1984


Box 5 Frankel v . Commissioner: Transcript, 1983



Box 6 Frankel v . Commissioner: Briefs, 1983


Box 6 IRS, 1985-1993


Subseries I.4: Multimedia Files, 1958-1999

This subseries contains photographs taken by and of Frankel in Lvov, Riga, and Siberia forThe New York Times,general photographs taken during President Richard Nixon's trip to China in 1972, and portraits of Frankel. It also contains video recordings of four interviews given by Frankel in the late 1990s.


Box 6 Photographs: Lvov, 1958


Box 6 Photographs: Riga, 1958


Box 6 Photographs: Siberia, undated


Box 6 Photographs: China, 1972


Box 6 VHS: Aspen Institute Speech (16 July 1998), 1998


Box 6 VHS: My Closeup, NY1 (15 March1999), 1999


Box 6 VHS: Conversations with Leonard Lopate (21 May 1999), 1999


Box 6 VHS: City Club Presents Max Frankel, undated



Box 11 Photographs: Frankel Portraits, 1957-1994

Series II: Editorial Files, 1896-1997

This series contains subject files arranged in alphabetical order, created while Frankel was editor of the editorial page and then executive editor of The New York Times. It includes correspondence between members of the staff of The New York Times, especially between Frankel and publishers Arthur Ochs Sulzberger and Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. It also includes correspondence between Frankel and notable members of the public, and files pertaining to the management of the newspaper generally.


Box 11 Washington Bureau Congrats, 1968


Box 11 Sunday Department, 1969-1976


Box 11 Sunday Editor Congrats, 1972


Box 11 Editorial Board, 1976-1993


Box 11 Editorials:, 1976-1996


Box 11 Editorials: A. O. Sulzberger, 1976-1990


Box 11 Editorials: Personnel, 1976-1991


Box 11 Editorials: Controversies, 1977-1984


Box 11 Editorials: Op-Ed, 1959-1997


Box 11 Editorials: Letters, 1978-1981


Box 11 Editorials: Fan Mail, 1977-1985


Box 11 Frankel Editorials, 1984-1986


Box 11 Letter Debates, 1977-1995


Box 11 Press, 1970-1989



Box 7 Executive Editor, 1931-1994


Box 7 Congratulations, 1986


Box 7 About NYT, 1988-1994


Box 7 About the NYT, 1965-1969


Box 7 Advertising, 1979-1991


Box 7 Advertising Issues, 1988-1993


Box 7 Arthur Rosenthal, 1988-1996


Box 7 Arthur O. Sulzberger, 1987-1995


Box 7 Arthur O. Sulzberger, Jr., 1988-1994


Box 7 Bias, 1988-1993


Box 7 Big Stories, 1978-1996


Box 7 Blacks at NYT, 1986-1996


Box 7 Blacks in Print, 1979-1993


Box 7 Book Review, 1990-1994


Box 7 Budget, 1988-1993


Box 7 Bush, 1989-1990


Box 7 Business, 1991


Box 7 Business Pressure on News, 1977-1994


Box 7 Cameras in Court, 1994-1996


Box 7 Cancer, 1994


Box 7 Catholic Archdiocese, 1986


Box 7 Church/State, 1987-1996


Box 7 Circulation, 1987-1996


Box 7 Clinton, 1993-1994


Box 7 Color, 1987-1993


Box 7 Conflict of Interest, 1976-1996


Box 7 Critics, 1987-1996



Box 8 Cuomo 1980s 1984-1991, 1980s, 1984-1991


Box 8 Daily Paper Anniversary, 1896-1996


Box 8 Diversity/Climate, 1990-1995


Box 8 Edward Koch, 1973-1986


Box 8 Errors and Corrections, 1963-1994


Box 8 Executive Trivia, 1987-1993


Box 8 Fairness in News, 1988-1994


Box 8 Foreign, 1986-1993


Box 8 Gay, 1982-1997


Box 8 Government Lies, 1991


Box 8 Graphics, 1972-1991


Box 8 Greenwich, 1992-1994


Box 8 Gulf War, 1990-1992


Box 8 Harassment, 1991-1993


Box 8 Ink (Barbara Bush), 1989


Box 8 Innovations, 1987-1997


Box 8 Israel, 1948-1995


Box 8 John B. Oakes, 1975-1995


Box 8 Leadership Style, 1987-1993


Box 8 Legal, 1979-1995


Box 8 Magazine, 1986-1992


Box 8 Metro, 1988-1993


Box 8 Miscellany, 1994-1998


Box 8 Nature of Editing, 1989-1990


Box 8 Nature of News, 1970-1989


Box 8 New York Politics, 1988-1991



Box 9 NYT History, 1955-1993


Box 9 NYT Influence, 1989


Box 9 NYT Politics, 1967-1992


Box 9 Newspaper Business, 1985-1996


Box 9 Personnel, 1986-1994


Box 9 Philosophy of Journalism, 1987-1993


Box 9 Philosophy of News, 1962-1994


Box 9 Policy, 1986-1994


Box 9 Politics, 1989


Box 9 Pressure Groups, 1974-1994


Box 9 Profiles, 1986-1997


Box 9 Race Relations, 1982-1993


Box 9 Rape, 1991-1996


Box 9 Reader Surveys, 1990-1993


Box 9 Recession, Space & Cuts, 1990-1991


Box 9 Repetitive Stress Injury, 1991-1992


Box 9 Retirement, 1976-2001


Box 9 Secrecy (and CIA), 1973-1988


Box 9 Senior Writers, 1987-1992


Box 9 Sexism, 1990-1992


Box 9 Society, 1987-1994


Box 9 Soviet Collapse, 1988-1996


Box 9 Space, 1990-1993


Box 9 Sports, 1987-1991


Box 9 Style, 1991-1993


Box 9 Technology, 1977-1994


Box 9 Transition, 1994


Box 9 Unions, 1988-1992


Box 9 Usage, 1978-1993


Box 9 Week in Review, 1989


Box 9 Williams Case, 1988-1989

Series III: Book Files, 1960-2004

This series contains files pertaining to the commissioning, writing, publication, and reception of Frankel's two books.


Subseries III.1:The Times of My Life and My Life with The Times, 1963-2001

This subseries mostly contains correspondence from readers of Frankel's memoirs, as well as book reviews and correspondence relating to the book's publication.



Box 10 Book Background, 1997-1998


Box 10 Book Material, 1963-1971


Box 10 Book Notes, 1993-1998


Box 10 Correspondence, 1959-2001


Box 10 Draft, undated, 1996


Box 10 Drafts, 1995-1996


Box 10 Mail, 1999-2001


Box 10 Publication and Promotion, 1995-2000


Box 10 Reviews, 1999-2001


Subseries III.2:High Noon in the Cold War, 1960-2004

This subseries primarily contains drafts of each chapter of Frankel's book on the Cuban missile crisis, arranged in a day-by-day format. It also contains correspondence relating to the book's publication.


Box 10 Outline, undated


Box 10 Bios & Lingo, 2002


Box 10 Weapons, 2002-2003


Box 10 General Chronology, 1992-2002


Box 10 Library, undated


Box 10 Addenda, 2002-2003


Box 10 1960-1961 1960-1961, 1960-1961, 1960-1961


Box 10 1962 -- Pre-August, 1962, 1962, 1962


Box 10 August 1962 undated, August 1962, undated


Box 10 October 16, undated, 2003


Box 10 October 17, undated


Box 10 October 20, undated


Box 10 October 21, undated


Box 10 October 22, undated


Box 10 October 23, undated, 1962


Box 10 October 24, undated, 1962


Box 10 October 25, undated


Box 10 October 27, undated, 1962


Box 10 October 28, undated


Box 10 October 29-31, undated


Box 10 November, undated


Box 10 Strategy of Peace, 1963


Box 10 Photos, 1962-2004


Box 10 Photos & Correspondence, 1962-2003


Box 10 Library, undated, 2002


Box 10 Cuba, 1962-2003



Box 11 New York Times, 1962


Box 11 Maps, undated, 2003


Box 11 Notes, undated, 1996-2003


Box 11 Publication and Promotion, 2002-2004