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UP FOR SALE: A REMARKABLY RARE, HIGHLY COHESIVE, AND HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT ARCHIVE OF ORIGINAL COLD WAR-ERA AVIATION INTELLIGENCE AND FIELD SERVICE FILES SPANNING FROM 1952 TO 1959 (WITH ONE 1946 DIPLOMATIC ANCHOR DOCUMENT).
This is a “behind-the-scenes” corporate dossier detailing the systemic mechanical safety crisis of the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar cargo transport fleet. The papers originate from the Field Service Section of Fairchild and North American Aviation, featuring original ink signatures, confidential stamps, and eyewitness accounts from Field Supervisor A.S. Mathes and Representative James R. Woehr.
This archive reads like a historical puzzle and includes three distinct tracks:
1. THE 1952–1954 “SMOKING GUN” CORPORATE POLICY & COVER-UP FILES
• Includes the extraordinary June 1953 corporate directives instructing field representatives to use regulatory loopholes (Air Force Regulation 62-14) to deliberately pressure military commands to downgrade “Major” aircraft accidents to “Minor” ones on base logs to protect the manufacturer’s public reputation.
• Real-time applications of this policy are documented in subsequent reports, such as the 1954 Clark AFB nose-wheel shimmy incident.
2. EXHAUSTIVE MULTI-PAGE ACCIDENT DOSSIERS & METALLURGY LOGS
• THE 1952 BILLINGS, MONTANA DISASTER (4 COMPLETE PAGES): A chilling, verbatim field analysis of a mass-casualty C-119F crash involving 8 fatalities. It details mid-air engine separation, cabin panic, a failed passenger bailout, and a violent cartwheel breakup. Crucially, it features a hand-drawn engineering cross-section blueprint diagnosing a catastrophic Hamilton Standard factory propeller blade manufacturing defect.
• THE 1957 KIRTLAND AFB ACCIDENT FILE (7 PAGES): Full preliminary and final reports tracking an emergency belly-landing. Includes field representative logs exposing severe pilot error, cockpit communication breakdowns, and a pre-existing aerodynamic tail-rudder misalignment defect.
• GLOBAL INCIDENT LOGS (1953–1955): Individual field files documenting engine failures, mid-air structural disintegrations, gear malfunctions, and operational mishaps across Ashiya AFB (Japan), Dien Bien Phu (Vietnam combat actions), Yuma County (Arizona), and Montgomery (Alabama).
• THE 1955–1956 MASTER LEDGER SHEET: A detailed, multi-row matrix tracking concurrent global crashes, detailing tail numbers, casualties (including a fatal Navy R4Q ocean crash off Fort Lauderdale), and official fault opinions.
3. THE 1959 NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION SUPERSONIC REALIGNMENT FILES (3 PAGES)
A confidential October 1959 memo from Chief Engineer George R. Gehrkens to engineering staff mapping a corporate crisis following the government’s abrupt termination of the F-108 Rapier interceptor and B-70 Valkyrie bomber programs. It lists classified Cold War research contracts, titanium evaluations, and advanced V/STOL concepts.
4. THE 1946 DIPLOMATIC ANCHOR DOCUMENT
An original diplomatic appointment letter signed by British Consul-General Francis Edward Evans, naming Richard Harold Fawcett Smith as Acting Vice-Consul in New York.
CONDITION:
The collection is in overall excellent vintage condition. The paper remains crisp with sharp, legible typescript. Minor age-toning, edge ruffles, and handling wear are consistent with active mid-century corporate field use. Some sheets feature original bold ink signatures and official office stamps.
SHIPPING:
This archive will be kept strictly intact. It will be securely packed flat in acid-free protective materials and shipped with full tracking and insurance.
An invaluable, museum-quality acquisition for collectors of Cold War military history, aviation safety archives, or USAF/USMC logistical ephemera.
PLEASE REVIEW ALL PHOTOS FOR A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CONTENTS.
