Skip to main content

William A. Smith papers

 Collection
Call Number: RH MS 1465

Overview

This collection contains letters written by federal agent William A. Smith to his girlfriend (later wife) Miriam Earls about his daily life working for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) soon after its creation. He writes about a variety of topics, including cases he is involved with and the Bureau's founder J. Edgar Hoover, and he writes from many locations while in the field, including Pennsylvania, Kansas, Ohio, Washington D.C., Michigan, and San Francisco. The collection also contains letters written to Smith by other individuals and two photographs of Smith and of J. Edgar Hoover.

Dates

  • Creation: 1931 - 1938

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

No access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.

Biography of William A. Smith

William A. Smith was a law school student at George Washington University when he was recruited to become an agent at the newly formed FBI, then called the Bureau of Investigation.

Extent

.5 linear foot (1 document case)

Language of Materials

English

Physical Location

RH MS 1465

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchase, Between the Covers Rare Book, Inc, 2017.

Title
Guide to the William A. Smith Collection
Subtitle
William A. Smith papers
Author
Finding aid prepared by anm, 2018. Finding aid encoded by anm, 2018.
Date
2018-10
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Finding aid written in English.
Finding aid permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/10407/8088737257
Preferred citation
William A. Smith papers, RH MS 1465, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas

Repository Details

Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository

Contact:
1450 Poplar Lane
Lawrence KS 66045-7616 United States
785-864-4334