Freed World War II Scrapbook and Map Collection

The Freed World War II Scrapbook and Map Collection at the University of Denver consists of 99 individual scrapbooks covering war-related issues from August 1939 through September 1947. The scrapbooks are dated, however, the individual clippings are not consistently dated or identified as to source. The newspaper clippings were probably from the two Denver newspapers, The Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post. In addition to stories on the progress of the war, the scrapbooks contain political cartoons, editorials and commentaries on subjects ranging from how the war was managed to the effectiveness of the American allies. The scrapbooks cover the period from the beginning of hostilities in Europe, sparked by the September 1, 1939 invasion of Poland by the Germans. The United States' entry into the war following the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941, is covered in scrapbook 32. The scrapbooks extend beyond the end of the war in 1945 to cover the establishment of the United Nations and the Nuremberg Trials. Complementing the scrapbooks is a selection of Newsmaps, weekly publications of the Public Relations Division of the United States War Department. The Newsmaps are in large poster format and include maps, pictures and text. They cover the progress of the war and have been characterized as propaganda rather than the disinterested dissemination of information. Together, the scrapbooks and maps provide a good picture of an American citizen following the progress of World War II.