David E. Koskoff (#147)

An Inventory of His Personal Papers
1938-1974
In the John F. Kennedy Library
National Archives and Records Administration

Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
List of Series
Series Description


Administrative Information

Abstract
Papers 1938-74 (bulk 1938-1940)
Lawyer. Author, Joseph P. Kennedy, a Life and Times (1974). Correspondence, printed materials, interview notes, background material, index cards, and drafts. Includes a copy of James Landis' manuscript biography, Joseph P. Kennedy .

Access
Open.

Usage Restrictions
According to the deed of gift signed December 2002, copyright of these materials has been assigned to United States of America. Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.

Copyright
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excesses of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. The copyright law extends its protection to unpublished works from the moment of creation in a tangible form. Direct your questions concerning copyright to the reference staff.

Provenance
Received from David Koskoff of Plainville, CT, in November, 1974 (Acc. 1975-026); and in November, 2002 (Acc. 2003-029).

Extent
About 6,120 items (5 linear feet, 9 linear inches ; 6.5 cubic feet)

Date Opened
April 2004

Processed by
Meghan Banach

Encoded by
Meghan Banach

Related Collections
Joseph P. Kennedy Collection, John F. Kennedy Library

The Personal Papers of David E. Koskoff (1939-  )

Biographical Note
David E. Koskoff was born in 1939. He is a lawyer living in Connecticut. In 1974, Koskoff wrote Joseph P. Kennedy, A Life and Times    

Collection Overview
The personal papers of David E. Koskoff contain materials related to the writing of his book Joseph P. Kennedy, A Life and Times and span the years from 1938 to 1974. The collection is arranged into three series: Series 1. Writings; Series 2. Correspondence; and Series 3. Research Files. Series 1 contains rough drafts and manuscripts. Series 2 contains correspondence, requests for interviews, and correspondence with Fred Israel, editor. Series 3. Research Files contains bibliographies, index cards with references, interview notes, drafts of books, newspaper clippings, and research notes.

List of Series
Series 1. Writings
Series 2. Correspondence
Series 3. Research Files

Series Description

Series 1. Writings.
About 3,500 items.
Arrangement: chronologically by draft.

Writings consist of rough drafts and manuscripts of Joseph P. Kennedy, A Life and Times , as well as an article titled “The Go-Getter for Peace”, which details Joseph Kennedy’s time as American Ambassador to the Court of St James prior to and during the early days of the Second World War.

Series 2. Correspondence.
About 220 items.
Arrangement: alphabetically by type.

This series contains correspondence with publishers, libraries, manuscript repositories, and archives, requests for interviews with various people who knew Joseph Kennedy personally, and correspondence with Fred Israel, editor of a proposed book on Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s ambassadors, for which Koskoff originally wrote “The Go-Getter for Peace.” This series also contains correspondence regarding a research trip Koskoff took to London during the summer of 1972, correspondence regarding requests and receipts for photographs of Joseph P. Kennedy, as well as, Koskoff’s address book.

Series 3. Research Files.
About 2,400 items.
Arrangement: alphabetical by type.

Research Files consist of bibliographies, several boxes of index cards with references, interview notes, two drafts of Joseph P. Kennedy by James M. Landis, lists of names and chronologies related to the life of Joseph Kennedy, newspaper clippings on the Kennedy’s and Gerald Ford, and nine notebooks containing research notes for Joseph P. Kennedy, A Life and Times . Also included in this series are photocopies of telegrams, correspondence, and memoranda exchanged between Joseph P. Kennedy, the White House, and the State Department as well as private journals which chronicle life in Europe before and during World War II. Other photocopied materials include telegrams and correspondence between Senator John F. Kennedy and Adlai Stevenson concerning campaign schedules and policy beginning in 1952 and leading up to the presidential election in 1956 and the Probate papers regarding the estate of Joseph P. Kennedy, dated 1970-1971. The series also contains photographs and captions of Joseph P. Kennedy, and research notes taken by Koskoff and his associate Ed Plaut.