The archives of the National Museum of the Pacific War include thousands of manuscripts, official documents, photographs, and 3,700 recorded interviews with Pacific War veterans. Recognizing that these collections constitute an exceptional resource for historians and students of history, the National Museum of the Pacific War and the Admiral Nimitz Foundation are establishing the Nimitz Education and Research Center to be a premier destination for scholars of Pacific War history.

The archives and research center will be housed on the third floor of the National Museum of the Pacific War's newest facility, above the George H.W. Bush Gallery. Occupying more than 8,000 square feet, the Center will include a research library, reading room, oral history interview and file digitization rooms and 3,500 square feet of secure archival storage.

The Nimitz Education and Research Center is being established to address two great challenges:

1)  Ensuring that the history of World War II in the Pacific and East Asia that is passed on to future generations is complete and accurate
A history as fundamental but complex as that of the Pacific War will always be subject to revision and reinterpretation. However, revision and reinterpretation should be directed towards a more accurate and thorough understanding of the past. The physical records of that history are the guardians of accuracy. Where those physical records do not exist or are inaccessible, history is at the discretion of any who would change it to suit their purposes.

2)  Creating education and research opportunities for today's students and historians
As World War II has become history, it has not taken a profoundly central place in the history formally taught to current generations of schoolchildren. It is now possible and common for intelligent, well-reared young people to pass through the public education system, and through college, to emerge into the full responsibilities of adulthood and American citizenship with an extremely superficial understanding of World War II and, in particular, the Pacific War.

Informal learning through books, film, museums and other popular media are our most effective tools for connecting people with the great story of the Pacific War. We are fortunate that this history has attracted some of the best historians and filmmakers of recent generations. Each time a new, original book, film or series is released, hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions of Americans are re-acquainted with a part of the story. However, whether it is Flags of Our Fathers, The Thin Red Line, The Great Raid, or The Pacific, it is only a part, often quickly forgotten, and there remains much to tell.

Opportunity and encouragement of new and original research and writing will be key to continuing and improving informal education. Official sources for original and comparative research on the Pacific War are vast, but widely scattered. Access is often challenging. An even greater challenge lies in access to those unofficial sources that bring the human dimension to our understanding. Millions of Americans participated in the war effort, whether in combat or support roles, on the front lines or on the home front. The rich fabric of this history is to be found in their personal stories. Diaries, letters and oral histories form a great body of story and evidence, but researchers and historians do not, cannot know what exists and where.

We are establishing the Nimitz Education and Research Center, therefore, to preserve and protect the testaments to this history and to use them to inform historical research and create educational materials and programs for students in primary, secondary and university levels. It will not be cheap. The Admiral Nimitz Foundation has established a 3-year plan for the stand-up and operations of the Center. The cost will be $1,680,000.

If you are able and willing to make a major gift to the cause of establishing and operating the Nimitz Education and Research Center, please contact Ginger Eways, Development Director, Admiral Nimitz Foundation, at (830) 997-8600, Ext. 214, eways@nimitzfoundation.org.