Inventory of the Mark F. Ethridge Papers, 1931-1981

Collection Number 3842

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Manuscripts Department, University Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Collection Information
block Descriptive Summary
block Administrative Information
block Online Catalog Headings
block Biographical Note
block Collection Overview
plus Detailed Description of the Collection
block Items Separated
Contact Information:
Manuscripts Department
CB#3926, Wilson Library
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890
Phone: 919/962-1345
Fax: 919/962-3594
Email: mss@email.unc.edu
URL: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/
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Descriptive Summary

Repository
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Creator
Ethridge, Mark F. (Mark Foster), 1896-1981.
Title
Mark F. Ethridge Papers, 1931-1981.
Call Number
3842
Language of Materials
Materials in English
Extent
Items: About 5400
Linear Feet: 6.5
Abstract
Mark F. Ethridge was a journalist of Louisville, Ky.
Papers chiefly consist of professional correspondence and speeches of Ethridge relating to his career in journalism, principally as editor and publisher of the Louisville, Ky., Courier-Journal and Times, 1936-1963; editor of New York Newsday, 1963-1965; and instructor in journalism at the University of North Carolina. In addition to newspaper affairs, these papers reflect many social and political issues of the times, including race relations, southern economic development, national elections and Democratic Party affairs, freedom and responsibility of the press, World War II, the Cold War, the creation of Israel, the spread of Communism in postwar Europe, and international peace. A separate series, chiefly 1945-1947, relates to Ethridge's fact-finding missions on behalf of the United States State Department and the United Nations to several Balkan countries, especially Bulgaria, Rumania, and Greece.

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Administrative Information

Restrictions to Access
No restrictions.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Mark Ethridge of Moncure, N.C., in October 1973.
Processing Information
Processed by: Suzanne Ruffing, April 1996
Encoded by: Joseph Nicholson, February 2006
This collection was processed with support from the Randleigh Foundation Trust.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Mark F. Ethridge Papers #3842, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
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Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Ethridge, Mark F. (Mark Foster), 1896-1981.
Democratic Party (U.S.)--History--20th century.
University of North Carolina (1793-1962)--Faculty--History--20th century.
University of North Carolina (1793-1962)--School of Journalism--History.
Louisville courier-journal (Louisville, Ky. : Daily)
Louisville times (Louisville, Ky. : 1885)
New York newsday.
American newspapers--History--20th century.
Cold War.
Communism.
Freedom of the press--United States--History--20th century.
Journalism--Social aspects.
Journalists--United States--History--20th century.
Journalists--United States--Political activity.
World War, 1939-1945--United States.
Bulgaria--History--1944-
Europe--Politics and government--1945-
Greece--History--Civil War, 1944-1949.
Israel--History.
Louisville (Ky.)--Politics and government.
Louisville (Ky.)--Social life and customs.
United States--Race relations--History--20th century.
Romania--History--1944-1989.
Southern States--Economic conditions.
United States--Foreign relations--20th century.
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Biographical Note

1896 Born in Meridian, Miss.
1913 Reporter for Meridian Star.
1931-1933 Managing editor of The Telegraph in Macon, Ga.
1933-1934 Assistant general manager of The Washington Post.
1934-1936 President and publisher of The Times Dispatch in Richmond, Va.
1936-1963 Publisher at The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky.
1945-1948 Appointed to represent the State Department on a special mission to investigate the political scene in the Balkans.
1954-1967 Trustee for the Ford Foundation.
1963-1965 Editor of Newsday, Long Island, N.Y.
1963-1969 Instructor of journalism at the University of North Carolina.
1981 Died in Moncure, N.C.
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Collection Overview

These papers document the professional life of Mark Foster Ethridge. Correspondence includes some family letters, but pertains primarily to his newspaper work and politics. Correspondence and speeches touch on numerous social and political issues and events that were prominent in public discussions during his career, including American race relations, the Second World War, Southern development, elections and Democratic Party positions, freedom of the press, federal regulation of broadcasting, the Cold War (especially in the Balkans), and the United Nations. There is a separate series for the time when Ethridge was in the Balkans for the government. Also included is one yearbook and photographs from his career.

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Arrangement of Collection

1. Correspondence
2. Speeches
3. Balkan Materials
3.1 Balkan Correspondence
3.2 Other Papers
4. Printed Material
4.1 Subject Files
4.2 Articles and Clippings
4.3 Yearbook
5. Pictures
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Items Separated

P-3842/1-8

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Detailed Description of the Collection

1. Correspondence, 1916-1981.

About 1800 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence of Ethridge chiefly relating to political issues and his newspaper and government work. There are also letters about giving, commentary on, and requests for copies of speeches. Letters from 1939 to 1941 and again in 1953 and from 1956 to 1958 discuss civil liberties, Ethridge's support for educating African-Americans and economic and social concerns of the South. Integration is discussed in 1956 and 1964.
Ethridge's correspondence about newspaper affairs relates primarily to conflicts between the FCC and the National Broadcasting Company in 1942; a 1945 trip to the Pacific concerning the education of American newspaper publishers on affairs in the Pacific; another trip to Japan in 1961 focussing on Japanese newspapers. In 1965, there are letters relating to Ethridge's becoming a fellow of Sigma Delta Chi, the professional journalism society.
Compilation of material on Turner Catledge, Mississippi native and managing editor of the New York Times occurred in 1960 as well as discussions about various other journalism personalities in conjunction with the Ethridge's Pulitzer Prize Memorial lecture. In 1962, Ethridge accepted a lectureship at UNC's School of Journalism and in 1963 became editor of Newsday.
Ethridge commented on politics throughout his papers. Included are remarks denouncing the manner in which Harry Truman was nominated in 1944 and critiquing the New Deal. In 1963, he commented on Lyndon Johnson and the Kennedy assassination. In 1966, Adlai Stevenson requested that Ethridge join a national committee to organize and support a Stevenson Institute for International Affairs.
Although most letters, 1945-1947, are personal, some correspondence overlaps with items filed with the Balkans Materials. In 1949 and 1953, there is discussion of Nicola Petrov, leader of the democratic opposition to Communism in the Balkans. Communism remains a major topic after Ethridge's trip to the Balkans until 1955, when Ethridge discussed the case of Carl Braden of Louisville, who was affiliated with Communism.
Ethridge was nominated by Truman in 1948 to the board of inquiry relating to a labor dispute in the coal industry. In 1949, Ethridge served as U.S. Representative to the Conciliation Commission for Palestine, and papers of this year include policy statements and letters from Truman about Middle East economic and refugee problems. Between 1950 and 1951, Ethridge worked with Cyril Black on writing a chapter on negotiations with the Russians in the Balkans for a book by the World Peace Foundation. From 1961 to 1966, there is information about the Ford Foundation.
Folder 1
1916-1932
Folder 2
1933
Folder 3
1934-1935
Folder 4
1938
Folder 5
1939
Folder 6
1940
Folder 7-8
1941
Folder 9
1942
Folder 10
1943
Folder 11-14
1944
Folder 15-17
1945
Folder 18-19
1946
Folder 20
1947
Folder 21-23
1948
Folder 24-27
1949
Folder 28-29
1950
Folder 30-32
1951
Folder 33
1952
Folder 34-35
1953
Folder 36
1954
Folder 37-39
1955
Folder 40
1956
Folder 41
1957
Folder 42-44
1958
Folder 45
1959
Folder 46-48
1960
Folder 49-51
1961
Folder 52-55
1962
Folder 56-67
1963
Folder 68-77
December 1964
Folder 78-86
1965
Folder 87-91
1966
Folder 92-93
1967
Folder 94-95
1968
Folder 96
1969
Folder 97-98
1970
Folder 99
1971
Folder 100
1972-1981
Folder 101
Undated

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2. Speeches, 1931-1968.

About 1400 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Speeches, many published later or incorporated into editorials, given by Ethridge on political matters, the newspaper business, Southern affairs, and related topics. Letters discussing some speeches may be found in Series 1.
Folder 102
14 January 1931, "The Inside of the Newspaper"
Folder 103
13 September 1931, "Capitalism on the Defense"
Folder 104
23 January 1936
Folder 105
15 July 1936, "The Changing Newspaper"
Folder 106
11 December 1936, "Perils of the Press"
Folder 107
4 June 1937, Commencement Speech, University of Kentucky
Folder 108
1937, "America's Obligations to Its Negro Citizens"
Folder 109
16 May 1938, Federal Communications Bar Association
Folder 110
12 October 1938, "The South and Its Prospects"
Folder 111
1939, Farm Tenancy
Folder 112
1939, The Second Reconstruction
Folder 113
11 May 1939, "Perils of the Press"
Folder 114
1940, Government and Radio
Folder 115
7 February 1940, "Anti-Lynching Bill"
Folder 116
22 May 1940, "How to Sell Newspapers"
Folder 117
20 July 1940, "Opening of a Newspaper Plant"
Folder 118
October 1940, "The South's Place in the World"
Folder 119
21 January 1941, "Economic Consequences of a Hitler Victory"
Folder 120
7 March 1941, Latin America Speech
Folder 121
21 March 1941, "Promoting Newspapers by Means of News, Editorial and Practical Management"
Folder 122
14 May 1941, "A Fair Deal for Radio"
Folder 123
4 December 1941, "Interpretation of the Spirit of Democracy"
Folder 124
1941, Farm and Home Improvement
Folder 125
13 May 1942, "The South"
Folder 126
1 June 1942, "The Peace We Must Make"
Folder 127
1942, "The Race Problem in War"
Folder 128
1942, Frankfurt Speech
Folder 129
1942, Fort Knox Speech
Folder 130
1943, Czechoslovakia
Folder 131
17 February 1944, "Free Enterprise"
Folder 132
15 May 1944, "For What the Hell Should We Apologize?"
Folder 133
June 1944, Collegiate School Speech
Folder 134
7 December 1944, Mellett Memorial Address
Folder 135
16 February 1945, "The Hope of the South"
Folder 136
March 1946, Freedom of the Press in Eastern Europe
Folder 137
12 April 1946, Freedom of the Press
Folder 138
28 September 1946, "Problems of the South"
Folder 139
5 May 1948, Balkans
Folder 140
7 June 1948, "The U.S. as a World Power"
Folder 141
6 February 1950, Amherst Speech
Folder 142
10 May 1950, International Peasants Union
Folder 143
February 1951, Georgia Press Institute
Folder 144
July 1952, Institute of Public Affairs, University of Virginia
Folder 145
7 November 1952, Indiana State Conference on Social Work
Folder 146
2 June 1953, "Of Whom Shall I Be Afraid?"
Folder 147
October 1953, Mississippi Library Association
Folder 148
25 June 1954, Naturalization Speech
Folder 149
15 February 1955, "Can the Press Help Build a Free World?"
Folder 150
24 May 1955, National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters
Folder 151
1955, Radio Free Europe
Folder 152
20 February 1956, University of Florida
Folder 153
February 1958, Coronado, Calif.
Folder 154
20 March 1958, "A Call to the South"
Folder 155
26 August 1958, University of Missouri
Folder 156
4 December 1958, "Higher Education's Role in the Economy"
Folder 157
1958, Nieman Lecture, "Dynamics of Journalism"
Folder 158
29 May 1960, Pulitzer Memorial Lecture
Folder 159
1960-1961, Pulitzer Variations
Folder 160
21 October 1960, Dedication of Howell Hall
Folder 161
9 June 1961, South Carolina Press Association
Folder 162
June-July 1961, Japanese Newspaper Publishers
Folder 163
20 March 1962, "The Meaning of the News"
Folder 164
3 September 1962, Southern Newspaper Publishers Association
Folder 165
26 January 1963, Kentucky Press Association
Folder 166
May 1963, Texas Daily Newspaper Seminar
Folder 167
23 October 1963, "Compensatory Education"
Folder 168
1964, Chapel Hill Class of 1964
Folder 169
1964-1965, Texas and East Carolina Speeches
Folder 170
15 January 1966, North Carolina Press Association
Folder 171
12 February 1968, William Allen White Lecture
Folder 172
Undated, Atlanta Meeting
Folder 173
Undated, Louisville College Club
Folder 174
Undated, Holly Springs Speech
Folder 175
Undated, Richmond First Club
Folder 176
Undated, Sigma Delta Chi
Folder 177
Undated, University of Louisville, Librarians
Folder 178
Undated, University of Missouri, Journalism

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3. Balkans Materials, 1945-1963.

About 700 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence, printed material, clippings, and notes from the period when Ethridge was appointed by Secretary of State James Byrnes to represent the U.S. State Department on a special mission to investigate the political scene in Bulgaria and Rumania, particularly with regard to Communism.
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3.1. Balkan Correspondence, 1945-1963.
About 400 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Primarily correspondence regarding official State Department business, reports by Ethridge on the situation in the Balkans, and statements about the mission. The reports, October-December 1945, focus on the Communist position in Rumania and Bulgaria. Ethridge became a representative for the Security Council Commission of Investigation for the U.S. State Department in 1946 on a Greek frontier mission for the United Nations. He left for Greece in January 1947 and reported on the border violations between Greece and the Balkan states. Most of the material from January to May 1947, deals with the Security Council Commission and the economic situation of Greece.
Material between June and July 1947, after Ethridge returned to the U.S., consists of schedules and itineraries as well as more information about Greece. Papers after his return include articles and statements about Ethridge's mission and U.S. foreign policy in the Balkans. In 1948 and 1954, there is information about the death of Nicola Petrov, leader of the democratic opposition to the Communist regime (see also Series 1, 1945-1947).
Folder 180-190
1945
Folder 191-192
1946
Folder 193-204
1947
Folder 205
Undated
Folder 206
1948-1963
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3.2. Other Papers, 1947-1963.
About 200 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Printed material, notes, and clippings pertaining to the Balkans.
Folder 207
1945-1946, Printed Material
Folder 208
1945-1946, Clippings
Folder 209-210
1947, Printed Material
Folder 211
1947-1952, Printed Material
Folder 212
1947, Clippings
Folder 213
1948-1963, Clippings
Folder 214
Undated, Notes

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4. Printed Material, 1903-1981.

About 1200 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
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4.1. Subject Files, 1930-1981.
About 500 items.
Arrangement: topical.
Folder 215
American Foreign Policy
Folder 216
Book Reviews
Folder 217
Turner Catledge
Folder 218
Civil Rights
Folder 219
Genealogical
Folder 220-221
Germany
Folder 222
Louisville
Folder 223-224
Middle East
Folder 225
Newspaper Business
Folder 226
Palestine
Folder 227
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Folder 228
Russia
Folder 229
The South
Folder 230
Southern Policy Committee
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4.2. Articles and Clippings, 1903-1981.
About 700 items.
Primarily articles by Ethridge, many undated; articles about Ethridge; clippings of interest to him; and other printed material. Some of the editorials and articles are fragments.
Folder 231-236
Editorials and Articles by Ethridge
Folder 237-238
Articles about Ethridge
Folder 239-242
Clippings
Folder 243-244
Notes
Folder 245
Other Papers
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4.3. Yearbook, 1913.
1 item.
Folder 246
Volume 1: 1913, 127 pages. Yearbook of Meridian High School

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5. Pictures, 1945-1951.

8 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Image P-3842/1
Photograph of unidentified men, July 1945.
Image P-3842/2
Photograph of Mark F. Ethridge, April 1951.
Image P-3842/3
Photograph of Willie Snow Ethridge, April 1951.
Image P-3842/4
Photograph of David Ethridge, April 1951.
Image P-3842/5
Photograph of Mark Ethridge receiving plaque from Columbia University with Willie Snow Ethridge and Dr. Grayson Kirk, 27 May 1960.
Image P-3842/6
Photograph of Mark Ethridge with G. L. Barnett, Kelly Thompson, and Tom Duncan, 13 September 1960.
Image P-3842/7
Photograph of Mark Ethridge receiving award from the University of Louisville accompanied by Willie Snow Ethridge and Lindsey E. Pankey, 10 June 1963.
Image P-3842/8
Photograph of Mark Ethridge with Willie Snow Ethridge and Harry Guggenheim, 6 May 1966.

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