Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 012, folder 49: Herman Victor Wall

672 SOUTH LAFAYETTE PARK PLACE LOS ANGELES 57, CALIFORNIA HERMAN v. WALL PHOTOCRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION STUDIO 5 TEL. DUnkirk 4-0881 13 MAY 1958 MISS FRANCES WARD THE READER'S DIGEST 230 PARK AVENUE NEW YORK 17, NEW YORK DEAR MISS WARD: THIS IS IN REPLY TO YOUR LETTER OF MAY 9, 1958 TO CAPT. HERMAN V. WALL, 0475985. MR.WALL IS NOW IN ASIA ON A COLOR ASSIGNMENT, AND CAN BE REACHED FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS BY WRITING: MAJOR HERMAN v. wall, RET. c/o AMERICAN EMBASSY TEHERAN, IRAN MR. WALL'S COMBAT PHOTOGRAPHS WERE TH£ FIRST AND ONLY ONES TO REACH PHOTO HEADQUARTERS IN LONDON FOR FORTY EIGHT HOURS AFTER THE INVASION STARTED. THEY WERE WIDELY USED, AND MR.WALL RECEIVED MUCH PUBLICITY. I BELIEVE THE PUBLICITY IS COLLECTED IN A SCRAP BOOK HERE IN LOS ANGELES.

UNLESS THERE IS A CHANGE OF PLANS MR. WALL WILL NOT RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES IN THE TIME TO BE INTERVIEWED BY MR. RYAN, BUT HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ASSIST YOU BY ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE AND MAKING HIS SCARPBOOK AVAILABLE. I CAN ONLY SUGGEST THAT YOU WRITE MR. WALL. VERY TRULY YOURS Ruth J Hawks RUTH J. HAWKS, SEC. FOR HERMAN v. WALL VIA AIR

June 10, 1958 Dear Major Wall

A book about D-Day, June 1944, is being written by Cornelius Ryan for publication in the Reader's Digest and in book form on the fifteenth anniversary of the Normandy invasion next spring. It is being done with the complete cooperation of the Department of the Army and the Department of Defense, and through them we have learned of the part which you played in the invasion. I wrote you early in May in the hope that you would be willing to help us with the book, and of course we received a letter from our secretary saying that you will not be in the country for the next several months but that we might be able to reach you at this address. Since this book is going to be a story of twenty-four hours as men lived them and remember them, rather than strategic history, we need the help of every man we can find who was there, and so I hope very much that you will be willing to give us our assistance.

The project is a huge one. It involves Mr. Ryan's meeting hundreds of men, and our having written contact with many more. To make any sort of intelligent preparation for interviews, we must have a basic file of information. The enclosed questions have been prepared in the hope that they will provide us with this basic information, and also indicate to you the kind of material which we seek. Miss Hawks' letter indicates that, considering your present assignments, we may not be able to talk with you at all, and so I'm especially hopeful that you will be willing to complete this record and return it o me at your earliest convenience. She describes also some combat photographs which you took on D-Day, and also a scrapbook of your work and publicity which she thinks is now in San Francisco. If you would be willing to let us look at or use any of this material, we should be most grateful.

In view of your intimate association with the invasion and with the kind of artistic effect whihc Mr. Ryan will try to produce in words, rather than in pictures, I hesitate to suggest the best means by which you might help us. We will look forward very eagerly to your reply, and hope that you will be willing to help us somehow. Best wishes for a successful trip. Sincerely yours,

Frances Ward Research Department

Major Herman V. Wall c/o American Embbasy Teheran, Iran

Teheran, Iran 19 June 1958 Frances Ward Research Department The Reader's Digest Pleasantville, New York

Dear Miss Ward:

Thank you for your letter of the 10th of June re: D-Day, June 6, 1944. Sorry that I cannot have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ryan at this time.

I do have a complete scarp book of letters, citations, magazine and news clippings and book tear sheets. One of the most recent books is "Never a Shot in Anger" by Colonel Barney Oldfield, USAF. Incidently, he would be a good contact for you if you haven't already done so. He was Laison Officer between the Army and the Press/ Included on the fly leaf of "Crusade in Europe".

If you are interested in this material, would you please contact my wife Ruth, and make arrangements with her as to mailing and "security". I will send her a carbon o f this letter.

Hoping I can be of some service to you

Sincerely yours Herman v. Wall

Mrs. Ruth J. Wall 672 S. Lafayette Park Place Los Angeles 57, California

Major Herman v. Wall 0475985 USA Ret. American Embassy APO 205, New York N.Y.