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Harry Wilkes Papers

Call Number

ALBA.214

Date

1937-1938, inclusive

Creator

Wilkes, Harry, 1902-1938

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

Harry Wilkes (1902-1938) served as a pharmacist for the American Medical Bureau to Aid Spanish Democracy. Wilkes was a member of the first American medical unit to depart for Spain on January 16, 1937. After returning briefly to the U.S. in the fall 1937, Wilkes returned to Spain where he died in June 1938. Wilkes' death was reported to his family as a "heroic death" on the Lavatine Front; however, later evidence points to the official execution of Wilkes by Spanish Republican officials. Wilkes allegedly participated in the black market, trafficking in drugs, currency, and fine arts. This collection includes newspaper clippings that mention Wilkes. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, both letters written by Harry Wilkes to his family and letters addressed to Harry's father from the American Consulate in Spain and the U.S. Department of State on the discovery of Harry's death.

Historical/Biographical Note

Harry Wilkes (1902-1938) served as a pharmacist for the American Medical Bureau to Aid Spanish Democracy. Prior to participating in the Spanish Civil War, Wilkes was on staff at Metropolitan Hospital in New York. Wilkes was a member of the first American unit that disembarked for Spain on January 16, 1937 aboard the liner "Paris." He helped set up the first American hospital in Romeral in February 1937. In October 1937, Wilkes returned to the U.S for six weeks on personal business. Upon his return he also bought supplies for the American Medical Bureau, and he engaged in a speaking tour to report conditions in Spain. Wilkes spent November and December of 1937 at a station on the Mediterranean coast. In January 1938, he served as chief pharmacist on a front just north of Madrid in the Guadarrama Mountains. Though Wilkes had reported to his family in April that he would return to the U.S. around July 4, 1938, Wilkes never made it home. After inquiring about the whereabouts of their son with the American Consulate in Spain and the U.S. Department of State, the Wilkes family learned that Harry Wilkes was killed on the Lavantine Front near Valencia on June 20. He was with the 14th Brigade of the International Brigades. Dr. Sidney Vogel in Barcelona sent the news in July 1938 to the American Medical Bureau to Aid Spanish Democracy that "Wilkes died a heroic death on the front while fulfilling his duties in defense of liberty and the Republic of Spain." It was many more months before the Wilkes family received specific information on the death of their son, finally learning that a sniper killed Harry as he was setting up an outpost on the front lines. This information was later discounted, as records provided evidence that Wilkes was actually executed by Spanish authorities after he supposedly participated in black market schemes, including transactions involving drugs, currency, and fine art.

Arrangement

Folders are arranged alphabetically.

The files are grouped into one series:

Missing Title

  1. I, Subject Files

Scope and Content Note

Series I, Subject Files (1937-1938)contains two 1937 newspaper clippings that mention Harry Wilkes' participation as a pharmacist with the American Medical Bureau to Aid Spanish Democracy. The bulk of the series contains letters written from Harry Wilkes to his parents, sister, and other family members. In the many letters to his family, Wilkes describes the conditions of his work, though much less specifically to his parents. To his mother and father, Wilkes sends constant words of reassurance such as: "no regrets," "no worry," and "food is plentiful." To his sister "Gus" and other family members, Wilkes describes more thoroughly daily conditions, such as the long working hours and his wish that more Americans would support Spain. He also discloses, however cautiously, his political beliefs. In one letter to his sister, Wilkes even explains the necessity of his ambiguity on political questions, writing that there are certain ideas that "we don't dare write about" in order to avoid incrimination. Wilkes frequent letters provide a good idea of his time in Spain. In the last letter, dated February 1938, Wilkes informs his father that he will be leaving Spain in June. This series includes replies from the American Consulate in Spain as well as the U.S. Department of State to Harry's father Samuel Wilkes as he attempted to learn the details of his son's death. The American Consulate provided Samuel Wilkes with a timeline of Harry's service in Spain and subsequent death.

Access Restrictions

Materials are open to researchers. Please contact the Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives for more information and to schedule an appointment, tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu or 212-998-2630.

Use Restrictions

The Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives has no information about copyright ownership for this collection and is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from it. Copyrights held by original creators of individual items in the collection are expected to pass into the public domain 70 years after the creator's death. For more information, please contact the Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu or 212-998-2630.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date; Collection name; Collection number; box number; folder number;
Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012, New York University Libraries.

Provenance

The Harry Wilkes Papers came to New York University in January 2001 as part of the original acquisition of ALBA collections, formerly housed at Brandeis University.

Related Material at the Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives

ALBA collections at the Tamiment Library.

Collection processed by

Jessie Wilkerson

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 16:37:27 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.

Edition of this Guide

This version was derived from wilkes.doc

Repository

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012