Finding Aid for the Hymer Friedell Papers, 1943-1996


MS-2914

University of Tennessee Special Collections Library, Knoxville, TN


Finding Aid written by: Will Dewey, August 13, 2007
Encoded by: Will Dewey, August 13, 2007

Summary Information
Title: Hymer Friedell Papers

Date/Date Range :   1943-1996

Extent: 1.0 linear feet

Abstract:
This collection consists of reports, letters, books, slides, and other materials documenting Hymer Friedell's work on the biological effects of radiation between 1943 and 1996. Much of the material dates from the Manhattan Project era and shortly thereafter. Of particular interest are slides documenting the aftermath of the Hiroshima bomb (1945) and a trip to Moscow (1966), books about the Manhattan project, and retrospective accounts of Friedell's work from the 1990s.

Call number: MS-2914

Repository: University of Tennessee Special Collections Library, Knoxville, TN

Access and Use
Aquisition Information:
This collection is property of the University of Tennessee Special Collections Library.
Access Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Copyright:
The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library.
Preferred Citation:
[Identification of Item], Hymer Friedell Papers, MS-2914. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Special Collections Library.

Arrangement

Collection consists of one box.


Biography / History

Hymer Louis Friedell was born on February 6, 1911 in St. Petersburg, Russia and moved with his family to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1915. He earned both his M.D. (1936) and Ph.D in physics (1939) from the University of Minnesota. After graduation, he worked at the National Cancer Institute's Memorial Hospital in New York (1939-1940) and at the University of California's Hospital in San Francisco (1941-1942). Friedell joined the U.S. Army in 1942 and was stationed at the University of Chicago's Metallurgical Laboratory. He was transferred to Clinton Laboratories (now called the Oak Ridge National Laboratory) in mid-1943, where he worked as the Executive Officer of the Manhattan Engineer District (MED) Medical Division. In this role, he assisted in determining dose tolerances for new radioactive isotopes, was involved in reviewing applications for use of these isotopes, and witnessed the first test of the atomic bomb at Alamogordo, New Mexico. After the war, Friedell taught and researched at the University of California and at Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he spent most of his professional career. He also served with a number of professional organizations, including the National Committee on Radiation Protection (1949-1984; Vice President 1977-1983). Friedell retired from WRU in 1979 and died on May 10, 2002 in Ohio.


Collection Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of reports, letters, books, slides, and other materials documenting Hymer Friedell's work on the biological effects of radiation between 1943 and 1996. Much of the material dates from the Manhattan Project era and shortly thereafter. Of particular interest are slides documenting the aftermath of the Hiroshima bomb (1945) and a trip to Moscow (1966), books about the Manhattan project, and retrospective accounts of Friedell's work from the 1990s.

Subject Terms

  • Friedell, Hymer Louis, 1911-.
  • Moscow (Russia) -- Pictorial works.
  • Atomic bomb -- United States -- History.
  • Atomic bomb -- Japan -- Hiroshima-shi.
  • Manhattan Project (U.S.)
  • Radiobiology.
Contents List
Box   1     Folder   1    
Correspondence, 1979, 1995-1996

Box   1     Folder   2    
Legal Papers, 1995

Box   1     Folder   3    
Handwritten Notes, undated

Box   1     Folder   4    
Draft Report 1, 1945-1948, 1994 March

Box   1     Folder   5    
Draft Report 2, 1943-1968, 1994 March

Box   1     Folder   6    
Draft Report 3, 1945, 1974-1994

Box   1     Folder   7    
Book Excerpts, 1995

Box   1     Folder   8    
Declassified Materials, 1945-1947

Box   1     Folder   9    
Partial Rpt. on Human Radiation Experiments, 1945-1950, 1995 July

Box   1     Folder   10    
The Dragon's Tail, Barton C. Hacker, 1987

Box   1     Folder   11    
The Road to Trinity, Mar. Gen. K. D. Nichols, (U.S.A.) Rtd, 1987

Box   1     Folder   12    
U. S. State Dept. Slides, Moscow, 1966

Box   1     Folder   13    
Hiroshima Soon After The Bomb, 1945