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The Papers of Henry L. Miller and Anne Lorentz Miller
Processed by: Karen FishmanJuly 1996
8.0 lin. ft.
BIOGRAPHY
Henry L. (Hank) Miller, (1919-1985), participated in radio from his earliest employment as program director of WPAT in Patterson, New Jersey to his work for the United States Information Agency (USIA) for 31 1/2 years, first with the Voice of America (VOA), and later as Public Affairs Officer in Laos and the Philippines. During his employment he created two regional programs centers for the VOA, one for Southeast Asia and one for Africa.
Anne Lorentz Miller, (1910-1987), was a script writer for commercial radio and the Office of War Information during World War II, before accompanying her husband Henry to the Philippines, Hong Kong, Laos and Vietnam, while he was in the Foreign Service. During this period she wrote a biography of former South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem and scripts for several movies about Vietnam.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTES
The Henry L. Miller and Anne Lorentz Miller Papers span the years 1942 to 1971, although the bulk of the material dates from 1942 to 19654. Types of documents includes scripts, correspondence, broadcast tapes, photographs, and VOA-USIA materials.
The collection is a fragmentary record of the careers of both Henry L. Miller and Anne Lorentz Miller. Because of gaps in the collection, it does not document the full scope and extent of the Miller's careers, but offers only a glimpse into their life's work.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series I: Scripts, 1942-1953
Series I contains scripts of radio programs that were broadcast commercially or were written for Voice of America (VOA) programs. Some of the scripts were written by Anne Lorentz while authorship of other scripts remains unknown. Some of the VOA scripts list Henry Miller as broadcaster or editor.
Series II: Correspondence, 1954-1971
Series II contains two sets of correspondence. The first contains correspondence between Anne Lorentz Miller and Ben E. Wilbur, and spans the years from March 1954 to November 1955. Mr. Wilbur was the Director of Radio at the Broadcasting and Film Commission of the National Council of the Churches of Christ and commissioned Mrs. Miller to write scripts for his organization. Letters from her describe ongoing writing projects and also describe life in the Philippines as a diplomatic wife and working woman.
The other set of correspondence in this series is between Robert B. Beusse, Vice President of radio and TV station WOR and Arthur Hull Hayes, former president of CBS radio. There correspondence spans the years 1967 and 1971. Both men were Board Members of the North American Advisory Board for Vatican Radio.
Series III: VOA-USIA Materials, 1944-1952
This series contains materials from the Voice of America (VOA) and the United States Information Agency (USIA). Documents include memos, speeches, and abstracts of audience mail.
Series IV: Reference/Miscellaneous Materials, 1942-1952
This series contains background materials collected in preparation for script writing and other materials on a wide variety of topics. Documents include information on radio station WABC/WCBS, the Manila Overseas Press Club and the program Wickbur House, the radio program developed by Anne Lorentz for station WTAG in 1942. Of special interest are copies of materials written and autographed by Woody Guthrie. These include an autographed copy of a booklet of songs, which include many of his most famous songs, and a copy of Guthrie's "The Way I See Things".
Series V: Audio Materials, 1952-1967
This series contains 72 reel-to-reel tapes (72, 3.75 IPS) of programs broadcast by the Voice of America, and 79 discs. The bulk of the discs consists of 57 "V" Discs, produced for the Armed Forces Radio Service during World War II. Artists represented include: Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes, Mary Martin and Ella Fitzgerald.
For further information, contact the Library of American Broadcasting.
labcast@umd.edu
Library of American Broadcasting
University of Maryland, College Park
