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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC09120.028 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection of WWII letters of Sidney Diamond to Estelle Spero |
| Title | Sidney Diamond to Estelle Spero |
| Date | ca. 1942 |
| Author | Diamond, Sidney (1922-1945) |
| Recipient | Spero, Estelle |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Informs Estelle that it will be impossible to know whether he will receive officer training until the three months of initial training have been completed, but warns her that it will be very competitive due to the high caliber of men assigned to the Chemical Warfare Service. Expresses disgust at a close friend's disapproval of his having enlisted. Discusses his attitude towards "negroes" - that they should be given equality of opportunity, but that this position should not be abused. Outlines what he had done during the day. |
| Subjects | World War II Asia Soldier's Letter Love Letters African American History African American Troops |
| People | Diamond, Sidney (1922-1945) Spero, Estelle (b. 1924) |
| Place written | Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland |
| Theme | World War II; African Americans |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1860-1945 |
| Additional Information | Folder information: Sidney Diamond (1922-1945) enlisted in mid-April 1942, interrupting the chemical engineering degree that he was undertaking at City College. Diamond was sent to the South Pacific in June 1943, where he served as First Lieutenant to the Eighty-Second Chemical Battalion. On January 29th 1945, Diamond was killed by a Japanese knee mortar while acting as a forward observer during an assault on Fort Stotsenburg, north of Manila. Throughout his time in service, Sidney maintained an epistolary correspondence with Estelle Spero, his sweetheart and subsequently fiancée, the letters from which she preserved. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |