Twenty-six loose wove paper leaves, from ca. 37,5x65 cm (14 ½ x 25 ½ in) to ca. 37x48,5 cm (14 ½ x 19 in). Over 370 mounted gelatin silver photos, including one large image ca. 20x24 cm (7 ½ x 9 ¼ in) and over a hundred panoramas of various size (eight- to two-part, from ca. 6x60 cm or 2 ¼ x 23 ½ in, to ca. 7,5x16 cm or 3 x 6 ½ in). The rest of the images are from ca. 12x16,5 cm (4 ½ x 6 ½ in) to ca. 6,5x9 cm (2 ¼ x 3 ½ in). Over a hundred photos with Ross’s pen or pencil captions on verso (readable when photos are detached), two photos with ink stamps “Official U.S. Marine Corps Photograph…” on verso, one photo with a red ink caption on recto; over a dozen photos with printed dates “Jul. 67” on the top margin.

With fifty-three loose/detached photos, including one large image ca. 20,5x25 cm (8x10 in) (with an ink stamp “Photographic Laboratory, U.S. Marine Corps Facility, Santa Ana, California…” on verso), thirteen five- to two-part panoramas (from ca. 7x58 cm or 2 ¾ x 22 ¾ in, to ca. 5,5x14,5 cm or 2 ¼ x 5 ¾ in); and 38 images from ca. 9x14 cm (3 ½ x 5 ½ in) to ca. 7x10 cm (2 ¾ x 4 in). Over a dozen photos with printed dates “Jul. 67” on the top margin, twenty-one photos with Ross’s pen or pencil captions on verso.

With eight printed or typewritten invitations to military ceremonies and dinners in Vietnam (some completed in ink), ca. 12x15 cm (4 ¾ x 5 ¾ in) or slightly smaller. One invitation (detached from the leaf) with Ross’s pen note on verso. With five printed postcards showing Bangkok, Saigon and Hue.

The mounts are slightly age-toned, with minor tears or losses on extremities; many images are mounted with old tape; occasional creases, a number of photos previously removed from the leaves (but 53 of them are present, see above). Overall, a very good archive of bright and sound original images.

Historically significant extensive archive of original gelatin silver photos, taken and collected by Colonel George Olen Ross of the U.S. Marine Corps during his service in the Vietnam War in ca. 1965-1967. A veteran of WW2 and the Korean War, in April-July 1967, Ross served as G-5 (Assistant Chief of Staff) in the Headquarters of the III Marine Amphibious Force in Da Nang, the base of the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps in the Republic of Vietnam during the war (Marine Command and Staff List, January-December 1967// Telfer, Maj. G.L. & others. U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese, 1967. Washington, D.C., 1984, p. 273).

The archive mostly documents the events in the Headquarters of the U.S. III Marine Amphibious Force in Da Nang during the first phase of the American involvement in the Vietnam War. Over a hundred excellent panoramic photos include views of “Danang sky line, from III MAF boat dock,” Da Nang airfield (landing strips, numerous military planes and helicopters, helicopter landing pads, U.S. marines waiting with their possessions), military base (administrative building with the sign “Welcome to Da-Nang AB, RVN Base Operations,” barracks and military vehicles, interior of an office with servicemen at their work desks (one with the sign “Capt. Gremmels”), beach and volleyball grounds, a building with a sign in both Vietnamese and English (“Trung Tam Huong Nghiep/ Technical Center”), boats with the flags of South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam), military reviews and ceremonies with orchestra, interior of a military Catholic chapel, construction of ground fortifications, a damaged span bridge, &c. There are also interesting panoramic photos of Bach-Dang Street and a crossroad of Doc-Lap Street in Da Nang (identified by addresses on storefront signs), a street view with the entrance to the “Banque Commerciale et Industrielle du Viet-Nam,” general view of the city taken from above, with Da Nang Cathedral, &c.

The collection also includes numerous individual and group portraits of the U.S. Marine Corps high-ranking officers, taken at military reviews, award ceremonies, dinners and gatherings, &c., sometimes together with their Vietnamese and Korean counterparts. A large group portrait of the III MAF Joint Coordinating Council features “General Robertshaw, the chairman <…>, Admiral Weschler, <…> Brig. Gen. Platt, Col. Helmgrain, displaying his usual pleasant disposition” and the compiler of the archive among others. Other portraits include those of “Korean General Lee meeting members of III MAF staff,” “Ambassador [Henry Cabot] Lodge pinning a Silver Star medal,” “Gen. Nickerson, Major VN. Air Force, Gen. Walt,” “Gen. Elwood getting his second star,” “G-5 picnic,” “Choir rehearsal,” “Generals Westmoreland and Walt about to address the troops,” “The combined III MAF/AF choir at Easter in the AF chapel,” “last Tuesday’s Joint Coordinating Council Meeting <…> Man in white shirt is Sherman [Helms?], head of the local U.S. Public Affairs Office, and a good friend…,” a group photo “after Gen. Platt’s going away dinner,” &c. Among the identified commanders of the III MAF are Brigadier General Jonas M. Platt, Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General L.W. Walt, Major General Herman Nickerson Jr, Major General Robert E. Cushman Jr., Brigadier General Hugh M. Elwood, General Wallace M. Greene Jr. and others

A series of photos, dated “Jul. 67” documents an American-Vietnamese meeting, with Vietnamese military officers presenting their agenda with the maps of the Vietnamese coastline in the background. Another series depicts a joint U.S. – South Vietnam and South Korea military review. A dozen loose images also dated “Jul. 67” were apparently taken during an expedition into the interior (aerial views of roads and settlements, military camps, village streets, U.S. soldiers, jungle fortifications, U.S. military officers talking to soldiers, &c.).

Seven images (three mounted and four loosely inserted) show an open-air Christian service led by Francis Spellman (1889-1967), a Catholic Archbishop of New York (1939-1967), who visited the U.S. troops in South Vietnam for Christmas 1965. The captions read “At Spellman’s mass,” “Gen. Walt addressing the group,” “Hymn time, note the sodden caps and umbrellas,” “Graham, song leader,” and “Cardinal Spellman’s address after mass.”

Several photos of Colonel George Ross portray him with his interpreter and “Father Lee of the Catholic orphanage,” giving a speech in front of a map of Vietnam, going in a naval boat with the U.S. flag, “taken by Clay Boyd while I was across the hall visiting with Ken Morgan, the Force dentist,” “Mr. Gordon in the background, watching me perform with the “African yo-yo.” I won 90 VN. $ (about 90 c)…,” &c. There are also photos of the interior of Ross’s private quarters and “our club, taken from boat dock, notice the new VC proof fence and grass!”

The other images show “U.S. Navy Hospital Ship Repose,” “The Danang bridge,” “Danang junk (boat) basin south of our headquarters,” Da Nang buses, and pedestrians, “Graduation ceremony at Hoa Phat, new school construction [in the] background” (ink stamp “Official U.S. Marine Corps Photograph” on verso), a Vietnamese man with “a 10 ft python snake in the box for sale to tourists,” “house-boat, the owner of this one is luckier and richer than most – he has an engine in the boat,” “Vietnamese kids keeping a distance only because of the down-wash of the Rotor blades, otherwise they would be crawling in the door,” “workers’ quarters (company provided) at An Hoa industrial complex. The big ditch, just this side of the huts on the left (you can hardly see it) is the village toilet,” &c.

Eight pieces of printed ephemera, dated 1966-1966, include six invitations to “Honors Ceremonies and Luncheons” in the U.S. military headquarters in Da Nang (“III Marine Amphibious Force Officers’ Mess,” “III MAF Parade Field and Commissioned Officers Mess,” “I Corps Hqs/Officer Club,” &c.). The other two invitations refer to a dinner in Da Nang (at “42 Nguyen-thi-Giang street”) and “bon voyage” party “to Brigadier General Jonas M. Platt” (at “4 Quang-Trung”).

The archive also includes over forty images of Hong Kong, apparently taken on the way to or from Vietnam (waterfront, the Statue Square and Prince’s Building, business district, “The Hong Kong Hilton Hotel” (the main entrance, doormen), Victoria Peak, ferry docks (with the sign “The “Star” Ferry to Kowloon”), school boys, rickshaw drivers, interior of a restaurant and a bar, &c.). About thirty photos show Bangkok: Wat Arun temple and Chao Praya River, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (exterior and interior), city streets (“Rachatay Wee Circle”), markets, houseboats, &c. There are also several views of Honolulu (Princess Kaulani Hotel, Waikiki Beach).

Overall an important, extensive collection of original photographs and excellent panoramas of Da Nang Base of the U.S. Marine Corps and environs, as well as portraits of the U.S. military officers during the first phase of the Vietnam War.

Born in Oklahoma, George Olen Ross joined the U.S. Army and took part in WW2 and the wars in Korea and Vietnam. He was promoted to full colonel in 1965. In 1946, in the rank of Captain, U.S. Marine Corps, Ross married Maxine R. Deardorff; the couple had three children; in the 1960s, the family resided in Orange, California (divorced in 1972).

“III MEF was reactivated 6 May 1965 in Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam under Major General William R. Collins. 7 May 1965, III MEF was re-designated as III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) and consisted of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Division and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. The III MAF's area of operations was in the northernI Corps Tactical Zone. III MAF participated in the Vietnam Warfrom May 1965 – April 1971 operating from Quang Tri,Thua Thien, Quang Nam, Quang Tin, and Quang Ngai. III MAF deployed to Camp Courtney, Okinawa in April 1971” (Wikipedia).