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Nile Kinnick airplane crash correspondence, 1943-1972
1972-11-13: 31858060072406-09
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Omaha, Nebraska November 13, 1972 Mr. Robert A. McCown Manuscripts Librarian The University Libraries Iowa City, Iowa Dear Mr. McCown: May I say again that I appreciated the opportunity of visiting with you the afternoon of October 27th and of reviewing the contents of your file on Nile. Many of the items I am familiar with and others were new to me. But one of the latter continues to bother me because it is manifestly a gross error and must represent the result of a lively imagination of a young man who may or may not have been the eye witness he claimed to be. Reference is to the report sent you by Judge McKinley from Chicago. As I remember Judge McKinley's note, a man whose name is mentioned as a former member of the football squad, brought in a young man, whose name is not mentioned, who said he witnessed Nile's fatal crash. Points he made were that Nile had just taken off from the Lexington and crashed within a very short distance from the deck after rising only a few hundred feet in altitude, and that the crash was in the afternoon. The report sent by Judge McKinley appeared to be a transcribed statement the young man gave to a secretary, and without doubt the Judge sent it in the belief that it was true. But the facts as we have had them are so totally different that I am sending you the evidence I have. First, a hand written letter from Bill Reiter dated June 12, '43, his flying mate on June 2, '43, describing what happened. Second, a letter from Paul Buie, Commander of Fighting Squadron 16, my reply and his next letter of June 27, '43. Also, I am sending a Zerox copy of the Lexington's log for the morning of June 2, '43 which ties in precisely with Reiter's and Buie's letters. Will you please return these enclosures when you have reviewed them. In view of the wide differences in these reports from the story of the young man I believe the only conclusion is that his story is totally spurious and ought to be removed from your file. It seems to me that I saw a news story quite some time ago based on this imaginary report but I have no idea where it appeared. Please give me your reaction to this. Sincerely Nile Kinick Sr. Nile Kinnick Sr. Mr. McCown - instead of destroying the young man's report - could you send it to me? Or give me a copy. It's fantastic. Nck.
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Omaha, Nebraska November 13, 1972 Mr. Robert A. McCown Manuscripts Librarian The University Libraries Iowa City, Iowa Dear Mr. McCown: May I say again that I appreciated the opportunity of visiting with you the afternoon of October 27th and of reviewing the contents of your file on Nile. Many of the items I am familiar with and others were new to me. But one of the latter continues to bother me because it is manifestly a gross error and must represent the result of a lively imagination of a young man who may or may not have been the eye witness he claimed to be. Reference is to the report sent you by Judge McKinley from Chicago. As I remember Judge McKinley's note, a man whose name is mentioned as a former member of the football squad, brought in a young man, whose name is not mentioned, who said he witnessed Nile's fatal crash. Points he made were that Nile had just taken off from the Lexington and crashed within a very short distance from the deck after rising only a few hundred feet in altitude, and that the crash was in the afternoon. The report sent by Judge McKinley appeared to be a transcribed statement the young man gave to a secretary, and without doubt the Judge sent it in the belief that it was true. But the facts as we have had them are so totally different that I am sending you the evidence I have. First, a hand written letter from Bill Reiter dated June 12, '43, his flying mate on June 2, '43, describing what happened. Second, a letter from Paul Buie, Commander of Fighting Squadron 16, my reply and his next letter of June 27, '43. Also, I am sending a Zerox copy of the Lexington's log for the morning of June 2, '43 which ties in precisely with Reiter's and Buie's letters. Will you please return these enclosures when you have reviewed them. In view of the wide differences in these reports from the story of the young man I believe the only conclusion is that his story is totally spurious and ought to be removed from your file. It seems to me that I saw a news story quite some time ago based on this imaginary report but I have no idea where it appeared. Please give me your reaction to this. Sincerely Nile Kinick Sr. Nile Kinnick Sr. Mr. McCown - instead of destroying the young man's report - could you send it to me? Or give me a copy. It's fantastic. Nck.
Nile Kinnick Collection
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