Center for Pacific War Studies

The Center for Pacific War Studies contains thousands of manuscript collections, recordings, photographs, artwork and publications that can be made available to researchers by appointment. Our research center focuses on educating and inspiring present and future generations about World War II in the Pacific Theater and the relevance of its lessons.

Due to an upcoming renovation, the Center for Pacific War Studies is temporarily unable to assist researchers. During this period, the Collections and Archives department will be focusing on research and collections care in order to renovate and update the George Bush Gallery.

We encourage all researchers to search the digitized material and oral histories currently available on our website. Additional questions or concerns can be submitted to the archives email address at archives@nimitzfoundation.org

Policy

Researchers who are considering a visit to the Center for Pacific War Studies are welcome. Staff will work with individuals to determine what materials in the collections match research needs. Please contact us for a research consultation and to schedule an appointment. (Please note that if a visit to the Museum is determined to be necessary, an appointment must be made at least 48 hours in advance of the intended visit.)

Research requests that do not require a visit to the Museum are also welcome. Archivists will conduct 30-minutes of research for such requests.

Digital Archive

The Digital Archive is a major initiative of the Center for Pacific War Studies, a premier destination for Pacific War research at the National Museum of the Pacific War.

The Digital Archive presents a select number of digitized collections from the Center's archives. Please note that collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

Disclaimer

The Digital Archive includes images and text that may be of a graphic or disturbing nature that may not be suitable for some users. At times, the language in original documents may be racist and denigrating. Photographs may contain scenes of death, brutality, and other objectionable imagery.

View the Digital Archive

When we discovered the online oral history collection at the National Museum of the Pacific War, we were like kids in a candy store. The stories were jaw-dropping, and the sheer volume of material allowed us to find a voice for just about any Pacific War storyline, combat or not.

Dan Wolf
Producer of the Pacific War in Color