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This collection is comprised of more than 700 letters written by Herman Recht (1908-1971), a Navy yeoman, from Camp Peary (U.S. Naval Construction Training Center), near Williamsburg, Virginia, between October 1943 and February 1946, to his wife, Esther, in Clairton, Pennsylvania. There are no letters from Esther because, as he wrote her, saving them would make him homesick.
Recht had been a lawyer for eight and a half years before joining the Navy. He was very well read, and regularly came into Williamsburg to dine at the Williamsburg Lodge and borrow books from and read magazines in the William & Mary library where his interests ran from public affairs to the latest fiction. He often inquires about activities of the Jewish community in Clairton, and is a strong advocate for racial minorities. He is very knowledgeable about classical music. He reguarly reads the Pittsburgh Press and inquires about friends and family in Clairton and Pittsburgh. Gossip about friends from home is included in almost every letter.