The Thomas J. Hartnett Collection contains materials that Rear Admiral John Duncan Bulkeley, or someone on his staff, sent to Hartnett, while Bulkeley was Commander of the U.S. Naval Base on Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. There is some correspondence in the collection that suggests Bulkeley was the person sending the materials to Hartnett, including a letter from Hartnett to an unidentified Admiral, dated June 17, 1964, which suggests the unidentified Admiral was the person sending these materials to Hartnett, and a letter dated August 5, 1964, from Bulkeley to Hartnett that included one picture, and mention of a water sample being forwarded separately. The collection includes: photographs; communication in the form of intelligence reports, memos, and correspondence; materials related to base operations, publications, material about Bulkeley, and other miscellaneous items. The materials generally center on daily base operations, including the water crisis in 1964, when the Cuban government accused the base of stealing water. Within the series and subseries the materials have been organized by year and sometimes further divided by month. This collection has been divided into five series.

Series I. Photographs contains over 1,900 photographs that have been divided into two subseries. It should be noted that there are some photographs in other places throughout the collection; these have been left with their related materials in order to maintain their context. Subseries A. Vessels contains photographs of various sea-faring vessels belonging to the United States, their allies, and the Soviet Union. These have been arranged alphabetically, and an appendix of the vessels photographed can be found as an external document. Subseries B. Other contains photographs of people, places, and events related to the base. Additional photographs of Admiral Bulkeley can be found in Series V, subseries A.

Series II. Communications contains various types of communications sent and received by the base and Vice Admiral Bulkeley. This series has been divided into four subseries. Subseries A. Intelligence Reports discuss weather, local (Cuban) and U.S. politics and news, transcriptions of Castro’s speeches, incidents and events on base, announcements of transfers. It should be noted that the term, “Intelligence Reports” was applied by the archivist, and may not be the correct term for these types of communications. Subseries B. Other Reports and Memoranda contains miscellaneous reports and memoranda. Subseries C. Messages contains messages and what appear to be news briefings, which may be Associated Press news announcements, and press releases. Subseries D. Correspondence contains professional and personal correspondence to and from Bulkeley, Hartnett, and other individuals. A letter to Hartnett dated April 20, 1964 contains a one cent Cuban coin, and the glass bottle that contained the water sample sent to Hartnett can be found in box 11.

Series III. Guantánamo Bay Naval Base contains materials about life on the base, and information about the base. This series has been divided into two subseries. Subseries A. Base Publications contains weekly publications and bulletins. Subseries B. Base Activities contains invitations and announcements for events, meeting minutes, and event programs. Subseries C. Other contains miscellaneous items about the base and its operations found in the collection.

Series IV. Publications contains journals, magazines, and newspapers that were found in the collection. Many of them have annotations in them. A list of the titles found in this series can be found in Appendix II. This series has been divided into three subseries. Subseries A. U. S. Military or Government Publications contains journals, magazines, and bulletins published or distributed by a branch of the military or government. Subseries B. Other Publications contains magazines not published by a branch of the U. S. military or government. Subseries C. News Clippings contains newspaper clippings and articles removed from larger publications. These items have not been added to Appendix II.

Series V. Other contains miscellaneous items found in the collection, and has been divided into two subseries. Subseries A. Material About Bulkeley contains a commendation for a medal he was awarded and photographs. See Series IV. Publications Subseries C. News Clippings for news clippings about Bulkeley. Subseries B. Miscellaneous contains items related to the military, but that do not appear to be directly related to Guantanamo Bay Naval base.