Fire in progress

The 1973 National Archives Fire, a severe blow to the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States, was a disastrous fire that occurred at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 12, 1973. NPRC, the custodian of military service records, lost approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files as a result of the fire. 1973 Fire File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 1973 Fire File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The National Archives building in Washington, DC The United States National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records. ... The National Personnel Records Center is an agency of the National Archives and Records Administration and is divided into two large Federal Records Centers located in St. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Affected records

The affected record collections included:

• U.S. Army personnel discharged November 1, 1912, to January 1, 1960
• U.S. Air Force personnel discharged September 25, 1947, to January 1, 1964, with names alphabetically after Hubbard, James E.
• Some U.S. Army Reserve personnel who received final discharge as late as 1964
• A very small number of U.S. Navy, United States Coast Guard, and U.S. Marine Corps records which were out of file and were caught in the section of the building which experienced the most damage in the fire.

The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Seal of the Air Force. ... September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... USCG HH-65 Dolphin The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States armed forces and is involved in maritime law enforcement, mariner assistance, search and rescue, and national defense. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ...

Cause

The exact cause of the 1973 National Archives Fire was never fully determined. An investigation in 1975 revealed that the affected floor, where the fire had started, had been under extreme temperature with little or no ventilation. It was speculated that air pressure on the floor had reached such a level that, combined with the very high temperatures in the enclosed space, the brittle and dry records began to spontaneously combust. The investigation also did not rule out as a contributing factor that cigarette embers which were present in several trashcans. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Spontaneous combustion may refer to: The self-ignition of a mass, for example, a pile of oily rags. ... A smoking symbol. ...

Damage and reconstruction

The 1973 fire destroyed the entire 6th floor of the National Personnel Records Center. Damage from the fire can still be seen today. In 1974, a massive reconstruction effort was begun to restore the service records which were destroyed. In most cases where a military record has been presumed destroyed, NPRC is able to reconstruct basic service information, such as military date of entry, date of discharge, character of service, and final rank.

Conspiracy theories

In recent years, some conspiracy theories have emerged to explain the 1973 National Archives Fire. No such claims are taken very seriously by the United States government. Such conspiracy accusations include: A conspiracy theory attempts to attribute the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually political, social, or historical events), or the concealment of such causes from public knowledge, to a secret, and often deceptive plot by a covert alliance of powerful or influential people or organizations. ...

• The Federal Government intentionally started the 1973 National Archives Fire as a cover to destroy unwanted military files, erase certain records from the Second World War, and to reduce budget costs by destroying a floor of an under-budgeted federal building.
• Agents of anti-government organizations broke into NPRC and started the 1973 fire as a terrorist attack.
• The Church of Scientology started the fire in an attempt to destroy embarrassing records relating to L. Ron Hubbard's World War II service. The basis of this conspiracy theory seems to stem from the later incidents that occurred during Operation Snow White, and from the coincidence that certain records were only destroyed alphabetically from "Hubbard, James E" (although Hubbard had served in the Navy, not the Air Force).

This article describes the government of the United States. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The following is a timeline of acts and failed attempts that can be considered terrorism. ... Official Scientology Cross Symbol The Church of Scientology is a very controversial international network devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Operation Snow-White was the name given internally by the Church of Scientology to a program which included the largest incident of private domestic espionage in the history of the United States. ...

References

• Case Reference Guide (CRG) of the Military Personnel Records Center
• "The 1973 Fire" - Public information pamphlet published by the National Personnel Records Center
• "How to obtain Veteran Records" - Instruction sheet from the office of Senator Ted Kennedy which mentions the 1973 Fire

Military Personnel Records Center The Military Personnel Records Center (NPRC-MPR)[1] located at 9700 Page Avenue in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA is a branch of the National Personnel Records Center and is the repository of over 56 million military personnel records, health files, and medical records pertaining to retired... The National Personnel Records Center is an agency of the National Archives and Records Administration and is divided into two large Federal Records Centers located in St. ... Edward Moore Ted Kennedy (born February 22, 1932) is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. ...

External links

• National Archives 1973 NPRC Fire Information Page