Introduction | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
The Clay Blair Papers held by the American Heritage Center contain extensive research files on the U.S. Navy Submarine Service, World War II, and many interviews conducted for the book The Search for J.F.K. as well as articles, manuscripts, correspondence, biographical information, photographs, and books.
Find out more about Blair's papers held at the American Heritage Center through the online catalog. You may also contact or visit Reference Services at the American Heritage Center or peruse the list of published books by Blair below.
Published Books By Clay Blair:
THE ATOMIC SUBMARINE AND ADMIRAL RICKOVER, BY CLAY BLAIR. (Henry Holt, 1954). A Crusading biography which led to Rickover’s retention in the Navy.
THE HYDROGEN BOMB, BY CLAY BLAIR AND JAMES R. SHEPLEY. (David McKay, 1954). The weapon and the policy debate between Teller and Oppenheimer.
BEYOND COURAGE, BY CLAY BLAIR. (David McKay, 1955). Tales of escape and evasion in Korea about Air Force pilots.
VALLEY OF THE SHADOW, BY MAJOR WARD MILLAR (ghosted by CLAY BLAIR). (David McKay, 1955). A single escape and evasion tale by an Air Force pilot in the Korean War.
NAUTILUS 90 NORTH, BY COMMANDER WILLIAM R. ANDERSON AND CLAY BLAIR. (World, 1959). Story of the Nautilus’s voyage beneath the North Pole. National and international best-seller.
DIVING FOR PLEASURE AND TREASURE, BY CLAY BLAIR. (World, 1960). Adventure tale of the discovery of a Spanish galleon wreck in Yucatan.
ALWAYS ANOTHER DAWN. BY A. SCOTT CROSSFIELD AND CLAY BLAIR. (World, 1960). Autobiography of the first X-15 pilot with a history of all experimental aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base.
THE VOYAGE OF THE NINA II, BY ROBERT MARX (ghosted by CLAY BLAIR). (World, 1963). In the footsteps of Columbus with a replica of the Nina.
THE BOARD ROOM, BY CLAY BLAIR. (E.P. Dutton, 1969). A novel set in the magazine industry.
THE STRANGE CASE OF JAMES EARL RAY, BY CLAY BLAIR. (Bantam, 1969). Biography of Martin Luther King’s assassin.
THE ARCHBISHOP, BY CLAY BLAIR. (World, 1970). A novel about the winds of change in the Catholic Church.
PENTAGON COUNTRY, by CLAY BLAIR. (McGraw-Hill, 1971). A novel about a senior Navy captain and his anti-war son.
SURVIVE! BY CLAY BLAIR. (Berkeley, 1973). Story of the Uruguayan rugby team that crashed in the Andes. Made into a feature film of the same title.
SILENT VICTORY: THE U.S. SUBMARINE WAR AGAINST JAPAN, BY CLAY BLAIR. (J.B. Lippincott, 1975). A definitive work. A Main Selection of the History, Military, and Playboy book clubs.
"The depth of Clay Blair’s research is nothing short of fantastic. . . . Most importantly, Silent Victory does not shy away from full and complete treatment of the controversial aspects of our submarine campaign: our lousy torpedoes, the discrepancy between claimed and confirmed sinkings, the professional disputations between force commanders. If there is anything left out, I certainly do not know what it is. . . . There will never be a rival book." Edward L. Beach, author of Run Silent, Run Deep
THE SEARCH FOR J.F.K., BY CLAY AND JOAN BLAIR. (Berkley, 1976). A close biography of J.F.K.’s younger years, debunking the myths. An Alternate Selection of the Literary Guild.
"In their new book, The Search for JFK, Joan, and Clay Blair, Jr., provide a sober appraisal of the late President, at a time when the relationship between the personal lifestyle of a public figure and his capacity to fulfill his role as a leader is under close scrutiny. Their research strips away the Camelot myth and reveals, among other things, that here was a man who suffered under a malady which until the Fifties was considered fatal, and who conspired to hide the fact even while running for the nation’s highest office." Saturday Evening Post, January/February 1977
MacARTHUR, BY CLAY BLAIR. (Doubleday, 1977). A biography. A Main Selection of the Military Book Club.
SCUBA!, BY CLAY AND JOAN BLAIR. (Bantam, 1977). An adventure novel set in the Bahamas.
COMBAT PATROL, BY CLAY BLAIR. (Bantam, 1978). An "action"-oriented condensed version of Silent Victory.
RETURN FROM THE RIVER KWAI, BY CLAY AND JOAN BLAIR. (Simon & Schuster, 1979). A non-fiction account of what happened to the British and Australian POWs after they built the Burma-Thailand railroad. A Main Selection of the Military Book Club and an Alternate Selection of the Literary Guild. Made into a feature film of the same title.
MISSION TOKYO BAY, BY CLAY AND JOAN BLAIR. (Bantam, 1980). World War II adventure novel about a submarine war patrol.
SWORDRAY’S FIRST THREE PATROLS, BY CLAY AND JOAN BLAIR. (Bantam, 1980). World War II adventure novel about the submarine war.
A GENERAL’S LIFE, BY GENERAL OF THE ARMY OMAR N. BRADLEY AND CLAY BLAIR. (Simon & Schuster, 1983). Bradley’s autobiography, enhanced by independent Blair research. A Main Selection of the Book of the Month Club and History Book Club.
RIDGWAY’S PARATROOPERS, BY CLAY BLAIR. (Dial, 1985). A history of the American airborne in World War II. A Main Selection of the Military Book Club and an Alternate Selection of the Literary Guild.
THE FORGOTTEN WAR: AMERICA IN KOREA 1950-1953, BY CLAY BLAIR. (Times Books, 1987). A definitive work. A Main Selection of the Military Book Club and a selection of the Literary Guild.
HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR, BY CLAY BLAIR. VOLUME I, THE HUNTERS, 1939-1942. (Random House, 1996). A definitive work. Main Selection of the History Book Club, Featured Selection of the Book of the Month Club. Published in Great Britain, Germany, and Poland.
HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR, BY CLAY BLAIR. VOLUME II, THE HUNTED, 1942-1945. (Random House, 1998).
