These letters are important because they document where Ellsberg was during the critical days leading up to the Normandy invasion and his contact with Churchill, as described in detail in The Far Shore. The problem was that the huge cement Phoenixes that were to be an integral part of the Mulberry harbors were solidly stuck on the ocean floor, and the Royal Engineers who were in control of the project could not raise them. Ellsberg had showed them how to, but realized that they weren't capable of the task. He communicated this to Admiral Stark, who, in turn, contacted the King, who used his influence in getting Churchill to visit Selsey Bill where Ellsberg was stationed. The facts surrounding Churchill's involvement in the Mulberry aspect of the invasion are practically unknown, and it is solely through these letters that his involvement is documented. Immediately upon reviewing the problem, Churchill went back to London, took the job away from the Royal Engineers and gave it to the royal Navy. Ellsberg and others had pushed for the Americans to get the job, but due to politics, that never could have happened. See The Far Shore for a full account of the events leading up to D-Day, and how Ellsberg's efforts changed the outcome of the invasion. It is important to note that the date the letter was written may not correspond to the postmark date. This will be especially important for those letters written prior to the invasion.


NO. WRITTEN LOCATION CONTENT
1 5/3/44 London Arrival
2 5/3/44 London General chat; cable sent
3 5/5/44 London General chat/food
4 5/7/44 London Censorship/walking around London
5 5/9/44 London Shaving/Mary/staying in a hotel
6 5/12/44 London General chat/mail from home/Forrestal
7 5/16/44 Shore Arrival at the shore/air raid
8 5/18/44 Shore Air raid/conference: Churchill
9 5/21/44 Shore Cottage/longjohns/tin hat/Italy campaign
10 5/23/44 Shore Air raid/air superiority
11 5/27/44 London/Shore Comments on invasion/Lord Haw Haw/navy's role
12 5/29/44 Shore Injured/air raid/his job as technical advisor
13 5/31/44 Shore Anniversary thoughts/D-Day hopes
14 6/3/44 Shore D-Day-3/pay
15 6/5/44 Shore D-Day-2/ on a sub-chaser/weather/Cathedral
16 6/6/44 Shore D-Day commentary
17 6/9/44 Shore I'm OK note
18 6/9/44 Shore Mail problems/general family chat/weather
19 6/12/44 Shore D+5, interesting comments on the invasion
20 6/12/44 Shore Mail & pay problems
21 6/18/44 At sea D-day results/feelings about French & Nazis
22 6/19/44 London Job ended;flying bombs;tribute to Lucy
23 6/20/44 London New assignment;surprise at lack of naval losses; lack of flying bombs
24 6/21/44 London Air raid; shell shock cases
25 6/22/44 London Act II job; life's dissatisfaction
26 6/23/44 London Course of war; flying bombs; finances
27 6/24/44 London New orders to far shore
28 6/27/44 France New assignment; weather
29 6/29/44 At sea New assignment; money; food in France; snipers
30 7/2/44 France Visit to Cherbourg; war report
31 7/4/44 London Jeep injury story - fascinating!
32 7/5/44 London Flying bombs; propaganda
33 7/6/44 London

Cherbourg: no job in France - Sullivan there; beachheads working; people killed by flying bombs; Churchill's speech about the bombs; von Rundstedt replaced

34 7/7/44 London Newspaper-Churchill speech (no letter)
35 7/7/44 London Rommel's error; propaganda, love
36 7/8/44 London Ellsberg: main beachhead, Sullivan: Cherbourg; picked up a German rifle in Cherbourg; fall of Cherbourg a German disgrace
37 7/9/44 London War victories by Bradley & Monty; his hotel (Goring); people killed in Guards chapel
38 7/10/44 London Great love letter
39 7/11/44 London Finances; food was bad in France; food in London; thoughts on war: need to finish Germany off for good; propaganda & Jews
40 7/12/44 London Saw flying bombs; Patton coming soon; "A Bell for Adano" helping Goebbels & hurting Patton
41 7/14/44 London Propaganda, Craftsweld
42 7/15/44 London Flying bomb sites moving; desperate propaganda trying to split Allies; German fronts weakening
43 7/16/44 London "A Bell for Adano"
44 7/17/44 London Weather; general chat; candy & fruitcake not wanted
45 7/18/44 London Rommel's mistakes; war critics
46 7/19/44 London Mulberries' effect on invasion
47 7/20/44 London Present: silver tea kettle
48 7/21/44 London New flying bomb tactics; Tojo's ouster; attempt on Hitler; feelings about Hitler
49 7/23/44 London Family; Hitler; attack on freedom
50 7/24/44 London Views on FDR's 4th term; '36 trip on "Exeter"
51 7/25/44 London ME chit-chat; H. Laski's book
52 7/26/44 London Flying bomb close by
53 7/27/44 London Armed Services editions of his books; German problems on the Eastern Front
54 7/28/44 London German radio; propaganda lies; Lady Gowers; General McNair killed
55 7/29/44 London LBE injury; no future war with Russia
56 7/30/44 London Life in London dull; Lunts; Bradley on the move; the far shore again for EE?
57 7/31/44 London Made stove for tea 
58 8/1/44 London Life in London; Buckingham Palace w/o window glass
59 8/2/44 London Patton taking the field
60 8/3/44 London To Far Shore again? Mulberries revealed & their importance in supplying the troops & making the Invasion "stick" - EE went over on one
61 8/4/44 London Politics - will FDR be a perpetual leader?; democracy; war progress in Brittany
62 8/5/44 London Patton blitzkreig; Hitler shooting generals; views on going after Nazis if they should flee
63 8/6/44 London "Torpedo Junction" book
64 8/7/44 London Propaganda campaign causing rift among allies
65 8/8/44 London Military tactical mistakes by the Germans
66 8/9/44 London Patton's successes in France & German errors
67 8/10/44 London LBE gets to ME; family; making tea with a lamp
68 8/11/44 London ESU; BBC vs. US radio programs
69 8/12/44 London Draft evasion?; war progress; propaganda; de Gaulle's army
70 8/13/44 London Bomb damage on Fleet Street; humor; Mary's car
71 8/14/44 London Nazis about to retreat; ME
72 8/15/44 London Nice assault begins; Patton is revealed as in command of the Third Army
73 8/16/44 London Curtain coming down on Rommel; radio Berlin and Axis Sally; Vichy
74 8/17/44 London LBE's accidents; no work since 7/4; won't become a British citizen; view on "indispensable" leaders; Moon's death; Patton's progress; German mistakes
75 8/18/44 London LBE's g-gmom; Vichy fleeing; Capt. Ives killed; going after "terrorists"!!
76 8/19/44 London Frustration over waiting for his job that he was sent over for to begin
77 8/20/44 London Rain; war results in France; bomb damage nearby
78 8/21/44 London War success; propaganda; are Germans dumb: how can they believe all Goebbels' propaganda?
79 8/22/44 London Bad weather; flying bombs; love
80 8/23/44 London Paris free; Marseilles captured;German war effort crumbling rapidly
81 8/24/44 London Westminster Abbey bells ring for liberation of Paris; Goebbels' propaganda changes; war strategy
82 8/25/44 London Family stuff; casualty ratios; Harry Kemp's book on communists
83 8/26/44 London V-2 bombs launched?; Ned Benson (my dad)
84 8/26/44 London Ready to go home; record for no flying bombs; English go to beaches; Selfridge's breaks out allied flags
85 8/27/44 London Strategy in France; effect of bombs; evacuation; future trips with Lucy
86 8/28/44 London Nazis collapsing; good analysis of Goebbels' tactics; end will be different than 1918; grapes @ $2 a pound
87 8/29/44 London Emlyn Williams' broadcast
88 8/29/44 London Fewer flying bombs; forces advance quickly in France; German 7th Army crushed & 15th coming to cover them
89 8/30/44 London Patton's strategy; killing of Jews
90 8/31/44 London Bradley, Patton & Montgomery's progress; Montgomery made Field Marshal
91 9/1/44 London Job prospects; ME house; Pope's broadcast; "Invasion Calling;" victories; military songs
92 9/2/44 London

Adm. Irish:possible promotion; Oradour massacre;V-1 fading; "people's army;" Goebbel's propaganda machine

93 9/3/44 London Brit. edition of Capt Paul; importance of the artificial harbors; war progress; hates peacetime salvage
94 9/4/44 London Belgium entered; Finland withdraws from war; death of von Kluge
95 9/4/44 London Chandler & Drew Pearson trying to cause trouble between Allies; Brussels is freed
96 9/5/44 London Sees Ned Benson at his camp
97 9/6/44 London Flat tires; short war vs. Bulgaria; no war criminals in some countries; propaganda; Germany looking for "political decision;" false armistice
98 9/7/44 London Bad car ride; blackout lifting; flying bomb defense tactics released; German radio using scare tactics about occupied countries' conditions
99 9/8/44 London OK to use oil in Westfield; no coal: no fog in London; sees Ned Benson
100 9/9/44 London End of the flying bombs; reason for evacuation of London; Germany encircled; the end is near; planes over Germany
101 9/10/44 London Amery's vicious statement for the Nazis; sunny day; doing ironing; Model is C-in-C in the west
102 9/11/44 London Next job was to be Brittany, but probably won't go as the war has moved to the east
103 9/12/44 London Le Havre falls & its value; view of FDR as a perpetual candidate
104 9/13/44 London Air raids over Germany; Goebbels' new tone & no talk of V1 & V2 or invasion
105 9/14/44 London Lucy's mother fractures hip; evacuees coming back; opinion of Bullitt; who are we fighting?; helping our enemies
106 9/15/44 London EE has a cold; bombing German cities; progress against Siegfried Line & the Philippines; view of Russian neutrality
107 9/16/44 London Sees Richard III; Ned Benson goes to France; Siegfried Line is crossed;more flying bombs
108 9/17/44 London Airborne lands in Holland; blackout ends; sympathisers; von Rundstedt is back
109 9/18/44 London Benson letter; blackout ends but not much changes; flying bomb hits
110 9/19/44 London Lost laundry; importance of airborne assault
111 9/20/44 London EE chides LBE for driving in a hurricane; LBE's mother; Brest falls
112 9/21/44 London Good view of flying bomb; bombs coming from new direction; ultra-violet & infra-red treatment for cold
113 9/22/44 London LBE's parents' health; trip ME to NJ
114 9/24/44 London Orders to go home coming
115 9/24/44 London Sent cable about going home; cryptic message about a ship; last letter

 

 

 

 

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