Henry L. and Anne Lorentz Miller papers
Collection
0046-MMC-LAB
Henry L. Miller (1919-1985) worked for the United States Information Agency from 1947-1977, producing, directing, and announcing radio programs the Voice of America. His work advising developing countries on starting radio stations took him to the Philippines, Laos, and Vietnam. His wife, Anne Lorentz Miller (1910-1987), wrote the script for several movies about Vietnam during this period and a biography of a former South Vietnamese president.
The collection, which spans 1942-1971, contains correspondence, scripts written by Anne Lorentz Miller and others, photographs, materials from Voice of America and the United States Information Agency, reference materials, and broadcast tapes. The collection also includes 57 "V Discs" produced by the Armed Forces Radio Service during World War II and featuring artists such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and Glenn Miller.
This collection is open to the public and must be used in the Special Collections reading room. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.
Photocopies or digital surrogates may be provided in accordance with Special Collections and University Archives duplication policy.
Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs unless otherwise specified. It is the researcher's responsibility to secure permission to publish materials from the appropriate copyright holder.
Archival materials may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal and/or state right to privacy laws or other regulations. While we make a good faith effort to identify and remove such materials, some may be missed during our processing. If a researcher finds sensitive personal information in a collection, please bring it to the attention of the reading room staff.
3.5 Linear Feet
76 Tape Reels : reel-to-reel ; 7"
77 Sound Discs : vinyl records ; 12"
The Henry L. Miller and Anne Lorentz Miller Collection spans the years 1942 to 1971, although the bulk of the material dates from 1942 to 1965. Types of documents includes scripts, correspondence, broadcast tapes, photographs, VOA-USIA materials, and reference materials.
The collection is a fragmentary record of the careers of both Henry L. Miller and Anne Lorentz Miller. Because of gaps in the collection, it does not document the full scope and extent of the Millers' careers, but offers only a glimpse into their life's work.
Henry L. (Hank) Miller
Henry L. (Hank) Miller (1919-1985) was born in Lafayette, Indiana, the only son of Henry and Winifred Miller. He graduated from Purdue University in 1940, and went directly from college to work at commercial radio stations in Indiana. Soon thereafter he became program director of WPAT in Patterson, New Jersey.
During World War II, Miller was assigned for 2.5 years as head of transportation and distribution for the Psychological Warfare Branch of the United States Army for North Africa and Southern Europe. He returned to New York after V-E Day and continued to work for the Office of War Information. This office was later to become the Voice of America (VOA).
In 1946-1947, he took a two-year break from government service and joined a group of Americans, led by Norman Page, who founded the Philippine Broadcasting Service, establishing the first all-Tagalog language station as well as the first 24-hour commercial broadcasts in Asia, both in medium- and short-wave. Miller worked for the United States Information Agency (USIA) for 31.5 years, first with the VOA, and later as public affairs officer in Laos and the Philippines. He became a foreign service officer during his five-year term in Manila.
He created two regional program centers for the VOA, one for Southeast Asia and one for Africa. A member for over 40 years of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong, he was a charter member of the Manila Overseas Press Club. In 1950 Miller founded the Voice of America Stamp Club.
In honor of his work, the Philippine government awarded him the Order of Sikatuna, the highest honor given to a non-citizen. He received Certificates of Commendation from three presidents: Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford. He also received recognition from NASA, the Citizen's Council of the Pacific War Memorial, and he received the United States Medal for Civilian Services for his tour of duty in Vietnam, where he served as special projects officer. At the time of his death he was a program planning officer for the Visitor Program Service of Meridian House International.
Henry Miller died from cancer on May 22, 1985. He was survived by his wife, Anne Lorentz Miller and three daughters: Sarah Pease, Jenny Garmendia, and Rosemary Lee.
Anne Lorentz Miller
Anne Lorentz Miller (1910-1987) was born in Buckhannon, West Virginia, the daughter of Pare Hanson and Alma Ruttencutter Lorentz. She attended West Virginia Wesleyan College and after graduation was an editor of the Clarksburg (West Virginia) News. In 1942 she worked for radio station WTAG in Worcester, Massachusetts, writing scripts and even hosted her own show, "Wickbur House," which was narrated by Tony Randall and aired three times a week. During World War II she worked for the Office of War Information in New York City.
After the war she accompanied her husband, Henry, to the Philippines, Hong Kong, Laos, and Vietnam while he was in the Foreign Service. During this period she wrote a biography of former South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem and the script for several movies about Vietnam.
Returning to Washington in 1963 with her husband, she worked for the Smithsonian Institution and was in charge of the Pullman Railroad Car Collection at the Museum of History and Technology from 1979 to 1984.
Anne Lorentz Miller died of a heart ailment on May 19, 1987, at a hospital in Newport Beach, California. She was survived by her three daughters Sarah Pease, Jenny Garmendia, and Rosemary Lee and a brother, Pare Lorentz, the documentary film maker.
This collection is arranged in five series:
This collection contains audiovisual materials. Items that cannot be used in the Special Collections reading room or are too fragile for researchers require that a digital copy be made prior to use. If you would like to access these materials, please contact us prior to your visit.
The Henry L. Miller and Anne Lorentz Miller Collection was donated to the Library of American Broadcasting (LAB) in May 1989 by their daughter, Jenny Garmendia. The papers became part of the University of Maryland Libraries when the LAB was donated to the University in 1994.
Documents were placed in acid-free folders which were then put into acid-free boxes. Series were devised by the processing archivist.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives