While You Were Sleeping: Pearls of Wisdom from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College’s Guest Speaker Program

The U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College (CGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is one of the most important institutions of higher learning for Army officers, and has been for well over 100 years. Here, mid-career officers obtain the knowledge and tools to assume higher levels of responsibility, culminating in senior Army leadership roles. Since its inception, guest speakers have regularly addressed this important body of officers. Fort Leavenworth’s Combined Arms Research Library (CARL) Archives has a collection of over 500 guest speaker tapes going back to the late 1940s, including remarks by senior military and civilian leadership. The tapes represent an amazing time capsule of original source material containing the views of these leaders on important events impacting the military. As they are in the restricted archives and recorded on outdated formats (mostly reel, cassette, and VHS tape), they have, for the most part, been untouched since their recording. This curated collection focuses on remarks delivered between 1949 and 2001 by those who held important positions such as Army Chiefs of Staff, Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs, Secretaries of Defense and of the Army, as well as individuals of historical significance, congressmen and even one Commander in Chief (Harry S. Truman). For more information about the book, please see the First City Press website.