Naval History and Heritage Command

Finding aid (Word)

Biographical Note

David F. Winkler, a resident of Alexandria, Virginia, is a part-time historian with the Naval Historical Foundation in Washington, D.C. A specialist on the Cold War, he has published several historical context studies for the Department of Defense that examine the U.S. military infrastructure and has contributed articles to leading naval magazines and journals. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Penn State, a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from Washington University, and a Ph.D. in History from American University. A surface warfare officer and Naval War College graduate, Winkler served on active duty for ten years and retired as a Commander from the Naval Reserve in 2008.

Scope and Content Note

The papers of David Winkler consist of research materials used during the writing of Cold War at Sea: High-Seas Confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. Included in this collection are unclassified government documents, news clippings, memoranda, and various notes written by Winkler.

The collection is organized in four series. The first series, Subject, includes groups of documents on various topics. Most of these subjects refer to specific incidents at sea and are titled by the name of the vessel or aircraft involved. In addition, most folders include the date of the incident or date range of the subject matter. This series is arranged alphabetically.

The second series, Chronological, contains material that is related to more than one specific subject. Organized chronologically, the materials include incident reports, news clippings, and communications regarding incidents.

Series III contains materials relating to the Annual Review of the Incidents at Sea Agreement between the Soviet Union and the United States. The documents are filed by year of the conference and include information regarding planning, background material, and the review itself. Many of the years also include communications regarding the specific details of the events. This series is arranged chronologically.

Series IV, Publications, contains an autographed copy of David F. Winkler’s Cold War at Sea: High-Seas Confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Preferred Citation

Papers of David F. Winkler, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.