James Elias Bassett Jr.
(October 18, 1912 – September 26, 1978) was an American
newspaper editor and author, most notably of the best-selling novel ''
Harm's Way'', which was later adapted into the motion picture ''
In Harm's Way''.
Biography
The son of James E. and Lucille R. Bassett, Bassett was born in
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...
.
Raised in
Mamaroneck, New York, from 1914 on, in 1934 he graduated ''cum laude'' from
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...
in Maine, where he was a member of
Phi Beta Kappa. After college, he returned to Los Angeles and joined the ''
Los Angeles Times'' as a reporter. He later served the paper as aviation writer, political analyst and director of the editorial pages until he was named associate editor in 1971. At the ''Mirror'', the ''Times sister publication, he held the posts of political editor, feature editor and city editor.
Bassett entered the
United States Navy as
lieutenant (junior grade) in February 1941. He and his wife were in Hawaii during the
attack on Pearl Harbor, as Bassett was serving on the public relations staff of Admiral
Husband E. Kimmel
Husband Edward Kimmel (February 26, 1882 – May 14, 1968) was a United States Navy four-star admiral who was the commander in chief of the United States Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was removed fro ...
. Bassett went on to become public relations officer for
Fleet Admiral William F. (Bull) Halsey and was awarded the
Bronze Star with
combat V
Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
. Bassett later retired from the service as a captain, and returned to work at the ''Times''.
Bassett took leaves from the ''Times'' to serve in
Richard Nixon's vice presidential and presidential campaigns of
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
,
1956
Events
January
* January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan.
* January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...
and
1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events
January
* Ja ...
. He was public relations director for the
Republican National Committee in 1954.
Bassett drew on his World War II experiences for his novel ''
Harm's Way'', which became a bestseller after its publication in 1962 and was made into the motion picture ''
In Harm's Way'' starring
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
,
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Do ...
, and
Henry Fonda and directed by
Otto Preminger. Other works by Bassett include ''Commander Prince, USN'', published in 1971, a novel dealing mainly with the events surrounding the
Battle of the Java Sea, and ''The Sky Suspended'', published in 1968.
Bassett retired October 1977 after serving 43 years on the staffs of the ''Los Angeles Times'' and ''Mirror''. He was working on two books at the time of his death—one an autobiography and the other a volume on great sea admirals he had observed in the
Pacific Theater of World War II
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...
. He died in
Malibu, California, and was survived by his wife and a daughter. His ashes were scattered at sea.
Notes
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Guide to the James E. Bassett Jr. Papersat Bowdoin.edu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bassett, James
1912 births
1978 deaths
Bowdoin College alumni
People from Greater Los Angeles
United States Navy personnel of World War II
People from Mamaroneck, New York
20th-century American novelists
20th-century American journalists
20th-century American male writers
American male novelists
American male journalists
American male non-fiction writers
United States Navy captains