James Lea Cate (November 16, 1899 – November 1, 1981) was a professor of history at theUniversity of Chicago, an intelligence officer in theUnited States Army Air Forces with the rank of major, and part of the Air Force Historical Division duringWorld War II. He authored at least two pieces of Air Force literature, one titledOrigins of the Eighth Air Force: Plans, Organization, Doctrines, the other titledHistory of the Twentieth Air Force: Genesis. The former is 143 pages in length, while the latter is 298 pages. Both were classified at the time of their writing, but declassified in 1958.
From 1945 to 1958, with former AAF lieutenant colonel Wesley Frank Craven, an historian withNew York University andPrinceton, Cate was managing editor of the seven-volume history of the AAF,The Army Air Forces in World War II.
After the bombing ofHiroshima, Cate, as historical officer of theTwentieth Air Force from June 1944, received a letter from PresidentHarry S. Truman which provided a lengthy justification for the dropping of the firstatomic bombs ever to be used in warfare,Little Boy andFat Man.
He is the grandfather of cartoonistDaniel Clowes.
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