Courts-martial and courts of inquiry--United States
Defense information, Classified
Intermediate-range ballistic missiles
Jupiter missile
Leaks (Disclosure of information)
Huntsville (Ala.)
Madison County (Ala.)
Colonel John C. Nickerson was accused of leaking classified information after expressing anger when the missile and rocket program was transferred from the Army to the Air Force. He was tried by court martial, fined $1,500, and exiled to Panama for two years. A few years later on March 1, 1964, Nickerson and his wife, Carol, died in a car accident in New Mexico.
University of Alabama in Huntsville Archives, Special Collections, and Digital Initiatives, Huntsville, Alabama
This material may be protected under U. S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials. You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research. Though the University of Alabama in Huntsville Archives and Special Collections has physical ownership of the material in its collections, in some cases we may not own the copyright to the material. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in our collections.
Photographs
Still Image
Medaris assumed command of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency in 1955 under which Dr. Wernher von Braun and the German Rocket Team developed the Jupiter missile in 1958.
Photo of Ray H. Jenkins surrounded by press.
Ray H. Jenkins (center) was a lawyer that, along with Robert K. Bell, Lt. Col. Charles Zimmer, and Lt. Lewis G. Cole, would make up Nickerson's defense counsel for his court martial trial. Jenkins was considered the best lawyer in East Tennessee and appeared on the cover of Time magazine on May 17, 1954 during the Army-McCarthy hearings.
Dr. Wernher von Braun was a part of the German Rocket Team that developed the Jupiter missile in 1958 under General John Bruce Medaris.
Photo of Robert K. Bell and Colonel John C. Nickerson, Jr.
Robert K. Bell (left) was an attorney based in Huntsville, Alabama. He would form a part of Nickerson's (right) defense counsel in 1957 along with Ray H. Jenkins, Lt. Col. Charles Zimmer, and Lt. Lewis G. Cole.
Two copies of a photo of Colonel John C. Nickerson, Robert K. Bell, and Ray H. Jenkins.
Pictured in this photo is Colonel Nickerson (left), Robert K. Bell (middle, standing), and Ray H. Jenkins (right).
Photo of Colonel John C. Nickerson, Jr. with his family.
Colonel John C. Nickerson married Carol Nickerson (right). Together, they had four children. Two of his children are pictured here.
Photos of Colonel John C. Nickerson, Jr. with press.
Photo of Ernst Stuhlinger speaking to the press.
Stuhlinger, Ernst, 1913-2008
Photo of General John Bruce Medaris, Dr. Wernher von Braun, and associates.
On back: "Key associates of vonBraun.Dr., pose with Maj. General. Medaris, J.B., immediately prior to the latters retirement from the Army in the fall of 1959.
On back written in pencil: "Dr. Wernher von Braun".
Carol Nickerson was the wife of Colonel John C. Nickerson, Jr.
Photo of the court room from the Nickerson case.
This photo shows the Jupiter missile as it is prepared for launch. On the back there is a sticky note that reads: "JUPITER Pre-Launch Activities".
Medaris assumed command of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency in 1955 under which Dr. Wernher von Braun and the German Rocket Team developed the Jupiter missile in 1958. On the back of the photo is written: "Medaris".
Photo of General John Bruce Medaris and another man in an Army uniform.
Family
Photography
On back: "Anna Barclay Newman, 1845-1931 / Milton H Lanier / " " " Jr. / Annie Troy Lanier } Their father, seated / Robert Troy } with Margaret Troy Lanier
Postcard to Mrs. W. W. Newman from Columbia.
Postcards
Travel
Venice, Italy
Postcard sent from Venice to Mrs. W. W. Newman, or Ellen W. Newman, in Huntsville, Alabama by Columbia. The front shows a photograph of Columbia and Margie. This postcard was found in a blank envelope with "Mrs. W. W. Newman 427 Locust St. Huntsville Ala." printed on the flap.
Photographic postcards
Text