--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The U.S. Army records alone for World War…" description: "\"The U.S. Army records alone for World War II weigh 17,000 tons, and even the best historians have not done more than just scratch the surface. The stor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/rick-atkinson-7144_about_the-u-s-army-records-alone-for-world-war_841587.jpg" --- # The U.S. Army records alone for World War II weigh 17,000… ![“The U.S. Army records alone for World War II weigh 17,000 tons, and even the best historians have not done more than just scratch the surface. The story is such that 500 years from now people will be writing and reading about it.” quote by Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/rick-atkinson-7144_about_the-u-s-army-records-alone-for-world-war_841587.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/rick-atkinson-7144_about_the-u-s-army-records-alone-for-world-war_841587.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/rick-atkinson-7144_about_the-u-s-army-records-alone-for-world-war_841587.jpg) > “The U.S. Army records alone for World War II weigh 17,000 tons, and even the best historians have not done more than just scratch the surface. The story is such that 500 years from now people will be writing and reading about it.” [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. World War II records are massive, yet historians have barely scratched the surface; future generations will study them. **In simple terms:** WWII archives are huge; historians have only begun exploring. Key Takeaway Recognize the depth of historical study. Themes history war research legacy knowledge Mood inquisitive respectful Type historical educational When to use this quote - education - museum curation - public policy Key Concepts archival science military history scholarship Questions to Reflect On - What stories remain untold from WWII? - How can we preserve history for future study? A Different Perspective Understanding may be limited by resources and bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/) [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War of the worlds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-of-the-worlds/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/) [World war ii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war-ii/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing and reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-and-reading/) ## Related quotes > [You can make records from now 'til doomsday, and there are something like 50,000 records released every year, but the public gets to hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ry-cooder/you-can-make-records-from-now-til-doomsday-and-there-are-something/) [Ry Cooder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ry-cooder/) > [If I never sang on a record again I can still look at my walls. 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