Dean Rusk Personal Papers: Collection Summary

Descriptive Summary
Title: Dean Rusk Personal Papers: Collection Summary
Creator: Rusk, Dean, 1909-1994
Inclusive Dates: 1885-1996
Bulk Dates: 1952-1995
Language(s): English
Extent: 167 box(es) (79 linear feet, 12 reels of microfilm, and 346 audiovisual items)
Collection Number: RBRL055DR
Repository: Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Abstract: Dean Rusk was U.S. Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969. He also served in the Department of State (1947-1952), was president of the Rockefeller Foundation (1952-1960), and was a professor of international law at the University of Georgia's School of Law. Rusk's papers document his career in these areas and his role as a U.S. foreign policy expert and include correspondence, speeches and testimony, press files, and subject files.

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Collection Description

Historical Note

Dean Rusk was born on February 9, 1909 in Cherokee County, Georgia. He attended Lee Street Elementary and Boys' High School in Atlanta, Georgia. Rusk obtained an A.B. degree from Davidson College, North Carolina in 1931, and a B.S. (Rhodes Scholar) and M.A. in 1933 and 1934 from St. John's, Oxford, England. He returned to the United States to become Associate Professor of Government and Dean of Faculty at Mills College, Oakland, California, from 1934 to 1940 and studied law at the University of California, Berkeley, class of 1940.

Rusk served in the United States Army from 1940 to 1946 in the China-Burma-India theater. At first he served with the Third Infantry Division, then later with the Military Intelligence Service. Rusk was released from duty with the rank of colonel.

After his military career ended, Rusk joined the Department of State from 1947 to 1952, as Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs and for Far Eastern Affairs. From 1952 to 1960 he was president of the Rockefeller Foundation. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Rusk to the office of Secretary of State. He remained in this position until 1969, through the administrations of Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Rusk was in office during the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion, when East Germany began constructing the Berlin Wall, and as the world teetered on the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was also Secretary of State during the height of the Vietnam Conflict.

In 1970, Rusk came to the University of Georgia's School of Law as the Samuel H. Sibley Professor of International Law, and he later established the Dean Rusk Center for International and Comparative Law. Rusk served the University of Georgia until his death on December 20, 1994.

Rusk married Virginia Foisle in June, 1937. They had three children together, David Patrick, Richard Geary and Margaret Elizabeth. In 1990, As I Saw It , the book he co-authored with his son, Richard, was published.

Scope and Content

Dean Rusk was U.S. Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969. He also served in the Department of State (1947-1952), was president of the Rockefeller Foundation (1952-1960), and was a professor of international law at the University of Georgia's School of Law. Rusk's papers document his career in these areas and his role as a U.S. foreign policy expert and include correspondence, speeches and testimony, press files, and subject files. Common subjects include trade and peace treaties, the Cold War, nuclear weapons, Vietnam, and a wide variety of other international affairs topics.

Organization and Arrangement

This collection is organized into 9 series: Series I. Rockefeller Foundation, Series II. U.S. Secretary of Stat, Department of State, Series III. Law School Files, Series IV. General Office Files, Series V. Speeches and Publications, Series VI. Administrative, Series VII. Photographs, Series VIII. Artifacts, and Series IX. Audiovisual.

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Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research with the following exceptions:

Series IX. Audiovisual: Though the collection is open for research, reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings.

Preferred citation

Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.

Copyright Information

Before material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.

Conditions Governing Use

Library acts as a "fair use" reproduction agent.

Finding Aid Publication

Finding Aid prepared by Adriane Hanson and Jordan Graham (student assistant), 2016.

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Related Materials and Subjects

Subject Terms

Related Collections in this Repository

Dean Rusk Oral History Collection

Richard B. Russell, Jr. Collection

William Tapley Bennett, Jr. Papers

Martin Hillenbrand Papers

D.W. Brooks Oral History Collection

Related Collections in Other Repositories

Dean Rusk Papers, Rockefeller Archive Center, Sleepy Hollow, New York

Dean Rusk Oral Histories, Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum, Austin, Texas

Dean Rusk Personal Papers, John F. Kennedy Library, National Archives and Records Administration, Boston, Massachusetts

Dean Rusk Files, Department of State Records, National Archives

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Series Descriptions and Folder Listing

 

Series I. Rockefeller Foundation, 1952-1961

3 box(es) (1.25 linear feet)

The Rockefeller Foundation series consists of Rusk's office files while he was president. These files contain correspondence, reports, newspaper clippings, transcripts and press releases. There is correspondence between Rusk and then Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, former President Harry Truman, Henry Kissinger, Rockefeller Foundation Director of Special Studies, and Rockefeller family members Nelson, Laurance, David and John D. Most of the files deal with the foundation's work in the area of foreign relations, as well as Rusk's confirmation hearings when he became Secretary of State.

This series is in alphabetical order by subject.

This series is open for research.

To view more detailed information or to request information from this series, visit the finding aid for this series.

 

Series II. U.S. Secretary of State, Department of State, 1939-1995

11 box(es) (4.75 linear feet)

Dean Rusk Personal Papers, Series II: U.S. Secretary Of State, Department Of State includes transcripts of addresses, interviews, statements, press releases, and speeches that Dean Rusk gave during his tenure as Secretary of State. Researchers may be interested in statements by Rusk on the deaths of various famous figures in the world of politics and foreign affairs including President Herbert Hoover, King Mohamed V of Morocco, Adlai E. Stevenson, Sir Winston Churchill and Robert F. Kennedy. Opening and closing remarks on numerous foreign relations events, such as the meetings of the US-Japan Committee on Economics and Trade, and the SEATO [Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty] conference in 1961, the Geneva Disarmament Conference in 1962, and meetings over the Dominican Republic Crisis with the OAS [Organization of American States] in 1965, can also be found here. There are several copies of congressional testimonies by Dean Rusk given between 1949 and 1979. Also, a small group of files consisting of articles that previous hitDean Rusk designated for his "personal next hit papers" upon leaving the office of Secretary of State. Topics covered in these files include Vietnam, the effect of student activism on international relations, the Berlin Crisis of 1961-1964, the role of analogy in law, Rusk's success over nuclear nonhappening, foreign travel by the Secretary of State, and the National Academy of Sciences. Certain records relating to the Palestine question were maintained in the offices of Dean Rusk and Robert McClintock, these records exist on microfilm.

This series is organized into six subseries: A. Speech Files, B. Office Schedules C. Department of State Publications, D. Congressional Testimonies, E. Personal Files, and F. Palestine Reference Files of Dean Rusk and Robert McClintock.

This series is open for research.

To view more detailed information or to request information from this series, visit the finding aid for this series.

Subseries A. Speech Files, 1961-1969 ( 6 box(es) (3 linear feet) )

This subseries includes transcripts of addresses, interviews, statements, press releases, and speeches that Dean Rusk gave during his tenure as Secretary of State under the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.

The transcripts cover a wide-range of topics and events. Researchers may be interested in statements by Rusk on the deaths of various famous figures in the world of politics and foreign affairs including President Herbert Hoover, King Mohamed V of Morocco, Adlai E. Stevenson, Sir Winston Churchill and Robert F. Kennedy. Opening and closing remarks on numerous foreign relations events, such as the meetings of the US-Japan Committee on Economics and Trade, and the SEATO [Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty] conference in 1961, the Geneva Disarmament Conference in 1962, and meetings over the Dominican Republic Crisis with the OAS [Organization of American States] in 1965, can be found. In addition, Rusk gave many speeches to university exercises, various business and political groups, and press conferences. A number of transcripts of TV and radio interviews may also prove informative for researchers.

The arrangement is reverse chronological order within each year.

Subseries B. Office Schedules, 1964-1965 ( 2 box(es) (.75 linear feet) )

These schedules contain calendars from Rusk's overseas trips and meetings and appointments from his daily office. They were kept for his 1965 overseas trips, the UN General Assembly, and his Washington office for 1964-65.

Arrangement is chronological.

Subseries C. Department of State Publications, 1969-1971 ( 1 box(es) (.25 linear feet) )

This subseries consists of a sampling of Department of State publications issued during Dean Rusk's tenure in office. These booklets were encased in an album and presented to Rusk in January 1969 by the Bureau of Public Affairs as a "token of [their] gratitude and affection."

Included in this set are addresses to the General Assembly of the United Nations, a transcript of a televised "Hour With the Secretary of State," educational tracts to teach American citizens about the fundamentals of foreign policy and international cooperation towards peace, and pamphlets on the Dominican Crisis of 1965, the peace process in Vietnam, relations with communist bloc countries, and relations in the Middle East.

Subseries D. Congressional Testimonies, 1950-1979 ( 1 box(es) (.5 linear feet) )

Subseries E. Personal Files, 1961-1969 ( 1 box(es) (.25 linear feet) )

This small group of files consists of articles that Dean Rusk designated for his "personal papers" upon leaving the office of Secretary of State. Topics covered in these files include Vietnam, the effect of student activism on international relations, the Berlin Crisis of 1961-1964, the role of analogy in law, Rusk's success over nuclear nonhappening, foreign travel by the Secretary of State, and the National Academy of Sciences.

Subseries F. Palestine Reference Files of Dean Rusk and Robert McClintock, 1947-1949 ( 12 item(s) )

These 12 rolls of microfilm are reproduced from the General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59, held by the National Archives. Certain records relating to the Palestine question were maintained in the offices of Dean Rusk and Robert McClintock. Rusk was Director of the Office of Special Political Affairs (March 1947-January 1948), Director of the Office of United Nations Affairs (January 1948-February 1949), and Assistant Secretary for United Nations Affairs (February-April 1949). McClintock was Special Assistant to the Director of the Offices of Special Political Affairs and United Nations Affairs during 1947 and 1948.

 

Series III. Law School Files, 1970-1986

5 box(es) (2.25 linear feet)

Dean Rusk Personal Papers, Series III: Law School Files contains course notes, clippings, articles, schedules and lists of students advised by Dean Rusk while he was a professor at the University of Georgia.

Arrangement is alphabetical.

This series is open for research.

To view more detailed information or to request information from this series, visit the finding aid for this series.

 

Series IV. General Office Files, 1952-1995

92 box(es) (46 linear feet)

Dean Rusk Personal Papers, Series IV: General Office Files include correspondence, journal and magazine articles, newspaper clippings, oral histories, reports, press releases, and transcripts of interviews, speeches, and testimonies. Under general correspondence filed alphabetically, Rusk received letters from regular citizens and prominent politicians, giving and asking for opinions on subjects ranging from the Cuban Missile Crisis, John F. Kennedy's assassination, and Vietnam veterans, to the age of nuclear war, the Iran-Contra affair and Desert Storm. The chronological files are parallel to the general correspondence and contain only Rusk's replies to correspondence. There are a number of files related to the General Westmoreland vs. CBS, Inc. case that includes Dean Rusk's and Robert McNamara's depositions. There are also files related to litigation on Agent Orange under Vietnam.

This series is organized into four subeseries: A. Alpha Files, B. General Correspondence, C. Chronological File, and D. Subject Files

This series is open for research.

To view more detailed information or to request information from this series, visit the finding aid for this series.

Subseries A. Alpha Files, 1952-1994 ( 48 box(es) (24 linear feet) )

This subseries contains correspondence, journal and magazine articles, newspaper clippings, oral histories, reports, press releases, and transcripts of interviews, speeches, and testimonies. Arrangement is alphabetical, and individual files are loosely chronological. The researcher may wish to search several possibilities within the alphabetical filing system as some subject matters were filed in an unusual fashion. For example, Department of State is filed under "Department" rather than under "State," and particular Senators are filed under "Senator" rather than by their last name.

Researchers may find this subseries a virtual goldmine of unexpected information. Under general correspondence filed alphabetically, Rusk received letters from regular citizens and prominent politicians, giving and asking for opinions on subjects ranging from the Cuban Missile Crisis, John F. Kennedy's assassination, and Vietnam veterans, to the age of nuclear war, the Iran-Contra affair and Desert Storm. Rusk frequently sent replies detailing his memories and opinions on world matters. For example, under "A - General Correspondence," Rusk received several letters from former Vice-President Spiro Agnew offering his thoughts on foreign policy in the 1980's and non-violent civil disobedience. Rusk himself wrote a letter to Isaac Asimov commenting on humanism. U. S. Presidents, Heads of State, U. S. Ambassadors, and former and present Secretaries of State also sent and received letters and printed materials to and from Dean Rusk that may prove interesting to researchers.Because a mélange of materials makes up this subseries researchers may be rewarded by methodical searches of files. A number of oral history interviews given by Dean Rusk are listed under the interviewer's name, e.g., there is an interview done by Payne Harrison, Jr. with Dean Rusk on March 18, 1975, regarding the Six-Day War of 1967. Many of the printed materials concern foreign policy and international relations, and include topics like NATO, the United Nations, the NAFTA commission, and Panama Canal treaties. Other information pertains more closely to Rusk's home state of Georgia and local affairs in the University of Georgia community.

Subseries B. General Correspondence, 1970-1985 ( 22 box(es) (11 linear feet) )

Correspondence, newspaper clippings, oral histories, reports and printed materials are included in this subseries. These files are similar to the alpha subseries.

Arrangement is alphabetical within each time period.

Subseries C. Chronological Files, 1972-1995 ( 13 box(es) (6.5 linear feet) )

The chronological files are parallel to the general correspondence and contain only Rusk's replies to correspondence, never the incoming letter.

Even without the incoming letter, Mr. Rusk's reply can be valuable as he often gives information and opinions, even convictions, to his correspondents on timely topics. For example, these letters indicate his thoughts to Prof. Harry B. Williams, University of Georgia, on December 17, 1984 regarding "polls" and "monitoring" international relations; to Dr. William C. Gibbons, December 12, 1984 on the idea of President Johnson "intimidating" his advisors; to Mark Hartley on April 27, 1981 on the Bay of Pigs; and to Jimmy Carter on his "observations on the Carter Presidency" in April, 1981.

Arrangement is chronological by month and year.

Subseries D. Subject Files , 1972-1982 ( 9 box(es) (4.5 linear feet) )

This subseries is comprised of correspondence, printed materials, reports, transcripts, newspaper clippings and photographs. There are a number of files related to the General Westmoreland vs. CBS, Inc. case that includes Dean Rusk's and Robert McNamara's depositions. There are also files related to litigation on Agent Orange under Vietnam.

Arrangement is alphabetical and files relate to those found in the Alphabetical Subseries.

 

Series V. Speeches and Publications, 1951-1995

16 box(es) (7.5 linear feet)

Dean Rusk Personal Papers, Series V: Speeches/Publications includes addresses, articles, book reviews, interviews, speeches and speech notes either written or presented by Dean Rusk during his tenure as president of the Rockefeller Foundation, as Secretary of State, and as a faculty member at the University of Georgia School of Law. Of interest to researchers are his speech note files, which include comments from the 1950s on U.S. actions in the Far East and Southeast Asia, the Japanese Peace Treaty, Korea, concepts of Cold War strategy, parliamentary democracy, and U.S. policy toward Europe's non-NATO commitments. In 1981-1982 the British Broadcasting Corporation did a series on the "Twentieth Century Remembered" for which Dean Rusk was interviewed. Other interviews include Rusk's reflections on issues of foreign policy and the future of international relations. The working files of Richard Rusk for As I Saw It, the autobiography/biography he wrote for his father, Dean Rusk, include research materials, drafts, and reviews. There are also files of various articles on foreign relations, policy and international law.

This series is organized into four subseries: A. Dean Rusk Articles and Speeches; B. Articles, Interviews, Speeches on Dean Rusk; C. Richard Rusk Files; and D. General Articles.

This series is open for research.

To view more detailed information or to request information from this series, visit the finding aid for this series.

Subseries A. Dean Rusk Articles and Speeches, 1951-1988 ( 7 box(es) (3.25 linear feet) )

This subseries contains addresses, articles, book reviews, interviews, speeches and speech notes either written or presented by Dean Rusk during his tenure as president of the Rockefeller Foundation, as Secretary of State, and as a faculty member at the University of Georgia School of Law. The arrangement is roughly alphabetical.

The transcripts found in this subseries contain an assortment of information. The usual commencement speeches and college addresses can be found, along with speeches made to various business and civic groups. Of more interest to researchers, perhaps, are his speech note files, which include comments from the 1950's on U.S. actions in the Far East and Southeast Asia, the Japanese Peace Treaty, Korea, concepts of Cold War strategy, parliamentary democracy, and U.S. policy toward Europe's non-NATO commitments. Depositions made by Rusk during the trial of William C. Westmoreland vs. CBS Inc., etal., in 1984 may also prove engaging. Rusk was a prolific writer, and many of the articles and book reviews he penned on international issues and foreign policy are included in these files.

Subseries B. Articles, Interviews, and Speeches on Dean Russell, 1963-1996 ( 4 box(es) (1.75 linear feet) )

These files consist of magazine articles, newspaper clippings, oral history interviews, and speeches made on or with Dean Rusk.

In 1981-1982 the British Broadcasting Corporation did a series on the "Twentieth Century Remembered" for which Dean Rusk was interviewed. Transcripts of this program and interview may prove interesting to the researcher. Other interviews include Rusk's reflections on issues of foreign policy and the future of international relations. Many of the clippings include comments by Rusk on various events ranging from the 1960's to the 1990's. Articles and clippings are also included that pertain more to Rusk's personal biography.

The arrangement is alphabetical.

Subseries C. Richard Rusk Files, 1986-1988 ( 3 box(es) (1.25 linear feet) )

This subseries contains the working files of Richard Rusk for As I Saw It, the autobiography/biography he wrote for his father, Dean Rusk. Copies of research materials from collections at the Princeton University Library, various drafts of chapters from As I Saw It, and reviews on the book are included in the files.

Subseries D. General Articles, 1959-1972 ( 2 box(es) (1 linear foot) )

These files are a mixture of various articles on foreign relations, policy and international law. Memos from a Paramilitary Study Group combined into the Taylor Report make up four of the files. A chronology of "Tet to Resignation, 1968," can also be found.

 

Series VI. Administrative, 1939-1994

19 box(es) (10.25 linear feet)

The Administrative series includes requests for Rusk's appearance at various events or meetings, his schedule of meetings and appointments (1970-1994), and personal files. The personal files consist of correspondence, clippings, articles, programs and publications. There is also a section of Virginia Rusk's personal papers which includes personal letters she received while living in Washington, D.C.

This series is organized into three subseries: A. Speaking Engagements, B. Calendars, and C. Personal.

This series is open for research.

To view more detailed information or to request information from this series, visit the finding aid for this series.

Subseries A.Speaking Engagements, 1972-1994 ( 11 box(es) (5.25 linear feet) )

These files include requests for Rusk's appearance at various events or meetings.

Arrangement is by month and year.

Subseries B. Calendars, 1970-1994 ( 2 box(es) (1 linear foot) )

These calendars maintained the schedules of meetings and appointments of Dean Rusk. They were kept for each year from 1970 until 1994.

Arrangement is chronological.

Subseris C. Personal, 1931-1995 ( 6 box(es) (4 linear feet) )

This subseries consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, articles, programs and publications. Some of these materials include articles and newspaper clippings that were published after Rusk's death in 1994. There is also a section of Virginia Rusk's personal papers which includes personal letters she received while living in Washington, DC when Rusk was Secretary of State, as well as newspaper clippings on herself, family activities, and her daughter's interracial marriage. There are also letters written by Virginia regarding their lives in 1961 (Cuban Missile Crisis) and 1963 (Kennedy's assassination) and how world events influenced them. Very informative material regarding the workings of a family surviving under the national microscope is provided.

 

Series VII. Photographs, 1885-1994

15 box(es) (2 linear feet)

This images in this series range from family photographs to functions within the White House under the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations, such as testifying before Congress on Vietnam, staff meetings, trips - official, greeting foreign dignitaries, and White House social functions. Other subjects of in this series include Rusk's early life, his family, Virginia Rusk, and his retirement years.

The photographs are arranged in loose chronological order.

This series is open for research.

To view more detailed information or to request information from this series, visit the finding aid for this series.

 

Series VIII. Artifacts, 1939-1995

10 box(es) (5 linear feet)

Dean Rusk Personal Papers, Series VIII: Artifacts includes plaques, certificates, awards, and memorabilia documenting Rusk's career.

The artifacts are arranged loosely by format.

This series is open for research.

To view more detailed information or to request information from this series, visit the finding aid for this series.

 

Series IX. Audiovisual, 1945-1996

346 item(s)

Dean Ruck Personal Papers, Series IX: Audiovisual, contains one 16mm film, four betacam videocassettes, 87 audiocassettes, 25 phonodiscs, 68 quarter-inch open reel audio tapes, 36 Umatic videocassettes, and 100 VHS videocassettes. The audio recordings range from Rusk's 1961 swearing-in as secretary of state to a 1995 memorial service for Rusk held at Davidson College. Many recordings are audio tracks of interviews conducted with Rusk for television, including a 1971 interview with Bill Moyers, a 1971 "Today" interview, appearances on all of the major networks discussing the impending 1972 presidential election, a 1973 interview with Rusk on the death of Lyndon B. Johnson, and a 1974 interview with William F. Buckley. Additional recordings include audio tracks for television programs on which Rusk did not appear but which held interest for him: a 1971 news segment on Nikita Khrushchev, a 1972 interview with Johnson by Walter Cronkite for CBS, a 1972 interview with David Halberstam on "Today," a 1972 interview with Walt and Eugene Rostow conducted by William F. Buckley, and several NBC and ABC specials concerning Vietnam. Other audio recordings include speeches delivered by Rusk including a 1972 address concerning President Richard Nixon's trip to China, Rusk's 1973 eulogy for Johnson, a 1974 graduation address to the 55th class of the Armed Forces Staff College, and a 1983 lecture entitled "The Constitution: Comity or Confrontation." The videotapes in the collection cover a broad range of subjects, but the bulk of the tapes date from 1983 to 1989 and roughly coincide with Rusk's retirement from teaching at the University of Georgia. The videotapes range in date from a copy of a March 1962 profile of Dean Rusk by WBTV-TV in Charlotte , North Carolina to the 1996 dedication of the University of Georgia 's Dean Rusk Hall. Included among the videotapes is a copy of the CBS News coverage of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Rusk's 1984 deposition in the Westmoreland v. CBS libel case, a fourteen-tape unedited interview with Dean Rusk conducted in 1985 by Edwin Newman, a thirty-minute documentary on Rusk produced by the University of Georgia in 1988 called "Conversations with Great Georgians: Dean Rusk," a multi-part series entitled "The United Nations: Issues of Peace and Conflict" that covers the 1989 Report of the Former Ambassadors to the United Nations, a three-part interview with Rusk conducted by Kenneth Harris for a BBC series entitled "The Twentieth Century Remembered," as well as several other television appearances and interviews that reflect back on Rusk's tenure as secretary of state during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and that touch on the topics of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, and the Cold War. Also included in the collection is a silent 16mm home movie from 1945 depicting then Colonel Rusk playing tennis at the palace of the viceroy (now the residence of the President of India) with friends Colonel Currie, Captain Swain, Lieutenant Plager, and other unidentified persons.

Dean Rusk Personal Papers Series IX: Audiovisual is arranged by format

Though this series is open for reearch, reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings.

To view more detailed information or to request information from this series, visit the finding aid for this series.