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VOLUME: 1 linear foot

ACCESS: This collection is open to the public upon request.

COPYRIGHT: Please consult the archivist for information about duplication or publishing of any materials from this collection.

Administrative History

The Institute on World Organization was founded in 1941 to promote the study and discussion of international relations and international organization. American University was an early supporter of the Institute providing space for programs, etc. The Institute was managed by a committee and supported by a group of sponsors. The Institute held two conferences in 1941 and 1942.The first conference examined the League of Nations and its sister organizations, the International Labor Organization and the Permanent Court of International Justice.The second conference reviewed general and regional problems of a future world organization.The Institute published two monographs featuring presentations from both conferences.The Institute held monthly discussion dinners on a variety of topics including world affairs such as communism and the Suez Canal, U.S. foreign policy, and the United Nations.The Institute on World Organization was officially incorporated in Washington, D.C. in 1949. Its mission was to provide education in world affairs. The Institute remained active through the early 1960s.

Numerous individuals participated in Institute events over the years.The most active participants served on the Board of Directors. The membership of this group is a who's who of individuals involved in the League of Nations and other similar organizations.Of note are the following: Ricardo J. Alfaro, the former President of Panama;William E. Armstrong;Laura Dreyfus-Barney;Henri Bonnet;A. Barr Comstock;Paul F. Douglass, the President of American University;Elizabeth Eastman (Secretary 1950-1956);Jan Hostie;Ethel M. Johnson;Yves Maroni (Secretary 1956-1961);Laura Puffer Morgan (Secretary 1941-1949);Denys P. Myers (Treasurer);Bertram Pickard;Pitman B. Potter;Egon Ranshofen-Wertheimer;Arthur Sweetser; and Sergius Yakobson

Scope and Content Note

The Records of the Institute on World Organization document its activities from its founding in 1941 through its demise in the 1960s.The collection includes a comprehensive set of minutes and treasurer's reports as well as conference materials, correspondence, financial records, membership lists, and publications.The conference proceedings include summaries of the presentations.Laura Dreyfus-Barney collected much of the early material.

Provenance

Records were donated by Yves Maroni in May 2006.The donation included the files of the Secretary and Treasurer of the organization as well as materials collected by Laura Dreyfus-Barney on the organization and related topics.

Box & Folder Listing

Box 1

  • 1940
  • 1941
  • 1942
  • 1944-1950
  • American Peace Society 1942-1943
  • Background Documents 1938-1963 (2 folders)
  • Bertram Pickard's Lectures 1943
  • Board of Directors 1962-1963
  • Certificate of Incorporation/By-Laws 1949
  • Check Register 1957-1960
  • Correspondence 1942-1965
  • Dinner Meetings 1943-1960
  • Letterhead
  • Membership Lists 1943-1959
  • Minutes 1941-1962 (3 folders)
  • Publications by and about IWO 1941-1944 See Also: Loose
  • Treasurer's Reports 1942-1960 (2 folders)

Loose: World Organization: A Balance Sheet of the First Great Experiment –A Symposium on the Institute on World Organization 1942