Earl L. Packer papers, 1910-1990

The Packer collection contains 64,000 items from the files of this American diplomat. It is complete in its representation of every aspect of his life. The papers include personal and professional correspondence, manuscripts, documents, printed materials, and Russian cartoons and illustrations, as well as original World War I posters. It also contains an array of photographs taken by Mr. Packer between 1917 and 1923, which depict scenes from the Russian Revolution and from Russian city life.

Mr. Packer's correspondence includes letters from Upton Sinclair and cataloged photographs trace his career. Packer held the consular and diplomatic titles of Vice Consul. Consul, Consul General, Third Secretary of Legation, First Secretary of Embassy, Counselor of Embassy, and Charge d'Affaires.

The manuscripts in this collection include most of his published works as well as many unpublished items, such as articles, essays, stories, and small diaries and journal notebooks.

The largest part of the collection is taken up by Packer's extensively detailed subject files dealing with Soviet Russia. These subject files encompass over half of the collection and cover all aspects of the U.S.S.R., from politics and propaganda, culture and trade, to history and international relations. There are also numerous clippings about the Soviet Union from American and international newspapers, some of them pre-Revolutionary, as well as two volumes of a pre-Revolutionary Russian dictionary. Other subject files include various European and Asian countries and International organizations. Spanning over eight decades, the Packer collection is an in-depth look at a country through the eyes of an American.