Robert Jervis papers, 1950-2020, bulk 1970-2020

Creator:

Jervis, Robert, 1940-2021

Abstract:

Documents the career and research of Columbia political scientist and international relations scholar Robert "Bob" Jervis. Largely consists of research notes, but also includes correspondence, teaching materials, and drafts.

Extent:

37.5 linear feet (75 manuscript boxes)

Language:

English

Scope and content:

This collection consists of documents relating to Robert Jervis's work as a political science researcher, international relations advisor, and working professor. The majority are research files, including annotated copies of publications, typed or handwritten notes on research concepts and events, newspaper and magazine clippings, and printed internet message board correspondence. Papers also include drafts, teaching materials, meeting minutes, proposals, reports, and a small amount of professional correspondence.

Biographical / historical:

Robert "Bob" Jervis (1940-2021) was an American political scientist and professor whose work centered on political psychology and international relations. He was born in New York City on April 30th, 1940, to Herman and Dorothy (Bing) Jervis. As a child, he attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in Manhattan before leaving New York City for Oberlin, where he earned a B.A. in 1962. On a 1961 student trip to the Soviet Union he met educational researcher and teacher Kathe Weil (1942-2026), and they married in 1967.

After earning his Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley in 1968, he was appointed Assistant Professor (1968-1972) and later Associate Professor (1972-1974) of Government at Harvard University. In 1974 he became a Professor of Political Science at UCLA before returning to New York City in 1980 to accept a position as Professor at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, where he remained until his death in 2021.

At Columbia, he was named the Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics and worked in the Saltzman Institute for War and Peace Studies. He led the International Society of Political Psychology and the American Political Science Association, co-founded the International Security Studies Forum, and co-edited the journal Cornell Studies in Security Affairs. He also served as special advisor to the CIA and spent 20 years as the head of the organization's Historical Review Panel. Jervis is the author of over 100 publications, including 8 books. His research explored theories of cooperation and conflict, decision-making, perception, the security dilemma, and nuclear policy. His work is considered deeply influential in the fields of international relations and political psychology.

Sources:

• How I Got Here (2020), by Robert Jervis, H-Diplo Essay #198 in the series "Learning the Scholar's Craft: Reflections of Historians and International Relations Scholars." https://web.archive.org/web/20250110040415/https:/issforum.org/essays/PDF/E198.pdf

• Robert Jervis Profile (2021), Columbia SIPA website. https://web.archive.org/web/20260321075545/https:/www.sipa.columbia.edu/communities-connections/faculty/robert-jervis

• Roundtable: Remembering Robert Jervis (2022), discussion chaired by Francis J. Gavin, Texas National Security Review. https://web.archive.org/web/20251016103231/https:/tnsr.org/roundtable/remembering-robert-jervis/

• Robert Jervis Curriculum Vitae (undated), Columbia SIPA website. https://web.archive.org/web/20251013195425/https:/polisci.columbia.edu/sites/polisci.columbia.edu/files/content/pdfs/Faculty CVs/Jervis CV.pdf

• Robert Jervis: remembering the dean of intelligence studies (2022), by J.J. Wirtz, Intelligence and National Security Vol. 37, Issue 5. https://doi.org/10.1080/02684527.2022.2055707

• Herman Jervis Obituary (30 November 2004), New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/30/classified/paid-notice-deaths-jervis-herman.html

• Kathe Jervis Obituary (17 May 2026), New York Times. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/nytimes/name/kathe-jervis-obituary?id=61485385

• The Jervis Effect: The Scholarship and Legacy of Robert Jervis (2026), edited by Richard H. Immerman, Stacie E. Goddard, and Diane N. Labrosse, Columbia University Press

Catalog record:: View in CLIO
Local call number:: MS#2244
Processing information:: Collection was processed and finding aid was written by Wilhelmine Coste of The Winthrop Group, spring 2026, with funding from the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies.
Acquisition information:: Gift of Kathe Weil Jervis
Custodial history:: This collection was stored at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies while being processed.
Related material:: Related collections at the RBML include the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs records, 1950s-2020s, the Marshall D. Shulman Papers, the William T.R. and Annette Fox Papers, the Kenneth Waltz papers, and the Charles Tilly papers.
Preferred citation:: Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Robert Jervis Papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is located offsite.

This collection has no restrictions.

Terms of access:

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Location of this collection:: Rare Book & Manuscript Library

RBML Home Page
6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027, USA
Before you visit:: Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.

Contact:: rbml@library.columbia.edu

Collection