Institute of Current World Affairs records, 1914-2018, bulk 1926-2011
Collection context
- Creator:
- Crane, Charles Richard, 1858-1939, Crane, John O., 1899-1982, Rogers, Walter S. , Institute of Current World Affairs, and American Universities Field Staff
- Extent:
- 145 linear feet (95 record boxes)
- Language:
- English .
- Scope and content:
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The Institute of Current World Affairs (ICWA) records document the history of the ICWA, its sister organization, the American Universities Field Staff (AUFS), and its founders, Charles and John Crane. Documents include first-hand reports authored by Fellows and field staff, correspondence, minutes, planning documents, subject files, financial records, publications, and photographs.
Spanning almost a century, the ICWA archive documents the organization itself, with its unique philanthropic mission and the important story of its founders, as well as international affairs and culture as witnessed and described by hundreds of journalists, scholars, artists, and policy makers, many of whom emerged as leaders in their chosen fields. The collection will be of interest to those studying the history of the international affairs community and foreign policy, the history and culture of a specific region, and the history of the ICWA itself.
- Biographical / historical:
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The Institute of Current World Affairs (ICWA) is a Washington, D.C-based 501(c)3 which provides fellowships, allowing Americans under age 36 to live in a foreign country for two years. Their observations and research are published in monthly newsletters that are distributed to members.
Three men were instrumental in founding the Institute of Current World Affairs: Charles and John Crane, and Walter S. Rogers.
Charles Crane (1858-1939) was one of the heirs to the Crane Company of Chicago, created by his father Richard Teller Crane in 1855. ACrane served as a member of Woodrow Wilson's Special Diplomatic Commission to Russia (1917), a member of the American Section of the Peace Conference Inter-Allied Commission on Mandate in Turkey (1919), as co-director (with Oberlin College President Henry C. King) of the King-Crane Commission to study the Middle East following World War I (1919), and as American Ambassador to China (May 1920-June 1921). In later years Crane developed a friendship with King Abdul-Azziz ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, and assisted with oil exploration in the region.
John Oliver Crane (1899-1982), Charles Crane's son, traveled extensively with his father and Walter Rogers, and, with Rogers, established the Mutual News Exchange, an independent press service run out of Prague. The news service's need for well-trained, worldly scholar-journalists, led to the establishment of the Institute of Current World Affairs, with a $1 million trust fund from Charles Crane. The ICWA was created to support fellowships abroad. John Crane was one of the earliest Fellows.
Walter S. Rogers (1886-1965) was a Chicago journalist who had worked his way through law school in the evenings. At the turn of the century he was working for the Crane Company. After traveling with Charles and John Crane, Rogers became the Executive Director of the ICWA when it was established in 1925, a position he occupied until his retirement in 1959. Rogers was known for his active recruitment of Fellows.
The American Universities Field Staff (AUFS) program was established by Walter Rogers in 1951, as a partner organization of the ICWA. The AUFS was a membership organization, supported by fees from as many as 20 American universities and grants from the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations, and governed by top representatives of the member schools. The main purpose of the AUFS was to supply teaching personnel in international affairs at the member colleges from its pool of "Associates" --scholars living and studying abroad in their regions of specialization. Many of the original Associates were former ICWA Fellows and subsequent Fellows were often placed with an eye to their becoming Associates. Although Rogers' efforts to merge the ICWA and the AUFS proved unsuccessful, the two continued to be closely linked, sharing offices in New York.
Former Fellow Phillips Talbot served as the first executive director of the AUFS. Following Rogers' retirement in 1959, former Fellow Richard Nolte served as Executive Director until his retirement in 1978. His successor, Peter Martin, also a former Fellow, retired in 2005. Martin was a writer and senior editor at TIME magazine (1955-1970) and a founding editor of MONEY magazine (1970-1978), and the creator of the South North News Service.
A more detailed history can be found on the ICWA's website: https://www.icwa.org/about/history/
Access and use
- Restrictions:
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This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
- Terms of access:
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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.
- Preferred citation:
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Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Name of Collection; Box and Folder; Institute of Current World Affairs Records, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must 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