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Series I. Administrative records, 1950-1974
Series II. Assembly meeting records, 1951-2006
Series III. Publications, 1951-2008
Series IV. Participant records, 1950s-2000s

The American Assembly records, 1950-2008

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Series I. Administrative records, 1950-1974

Selective documentation of the first years of the American Assembly. Most of the correspondence, notes and minutes of the early days of The Assembly can be found in Central Files (or Office of President records). These records include those of the first director, Phillip Young, and subsequent director, Courtney C. Brown, who were both Deans of the Graduate School of Business. The materials (reports, publications, correspondence, notes, newspaper clippings, articles, etc.) were gathered and bound into six volumes by Clifford C. Willson, Executive Vice President, in 1960, and two more volumes as a continuation of the series were added in 1967 and 1974. This series also includes the records of the President's Commission on National Goals (1960).

General and Administrative Papers


Box 1 Genesis and Growth, 1950-1959

(Volume I. Eisenhower papers; Committee for Economic Development)

Box 1 Arden House and Special Programs, 1950-1959

(Volume II. Executive Program in Business Administration; National Manpower Council)

Box 1 Fund Raising and Fiscal, 1950-1959

(Volume III. Fiscal Management; Columbia-Assembly Agreement; Income Tax Exemption; Excise Tax Application)

Box 1 National Policy Board, Trustees, Officers, 1950-1959

(Volume IV)

Box 1 Faculty Advisory Committee and Reports, Proposals and Brochures, 1950-1959

(Volume V)

Box 1 Organization and Technique; Potential Assembly Topics, 1950-1959

(Volume VI. Charter, Incorporation and Bylaws; "Little Assemblies" and Regionals; Commercial Publication; Harriman Scholars)


Box 2 General and Administrative Papers, 1960-1967

(This one bound volume is a continuation of the previous series and includes correspondence, annual reports, brochures, etc.)

Box 2 General and Administrative Papers, 1967-1974

(Includes Trustees and Officers; Fund Raising and Fiscal; Faculty Advisory Committee; Annual Report, Brochures and General Publicity; Organization and Technique; Commercial Publication)

The President's Commission on National Goals


Box 10 Volume I, 1960

(Volume I. The American Assembly was the administering agency for the President's Commission on National Goals, which was appointed by President Eisenhower in January 190. To facilitate operations, the Assembly opened a temporary office in Washington, DC. All of the basic documents relative to the work of that office were sent to the Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Texas. The papers in this volume series were those collected at the office of the American Assembly at Columbia University. Some are duplicates of those at the presidential library; some are not, especially in the later volumes, which pertain to the American Assemblies on National Goals and to the distribution of "Goals for Americans", the essays prepared by the Commission.)


Box 11 Volume II, 1960-1963

( The report of the Commission, publicity and press clippings, publication of the volume "Goals for Americans" (GfA), report to contributing foundations, and a list of colleges where GfA was used.")

Box 11 Volume III, 1960-1962

(Regional assemblies, local assemblies and general follow-up)

Box 11 Volume IV, 1960-1962

(Regional assemblies)


Box 12 Volume V, 1960-1963

(Miscellaneous documents)

Box 12 Goals for Dallas, 1965-1966

(After the American Assembly acted as the administrative agency for the President's Commission on Goals, they were asked to give advice to both public and private agencies and institutions. At the invitation of Mayor J. Erik Jonsson of Dallas, Texas, the American Assembly co-sponsored a Goals for Dallas assembly.)