This collection is open for research.
Onsite storage.
This collection contains minutes, reports, correspondence, conference records, committee and other administrative records, and newspaper clippings related to the Institute of Pacific Relations and its American Council branch.
Institute of Pacific Relations records, 1925 -- 1943
This series contains minutes, reports, correspondence, conference records, committee and other administrative records, and newspaper clippings related to the Institute of Pacific Relations and its American Council branch.
Missionary Research Library Archives: MRL12, Ecumenical/World Mission
This collection is arranged in one series in rough chronological order.
This collection is open for research.
Onsite storage.
Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Information concerning copyright, fair use, and reproduction requests can be consulted at Columbia's Copyright Advisory Office.
Item description, MRL12: Institute of Pacific Relations records, 1925-1943, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.
Institute of Pacific Relations records, 1927-1962. Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Libraries.
Formerly part of the independent Missionary Research Library (MRL), these records were accessioned by the Burke Library at the time of the MRL's closure in 1976. Many of the records in this collection were the personal records of members such as Charles Fahs and A. L. Warnshuis.
Columbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary
Metal clips and staples were removed from materials and folded items were flattened. Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. The collection was processed and made available in 2014 and came from a large group of disorganized boxes. The finding aid was created by Brigette Kamsler in 2014 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2021.
2021-08-13 PDF converted to EAD and description updated by Leah Edelman.
The first meeting of the Institute of Pacific Relations (IPR) was held in 1925. The purpose of the Institute was to serve and bring awareness to issues regarding the nations of the Pacific Rim. More specifically, according to the Certificate of Incorporation from December 1938, the objectives of the American Council of the IPR were to promote the study of the people and nations of the Pacific area by working with the general IPR and to stimulate attention to the problem areas, as well as to conduct research, hold conferences, study groups, create publications, and explore other avenues to bring attention to these issues. Various councils were responsible for the national, regional, and local programming. Much of the funding for the Institute came from philanthropies, businesses, and corporations. The American Council was an active member. The IPR international headquarters were in Honolulu until the early 1930s when they were moved to New York and the American Council emerged as the dominant national council. Well-known members of the group were Henry Robinson Luce, E. C. Carter, A. L. Warnshuis, Mrs. John D. Rockefeller Jr., Charles Harvey Fahs, and Daniel Johnson Fleming. The IPR became embroiled in various controversies after World War II and during the Cold War. Eventually the IPR lost its tax-exempt status. Centers for various studies were also on the rise during this time, which made the IPR no longer necessary. The Institute dissolved in 1960.
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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