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Collection Overview

Creator:
Roberts, Owen W.
Title:
Owen W. and Janet K. Roberts Papers
Repository:
Public Policy Papers
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/vh53wv76h
Dates:
1955-1991
Size:
2 boxes
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-2
Language:
English

Abstract

The Owen W. and Janet K. Roberts Papers document the Roberts' time in Cairo, the Congo and Nigeria while Owen Roberts was a member of the Foreign Service.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The Owen W. and Janet K. Roberts Papers document the Roberts' time in Cairo, the Congo and Nigeria while Owen Roberts was a member of the Foreign Service. The papers consist of nearly two hundred original letters written between 1955 and 1957, describing the Roberts' life in Cairo, as well as transcriptions of a majority of the Cairo letters, bound and titled "Letters from Cairo, 1955-1957." The Roberts Papers also include bound transcripts of letters from Roberts' Foreign Service in Africa, entitled, "Letters from the Congo, 1958-1960," and "Letters from Nigeria, 1964-1966," as well as "Letters from Jerusalem and the Sinai, 1976-1978." In addition, the bound transcripts contain Owen Roberts' remarks on the Congo and Nigeria for Georgetown University's Oral Diplomatic History program in 1991.

Collection Creator Biography:

Roberts

Owen W. Roberts was born in Ardmore, Oklahoma in 1924. He served in the United States Army from 1943-1946 and graduated from Princeton University (A.B., 1948) and from Columbia University (M.A., 1952; Ph.D., 1955). In 1955 he entered the Foreign Service as consular officer in Cairo and was commercial officer in Leopoldville in 1958-1960. In the Department he was desk officer for Africa in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (1961-1962) and in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs (1963-1964). He was political officer in Lagos from 1964-1965, and deputy chief of mission in Ouagadougou from 1966-1968. He attended the Air War College from 1969 to 1970. In the Department he was staff director of the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service (1970-1971), Deputy Director for Cultural Affairs for Africa (1971-1972), a member of the policy planning staff (1973), and Executive Director of the Office of Inspector General (1974-1975). From 1976-1978, he was Deputy Director of the Sinai Field Mission, Sinai Desert. He was Director of the African Office at the Department of Defense (on detail) from 1978-1979, and deputy chief of mission in Addis Ababa from 1979-1982. In 1983 he served as African adviser at the United Nations General Assembly. From 1982-1984, he was roving Charge in Victoria, Banjul, and then N'Djamena. In May 1984 Roberts was appointed Ambassador to the Republic of Togo, and held that post through September 1986. Owens retired in 1989.

Biography of Janet K. Roberts

Janet Read Kiehel Roberts was born in Philadelphia in 1926. She attended Vassar College, graduating in 1947 with a focus on creative writing and social anthropology. She married Owen Roberts in 1949.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Gift of Owen W. and Janet K. Roberts in December 2006 , January 2008 , January 2009, and April 2011 . Accession numbers associated with this collection are ML.2006.019, ML.2008.003, ML.2009.001 and ML.2011.013.

Appraisal

No material was separated from this collection during accessioning in 2008, 2009 or 2011.

Processing Information

Four accessions were combined to form this collection. Collection-level MARC and EAD finding aid created when first two accessions were combined to form the collection (December 2006 and January 2008 accessions). The finding was updated when subsequent accessions were acquired in January 2009 and April 2011.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Owen W. and Janet K. Roberts Papers; Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/vh53wv76h
Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-2