Series 2: American Committee for International Studies [ACIS], (1932-1948) consists of the records of ACIS, formerly known as the American Coordinating Committee for International Studies. ACIS represents an expanded version of the original committee. The American Coordinating Committee was established in 1936 to take the place of the Council on Foreign Relations as the American member of the International Studies Conference, a conference organized in 1928 that cultivated a program of studies in countries with member groups. The Council on Foreign Relations became the administrative agent for the American Coordinating Committee. The Committee was composed of representatives of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Foreign Policy Association, the Institute of Pacific Relations, the National Committee of the United States on International Intellectual Cooperation, and university members appointed by the Social Science Research Council.

With the outbreak of World War II, it was suggested that the American Coordinating Committee undertake various activities (e.g. preparing memoranda, informing the public, and preparing scholarly studies) that would help to prepare the United States for potential changes in the world order. As the Executive Committee of the American Coordinating Committee felt that some of these activities fell outside the sphere of the Committee, the Committee reorganized itself into the American Committee for International Studies [ACIS] in order to expand its functions. ACIS was designed not only to continue the function of the original committee -- that of preparing memoranda, but also to expand into an active program of study, analyzing the interests, opportunities, and obligations of the United States currently and during post-war reconstruction. This analysis would be a combined effort of individuals from various backgrounds, including business and academia.

This series should be considered distinct from, although related to, the other five series, as it contains the files of ACIS and not Earle's personal files. The files document Earle's role as chair of the committee from 1940-1941 and contain a substantial amount of correspondence to and from Earle. The files reflect his role as organizer of conferences and committee meetings; creator of "liaisons" with various individuals and foundations (e.g. the Carnegie Corporation and the Rockefeller Foundation); and organizer of the Military Policy sub-committee. However, more than half of the correspondence is to and from William W. Lockwood, secretary of ACIS from 1940-1941.

The ACIS series is broken down into five subseries: Minutes, Financial Statements, Correspondence, Organizational Files, and the Conference on North Atlantic Relations (CNAR). The five subseries are arranged alphabetically. As ACIS represents a reorganized version of the American Coordinating Committee for International Studies, rather than a merger of two distinct committees, the folders from the former committee have been interfiled with those of the latter. Some of the files in the Minutes subseries have accompanying material interfiled (e.g. correspondence, agenda, and committee reports). The Financial Statements subseries includes correspondence relating to general expenses and budget reports for the years 1938-1944. In the Correspondence subseries, organization names and the names of individuals are interfiled. Primary correspondents' names within an organization follow the organization name enclosed by parentheses. The Organizational Files include substantial material on the reorganization conference in Rye, New York (November 3-4, 1939) at which the American Coordinating Committee discussed how it would restructure itself to take on the new challenges presented by the outbreak of World War II. Also included in this subseries are files on a number of International Studies Conferences, especially the Bergen, Norway Conference held in August, 1939, and a number of files on research proposals overseen by the Committee (e.g. American Military Policy, Totalitarianism in Europe). In addition to these, the Organizational Files subseries contains correspondence files for fourteen of the committee members. The fifth subseries, The Conference on North Atlantic Relations, includes planning material, conference proceedings (outlines/recorders' notes) consisting of a number of sessions relating to Post-War settlement -- "When the Fighting Stops," "Rebuilding Europe," and "Post-War Order," -- and complete conference documentation contained in a bound volume and listed in the box listing according to the creating committee or organization. It also includes information relating to the invitees, representatives from Canada, Great Britain and other European countries, and the United States.