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Series 2, Subject correspondence, 1936-1969
Collection Overview
Collection Description & Creator Information
- Scope and Contents
Series 2, Subject Correspondence, 1936-1969, contains correspondence alphabetically arranged by topic that Fischer kept on countries he visited, most of his publications, and other subjects. Of special interest are the country files, grouped under the heading "international," which contain accounts of his impressions of the people he met or interviewed. Fischer wrote these accounts as letters to friends and kept a copy specifically for these files. Other correspondence relating to these visits is often included as well, primarily with people from within the country itself. This is especially the case with the files about India, which Fischer visited at least four times between 1942 and 1952. They contain correspondence from people in India not present in the General Correspondence series commenting on the domestic situation. Correspondence with people or organizations sympathizing with the cause of Indian independence, including Fischer's own project to raise money among friends for a tractor, will be found in separate subject files.
The file on Spain documents Fischer's involvement with the Spanish Civil War and his role as an intermediary with the American Section of the International Brigades in the repatriation of American volunteers. The file includes some drafts for speeches and announcements that Fischer may have ghostwritten for others and confidential correspondence with Ambassador Claude Bowes concerning the American embargo on the shipment of arms to Spain. Some correspondence in this file is in Spanish and German. The file on the Soviet Union contains correspondence concerning his 1956 visit, eighteen years after his last visit in May 1938.
The files on books and miscellaneous publications contain correspondence with both American and foreign publishers, the latter usually concerning foreign translations and copyright, especially letters to Jonathan Cape and Victor Gollancz. Correspondence with his primary publishers Duell, Sloan & Pearce, and later Harper's, and other publishers and journals can be found in the General Correspondence series. The subject files on individual book publications contain letters from readers and literary editors. The files on Men and Politics (1941), The Story of Indonesia (1959), and The Life of Lenin (1964) also contain correspondence concerning research and earlier drafts of the manuscripts. Of special interest in the Lenin file is correspondence with Radio Liberty in London, which broadcast an interview with Fischer on the book in 1964 and evoked reactions from listeners in the Soviet Union, to whom Fischer responded in Russian in a later broadcast (transcripts included).
The miscellaneous publications folders, which start in 1947, include agreements and general correspondence with publishers, journals, agents, and sometimes readers, who are not found among the names in the General Correspondence series. Of special interest is the correspondence of 1947-1949, which documents conflicts with publishers in India over payments, and includes some observations of the situation in India and the decline of public interest in Fischer's columns in Indian newspapers (1947). The correspondence of 1959 includes an exchange with the Zionist Echo editor concerning accusations by the Israeli Minister of Development Mordechai Bentov that he was misquoted by Fischer in the book This is Our World. Another subject file documents Fischer's role as one of the initiators and vice-chairmen of the Liberal Party, founded in 1944. Documentation on Fischer's appointments and courses at the Woodrow Wilson School may be found in the file on Princeton University.
- Arrangement
No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Collection History
- Appraisal
No appraisal information is available.
- Sponsorship:
These papers were processed with the generous support of George Fischer.
- Processing Information
This collection was processed by Helene van Rossum in 2000, with the assistance of Desmond Dorsey '99, Bev Prewitt '02, Lindsey Tripp '04. Finding aid written by Helene van Rossum in 2000. Finding aid updated by Phoebe Nobles in February, 2019.
Access & Use
- Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research use.
- 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, any copyright vested in the donor has passed to The Trustees of Princeton University and researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of donor-created materials within the collection. For materials in the collection not created by the donor, or where the material is not an original, the copyright is likely not held by the University. In these instances, 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. 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 a question about who owns the copyright for an item, you may request clarification by contacting 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:
Series 2, Subject correspondence; Louis Fischer Papers, MC024, Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
- Location:
-
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library65 Olden StreetPrinceton, NJ 08540, USA
- Storage Note:
- Mudd Manuscript Library (mudd): Box 14-18
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- Bibliography
Fischer, Louis. Men and Politics, An Autobiography. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1940. Fischer, Markoosha. My Lives in Russia. New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1944. Raucher, Alan. "Beyond the God that Failed: Louis Fischer, Liberal Internationalist". The Historian 44, No. 2 (1982): 174-189.
- Names:
- Congress for Cultural Freedom.
Liberal Party (U.S.)
Genoa Conference (1922)
Great Britain. Army. Jewish Legion
Allilueva, Svetlana (1926-2011)
Chicherin, G. (Georgiĭ) (1872-1936)
Fischer, George (1923)
Fischer, Viktor (1924)
Gándhí, Mahátma (1869-1948)
Lenin, Vladimir Ilʹich (1870-1924)
Nehru, Jawaharlal (1889-1964)
Roosevelt, Eleanor (1884-1962)
Soekarno (1901-1970)
Stalin, Joseph (1878-1953)
Tito, Josip Broz (1892-1980)
Welles, Sumner (1892-1961)