- Collection Overview
- Collection Description & Creator Information
- Access & Use
- Collection History
- Find Related Materials
Expanded View
Collection Overview
- Creator:
- Crespi, Leo Paul, 1916-2008
- Title:
- Leo P. Crespi Papers
- Repository:
- Public Policy Papers
- Permanent URL:
- http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/bg257f12k
- Dates:
- 1938-1999 (mostly 1940-1985)
- Size:
- 19 boxes
- Storage Note:
- Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-19
- Language:
- English German
Abstract
Leo Paul Crespi was a leading public opinion researcher best known for his studies of U.S. prestige abroad. The collection consists primarily of Crespi's public opinion research files and his early research files on gambling addiction.
Collection Description & Creator Information
- Description:
This collection consists primarily of Crespi's public opinion research files and his early research files on gambling addiction. The papers document three periods in his career: Crespi's Princeton years, his public opinion research in Germany, and his career at the United States Information Agency as head of research. Document types include reports, correspondence, notes, and photographs.
- Arrangement
Organized into the following series:
- Collection Creator Biography:
Crespi, Leo Paul, 1916-2008
Leo Paul Crespi was a leading public opinion researcher best known for his studies of U.S. prestige abroad. During his early career, Crespie wrote his Ph.D thesis at Princeton on gambling and addiction, describing what is now known as the Crespi Effect. Crespi graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1937 and received a doctorate in comparative psychology from Princeton University in 1942. He taught at Princeton for eight years following his graduation. From 1947-1953, Crespi conducted a U.S. government survey of public opinion in post-war Germany, and served as the President of the World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) from 1955-1956. He joined the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) in 1954, and for the following 32 years he directed USIA's program of opinion surveys, focusing especially on Western Europe. A classified report of Crespi's on French and British public opinion of the U.S. received wide attention in 1960 when it was leaked to the New York Times. The report supported statements made by John F. Kennedy about the United States' declining prestige abroad and was subsequently seen as a favorable influence on Kennedy's presidential bid.
Collection History
- Acquisition:
Gift of Jeffrey Crespi in 2008 [ML.2008.025]. Additional donation by Jeffrey Crespi made in 2014 [ML.2014.030].
- Appraisal
No information about appraisal is available for this collection.
- Sponsorship:
These papers were processed with the generous support of the John Foster and Janet Avery Dulles Fund.
- Processing Information
This collection was processed by Regine Heberlein on February 25, 2010. A MARC record and finding aid were created at this time. The finding aid was updated by Kate Dundon in June 2011, and by Rachel Van Unen in 2014 to reflect accession ML.2014.030.
Access & Use
- Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
- Conditions Governing Use
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. For quotations that are fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. For those few instances beyond fair use, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold the copyright and obtaining approval from them. Researchers do not need anything further from the Mudd Library to move forward with their use.
- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Box 16 contains magnetic tapes and photographic slides. Access to this material follows the Mudd Manuscript Library policy for preservation and access to audiovisual materials. Please see our Audio Visual Policy for more information.
- Credit this material:
Leo P. Crespi Papers; Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
- Permanent URL:
- http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/bg257f12k
- Location:
-
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library65 Olden StreetPrinceton, NJ 08540, USA
- Storage Note:
- Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-19
Find More
- Subject Terms:
- Foreign public opinion.
Gambling.
Public opinion polls.
Public opinion.
Tipping. - Genre Terms:
- Color slides.
Magnetic tapes.
Photographs.
Records (documents). - Names:
- American association for public opinion research
World Association for Public Opinion Research
United States, Information Agency
Crespi, Leo Paul, 1916-2008
