ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
University Committee on Post-War International Problems Records, 1942 - 1945

UPB 7.9 PWP

0.3 Cubic ft.
Prepared by Kaiyi Chen
October 2001

Access to collections is granted in accordance with the Protocols for the University Archives and Records Center.

PROVENANCE

Transferred to the University Archives in 1996.

 

AGENCY HISTORY

In the summer of 1942, Henry F. Schwarz, Secretary of American Defense-Harvard Group, sent letters to 170 colleges and universities, proposing the organization of faculty groups for the discussion of post-war problems. The faculty of the University of Pennsylvania was among those that responded to the initiative. In the autumn of the same year, a new organization--the Universities Committee on Post-War International Problems--was established. Under the central committee were a number of "Cooperating Groups" including the University of Pennsylvania Committee on Post-War International Problems.

The organization was aimed to recognize and discuss grave international problems that would face the world in the post-war period, with the expectation that discussion among University faculty members could contribute to the development of a timely and intelligent
solution to these problems. The central committee was terminated with the issuance of its final report in the summer of 1945. In the report, the central committee concluded that it had "contributed to the preparation of the American mind for participation in international organization"; but with the emphasis shifting from study to action, the procedure of deliberation and discussion was no longer well suited to the future need for decisions on international problems.

The University of Pennsylvania Committee on Post-War International Problems was chaired by the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The collection includes some minutes and correspondence of both the Universities Committee on Post-War International Problems and the Penn Committee. The balance records discussions by Penn faculty members on various problems set by the central committee.

Return to the top