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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.
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