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Somerville (John) papers
95058  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Access
  • Use
  • Acquisition Information
  • Preferred Citation
  • Biographical/Historical Note
  • Scope and Content of Collection
  • Arrangement
  • Related Collections

  • Title: John Somerville papers
    Date (inclusive): 1930-1995
    Collection Number: 95058
    Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
    Language of Material: English
    Physical Description: 15 manuscript boxes (6.3 Linear Feet)
    Abstract: Correspondence, writings, and notes, relating to Marxist philosophy, philosophy and education in the Soviet Union, peace and nuclear disarmament movements, and the loyalty-security program in the United States.
    Creator: Somerville, John, 1905-1994
    Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives

    Access

    The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

    Use

    For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

    Acquisition Information

    Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1995.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], John Somerville papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

    Biographical/Historical Note

    American philosopher; president, Society for the Philosophical Study of Marxism; president, International Philosophers for the Prevention of Nuclear Omnicide.
    1905 March 13 Born, New York City, New York
    1935-1937 Somerville and his wife, Rose Maurer Somerville, work in the U.S.S.R. studying Soviet philosophy
    1938 Receives Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University
    1939-1967 At Hunter College (the City University of New York) Somerville advances from Instructor to Professor Emeritus
    1946 Author, Soviet Philosophy: A Study of Theory and Practice
    1949 Author, The Philosophy of Peace
    1950s Testifies in three trials as an expert witness on the doctrines of Marxism-Leninism
    1956 Author, The Communist Trials and the American Tradition
    1962-1987 Founding editor and Editor in Chief of the translation quarterly, Soviet Studies in Philosophy (now Russian Studies in Philosophy)
    1962 Co-founder of the Society for the Philosophical Study of Dialectical Materialism (later, the Society for the Philosophical Study of Marxism)
    1963 August Helps organize first bi-national conference of American and Soviet philosophers at the XIIIth World Congress of Philosophy in Mexico City
    1963 December 27 Organizes first full dialogue on U.S. soil between American and Soviet philosophers at the American Philosophical Association (APA) conference, in Washington D.C.
    1967 Author, The Philosophy of Marxism
    1967-1972 Taught at the United States International University
    1975 Author, The Peace Revolution: Ethos and Social Process
    1976 Author, The Crisis: The True Story of How the World Almost Ended (play)
    1978 Co-founder of The Union of American and Japanese Professionals Against Nuclear Omnicide
    1980 Initiates California Campaign for No-First-Use of Nuclear Weapons
    1981 Awarded the degree Doctor of Humane Letters from Denison University; Author, Soviet Marxism and Nuclear War and The Last Inquest (play)
    1983 Co-founder and first president of the International Philosophers for the Prevention of Nuclear Omnicide (IPPNO) at the XVIIth World Congress of Philosophy in Montreal
    1984 Initiates National Campaign for a Policy of No-First-Use of Nuclear Weapons
    1986 Organizes first conference of the IPPNO in St. Louis
    1987 Receives Gandhi Peace Award from the board of directors of Promoting Enduring Peace
    1987 Receives Bertrand Russell Peace Award
    1994 January 8 Died, El Cajon, California

    Scope and Content of Collection

    The collection includes materials related to Marxist philosophy, philosophy and education in the Soviet Union, peace and nuclear disarmament movements, and the loyalty-security program in the United States, in the form of correspondence, writings, and notes. The collection encompasses the years 1930-1995, with the bulk of the materials covering 1960-1989.
    The bulk of the material relates generally to John Somerville's academic career, which encompassed the study of Marxism, Soviet philosophy, and education, as well as his political activism against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, nuclear war, and nuclear omnicide, a term coined by Somerville to describe the extinction of the human species as a result of human action. Most of these materials relate to his work as co-founder and president of the Society for the Philosophical Study of Marxism (SPSM), the International Philosophers for the Prevention of Nuclear Omnicide (IPPNO), and his support of and membership in related organizations such as the American Philosophical Association (APA) and The Union of American and Japanese Professionals Against Nuclear Omnicide (UAJPANO).
    The original order of the materials was retained within each folder in the collection, as received by the Hoover Archives. The folders in the collection were organized into five series: Biographical File, Diaries, Correspondence, Speeches and Writings and Subject File. Researchers should be aware that the materials under a particular subject heading do not necessarily represent the entirety of that subject and more materials may be available in another series. Even though most of the materials in the collection are found in the correspondence series, because a substantial amount of printed matter other than correspondence is interfiled within the correspondence folders, a reasonable effort has been made to identify important materials within these folders that are not categorized as correspondence. Researchers looking for a specific writing, assuming it isn't in the speeches and writings series, should strongly consider browsing through the correspondence folders.

    Arrangement

    The collection is organized into 5 series: Biographical File, Diaries, Correspondence, Speeches and Writings, Subject File

    Related Collections

    World without War Council records, 1948-2008, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
    Robert H. Kupperman papers, 1965-1995, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
    Fred Charles Iklé papers, 1972-1988, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
    Lorelei Kelly collection, 1983-1993, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
    Edward Teller papers, 1930-2003, Hoover Institution Library & Archives

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Peace
    Disarmament
    Education -- Soviet Union
    Internal security -- United States
    Philosophers
    Philosophy, Marxist
    Philosophy -- Soviet Union
    Society for the Philosophical Study of Marxism
    International Philosophers for the Prevention of Nuclear Omnicide