Guide to the Institute on World Affairs Records
Finding Aid Authors: Ellen E. Jarosz.
© Copyright 2008 Special Collections & University Archives. All rights reserved.
2008-01-17
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: scref@rohan.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Guide to the Institute on World Affairs Records
1943/2005
Special Collections & University Archives
Overview of the Collection
Collection Title: Institute on World Affairs Records
Dates: 1943-2005
Bulk Dates: 1950-1969
Identification: MS-0348
Creator:
Institute on World Affairs
Physical Description: 3.13 linear ft
Language of Materials:
English
Repository:
Special Collections & University Archives
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: scref@rohan.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Historical Note:
The Institute on World Affairs at San Diego State was founded in 1942 by Dr. Abraham Nasatir, a member of San Diego State
College's History faculty. It is the second-oldest institute of its kind west of the Mississippi. From 1942 until 1954 it
met in the main auditorium of the First Methodist Church, at Ninth and C Streets in downtown San Diego. In 1954 it was transferred
to the San Diego State College campus.
Dr. Nasatir directed the Institute until 1949, when he was succeeded by Minos D. Generales, a member of the Political Science
faculty at San Diego State. In 1949 an Advisory Board was created for the Institute which was representative of wide international
interests in international affairs. The IWA was moved to San Diego State College as a non-profit organization then called
the "Council on International Affairs." In 1957 the IWA's annual session was first broadcast over local radio, and since
1959 sessions have been broadcast over Los Angeles networks and the facilities of the National Association of Educational
Broadcasters Network.
The purpose of the annual Institute is to make available to San Diegans the most authoritative interpretations of international
affairs and current problems in the broadest possible sense; the goal to engage those who have been most intimately involved
in the examination or policy formulation of world issues. Lecturers and panel members have included leading officials from
the US State Department, US Defense Department, numerous diplomatic representatives from around the globe, scientists connected
with research affecting national security, psychologists, business leaders, economists and political scientists who engage
in comparative studies of ideologies and institutions throughout the world.
Formerly, the IWA held annual three-week sessions every August, including a series of public lectures on matters of international
significance. Today, ninety-minute sessions are held each Thursday evening from February through early May, where speakers
address assembled guests for roughly 40 minutes, followed by a question and answer period. Speakers represent a wide range
of viewpoints, backgrounds, political persuasions, and fields of specialization. In accordance with its motto,
Audiatur Et Altera Pars (Let the Other Side Also be Heard), the Institute has striven to maintain its policy of strict non-partisanship throughout
its existence. It is a recognized instrument for the expression of opinions by governments and institutions of their official
stands in policies and in the issues of our time. The IWA is currently directed by Dr. George Bergstrom.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Corporate Name:
San Diego State University. Institute on World Affairs -- Archives
Genre/Form of Material:
Institutional Archives
Photographs
Publications
Topical Term:
International relations -- Research -- California -- San Diego -- History -- Sources
World politics -- 1945-1989 -- Research -- California -- San Diego -- History -- Sources
World politics -- 1989- -- Research -- California -- San Diego -- History -- Sources
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use:
The copyright interests in some of these materials have been transferred to or belong to San Diego State University. The nature
of historical archival and manuscript collections means that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine.
Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. Requests for permission to publish
must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. Permissions
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available
for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.
Conditions Governing Access:
This collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation:
Identification of item, folder title, box number, Institute on World Affairs Records, Special Collections and University Archives,
Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.
Arrangement of Materials:
I. Correspondence, 1951-2005
II. Subject/Office Files, 1943-2005
III. Press Clippings, 1951-1991
IV. Photographs
V. Institute Publications, 1961-1969
Scope and Contents
The
Institute on World Affairs (IWA) Records documents the work of the IWA with local, national, and international communities in accomplishing its goal of community
and campus outreach and education on the subject of international affairs and relations. The collection dates from approximately
1951-2005, with the bulk of documents created in the 1950s and 1960s. It consists primarily of paper records, including correspondence
and subject files, generated over the 50+ year course of the group's existence, and has been divided into 5 series:
Correspondence,
Subject Files,
Press Clippings,
Photographs, and
Institute Publications. There are no subseries.
The
Correspondence series includes records dated from 1951-2005. These files primarily document the IWA's process of selecting and engaging
speakers for upcoming IWA Sessions, as well as the process and details involved in assisting speakers with traveling to and
staying in San Diego after they have been officially engaged. This includes scheduling, reservation-making, etc. The correspondence
also includes limited records documenting the IWA's formative years. Some clippings are scattered through the series. Materials
are filed chronologically by year.
The
Subject Files series dates from 1943-2005. It primarily documents events and other activities the IWA participated in over the course
of its existence. These include materials relating to Annual Conferences, a guest book signed by speakers and panel members,
information and publicity relating to speakers, some transcripts, and promotional materials. Also included is historical
information on the early and formative years of the IWA. Some clippings are scattered through the series. Records are filed
alphabetically by file name.
The
Press Clippings series dates from 1951-1991. The clippings document both the public activities of the IWA, as well as its profile in the
community and on campus. They primarily consist of informational articles about the IWA itself, as well as announcements
for different speakers visiting to participate in the Institute.
The
Photographs date almost exclusively from the 1960s, when Dr. Minos Generales was director of the IWA. While only some are captioned
and dated, they primarily document IWA sessions, speakers, and other events. Some are attached to the loose pages of a scrapbook
which was dissembled before arrival at the archives. Because the series is so small, and because many photographs are not
dated or captioned, they have not been organized at the item-level.
The
Institute Publications series dates from 1961-1969, and includes exclusively those materials published by the IWA on such varied subjects as the
IWA's annual proceedings, and the role of warfare, human rights, and the world economy in international relations. They form
a record of the topics the IWA's speakers and guests focused on and studied. They are not foldered, and are filed chronologically.
Detailed List of Contents
Box 4, Folder 3
Annual Conference Flyers
c.1957-
Box 4, Folder 4
Annual Conference Programs
1943-
Box 4, Folder 5
Articles of Incorporation
1954,1968
Box 4, Folder 6
Biographical Sketches of Speakers
Box 4, Folder 8
Conference attendance-Summers
1948-50
Box 5, Folder 3
Profile of Speakers
1967-68
Box 5, Folder 4
Profile of Speakers
1967-68
Box 5, Folder 6
Proposal-A World Affairs Council for the San Dieo Area
n.d.
Box 5, Folder 7
A Report on the Institute on World Affairs of San Diego State Collge
1965
Box 5, Folder 8
Select list of speakers
1961-69
Box 5, Folder 9
Speaker announcements/Fliers
1996-2003
Box 5, Folder 10
Speaker Programs
2000,2005
Box 5, Folder 12
Summary of the 22nd Annual Institute on World Affairs
1964
Box 5, Folder 14
Transcipts of Speeches Given
n.d.
Press Clippings
1951-2005
Box 5, Folder 15
Newspaper Clippings/Press Releases
c.1951
Box 6, Folder 3
Ambassador of Thailand at Institute on World Affairs (Photos)
Spring 1952
Box 6, Folder 4
Institute Photos (Generales Era)
Institute Publications
1961-1969
Box 6
Institute on World Affairs
1961-64
Box 7
Institute on World Affairs
1965-69
