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Use
Acquisition Information
Preferred Citation
Biographical Note
Scope and Content of Collection
Related Archival Materials note
Title: Ronald Hilton papers
Date (inclusive): 1929-2006
Collection Number: 80080
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
103 manuscript boxes, 3 oversize boxes, 1 oversize folder
(54.5 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Writings, correspondence, printed matter, sound recordings, video tapes, and photographs relating to international relations
and their study at Stanford University; the history of, and political, social, and economic conditions in, Latin America and
Spain; Soviet historiography on Herbert Hoover and American food relief to Russia; and language as a factor in politics in
multilingual countries. Includes recordings of interviews of Latin American leaders, and editorial records of
World Affairs Report.
Creator:
Hilton, Ronald, 1911-2007
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
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1980.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Ronald Hilton papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Biographical Note
Ronald Hilton was born in England on July 31, 1911 and spent much of his early 20s in Spain during the tumultuous and bloody
years leading up to the Spanish Civil War. "I was evacuated [in 1936] during the early days of the civil war, in which some
of my best friends were killed on the right or on the left," he once wrote. "I am one of the very few people who lived through
the Republican period and who knew most of the leading intellectuals." Hilton wrote a book about his experience called
Spain, 1931-36: From Monarchy to Civil War, an Eye Witness Account.
Hilton later returned to England, where he received a master's degree from Oxford University in 1936. He moved to California
in 1937 after receiving a Commonwealth Fund Fellowship, which allowed him to study for two years at the University of California-Berkeley.
Hilton began his teaching career at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where he taught modern languages for
two years. He joined Stanford University's faculty in 1942 and became a professor of Romance languages. Hilton shared his
passion for international affairs for more than six decades by writing articles, founding journals, starting institutes and
organizing conferences. In 1948, Hilton founded the Institute of Hispanic American and Luso-Brazilian Studies at Stanford.
The institute published the
Hispanic American Report, an independent monthly journal of reports and essays about Spanish-speaking countries. Bill Ratliff, a fellow and curator
of the Americas at the Hoover Institution, said the report filled a critical need at the time for information about Latin
American countries.
In 1965, Hilton founded the California Institute of International Studies, later known as the World Association of International
Studies. He also began editing and publishing the
World Affairs Report, a quarterly featuring commentaries on world events, essays, summaries of news accounts from foreign newspapers, foreign
editorial cartoons and book reviews. In 1987, Hilton became a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution.
During his lifetime, Hilton edited several books, including the multi-volume
Who's Who in Latin America. He also translated
The Life of Joachim Nabuco, a biography of Brazil's first ambassador to the United States, from the original Portuguese. He passed away on February
20, 2007.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection consists of writings, correspondence, printed matter, sound recordings, video tapes, and photographs relating
to international relations and their study at Stanford University; the history of, and political, social, and economic conditions
in, Latin America and Spain; Soviet historiography on Herbert Hoover and American food relief to Russia; and language as a
factor in politics in multilingual countries. Includes recordings of interviews of Latin American leaders, and editorial records
of
World Affairs Report.
Highlights of this collection include biographical information on Valentin M. Berezhkov, assistant to Soviet foreign minister
Molotov; an article by Keith Tuber, 1993, relating to Berezhkov's recollections of Soviet diplomatic history during World
War II; and a videotape cassette of an interview of Berezhkov conducted by Ronald Hilton in 1993, relating to the German invasion
of the Soviet Union in 1941.
Related Archival Materials note
Hilton Latin American collection, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Audiotapes
Video tapes
Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921 -- Civilian relief
International relations
International relief
Latin America -- Social conditions
Latin America -- History
World affairs report.
Language and languages -- Political aspects
Multilingualism
Latin America -- Politics and government -- 20th century
Latin America -- Economic conditions -- 1945-
Spain -- History
Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964
American Relief Administration
Stanford University