Peters Z. Olins papers, 1927-1962

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Summary

Creators:
Olins, Peters Z., -1962
Abstract:
Correspondence, dispatches, writings, financial records, printed matter, photographs, and memorabilia, relating to Latvian foreign relations and émigré affairs.
Extent:
4 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes (3.2 Linear Feet)
Language:
Mainly in Latvian
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Peters Z. Olins Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

Acquired in 1997, the Peters Z. Olins papers in the Hoover Institution Library & Archives comprise materials relating to this Latvian diplomat, who served most of his career in posts in Argentina and Brazil. Of perhaps most historical interest in the collection is the official correspondence exchanged between Olins and other Latvian representatives in London, Washington, and elsewhere, and especially his correspondence with Alfreds Bilmanis, Latvian ambassador to the United States. This series also includes copies of letters sent between the Foreign Ministry of Latvia and various Latvian legations, and covers the period before and during World War II. From this correspondence, it is possible to reconstruct the Latvian state's evaluation of its situation in the years immediately before its loss of independence in 1940. These materials also document the unsuccessful efforts of Latvian diplomats abroad to restore Latvian sovereignty after the end of the war.

Following the annexation of Latvia by the Soviet Union, many Latvian diplomats in the West, including Olins, retained their official status as representatives of Latvia and continued to exercise their duties. In this regard, the collection contains both correspondence as well as a number of reports written by Olins and sent to the Latvian Legation in the United States. There is also an album of photographs in the collection relating to Olins' life and career, including his early years as a student and a soldier in World War I, when Latvia was a province of the Russian empire.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1890
Born, Valmiera, Latvia
1919
Enters Latvian diplomatic service
1927
Awarded Ph.D. in history, American University, Washington, D.C.
1928
Author, The Teutonic Knights in Latvia. Promoted to rank of Minister Plenipotentiary.
1962
Died
1910-1914
Student at the University of St. Petersburg
1935-1962
Latvian minister to Argentina and Brazil
Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1997.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

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.

Terms of access:

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

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Peters Z. Olins Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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