Watkins (Eric) papers, 1978-2021

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Summary

Title:
Eric Watkins papers
Dates:
1978-2021
Creators:
Watkins, Eric
Abstract:
Dr. Eric Watkins is a journalist and consultant. The Eric Watkins papers includes audio interviews, documents, publications, email printouts, photographs, and some ephemera.
Extent:
14 manuscript boxes, 3 oversize boxes, 24 sound cassettes, 19 videocassettes, digital media (8.6 Linear Feet)
Language:
In English
Preferred citation:

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

Background

Scope and content:

Includes documents created or accumulated while working as a journalist and consultant in Saudi Arabia (1980-1988 and 2014-2015), Cambridge University (1988-1989), Yemen (1989-1994), London (1994-2000), Cyprus (2000-2004) and the US (2004-present). The papers contain: original interviews, on audio cassette tape, conducted by Watkins with Sudanese leaders, most notably, President Bashir and Hasan al-Turabi, which were produced when he traveled to the Sudan as a guest of the government in 1996 and related documents; original copies of the Yemen News Service Daily Bulletin, a daily two-page summary of the main stories in the Yemeni press, translated into English, published by Watkins between May 1992 and May 1994, totaling approximately 700 pages; original copies of the Middle East Economic Survey, a private newsletter that operated in Lebanon, then Cyprus, spanning 6 months from around July 2000-January 2001; printouts of emails related to stories produced by Watkins; and writings by Watkins. Also includes photographs and some ephemera.

Biographical / historical:

Dr. Eric Watkins worked internationally in Saudia Arabia and Yemen, and in the United States, as a journalist and consultant since the 1980s. He covered Yemen for the Financial Times and the Associated Press from 1990 through the Yemeni Civil War of 1994. From 1994 through 2000, he served as an advisor to the exiled Yemeni government. A main theme in his writing is the rise of al-Qaeda and related terrorist groups from 1990 to the present.

Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 2021.
Processing information:

An accession inventory is a basic description of an archival collection (or a part thereof) for which a detailed finding aid has yet to be created. Additionally, no attempt at intellectual arrangement has been made. The depth of description varies depending on the format of the materials and the amount of pre-existing description when the materials were acquired. An accession inventory might also be labeled as such if it is a fully digital collection, in which the digital files have yet to be processed.

Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Hoover Institution Library and Archives Staff
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-05-02 14:07:37.878821

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], Eric Watkins 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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