Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Dieter Spethmann papers
- Dates:
- 1966-2002
- Creators:
- Spethmann, Dieter
- Abstract:
- Relates to German, European and international economic conditions, and especially to the steel industry.
- Extent:
- 255 manuscript boxes (127.5 Linear Feet)
- Language:
- German
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Dieter Spethmann papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
These papers focus on the latter part of Dieter Spethmann's career in the German steel industry and as chairman of the global Thyssen concern. They provide information about the activities of Thyssen, one of seventeen companies formed from the United Steel Works, a combine of steel companies founded in 1926 and dismantled after World War II. The papers also document the participation of Spethmann in the growth of a united Europe, particularly through the European Community and the reunification of Germany, and globalization.
In addition to material concerning Thyssen and the steel industry, there are also some files relating to special projects nurtured by Spethmann, such as his magnetic train (Transrapid), which is contained in the SUBJECT FILE.
Texts of speeches represent the bulk of SPEECHES AND WRITINGS. In most cases a final typescript is the sole format for each speech or article. However, the unnumbered items at the end of the series typically contain collateral materials such as correspondence relating to the invitation to speak, clippings, reports, earlier speeches by Spethmann or others, and statistical tables.
Spethmann was heavily involved in the Industrial Circle for Foreign Affairs (Industriekreis für Auslandsbeziehungen), which was established circa 1955. The Industrial Circle was an informal group of about thirty important industrial and business leaders centered on the Düsseldorf-Essen-Cologne area that met ten to fifteen times a year. At each meeting a prominent guest visited for dinner, usually at Castle Jägerhof in Düsseldorf. After dinner the guest spoke briefly on a subject related to the guest's official position, followed by an open discussion. The meetings were closed; no press was present, and participants were obliged not to quote publicly from the meetings. The Circle's managers included Sigismund von Braun, circa 1976-1993, and Klaus Blech, 1994-2001. Rough summaries of the discussions with guests during the von Braun period are included in the INDUSTRIAL CIRCLE CORRESPONDENCE/Guests of honor subseries.
The HANS SPETHMANN FILE contains writings by Dieter's father, who was a geographer and historian of economics. In 1923 he left his university teaching post to accept an invitation by the coal mining industry of the Ruhr, where he did research. Included in this collection are two of his writings about the Ruhr, Das Ruhrgebiet (3 volumes) and the unpublished "Der Ruhrbergbau und der Zweite Weltkrieg," which chronicles the history of the Ruhr coal mining industry during World War II. He died in 1957.
The INCREMENTAL MATERIALS series consists of files related to Spethmann's work with the Thyssen Board of Directors and as a leader of other large industrial companies. The partial inventory describes the files as they arrived at the Hoover Institution.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Date Event 1926, March 27 Born, Essen, Germany1945-1948 Studied law and economics1952-1954 Involved in activities to settle German pre-war debts1952-1955 Legal Department, Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-AG1953 Doctor of Law (Dr. Jur.)1955-1958 Personal assistant to the chairman, August Thyssen-Hütte AG1958-1962 Financial manager, August Thyssen-Hütte AG1962-1964 Member, Executive Board, Thyssen Handelsunion AG1964-1970 Chairman, Executive Board, Thyssen Edelstahlwerke AG1970-1973 Member, Executive Board, Thyssen AG1973 Apr.-1991 Chairman, Board of Managing Directors, Thyssen AG2016, February 1 Died, Düsseldorf, Germany - Acquisition information:
- Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 2002.
- Physical location:
- Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-02-27 16:52:39.587686
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], Dieter Spethmann papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Location of this collection:
-
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford UniversityStanford, CA 94305-6003, US
- Contact:
- (650) 723-3563