Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Channing and Popai Liem Papers,
- Dates:
- ca. 1927-1997
- Creators:
- Liem, Channing, 1909- Liem, Popai
- Abstract:
- Contains the personal archives of Dr. Channing Liem, a Korean nationalist and diplomat, with the papers of his wife Popai Liem. Dr. Liem's papers include manuscripts, speeches, sermons, correspondence with world leaders, and material related to organizations he founded or led in the United States in his fight for Korean reunification and peace. Much of his writing and correspondence is in Korean. Popai Liem's papers include memoirs, correspondence, and material related to her work with the Korean Patriotic Women's Association.
- Extent:
- Number of containers: 11 boxes, 6 cartons, 12 volumes, 1 oversize folder Linear feet: 14.5
- Language:
- Collection materials are in Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Channing and Popai Liem papers, BANC MSS 98/94 z, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Channing and Popai Liem Papers, 1927-1997, contains the personal archives of Dr. Channing Liem, a Korean nationalist and diplomat, with the papers of his wife Popai Liem. Dr. Liem's papers include manuscripts, speeches, sermons, correspondence with world leaders, and material related to organizations he founded or lead in the United States in his fight for Korean reunification and peace. Much of his writing and correspondence is in Korean. Popai Liem's papers include her memoirs, correspondence, and material related to her work with the Korean Patriotic Women's Association.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Channing Liem, born in Whangai Province, North Korea October 30, 1909, came to the United States in 1930 where he attended Lafayette College (1930-1934) later studying political science at Princeton (1940-1945). He did post-graduate work on a Ford Fellowship at Yale (1954-1955).
During World War II Liem served as Consultant on Far Eastern Affairs to the United States Office of Censorship (1942-1945) and assisted Philip Jaishon and Syngman Rhee, Korea's emigre nationalist leaders in the Korean independence movement. Following the war he returned to Korea to serve concurrently as Korean Affairs Advisor to the American Military Government in Korea (1948-1949) and secretary to Philip Jaisohn, Chief Advisor to the Commanding General of the United States Army Forces.
Liem refused to serve in his government during the Presidency of Syngman Rhee and returned to the United States to begin twelve years of self imposed exile. During this period Liem taught political science at Pennsylvania College for Women (now called Chatham College). Following Korean president Syngman Rhee's ouster in 1960 Liem served as the first ambassador to the United Nations in the reform government of J. Myun Chang. A year later he submitted his resignation in protest of Park Chung Hee's. He was one of several hundred Korean leaders to lose their citizenship rights under the Park regime.
In 1976 Liem's wife, Popai, journeyed to North Korea. Two years later Liem made his own first visit since partition. It was his conviction that Korean reunification could be achieved peacefully without foreign interference and, serving as the head of several national and international organizations in the years following, he endeavored to maintain peace in his native land.
- Acquisition information:
- The Channing and Popai Liem Papers were given to The Bancroft Library and the Ethnic Studies Library by Popai Liem on November 18, 1997. Additions were made on December 11, 1998 by Paul Liem.
- Processing information:
-
Funding for processing provided by Paul Liem.
- Physical location:
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- © 2001
- Date Encoded:
- Machine-readable finding aid derived from WordPerfect; finding aid encoded by James Lake. Date of source: September 2002.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Channing and Popai Liem papers, BANC MSS 98/94 z, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
- Location of this collection:
-
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft LibraryBerkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
- Contact:
- 510-642-6481