Access
Use
Acquisition Information
Preferred Citation
Biographical/Historical Note
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement
Related Collections
Title: John Somerville papers
Date (inclusive): 1930-1995
Collection Number: 95058
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
15 manuscript boxes
(6.3 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Correspondence, writings, and notes, relating to Marxist philosophy, philosophy and education in the Soviet Union, peace and
nuclear disarmament movements, and the loyalty-security program in the United States.
Creator:
Somerville, John, 1905-1994
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
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1995.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], John Somerville papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Biographical/Historical Note
American philosopher; president, Society for the Philosophical Study of Marxism; president, International Philosophers for
the Prevention of Nuclear Omnicide.
1905 March 13 |
Born, New York City, New York |
1935-1937 |
Somerville and his wife, Rose Maurer Somerville, work in the U.S.S.R. studying Soviet philosophy |
1938 |
Receives Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University |
1939-1967 |
At Hunter College (the City University of New York) Somerville advances from Instructor to Professor Emeritus |
1946 |
Author, Soviet Philosophy: A Study of Theory and Practice |
1949 |
Author, The Philosophy of Peace |
1950s |
Testifies in three trials as an expert witness on the doctrines of Marxism-Leninism |
1956 |
Author, The Communist Trials and the American Tradition |
1962-1987 |
Founding editor and Editor in Chief of the translation quarterly, Soviet Studies in Philosophy (now Russian Studies in Philosophy) |
1962 |
Co-founder of the Society for the Philosophical Study of Dialectical Materialism (later, the Society for the Philosophical
Study of Marxism)
|
1963 August |
Helps organize first bi-national conference of American and Soviet philosophers at the XIIIth World Congress of Philosophy
in Mexico City
|
1963 December 27 |
Organizes first full dialogue on U.S. soil between American and Soviet philosophers at the American Philosophical Association
(APA) conference, in Washington D.C.
|
1967 |
Author, The Philosophy of Marxism |
1967-1972 |
Taught at the United States International University |
1975 |
Author, The Peace Revolution: Ethos and Social Process |
1976 |
Author, The Crisis: The True Story of How the World Almost Ended (play) |
1978 |
Co-founder of The Union of American and Japanese Professionals Against Nuclear Omnicide |
1980 |
Initiates California Campaign for No-First-Use of Nuclear Weapons |
1981 |
Awarded the degree Doctor of Humane Letters from Denison University; Author, Soviet Marxism and Nuclear War and The Last Inquest
(play)
|
1983 |
Co-founder and first president of the International Philosophers for the Prevention of Nuclear Omnicide (IPPNO) at the XVIIth
World Congress of Philosophy in Montreal
|
1984 |
Initiates National Campaign for a Policy of No-First-Use of Nuclear Weapons |
1986 |
Organizes first conference of the IPPNO in St. Louis |
1987 |
Receives Gandhi Peace Award from the board of directors of Promoting Enduring Peace |
1987 |
Receives Bertrand Russell Peace Award |
1994 January 8 |
Died, El Cajon, California |
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection includes materials related to Marxist philosophy, philosophy and education in the Soviet Union, peace and nuclear
disarmament movements, and the loyalty-security program in the United States, in the form of correspondence, writings, and
notes. The collection encompasses the years 1930-1995, with the bulk of the materials covering 1960-1989.
The bulk of the material relates generally to John Somerville's academic career, which encompassed the study of Marxism, Soviet
philosophy, and education, as well as his political activism against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, nuclear war, and
nuclear
omnicide, a term coined by Somerville to describe the extinction of the human species as a result of human action. Most of these materials
relate to his work as co-founder and president of the Society for the Philosophical Study of Marxism (SPSM), the International
Philosophers for the Prevention of Nuclear Omnicide (IPPNO), and his support of and membership in related organizations such
as the American Philosophical Association (APA) and The Union of American and Japanese Professionals Against Nuclear Omnicide
(UAJPANO).
The original order of the materials was retained within each folder in the collection, as received by the Hoover Archives.
The folders in the collection were organized into five series:
Biographical File, Diaries, Correspondence, Speeches and Writings and Subject File. Researchers should be aware that the materials under a particular subject heading do not necessarily represent the entirety
of that subject and more materials may be available in another series. Even though most of the materials in the collection
are found in the correspondence series, because a substantial amount of printed matter other than correspondence is interfiled
within the correspondence folders, a reasonable effort has been made to identify important materials within these folders
that are not categorized as correspondence. Researchers looking for a specific writing, assuming it isn't in the speeches
and writings series, should strongly consider browsing through the correspondence folders.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into 5 series: Biographical File, Diaries, Correspondence, Speeches and Writings, Subject File
Related Collections
World without War Council records, 1948-2008, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Robert H. Kupperman papers, 1965-1995, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Fred Charles Iklé papers, 1972-1988, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Lorelei Kelly collection, 1983-1993, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Edward Teller papers, 1930-2003, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Peace
Disarmament
Education -- Soviet Union
Internal security -- United States
Philosophers
Philosophy, Marxist
Philosophy -- Soviet Union
Society for the Philosophical Study of Marxism
International Philosophers for the Prevention of Nuclear Omnicide