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Title: Harry Roscoe Snyder papers
Date (inclusive): 1927-1998
Collection Number: 97022
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
36 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 3 oversize folders
(16.0 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Datebooks, correspondence, speeches and writings, notes, memoranda, reports, studies, printed matter, maps, posters, and photographs
relating to Arabian American Oil Company personnel training and education in Saudi Arabia, American educational assistance
in the Middle East, the promotion of Arab-American cultural ties, and the establishment of American military installations
in Saudi Arabia during and immediately after World War II.
Creator:
Snyder, Harry Roscoe, 1906-
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
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.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1997.
[Identification of item], Harry Roscoe Snyder papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
| 1906 January 18 | Born, Chicago, Illinois |
| 1925-1927 | Minister, First Methodist Church, Bear Creek, Wisconsin |
| 1927 | B.A., economics and geology, Lawrence University, Wisconsin |
| 1927-1929 | Adjunct professor of commerce, American University of Beirut |
| 1930-1942 | Assistant manager and editor, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., San Francisco and New York |
| 1939-1942 | M.A., geography, Teacher's College, Columbia University |
| 1942-1946 | Military service (Intelligence Officer, Section Chief, Persian Gulf Area, Islamic Specialist; Military Intelligence Service, War Department, General Staff) |
| 1942 | Lecturer on Iran, School of Military Government, University of Virginia |
| 1945 | Negotiated an agreement with King 'Abd al-'Aziz Ibn Saud for U.S. airfield in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia |
| 1946-1947 | Associate director, Near East College Association, New York |
| 1947-1949 | U.S. Air Force, Chief, Saudi Arabian Training Mission and Commanding Officer, 1414th Training Squadron (Dhahran) |
| 1949-1952 | Director of education and Arab training, Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco) |
| 1952-1955 | Coordinator of general and industrial education, Aramco |
| 1955-1956 | Leave of absence to pursue EdD at Teacher's College, Columbia University |
| 1956 | Acting coordinator, general and industrial education, Aramco |
| 1956-1957 | Education liaison for Saudi Arabian government, Aramco |
| 1957-1965 | Coordinator, Saudi Arabian government/Aramco Education Services |
| 1963 | Author, Community College Education for Saudi Arabia, Ann Arbor, Michigan, University Microfilms, Inc. (Ed.D. dissertation) |
| Ed.D., college administration and educational foundations, Columbia University | |
| 1965-1972 | Professional consultant service of the Saudi Arabian government to the College of Petroleum and Minerals, Aramco |
| 1972 | Educational consultant and lecturer on Middle Eastern affairs |
| 1988 April 6 | Died, Tucson, Arizona |
Scope and Content of Collection
The papers of Harry Roscoe Snyder, consisting of datebooks, correspondence, speeches and writings, notes, memoranda, reports,
charts, clippings, printed matter, maps, posters, and photographs, relate to Arabian American Oil Company personnel training
and education in Saudi Arabia, American educational assistance in the Middle East, promotion of Arab-American cultural ties,
and the establishment of American military installations in Saudi Arabia during and immediately after World War II.
The papers reflect Snyder's lifetime of engagements in Middle Eastern, particularly Saudi Arabian, affairs and education.
The correspondence and printed matter of the American Friends of the Arabs (
Career File), a short-lived organization started by Snyder and Elihu Grant, attempts to open up conversations among academics and journalists
regarding Palestine and Zionism in the U.S. and abroad.
While serving in the military, Snyder helped negotiate an agreement for a U.S. airfield in Dhahran for use during World War
II. Because the agreement was not settled until after the war's end and with a brand new airfield built, Snyder was chosen
to command the United States Air Force 1414th Training Division in their Saudi Arabian Training Mission. This portion of the
Career File consists of materials from the development and implementation of this training program, including correspondence, memoranda,
and photographs.
To meet the demands of oil production, the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco) developed industrial training centers in
Abqaiq, Dhahran, and Ras Tanura. Snyder's role as education coordinator in the Training Department of Aramco required him
to deliver training and educational services to maintain these centers and encourage the growth of skilled trade workers in
Saudi Arabia.
Among the materials relating to industrial training in the
Aramco Education and Arab Training File are records of the company's efforts to build elementary and secondary schools in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Reports
to the Saudi Arabian government on the state of operations in the company, correspondence and memoranda regarding projects,
and charts relating to enrollment and curriculum development of company-built/Saudi Arabian government schools are among the
highlights of these records. Other materials relating to education in Saudi Arabia, including schools for girls, can also
be found in the
Subject File.
As a result of his work as a consultant for architecture firms in the United States and Saudi Arabia (
Educational Consulting File), Snyder's papers include materials relating to the development, construction, and operation of several academic institutions
in Saudi Arabia. Although not all of these projects materialized, the records in this series add to the understanding of educational
developments within the kingdom. In addition, the series includes materials from the development of a Saudi Arabian airline
cadet program, directed by Hamzah Dabbagh in consultation with Snyder.
The
Datebooks include diary entries, notes, contacts, and schedules. There is a single book for each date, with the exception of 1968 and
1971, which each have two.
Arthur A. Cervi miscellany, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
J.C. Hurewitz collection, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Philip C. McConnell papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Harley C. Stevens papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Education -- Middle East
Education -- Saudi Arabia
World War, 1939-1945 -- Saudi Arabia
Petroleum industry and trade -- Saudi Arabia
United States -- Relations -- Arab countries
Arab countries -- Relations -- United States
United States -- Military relations -- Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia -- Military relations -- United States
United States. Air Force
Arabian American Oil Company