Ronald Hilton papers, 1929-2006

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Summary

Creators:
Hilton, Ronald, 1911-2007
Abstract:
Writings, correspondence, printed matter, sound recordings, video tapes, and photographs relating to international relations and their study at Stanford University; the history of, and political, social, and economic conditions in, Latin America and Spain; Soviet historiography on Herbert Hoover and American food relief to Russia; and language as a factor in politics in multilingual countries. Includes recordings of interviews of Latin American leaders, and editorial records of World Affairs Report.
Extent:
103 manuscript boxes, 3 oversize boxes, 1 oversize folder (54.5 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

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

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of writings, correspondence, printed matter, sound recordings, video tapes, and photographs relating to international relations and their study at Stanford University; the history of, and political, social, and economic conditions in, Latin America and Spain; Soviet historiography on Herbert Hoover and American food relief to Russia; and language as a factor in politics in multilingual countries. Includes recordings of interviews of Latin American leaders, and editorial records of World Affairs Report.

Highlights of this collection include biographical information on Valentin M. Berezhkov, assistant to Soviet foreign minister Molotov; an article by Keith Tuber, 1993, relating to Berezhkov's recollections of Soviet diplomatic history during World War II; and a videotape cassette of an interview of Berezhkov conducted by Ronald Hilton in 1993, relating to the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

Biographical / historical:

Ronald Hilton was born in England on July 31, 1911 and spent much of his early 20s in Spain during the tumultuous and bloody years leading up to the Spanish Civil War. "I was evacuated [in 1936] during the early days of the civil war, in which some of my best friends were killed on the right or on the left," he once wrote. "I am one of the very few people who lived through the Republican period and who knew most of the leading intellectuals." Hilton wrote a book about his experience called Spain, 1931-36: From Monarchy to Civil War, an Eye Witness Account.

Hilton later returned to England, where he received a master's degree from Oxford University in 1936. He moved to California in 1937 after receiving a Commonwealth Fund Fellowship, which allowed him to study for two years at the University of California-Berkeley.

Hilton began his teaching career at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where he taught modern languages for two years. He joined Stanford University's faculty in 1942 and became a professor of Romance languages. Hilton shared his passion for international affairs for more than six decades by writing articles, founding journals, starting institutes and organizing conferences. In 1948, Hilton founded the Institute of Hispanic American and Luso-Brazilian Studies at Stanford. The institute published the Hispanic American Report, an independent monthly journal of reports and essays about Spanish-speaking countries. Bill Ratliff, a fellow and curator of the Americas at the Hoover Institution, said the report filled a critical need at the time for information about Latin American countries.

In 1965, Hilton founded the California Institute of International Studies, later known as the World Association of International Studies. He also began editing and publishing the World Affairs Report, a quarterly featuring commentaries on world events, essays, summaries of news accounts from foreign newspapers, foreign editorial cartoons and book reviews. In 1987, Hilton became a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution.

During his lifetime, Hilton edited several books, including the multi-volume Who's Who in Latin America. He also translated The Life of Joachim Nabuco, a biography of Brazil's first ambassador to the United States, from the original Portuguese. He passed away on February 20, 2007.

Acquisition information:
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1980.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

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], Ronald Hilton 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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