Ambassadors -- United States

Scope and Contents

Diplomat. Papers (1928-2009) of Edward J. Perkins, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Liberia, South Africa, the United Nations, and Australia, and served as the Director General of the U.S. Foreign Service. The papers include ambassadorial correspondence (1978-1996), speeches (1980-1992), and subject files (1961-1999). The collection also contains audio and visual recordings (1998-2006), and memorabilia (1979-2006). The materials highlight Ambassador Perkins’ years in the Foreign Service, particularly his work to help bring a peaceful end to apartheid in South Africa.

Scope and Contents

U.S. Ambassador. Papers and artifacts of George Crews McGhee, who served as 8th U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, and 4th U.S. Ambassador to West Germany. McGhee’s career achievements include being a Rhodes Scholar, oil entrepreneur, naval officer, diplomat, philanthropist, and author. The papers contain his business correspondence (1950-2002), ambassadorial papers (1948-1968), personal correspondence (1935-2002), writings and speeches (1928-2005), financial records (1947-1978), and family history materials (1980-2002). The collection also contains photographs, slides, scrapbooks, and memorabilia documenting the McGhee family’s life and world travels; as well as Mesoamerican artifacts collected primarily by McGhee’s father-in-law, Everette Lee DeGolyer, and by Ambassador and Mrs. McGhee. The bulk of the papers (1937-1998) relate to Ambassador McGhee’s business enterprises and to his service to the country as a member of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of State.

Scope and Contents

Diplomat. Papers (1961-2002) of Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, who served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and foreign policy adviser to U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan in the 1980s. The papers include U.N. correspondence (1974-1992), speeches (1980-1992), subject and country files (1961-1999), and newspaper clippings (1973-1997). The collection also contains audio and visual recordings (1985-2002), and memorabilia (1979-2001). The materials highlight Ambassador Kirkpatrick’s service in the United Nations and her work as a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.

Scope and Contents FULL FINDING AID (PDF)Correspondence, reports and articles (1900-1956) from Hurley's service as National Attorney for the Choctaw Nation, regarding tribal enrollment, land tenure, and the Mississippi Choctaw; as United States Assistant Secretary of War and as a special presidential representative to the Soviet Union, Great Britain, Afghanistan and the Middle East; and as United States Ambassador to China during World War II, including correspondence regarding American and Allied war efforts in the Far Eastern theatre. Correspondents include Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lord Louis Mountbatten, Mao Tse-tung, Chiang Kai-shek, Herbert Hoover, Douglas MacArthur, Henry A. Wallace, Joseph Stilwell, Helen Keller and Cordell Hull, as well as numerous officials of the U.S. diplomatic corps, including Averell Harriman and Harry Hopkins. Included are two scrapbooks of...

Scope and Contents

Newspaper publisher and U.S. Ambassador. Professional and personal papers of Robert Moody McKinney and family, primarily regarding his life as a diplomat, newspaper publisher, and author. The materials include correspondence, newspapers, appointment calendars, photographs, and manuscripts of short stories and poetry written by McKinney. The papers contain reports and correspondence from McKinney's work as chairman of the panel to report to Congress on the Impact of Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy (1955-1956), as a representative to the Second International Conference for Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy (1958), and as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland (1961-1963). The collection also has McKinney’s correspondence and reports as owner and publisher of The New Mexican newspaper (1956-2003), legal documents (1975-1989) regarding his suit against the Gannett Company to regain control of the The New Mexican, and genealogical materials (1895-2018) compiled by Virginia K. Moody.