Scope and arrangement
The Biafra War Collection, 1966-1970, primarily contains printed material--press releases, government propaganda, personal narratives, white papers, newspaper articles, etc.--produced by the various stakeholders involved in the Nigerian Civil War. The series Republic of Biafra propaganda includes pro-independence booklets and press releases printed by the Biafran Ministry of Information. The United Kingdom Parliament series contains official reports of parliamentary debates held in both houses of parliament concerning Biafra in 1968. The series Aid and food relief consists of several first person accounts written by international aid workers, doctors, clergymen, etc., during the conflict. One of the more intriguing first person accounts can be found in the unpublished memoirs of human rights attorney Maxwell T. Cohen (1908-2000) in the series of the same name. The collection concludes with the series First International Conference on Biafra and contains printed material given to participants at a Biafra conference held at Columbia University in New York City, December 1968.
The Biafra War collection is arranged in five series:
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1966-1971
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1968
Includes House of Commons official reports, January 19 and 30, 1968; House of Lords official report, February 13, 1968; and House of Commons Standing Committee on External Affairs National Defence, 1968.
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1968 December 7-8
Includes pamphlet; welcome letter from Executive Committee; workshop itinerary; proceedings catalogue; and letter from conference attendees to United Nations regarding genocide.