Scope and arrangement
The Campaign for World Government Records document the activities of the organization in its attempts to lobby for a federal world government and shed light on other initiatives for international cooperation. The staff collected and produced information on the League of Nations, the United Nations, innumerable anti-war and world government conferences, and major world events they felt illustrated the need for a federal world government. The bulk of the materials in this collection stem from the 1930s through the 1960s.
The records of the organization are arranged in four series which consist of both materials generated by the Campaign--such as correspondence, reports, publications, and writings--and a large amount of material from other organizations--including press releases, newsletters and pamphlets. The collection also contains participant packets containing programs, agendas, final reports, notes, and papers presented at various international conferences. A small number of photographs are present, scattered throughout the collection.
The collection is predominantly in English, with occasional documents in other European languages, including Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish. Many of the notes included throughout the collection were taken in shorthand.
The Campaign for World Government. Records of the New York office is arranged in four series:
-
1933-1970, n.d.7 boxes
Correspondence is divided into two subseries: General Correspondence and Federation of Nations, each arranged chronologically by month.
The correspondence consists of both incoming and outgoing letters. Notes on many of the letters indicate they were typescript copies of original correspondence, made to be circulated between the New York and Chicago offices. In addition, many items are labeled with two dates: the date of creation, and a stamped date noting date received. All items have been arranged by date of creation, except in cases where date received was the only available information.
Prominent correspondents include: John G. Alexander, Devere Allen, Emily Green Balch, Stringfellow Barr, Crichton Clarke, Dorothy Detzer, Fyke Farmer, Hamilton Fish, Philip Isely, A.J. Muste, Vernon Nash, Joseph P. Nye, Thane Read, Clarence Streit, Rudolph Tenerowicz, Henry Usborne and Jerry Voorhis.
-
1917-1960, n.d.3 boxes
Records created by the Campaign for World Government over the course of its activities are arranged in four subseries, the bulk of which consist of publications and staff writings. Also included are reports, interviews and a small amount of financial material. All materials are arranged chronologically by month.
-
1924, 1937-1972, n.d.17 boxes
Forming the bulk of the collection, campaign and conference materials relate to various projects with which the Campaign for World Government was involved. These projects range from congressional bills sponsored by the Campaign, such as the Alexander Peace Bill, to their 1937-1939 public attempts to challenge Clarence Streit and his competing plan. Also present is a significant amount of material from world government confererences, including many files on the World Movement for World Federal Government, beginning with the 1947 meeting in Montreux, Switzerland and ending with the 1955 gathering in Paris.
Campaign materials generally consist of working papers, correspondence, notes, reports, drafts, and printed matter. In the case of legislative bills, there are printed copies of the resolutions and bills, as well as occasional mailing lists.
Materials stemming from conferences consist of conference participant packets, agendas and minutes, reports and resolutions, correspondence, printed matter and working papers, and occasional photographs.
All materials are arranged chronologically by month.
-
1924, 1932-1969, n.d.7 boxes
The Topical Files consist primarily of reference materials Campaign staff collected for use in support of their writings and daily activities. These files focus on subjects deemed of practical use and personal interest, especially individuals and organizations with which they collaborated or whom they considered necessary to monitor. There are files on events attended, and on general topics such as universal disarmament or the Spanish Civil War. Each topical file largely consists of printed matter published by the entities in question, and material writen about them. Many folders also include correspondence, memoranda, and reports.
Items of particular interest are the collection of alternate peace plans proposed by variety of their "competitors'," often heavily marked with editorial and substantive criticisms; and the files concerning the League of Nations and the United Nations, which contain analyses of the organizations' failings and the changes needed to remedy them. Also of note are the materials related to the World Movement for World Federal Government, one of the most widespread early movements for world government, which began at the Montreux Conference of 1947 and is still active today as the World Federalist Movement. Researchers interested in the World Movement for World Federal Government are advised to also see their conference materials in Series III.