American Friends Service Committee Archives

Resources (5)

• Foreign Service: Conference for Diplomats, 1956-59, and Conferences and Seminars, 1959

  Some materials relating to the USSR appear under these headings.

• Foreign Service: Country - Russia

  Records, 1917–37, ca. 6 ft. The American Friends Service Committee and British Friends undertook a major relief role in Russia about the time of the Revolution. The main part of the relief work, in the Samara and Buzuluk regions, lasted until 1926. After 1926 the British and American Friends maintained a center in Moscow until 1931. During the period 1931–37 the AFSC was involved in work for Russian refugees living outside the Soviet Union. Collection includes correspondence, reports, etc.

• General Administration

  Among these records are several collections with pertinent items: (a) Committees and Organizations: Doukhobors, 1921–31, ca. 2 in. Materials compiled by the Friends concerning the group of Doukhobors which emigrated to Canada from Soviet Russia and their problems in adjusting to their new lives. (b) Mission to the USSR. Items relating to the 1955 goodwill visit to the Soviet Union by a group of Quakers. (c) Quaker United Nations Office, 1947present. Material representing contacts with Soviet diplomats and officials at the UN. (This heading is the most recent in a series for this set of items. Since 1960, the UN material falls under the International Division.) And there are other groups of holdings subsumed under the General Administration label, including a small file concerning N. S. Khrushchev's visit to the U.S. and his meeting with the Quakers in 1960.

• International Division (until 1974, International Affairs Division)

  Besides United Nations business since 1960, this Division also holds Soviet-related materials under the headings Reciprocal and/or Tripartite Seminars and Conferences and Seminars for the years 1960-present (to 1976 for Reciprocal Seminars).

• Youth Services Division

  In 1961–69 this Division ran a School Affiliation Service which handled some teacher exchanges between the U.S. and USSR. In 1969–72 the International Affairs Division was in charge of the program.