Robert F. Byrnes papers, 1875-1997, bulk 1960-1989

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Summary

Creator:
Byrnes, Robert Francis (1917-1997-06-19)
Abstract:
Robert F. Byrnes was a Professor of History at Indiana University from 1956 to 1988 and served as director of the Russian and East European Institute at IU from 1959-1962 and 1971-1975. Byrnes specialized in the study of Russian conservative thought, Russian historical writing, anti-Semitism in France and Europe, the Soviet role in world affairs after World War II, American policy toward Eastern Europe, and Soviet American relations. In addition Byrnes made significant contributions to the development of Slavic studies programs in the United States and the opening of academic exchanges with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The collection consists of the personal papers of Dr. Byrnes with an emphasis on his work with Radio Free Europe and the Inter-University Committee on Travel Grants as well as his other professional activities and includes research files, correspondence, reports, minutes, manuscripts, reviews, teaching files, films, sound recordings, and photographs.
Extent:
66.2 cubic feet (70 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English
Preferred citation:

[Item], Robert F. Byrnes papers, Collection C388, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

Background

Biographical Note:

Born December 30, 1917 in Waterville, New York, Robert F. Byrnes attended Amherst College, receiving his B.A. in 1939, and Harvard University, where he received his Ph.D. in 1947. Byrnes continued his education as a senior fellow in the Russian Institute at Columbia University from 1948-1950.

Byrnes specialized in the study of Russian conservative thought, Russian historical writing, anti-Semitism in France and Europe, the Soviet role in world affairs after World War II, American policy toward Eastern Europe, and Soviet American relations.

Initially, Dr. Byrnes began his academic career as a specialist in French history, but switched his focus to that of Russian and East European history after serving from 1951 to 1954 as a consultant to the Central Intelligence Agency where he provided intelligence assessments on the Soviet Union and East Europe and served as director from 1954-1956 of the Mid-Europe Study Center, a CIA funded think tank on Soviet issues. In 1956, Dr. Byrnes joined the faculty in the department of history at Indiana University, where he served as chair of the department from 1958-1965. In 1967 Byrnes was named a Distinguished Professor of History, one of the highest honors IU bestows upon its faculty. Prof. Byrnes founded and served as director of IU's Russian and East European Institute from 1959-1962 and 1971-1975 and was the first director of the International Affairs Center from 1965-1967. In 1982, he won IU's Brown Derby Outstanding Teaching Award.

Outside of Indiana University, Byrnes was influential in the development of post-war Slavic studies in the United States. In the mid 1950s Byrnes was one of the founders of the Inter-University Committee on Travel Grants (now known as the International Research and Exchanges Board), an organization that facilitated academic exchanges of graduate students, language teachers and scholars with the Soviet Union, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria. Originally serving on IUCTG's policy and selection committees, Byrnes served as its director from 1960-1969. Byrnes also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty from 1975-1982 and was a consultant for the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations, the U.S. State Department, and the Central Intelligence Agency. Additionally, he served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Boston College from 1969-1975 and of Alverno College (WI) from 1965-1975.

A prolific writer, Byrnes authored or co-authored 11 books, more than 100 articles, and served as editor of 19 books. His more prominent monographs on Russian history include: Pobedonostsev: His Life and Thought and V. O. Kliuchevsky: Historian of Russia. Byrnes also contributed to the history of Slavic studies in America with his publications: Soviet-American Academic Exchanges, 1958-1975,Awakening American Education to the World: the Role of Archibald Cary Coolidge, and A History of Russian and East European Studies in the United States. Byrnes died on June 19, 1997.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Robert F. Byrnes are organized into nine series: Education/Personal; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; Inter-University Committee on Travel Grants; Publications; Research; Teaching; Correspondence; Committees and Other Professional Activities; and Audio-Visual.

As the processing of the materials was nearing completion, a list containing Byrnes' original order was discovered. Although the majority of the collection does follow this original order, there are some deviations. The memo from Dr. Byrnes regarding the original order can be found in the collection's processing file. Consult Archives staff for further information.

The first series, Education/Personal, is arranged alphabetically and consists of materials relating to Byrnes' education and life achievements. Included in this series is a scrapbook from his elementary through high school years as well as materials from his time at Amherst College and Harvard University. Additional materials pertaining to Byrnes' life can be found in the files Review of Politics: In Memoriam and Celebrating the Life of Robert F. Byrnes.

The second series, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, is arranged alphabetically by folder title and contains correspondence, reports, and meeting minutes from the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and the Members of the Corporation. Originally two separate organizations, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty were established in 1950 to transmit uncensored news and information to audiences living within the communist bloc. Prominent subjects include materials relating to the Board of Directors and Members of the Corporation meetings.

Arranged alphabetically by folder title, the Inter-University Committee on Travel Grants series consists of correspondence, reports, and a wide variety of materials relating to academic exchanges with the Soviet Union and a number of East European countries. In this series, researchers will find a number of files relating to the graduate student exchange with the Soviet Union, files on the Ford Foundation and its support of the program, and materials relating to similar exchange programs directed by other European countries.

The fourth series, Publications, is arranged alphabetically and consists of several of Byrnes' publications and materials relating to them. Included in this series are articles, manuscripts, reviews, and correspondence with publishers. Prominent in the series are manuscripts for V. O. Kliuchevskii, Historian of Russia, files on his Anti-Semitism in Modern France and After Brezhnev Sources of Conduct in the 1980s and a number of articles on the Soviet Union.

The fifth series, Research, consists of two sub-series; Research files and Research note cards. The Research files sub-series is arranged alphabetically and includes collected articles (primarily in Cyrillic and French) that relate to Byrnes' research interests as well as copies of course lectures by Vasilii O. Kliuchevskii. The collected articles include off prints from Sir Paul Vinogradoff, a prominent Anglo-Russian historian and medievalist. The Research note cards sub-series is arranged alphabetically and consists of research notes on Vasilii O. Kliuchevskii, and Slavic studies in the United States.

The sixth series, Teaching, is arranged alphabetically by folder heading and consists of materials from courses Byrnes taught at Indiana University. Included are lecture notes for History 101 and 102 and History 464, a television course Byrnes taught entitled "Russian Revolutions and the Soviet Regime." Materials for H464 include lecture notes, scripts used for the recordings, and 30 film reels for each of the lectures.

Correspondence, the seventh series, is further organized into five sub-series; Foreign scholars, Graduate students, U. S. scholars, Professional, and General. The Foreign scholars sub-series is arranged alphabetically and consists of correspondence between Byrnes and scholars based around the world, including Russia, Australia, England, and Japan. The files in the Graduate students sub-series are contain recommendations and advising information, and access to these files is restricted. The U. S. scholars sub-series is arranged alphabetically and consists of correspondence between Byrnes and U. S. scholars, many Byrnes' former graduate students. The Professional sub-series is arranged alphabetically and consists of correspondence with professional colleagues such as Donald Treadgold, a prolific Russian scholar and editor of The Slavic Review, and Cyril E. Black, a prominent professor of Russian history. The final sub-series, General, is arranged alphabetically and consists of general correspondence with individuals and organizations. There is a significant amount of restricted materials in this series including recommendations and advising correspondence found throughout the Foreign Scholars, Graduate students, U.S. scholars, and Professional sub-series. The restricted materials are listed where they would fall intellectually in the folder list but are physically located at the end of the collection.

The eighth series, Committees and Other Professional Activities, is further organized into two sub-series; Indiana University and General. The Indiana University sub-series is arranged alphabetically and includes files on the Concerned Titled Professors, committees Byrnes served on, the history department, and the Russian and East European Institute. The General sub-series is arranged alphabetically and consists of papers relating to Byrnes' professional and service activities outside of Indiana University, such as the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies and the American Historical Society, and foundation files, including the Ford Foundation. Additionally found in this sub-series are Byrnes' travel materials for a number of trips he took as a representative of the professional organizations with which he was involved. Also included in this sub-series are files on the Center of Strategic and International Studies, consisting of correspondence and administrative materials for a "Soviet Project" that ultimately resulted in After Brezhnev Sources of Conduct in the 1980s.

The final series, Audio-Visual Materials, is arranged alphabetically and consists of a number of cassette and microcassette tapes. Many of the tapes are unlabelled, but those that are indicate they hold recordings for lectures such as the "Sun City Center Lecture" and a lecture at the University of Kansas.

Acquisition information:
Accession Information: 97/036, 2003/039, 99/052, 99/030
Provenance:

Deposited by Eleanor Byrnes, 1997, 1999, and 2003. Small additions made in 2010.

Processing Information:

Processed by Crystal Matjasic.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into nine series: Education/Personal; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; Inter-University Committee on Travel Grants; Publications; Research; Teaching; Correspondence; Committees and Other Professional Activities; and Audio-Visual.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Select files containing recommendations, student reports and search committee materials are closed to researchers.

Folders labeled GSES contain information regarding Soviet scholars that participated in an exchange program in the U.S. Researchers are asked not to use identifying information when using these materials.

Advance notice required for access to collection.

Terms of access:

The donor(s) of this collection have transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University through a Deed of Gift. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.

The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials. Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.

Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.

Preferred citation:

[Item], Robert F. Byrnes papers, Collection C388, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

Location of this collection:
Herman B Wells Library E460
1320 East Tenth Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, United States
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