Royal Institute for International Affairs Far East Department

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0102 MS 186361-MS 186387
Held at	: School of Oriental and African Studies   Click here to find out how to view this collection at http://www.soas.ac.uk/Archives/home.html ›
Full title	: Royal Institute for International Affairs Far East Department
Date(s)	: Created c1927-1962
Level of description	: Collection (fonds)
Extent	: 40 boxes
Name of creator(s)	: Royal Institute of International Affairs | Far East Department

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

Founded in 1920, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (also known as Chatham House) is an independent research and membership organisation working to promote the understanding of key international issues. The Institute promotes debate and research through meetings, conferences and publications. The Chatham House Rule, which is used around the world to allow for free speech and confidentiality at meetings, originated with the Royal Institute. The Institute is funded through grants, donations, membership subscriptions and revenue from the Institute's trading subsidiary, Chatham House Enterprises Ltd. The Institute has a presence in the United States of America, where the Chatham House Foundation works to promote Anglo-American relations.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Collection of miscellaneous papers, including embassy handouts, conference papers, correspondence, reports and speeches, accumulated by the Far East Department of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, c1926-1962. They address political and economic issues in the Far East and South East Asia including China, Japan, Korea and Formosa.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

Papers have been grouped according to subject matter (and assigned manuscript numbers):
MS 186387 British Policy in the Far East and South East Asia (1943-1950)
MS 186362 China, economic (1937-1953)
MS 186361 China, political
MS 186374 Far East and South East Asia, economic development (1949-1958)
MS 186380 Formosa (1946-1960)
MS 186377 General (1936-1962)
MS 186370 Japan, economic (1939-1962)
MS 186371 Japan, political (1929-1961)
MS 186372 Korea (1938-1961)
MS 186386 US policy in the Far East (1938-1951)

Conditions governing access:

Unrestricted.

Conditions governing reproduction:

No publication without written permission. Apply to archivist in the first instance.

Finding aids:

Unpublished handlist.

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Donated in 1964.

Allied Materials

Related material:

The School of Oriental and African Studies holds papers of Ifor Ball Powell (Ref: PP MS 26), John Sydenham Furnivall (Ref: PP MS 23), and John Thomas Pratt (Ref: PP MS 5) on related subjects.

Records (1906-1960) of the Royal Institute of International Affairs are held at Oxford University, Bodleian Library, Department of Western Manuscripts (Ref: MSS Curtis; Eng hist b 224, c 776-877). Miscellaneous papers including some records of the Foreign Research and Press Service (1936-1961) are held at Imperial War Museum Department of Documents (Ref: Webster). Minutes and papers of the Committee on Reconstruction (1945) are held at Cambridge University, Churchill Archives Centre (Ref: 2/4/12). Records (c1920-1994) are held at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (see Cook & Waller, Sources in contemporary British history, vol 1, 1994).

National Register of Archives: Click here to view NRA record

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:

Rules or conventions:

Date(s) of descriptions:
16 May 2000