Scope and Content Note
Part I
Part I of the papers of Joseph Edward Davies (1876-1958) spans the years 1860-1957, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1936-1955. It covers American-Soviet relations and foreign affairs in general from 1936 to 1957 and is arranged in nine series: Family and Personal File, Chronological File, Memoranda, Subject File, Speeches and Writings File, Newspaper Diary, Miscellany, Addition, and Oversize.
Davies was ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1936 to 1938, and the papers are especially rich on this period and on his subsequent role as an envoy or representative for Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman during World War II. Of particular importance are Davies's diaries and journals and the manuscripts of two unpublished books, “In the Days of Their Power and Glory” and “Missions for Peace.” Although the papers do not contain the manuscript of Mission to Moscow, his controversial 1941 book about his years in the USSR, many documents and papers used in preparing it are included. Material for a sequel to that book, which covers a 1943 trip to Moscow during World War II by Davies, is also in the collection.
Prominent correspondents include Bernard M. Baruch, Baron Max Aitken Beaverbrook, James F. Byrnes, Sir Winston Churchill, Homer S. Cummings, Josephus Daniels, Stephen T. Early, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, Earl of Halifax, Felix Frankfurter, Joseph C. Grew, Andrei Andreevich Gromyko, Loy W. Henderson, Harry L. Hopkins, Cordell Hull, Arthur Krock, Oskar Lange, George C. Marshall, Marvin Hunter McIntyre, Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov, Henry Morgenthau, N. V. Novicov, Key Pittman, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Samuel I. Rosenman, Edward R. Stettinius, Harry S. Truman, Millard E. Tydings, Andrey Yanuaryevich Vyshinsky, Fred M. Vinson, Harry Morris Warner, and Sumner Welles.
Part II
Part II of the Joseph Edward Davies Papers spans the years 1893-1958, with the bulk of the material concentrated between 1912 and 1958. It is arranged in seven series: Family and Personal File, Correspondence, Subject File, Speeches and Writings File, Press File, Miscellany, and Oversize.
The Family and Personal File contains Davies's appointment books, biographical and genealogical information, correspondence between family members, estate management records, financial records, and medical records. Household papers document personal possessions and real estate. Of note are papers relating to the Sea Cloud, the private yacht of Davies and his wife, Marjorie Post, which they donated for military service during World War II. The Davies's social life is documented by club memberships, dinner lists, invitations to garden parties, and travel material.
The Correspondence series contains letters to and from Davies's friends and colleagues, particularly in the political arena. Subjects include Woodrow Wilson's 1912 presidential campaign, Davies's work on the Federal Trade Commission, his diplomatic career, and role as presidential advisor. Correspondents include Sir Winston Churchill, Stephen T. Early, Anthony Eden, Edward, Duke of Windsor, Albert Einstein, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Felix Frankfurter, Andrei Andreevich Gromyko, Warren G. Harding, W. Averell Harriman, J. Edgar Hoover, Harry L. Hopkins, Cordell Hull, Harold L. Ickes, Henry Robinson Luce, Alfred Lunt, Edward R. Murrow, Drew Pearson, Sam Rayburn, Eddie Rickenbacker, Eleanor Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adlai E. Stevenson, Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina, Harry S. Truman, Henry A. Wallace, Sumner Welles, Wendell L. Willkie, and Woodrow Wilson.
The Subject File covers topics such as Belgium, economic and foreign relations, presidential and senatorial election campaigns, post-World War II conditions, and universal military training. The Speeches and Writings File contains correspondence, drafts, and related material pertaining to Davies's articles, books, speeches, and other writings. It includes material regarding Mission to Moscow, a film based on Davies's book. The Press File includes bulletins, newsletters, newspaper clippings, press releases, and radio broadcasts.
The Miscellany series consists of notes, photographs, and printed matter. It also includes several scrapbooks relating to Davies's family and career.