Scope and Content Note
The papers of Thomas Lowe Hughes (1925-) span the dates 1918-2018, with the bulk of the material dating from 1961 to 1991. The collection documents Hughes's career in United States politics and foreign policy, especially as an aide to United States politicians, Chester Bowles and Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, as director of the Department of State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and, later, as the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The collection is organized into eight series: United States Congress , Department of State, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, General Correspondence, Speeches and Writings, Boards and Associations , Personal File, and National Security Classified Information.
The collection documents Hughes's interest and work in federal politics and foreign policy, much of which was informed by his early involvement with and leadership in the Student Federalists movement as a student at Carleton College and his travels throughout Europe as a Rhodes scholar in the immediate postwar period. His papers comprehensively cover the trajectory of his career in American foreign policy, beginning in the United States Congress as an administrative assistant to Chester Bowles and as legislative counsel to Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, then moving into various leadership roles in the Department of State and, finally, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Hughes's professional contacts, associations, and affiliations, many of which Hughes worked to foster and maintain for the duration of his career and beyond, feature prominently through correspondence and meeting notes, filed across several series and found throughout the collection.
The collection’s series are listed and briefly described below. A fuller description of each series and a list of its contents can be accessed in the series descriptions within the container list.
The United States Congress series contains materials documenting Hughes's early career working as legislative counsel to Senator Hubert H. Humphrey (1955-1958) and his work as an administrative assistant to Congressman Chester Bowles (1959-1960), as well as his continued professional and personal associations with both throughout his career.
The Department of State series contains material documenting Hughes's positions with the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) and the United States Embassy, London.
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace series spans the years 1948-2008, with the bulk of the material reflecting Hughes’s tenure as the organization’s president between 1971 and 1991. This series primarily contains records of major projects, events, and functions the endowment undertook under Hughes's tutelage.
The General Correspondence series was maintained as received and is arranged into three groupings: Alphabetical file, Chronological file, and Special signatures. The series primarily documents Hughes’s professional career in the Department of State and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, with the majority reflecting Hughes’s years at the Carnegie Endowment.
The Speeches and Writings series contains transcripts of speeches Hughes gave at a variety of professional and personal engagements, articles, and an extensive collection of notes pertaining to speech and article ideas, meetings, and other professional matters.
The Boards and Associations series documents Hughes’s involvement with various international affairs think tanks and nongovernmental organizations.
The Personal File contains material related to Hughes’s education, military service, and endeavors outside of his later professional career.
The remaining series contains National Security Classified Information associated with Hughes's tenure with the Department of State and United States Congress as an aide to Hubert Humphrey and Chester Bowles.