caused by military conflicts figured at the top of the list of international archival
affairs. But there were other new issues too. What should be done with the
archives of supranational organisations and international bodies such as the
United Nations Organisation itself and also its pre-war predecessors?
What could new techniques like microfilming mean for the preservation of
endangered originals, the solution of competence conflicts and, in general, the
opening up of archives for researchers?
In post-war Europe the United States of America was looked at not only as the
military superpower it had proved to be during the war but also as an example to
follow in other respects and a place where astonishing things were being done
which no one had ever dreamt of. So it was not surprising that for an answer to
the new questions in the archival sphere eyes were directed to the USA. And
indeed, the National Archives in Washington had been involved in the protec
tion of archives in overseas war areas. American colleagues had already gained
experience in dealing with mass records and large scale use of microfilm. Solon
J. Buck, president of the Society of American Archivists, who was also Archivist
of the United States, appeared to be an obvious candidate for the leadership in
international co-operation.
The United Nations Organisation, established in 1945 and expected to evade
the faults of its predecessor, encompassed a structure of specialised affiliated
agencies and offered in this way an excellent framework within which also inter
national archival co-operation could take shape.
In his capacity of Archivist of the United States Solon J. Buck wrote a memoran
dum entitled "A Proposed Archives Program for the United Nations Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organisation", meant to be the subject of discussion at
the first meeting of the American National Unesco Commission planned for
September 1946. Buck's memorandum comprehended not only an outline for
future international activities in the sphere of archives, but also a plan for an
international archival association.21
The same ideas figured in Buck's presidential address held on 24 October
1946 before the audience of the tenth annual meeting of the Society of
American Archivists (SAA). This speech was entitled The Archivist's "One World"
and was published a year later in SAA's journal. According to Buck the world was
in need of and the time was ripe for "the establishment of (1) an agency for the
administration of the rapidly growing body of international archives and (2) an
international association in the field of archives."22
As a matter of fact, Buck's first issue was already being worked out since the
National Archives in October 1945 put forward a Proposal for the Establishment of
a United Nations Archives.23
Buck's second point, which carries most emphasis here, was the creation of
"an international organization dedicated to the task of preserving, improving,
and promoting the effective utilization of man's archival heritage throughout
the world." In order to facilitate the establishment and activities of such a body,
it should be linked with the United Nations, especially with its subordinate and
recently founded educational, scientific and cultural organ. Referring to the
archival oneness of the USA which could serve as a model for the entire world, in
his speech Buck laid emphasis on the oneness of man's total archival heritage
and evoked the image of one archival whole consisting of separate parts. "The
loss of an important body of records in any country is a loss to all countries", he
stated and it matters little in retrospect whether that loss be caused by an
atomic bomb, unintelligent handling, or mere neglect. The defence of archives in
these difficult times will hardly be possible without the full and frank sharing of
ideas, methods, equipment, and the techniques among the archivists of all
lands." At the basis for this plea for professional solidarity and co-operation lay
Buck's vivid awareness of the dangers of abused nationalism, the horrid results
of which were visible and felt by then all over the world. "Scholarship that feeds
upon the archival resources of a single country cannot be otherwise than one
sided and nationalistic. The only antidotes are freedom of access to the originals
in whatever country they may happen to be and the making and exchange of
photographic facsimiles."24
Only a few months after Buck's presidential address, Unesco held its first
General Conference in Paris. The conference decided "to encourage the creation
of an organisation of professional archivists." In collaboration with Unesco itself
such a body should deal with questions of technique and administration, such as
the exchange of personnel, the general accessibility of documents and the
exchange of reproductions.25
After this basis had been laid, concrete steps could be taken towards the esta
blishment of an international organisation. First of all the attention of the
archival community should be raised and an inquiry made into the ideas and
requirements of archivists all over the world. For that reason a circular letter was
composed incorporating a draft statement of General Purposes, regulations for
membership and representation, and a questionnaire consisting of fifteen
general questions. As an incentive to and guideline for thinking on international
archival co-operation, a topic which surely for many professionals "in the field"
would bear an academic character, a copy of Buck's "The Archivist's 'One
World"' and the "Proposed Archives Program for Unesco" were enclosed. This
letter, signed by Buck, was deliberately sent not to institutions but to leading pro-
DE PROFESSIE
2.5 The archivist's "one world"
21 The "Proposed Archives Program" has been published as an appendix to Oliver W. Holmes, "Toward an
International Archives Program and Council, 1945-1950", American Archivist 29 (1976), pp. 287-299.
22 Buck, p. 13.
23 According to Buck there existed a real danger of the loss of archives of international agencies because of
the fact that they did not belong to any particular country.
See the instructive article of Maygene Daniels, "The Genesis and Structure of the International Council on
Archives: an American View", American Archivist 50 (1987), pp. 414-419.
160
JAN VAN DEN BROEK FROM BRUSSELS TO BEIJING
24 Buck, p. 17. Buck saw in international archival co-operation a "potent symbol of internationalism".
See also: James B. Rhoads, "North American contributions to international archival endeavours", in:
Miscellanea Carlos Wyffels, Archives et Bibliothèques de Belgique (Archief- en Bibliotheekwezen in België) 57
(1986), pp. 309-322.
25 Holmes, p. 292. Holmes, who himself was one of the participants in the process of establishing an interna
tional archival structure, gives in his article a detailed and informative account of this episode.
161
