For Immediate Release: March 16, 2005
Further information: Tom McNaught (617) 514-1662
Michelle DeMartino (617) 514-1690
Boston, MA – The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum today announced that it has processed and made available for research the personal papers of Harlan Cleveland, a champion of the United Nations, who served both Presidents Kennedy and Johnson as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs from 1961 to 1965.
Cleveland was charged with coordinating policy between the White House, the Department of State and the United Nations, and worked very closely with the United States Mission to the United Nations, most notably U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson.
Kennedy historian Arthur Schlesinger described Cleveland as "one of the distinguished public servants of our time" and observed that Cleveland served with a "most impressive American team" at the United Nations. "With Adlai Stevenson as Ambassador and Harlan Cleveland as backstop, Stevenson and Cleveland made a strong, formidable team," Schlesinger said.
The 120-box collection opened today by the Kennedy Library represents Cleveland’s working files as Assistant Secretary of State and provides an insider’s view of the United Nations during the early 1960’s including the organization’s response to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Congo and other peacekeeping missions, the emergence of newly independent African nations, and UN funding questions.
During President Kennedy’s administration there was considerable debate over the usefulness and future of the United Nations – a debate that continues today. On a number of occasions, Cleveland was asked by President Kennedy to discuss and explain UN actions and resolutions. Cleveland was also a prolific speaker who Kennedy called on frequently to articulate the administration’s support for the United Nations. In one speech found among Cleveland’s papers that was delivered on behalf of the Kennedy administration, he states:
The UN Has survived. It is still alive despite predictions that each new crisis would wreck – and each new job undo – the organization. It has survived those who have no use for it, those who would misuse it, and those who would excuse it with killing kindness. It has kept going despite 100 Russian vetoes, some shoe-pounding and some three-horse monte. And the UN is still operating, still talking, still making a difference and still trying to make that difference matter. It’s there in the Middle East, in the Congo and in the refugee camps and weather stations. The UN is still in business: big business.
In 1965 Harlan Cleveland was appointed U.S. Ambassador to NATO, serving in that post until May 1969. He then returned to academia, serving as a professor and president (1969-1974) at the University of Hawaii. Cleveland was director of the Program in International Affairs at the Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies in Princeton, New Jersey (1974-1980). He subsequently was professor and president of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota (1980-1988), also serving as dean (1980-1987) and as professor emeritus from 1988. In 1991 he was elected to a five-year term as President of the World Academy of Art and Science, and in 1994 was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of VITA (Volunteers in Technical Assistance), a private voluntary agency experimenting with low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites to bring into the world communication system people who still live "beyond the last telephone pole." He is also an Associate Editor-at-Large for The World Paper.
Note to Members of the Press: Harlan Cleveland is available for comment on former administration policy toward the United Nations and the opening of his papers. Scanned documents from the collection and a photo image of Cleveland with President Kennedy are also available on request. Please contact Michelle DeMartino at 617-514-1609 or Michelle.DeMartino@nara.gov for contact information for Mr. Cleveland, scanned documents, or the photo image.
Researchers will note that classified items still remain closed. Withdrawal sheets describing the closed materials will allow the researchers to request additional review. The collections are available for research use in the Library’s Research Room. The hours of operation are Monday – Friday from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, and appointments may be made by calling (617) 514-1629.
Materials housed at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library have come to the Library through two routes. First, as Federal records which come from executive departments, commissions and committees of the Federal government. Access to these materials is controlled by the originating agency. In addition, many of these materials contain national security classified information, which under laws and executive orders must be reviewed by the appropriate agency for possible declassification. Some of the materials, such as civil rights cases or litigation, also have privacy restrictions.
The second route is as personal papers, which come from individuals under deeds of gift and deposit agreements negotiated between the National Archives and the donor or his/her heirs. These materials, called "donated historical materials", comprise the bulk of the Library’s holdings. Deeds of gift and deposit agreements cover the administration of the collections as well as the title, literary rights, and any restrictions requested by the donor or necessitated by the nature of the materials. Many donors retain literary rights and/or restrict personal financial or medical information. A review of personal papers for national security classified information also sometimes occurs depending upon the nature of the papers themselves.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is a presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and supported, in part, by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, a non-profit organization. The Kennedy Presidential Library and the Kennedy Library Foundation seek to promote, through educational and community programs, a greater appreciation and understanding of American politics, history, and culture, the process of governing and the importance of public service.