THE JANUS
Our volunteer, Bill Foley, has suggested bringing AFS to the public notice with an exhibition from the hundreds of photographs in our possession. He feels It would serve to interest the general public in us, and stir the conscience of public officials, foundations, and heads of co ercial organizations throughout the city. The origins of AFS are an exciting saga of devotion and service to others under appalliag conditions and danger and it is regrettable that this is known to so few. Members of our own organization, even, have co.e into Archives and expressed astonishment when confronted with the tangible evidence of those early days. We want everyone to know that it was these early piG eer who are the Founding Fathers of AFS. In 1917 when the United States joined the Allies and entered the conflIct known now World War I, AFS volunteers had been helping the French aries on the battlefields for nearly three years, not by bearing r.s but through the quiet and efficient evacuation of the wounded. and in driving munitions and other war material to the front 1ines. Twenty odd years later some of these same volunteers were again in the fray shortly after the outbreak of World r II •• more than two years before the U.S. entered the War in December 1941 -- dedicated to the selfless task of caring for the wounded. They were joined by hundreds of other volunteers who performed their humanitarian and hazardous duties in Fra ce, the Western Desert, Syria, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Au tri ~ Germany and India/Burma. In the years between the Wars, the AFS drivers inaugurate and maintained the exchange of university graduate students between the U.S. and France, and this exchange was reactivate at the end of hostllities in 1946. Thus emerged the Exchange Programs as we know them today. From the AFS volunteers wbo served in that first great adventure, therefore, to the many who participate in the adventures of today an unbroken li of over 70 years of AFS service to the world co. unity reflect the tradition of the AFS volunteer. Bill Foley has offered to select, caption, and arT nge th photographs in the appropriate categories. Early pictures f the scholarship programs will, of course, be included, howin
scenes on board the ShiPS, students meeting our Presidents at the White House, bus trips, etc, We will bring the picture up to date by the use of statistics. We are hopeful that an exhibition of this kind will lead to an awakening of interest in the AFS programs by many influential people who have but a vague idea of what we do. There is reason to believe, also, that an exhibition of this nature could be sent to foundations, schools, universities, museums, etc , and thereby given nationwide exposure. It might even be sent abroad. Why not; We will let you know how we progress.
On 19 June we were began:
delighted
to receive
a letter
which
"I am pleased to inform you that, upon recommendation by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, and from funds provided by Congress under authority of 44 V.S.C. 2504, the National Archives and Records Administration hereby makes the following grant: Amount $50,585
of Grant:
Name of Institution: AFS International/Intercultural Name of Project: Archives Program/Records
Programs
Management
System
Project Director: William P. Orrick Grant Period: August l, 1987 - July
31, 1989
"AFS will receive a check for the full as soon as it can be processed"
amount
of the grant
This grant, which is to finance the establishment of the permanent position of Archivist at AFS, is the result of a three-year effort to find financial underpinning for our archives development program.
1.
To complete a survey of AFS archIval records materials at International Headquarters;
2.
To develop an archIval program for AFS, integrated wIth an overall records management system;
3.
To organize and make accessible eXIsting records which are of historical value for researchers, and of legal/evIdential value to AFS;
4.
To establish an access POlICY, and create retention schedules and accession procedures for records management;
5.
To provide historical
6.
To record In microform certaIn records for reasons space, or to provide a duplicate of deteriorating orIginals;
7.
To prepare archival retrieval computer and word-processor.
for the preservatIon value,
of records
tools
and
of unique of
by the use of
Even under present restrictions of space, budget, staff, and equipment, Archives has been of use in the day-to-day operations of AFS. For example, a reVIew of previous reorganizations assisted the Executive Vice President in deciding on recent administrative changes; the Corporate Secretary has made use of annual reports and statistical data in creating comparative statistics; searches on former board members; and ambulance drivers have assIsted fundraising efforts; trip reports of past travel provide background for recent visits; and research in lists of former participants has prOVided a more complete data base of students. A committee of former ambulance drivers has made extensive use of archival records of W.W. I and W.W. II in preparing an application to the u.s. Government to secure veteran status for AFS volunteer ambulance drivers. Copies of U.S. State Department and War Department records pertaining to the history of AFS will thus be added to present holdings. would
There is in the records of AFS Archives material which be of value to individuals outside the organization.
"The records of AFS's ambulance service in two wars would be of interest to military historians, particularly those studying American involvement prior to the United States' Declaration of War in 1917. Such records could also be used for studies of relationships between the United States and foreign governments, and research on the individuals who participated in the ambulance corps and those who donated money to purchase vehicles and supplies. "The records of AFS's current and interwar exchange programs also offer a number of opportunities for research. Subjects such as the development of international exchange programs, foreign government attitudes towards the United States based programs, and studies of the types of students involved in exchange programs are but a few of the topics which scholars might pursue. "In addition to in-depth research, AFS records will continue to be of value and use to former participants. Records of ambulance drivers may be of value for establishing social security or other benefits, while former students may need information on when they participated or names and addresses of other participants and host families to renew friendships. "Finally, some of the records at AFS will be of value to genealogists, both now and In the future. Information on former employees, ambulance drivers, directors, officers and similar individuals will become more and more valuable to this group of researchers as time passes." (The AFS International Archives. A Report and Recommendations, Thomas Wilsted, July 1, 1985). The material now at hand may be categorized as:
at AFS
International
Headquarters
1.
Corporate records: These include minutes, reSOlutions, actions, trustee biographies, annual audits, treasurers' reports, presidents' annual reports, officers' annual reports, contracts, and other legal documents.
2.
Personnel records: former AFS staff.
3.
Organization War I, World International
4.
AFS Scholarship Program participants' names and addresses, 1947-1982 (Note: such information after 1982 is stored in the organization's computer system).
World
War
II ambulance
drivers
and
correspondence and program records: World War II, French Fellowship Program, AFS Scholarship Program.
In addition, archives also holds large numbers of personal letters, diaries, and scrapbooks from AFS personnel in WW I and WW II, proclamations and posters, letters and testimonials from internationally known personages, and a specIalized library of 500 volumes.
1.
To preserve, organize, and provide access to existing records and material of historical value, and of importance in the dally business of the AFS;
2.
To develop a records management system of which the archives will be an active part to receive, arrange, catalogue, and make readily accessible records of long-term legal and operational use.
To accomplish this purpose, are the primary needs:
we have
1.
A larger and better trained a professIonal archivist.
staff
2.
Increased undertaken
3.
Consultant services to assist the staff in preservation efforts and to monitor steps taken in the development of a records management system.
4.
A program of microfilm/microfiche to provide copies of deteriorating records of historical value, and to conserve space by disposing of hard copies of other records which are functionally, but not intrinSIcally valuable
5.
A microcomputer system compatible with the main frame and with the capability to perform the standard functions of an archival information system, both in word proccessing and data base management, i.e: a.
space and improved to provide this).
concluded
under
storage
that
these
the leadership
provisions
of
(AFS has
for the development of the collection (from design, distribution, correspondence, legal documents, analysis and followup);
b.
for control (processing, item tracking, analysis);
form
design,
c.
for reference services (collecting information, schedUlIng, referen~e
description,
and analyzing guides);
Primarily, the grant is to cover the salary and benefits of the archivist the fIrst year and 60% the second year. Funding is also provided for a consultant preservation specialist. We hope this seed money, as It were, will bear fruit in attracting other donations from indiVIduals and corporations. We will at some point be actively engaged in searching for such assistance. Any ideas'?
Bill message:
Foley,
our volunteer,
has
sent us the following
"Recently I was put in touch with the History and Museum Division of the United States Marine Corps. Through their historical program I learned of an eight-page booklet entitled, A DO-IT-YOURSELF ORAL HISTORY PRIMER. WIthin these eight pages there are instructions and formats to follow that will make any history minded individual a professional. With the help of this booklet I would lIke to enlist the assjstance of all the drivers that can spare the time to record their memories of their service in World Wars I and lIon tape recordings that WIll make up our oral history collection. Remember that without the drivers' help there will be no oral archive of those momentous years. "We will gladly send you a photostatic copy of the primer and hope that it WIll help you to brIng back those memories that WIll become an important part of history. A selfaddressed, stamped envelope sent to Archives wlll start the ball rolling. Through this self guide we will increase the holdings of the collection and capture those events that are, and will ever be, part of the living history of AFS. "Up-coming recordings of tllTee World War I dri vers wlll recount events In the service of John C. Hanna, SSU I; Jerome Preston, SSU 15; and Edward S. Ingham, TMU 3~7-526. To date we do not have any recordings from drivers who served with the Reserve Mallet. Such a narrative would give us a unique glimpse into those days when the Field Service was in its infancy.
If ArchIves can answer any of your questions pertainIng to the history or service that was rendered by the World Wars 1 and II drivers please write and we will do our best to reply as soon as possible. Remember that we wlll not exist without your support, and each driver should recognize hIS significance in making AFS Archives become an important research and historical repository. Help us to keep alive the unique phenomenon known as AFS!
Can anyone tell where to find Robert N. Palmer, ME l7? He has been "lost" since March 1967 when his mall was returned to us without comment. Now his buddies in the Australian 9th Division, to which he was attached in the Western Desert in 1941, are anxious to hear from him. So if anyone knows his present whereabouts please send us his address or ask him to get In touch wIth us so that we can get together. We would also like to know the present address of James A. Doughty, ME 16. A wrIter in Washington, D.C., wants to do a piece on his exploits in the Beitish Raiding Forces in the Aegean Sea where he joined two of hIS comrades, Porter C. Jarrell and Edward O. Welles both also of ME 16. We know that he was captured by the Germans; so he should have a very interesting story to relate.
We were recently approached by the New York Historical Resources Center, situated in Cornell University, for permission to survey our records, files, photographs, etc., with a view to including them in the Historic Documents Inventory of the New York Historical Resources Center at Cornell. One of their field archivists spent some days in AFS Archives, studying and analyzing our collection and was greatly impressed wIth our documentation. The result is AFS Archives IS now Included in this prestigIous listing, and the information will also appear in the Research Libraries Information Network computer database for the use of historical researchers.
We have been able to acquire from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin microfilm of letters and dIaries wrItten by William G. Rice, SSU 1-66 during his AFS service in World War I, from July 1916 to October 1917. He remained in France when hostilities ended, so included in the reel are his letters and comments on the European scene immediately after the War and during the peace conference of 1919.
We receIved a request from a nephew of Howard B. Lines, SSU 1-8, who died at La Grange au Bois in the Argonne on 23rd December 1916, to locate his grave. We were able to fInd an account of his death and photographs of his funeral at La Grange au Bois, which was attended by the American Ambassador to France, Robert Bacon, and A. Piatt Andrew, AFS Inspector General. We also discovered that Howard's body was later removed to the mIlitary cemetery at Suresnes, near ParIS, and his nephew has since been Informed that he lies there today. From John Graham Reid, TMU 133, we have received an excerpt from his autobiography which deals with his AFS service in 1916-1917. When the U.S. entered the War in 1917 he joined the Royal Flying Corps (forerunner of the RAF). It is a very interesting account and we are glad to have a first hand description of life in a TMU unIt. We hope that he will fInd time to make a tape for oral history. The stepdaughter of Powel Fenton, SSU 3, Mrs. Z. A. Simpson, has sent us souvenirs and dIaries relating to his AFS serVIce In 1915-1917. It is an important and dIverse collection and includes an allegorical crayon drawing of the Section which we have framed and hung in our museum. It will be remembered that SSU 3 served WIth the French Army of the Orient in the Balkan~. Powel settled In France after the War and when the French surrendered in World War II he was imprisoned by the Germans. Norman Laden, ME 22, FR 8, IB 60-T has sent us a copy of an article he wrote about his AFS experience in World War II, which was publIshed in the Dallas News-Tribune in July 1944. It IS a particularly stirring and graphic account of twenty-four hours on the Italian Front and we were glad to have it.
We heard through John Hodel, ME 4, FFC, CM 53 that Fred Ellis, IB 40, has been having trouble keeping developers~bay on his island paradise off the coast of Washington. We hope has been successful.
he
For the past year Manning Field, ME 1, CM 86, has been helping us as a volunteer in AFS Archives. His wide experience in the Field Service as well as his archival experience in the Brooklyn Historical Society have made his aSSIstance in sorting out old World War II files Invaluable. Paul Kimball, ME 16, is hopIng to organize a drivers' reunIon in Boston sometime in August, and would be glad to hear form any drivers who would like to rake part. His address is, 31 College Street. Portland, Maine 04103.
No house yet; so we conttnue to sit surrounded by many of our treasures and rummage in the attic whenever someone wants something we haven't room for in OUI quarters. We're doing our best but we're rather like a badly kept and overcrowded home. When anyone comes in and wants to study or examine something we have to clear a space for them, pushing things under or piling them on to whatever we can. Precious possessions get mislaid that way. Perhaps someone has a house that is too big for them. The children are flown but the parents do not want to leave the old home. Their favorite rooms might be partitioned off for their exclusive use. We would make nice, quiet neighbors -- no hi-fi or late night TV; weekends delightfully private; only studious, serious -minded visitors at infrequent intervals, never a steady traffIc; maintenance and taxes taken care of; a life tenancy free of care for our benefactors; and their name perpetuated in the title of the museum.
Jody Brinton continues his fight to get recognition of the AFS drivers as legitimate participants in World War II, and their entitlement to U.S. veterans' benefits. It is an uphill climb and he has had many setbacks. Surprisingly, the organizations that one would suppose prone to be helpful have proved stumblIng blocks, either by design or out of sheer apathy -- they cannot be bothered to examine the records Jody submits to them or provide the evidence that we know exists in their archives. Jody is of the bulldog breed, however, and he won't let go they are not going to be able to shake him off easily, If at all. He still needs some financial help, but apart from that there is little more we can do but cheer him on -- and this we do with all our hearts.
We would like to see more reunions. We know are stIll interested in each other and would like comrades agaIn because they tell us so when they us. Therefore, we are attaching a questionnaire your preference and hope you will fill it in and
that drivers to see their come in to see to find our send it to us.