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Descriptions of the Edward M. House Papers and Associated Collections in Manuscripts and Archives

[ Preface | Gordon Auchincloss | William Buckler | Walter Goodwin Davis | Clive Day | Frances B. Denton | Thomas Wells Farnam | Edward Mandell House | The Inquiry Papers | Ernst Jackh | Kiderlen-Waechter | Vance Criswell McCormick | Sidney Edward Mezes | Miller-Auchincloss Papers | Frank Lyon Polk | Charles Seymour | George Sylvester Viereck | War Poster Collection | Paul Moritz Warburg | George William Watt | Arthur Willert | Woodrow Wilson | Sir William Wiseman | World War I Collection | William Yale]

	The papers of Edward M. House were administered as a special library collection by the Curator, Charles Seymour. Papers of a significant number of House's associates were donated to the library and placed in the House Collection until the death of Seymour in 1963, when the collection was added to the department of Manuscripts and Archives. The most important of these auxiliary collected papers are those of Frank Lyon Polk, who worked closely with House during the Wilsonian period as Counselor, Acting Secretary and Under Secretary of State; and Gordon Auchincloss, House's son-in-law, who served as assistant counselor in the State Department and secretary to Colonel House at the armistice and peace negotiations. Both of these men kept detailed diaries which supplement the House diary record. Also of prime importance are the papers of Sir William Wiseman, British intelligence liaison between Wilson and House and the British government and adviser at the Paris Peace Conference. The papers of Charles Seymour as editor and curator of the House Papers, historian, and administrator of the House Collection provide extensive documentation on the work of Colonel House and his colleagues. Descriptions of the associated papers and collections formerly part of the House Collection follow.
	Gordon Auchincloss Papers, 1914-1951 4 linear ft. (11 boxes) MS 580 Arranged in three series: I. Diary. II. Correspondence. III. Subject File. Gordon Auchincloss was the Assistant U. S. District Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1913-1915; assistant to Frank Polk, Counselor of the State Department from 1917-1918; and secretary to Edward M. House at the Inter-allied Conference (1917) and during the Armistice negotiations and the Paris Peace Conference (1918-1919). The papers consist of correspondence, a diary, memoranda, and printed material largely relating to Gordon Auchincloss's position as assistant counselor in the State Department, 1917, and to his position as secretary to Colonel E. M. House at the armistice negotiations and the Paris Peace Conference, with some material on personal affairs. The diary lists his daily activities between 1914 and 1920, including many summaries of conversations, and with a retrospective entry on his first meeting with Colonel House in 1909. The subject files include memoranda and printed matter on the Peace Conference, American foreign policy and other political matters. Gift of Mrs. Gordon Auchincloss, 1943. Gift of Edward H. Auchincloss, 1991.
	William Hepburn Buckler Papers, 1909-1937 2 linear ft. (7 boxes) MS 654 Arranged in four series: I. General Correspondence. II. Miscellaneous Political Reports. III. The Peace Conference: Miscellaneous Papers. IV. Miscellaneous Printed Materials. William H. Buckler practiced law in Baltimore, Maryland from 1892-1905. He was Secretary to the American Legation in Madrid from 1907-1909. From 1910-1914 Buckler participated in the excavations at Sardis. He was Special Agent at the U.S. Embassy in London from 1914-1918, and in 1919 served as a staff member of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace. Buckler was active in the field of archaeology from 1920-1930. The papers consist of correspondence, political reports, papers relating to the Paris Peace Conference, and printed materials of William H. Buckler, diplomat and archaeologist. The bulk of the papers relate to Buckler's work as a member of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace in Paris, 1918-1919, although there is material relating to his other diplomatic duties as well as his work as an archaeologist, especially the excavations at Sardis (1910-1914) and Anatolia (1922-1930). Gift of Mrs. V. H. Seymer, 1957-1958.
	Walter Goodwin Davis Papers, 1918-1919 .25 linear ft. (1 box) MS 469 B.A., Yale, 1908; attended Harvard Law School; admitted to the New York bar in 1911; subsequently returned to Portland, Maine, to pursue a banking and business career; worked in Military Intelligence during World War I, and served as Assistant Military Attache in Berne; in 1919 attached to the American Commission to Negotiate Peace in Paris. Correspondence, notes, and other papers, including a diary, of Walter G. Davis, Assistant Military Attache at Berne in 1918. After the November armistice he was attached to the American Commission to Negotiate Peace in Paris. He was also a member of the Coolidge Mission to Austria-Hungary until March, 1919. Gift of Walter G. Davis, 1958.
	Clive Day Papers, 1892-1943 5.5 linear ft. (12 boxes) MS 173 Arranged in six series: I. General Correspondence. II. Plattsburg Army Camp. III. Peace Conference. IV. Paris Peace Conference. V. Printed Material and Memorabilia. VI. Yale University Files. Clive Day was born in Hartford, Connecticut on February 11, 1871. He received degrees from Yale University (B.A., 1892; Ph.D., 1899). Day served as an advisor to the American Commission to Negotiate Peace and taught economics, sociology, and political economy at Yale (1899-1936). He wrote several books, served on many university committees, and was a member of the Connecticut Unemployment Commission, 1932-1933. He died in 1951. The papers contain correspondence, printed material, reports, and other papers documenting Clive Day's activities as an advisor to the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, a Yale University professor of political economy, and a member of the Connecticut Unemployment Commission. Gift of Clive Day.
	Frances B. Denton Papers, 1904-1944 .5 linear ft. (1 box) MS 655 Correspondence and personal memorabilia of Frances B. Denton, personal secretary to Colonel Edward M. House from 1885 to 1938. Correspondents include Colonel House, Janet House Auchincloss, Stephen Bonsal, and George S. Viereck.
	Thomas Wells Farnam Papers, 1918-1919 1 linear ft. (5 boxes, 1 folio) MS 659 Arranged in five series: I. General Correspondence. II. Cables. III. Progress and Other Operational Reports. IV. Miscellaneous Operational and Administrative Memoranda and Notes. V. Personal and Memorabilia. Thomas W. Wells: from 1901-1917 worked in banking and investment; Director of American Red Cross Supply Service in Washington during the First World War; from October 1917 - September 1918 Assistant U.S. Food Administrator for Connecticut; from 1918-1919 American Red Cross Commissioner to Serbia; from 1919-1943 held various administrative posts at Yale University. Correspondence, cablegrams, reports, notes, and other papers of Thomas W. Farnam, financier and administrator. These papers relate to Farnam's service in Serbia, 1918-1919, as American Red Cross Commissioner in charge of relief and hospitals following World War I.
	Edward Mandell House Papers, 1918-1919 124.5 linear ft. (331 boxes, 11 folios, 18 v.) MS 466 Arranged in five series: I. Correspondence. II. Diaries. III. Political Papers. IV. Writings. V. Personal and Memorabilia. Edward Mandell House was born July 26, 1858 in Houston, Texas. He became active in Texas politics and served as an advisor to President Woodrow Wilson, particularly in the area of foreign affairs. House functioned as Wilson's chief negotiator in Europe during the negotiations for peace (1917-1919), and as chief deputy for Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference. He died on March 28, 1938 in New York City. The papers consist of correspondence, diaries, memoirs, writings, photographs, memorabilia, and other papers documenting Edward M. House's personal life and political career. Materials relating to the Paris Peace Conference include minutes of meetings of the Supreme Council and memoranda from various countries presenting claims. Writings include essays, reviews, novels, and other works. Correspondence includes letters to and from Woodrow Wilson, Charles Seymour, American and foreign politicians, and newspaper and political journalists. Gift of Edward M. House beginning in 1923. Gift of Edward H. Auchincloss, 1991. Four logbooks kept during the Paris Peace Conference are available on microfilm (1 reel, 35mm.) from Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library, at cost. Order no. HM68.
	The Inquiry Papers, 1915-1921 18 linear ft. (35 boxes, 4 folios) MS 8 Arranged in six series: I. General Correspondence. II. Records Regarding Administrative Matters. III. Reports and Studies. IV. Abstracts, Precis, Notes. V. Printed Materials. VI. Photographs and Maps. Correspondence, organizational records, reports containing historical and statistical material, maps, and other papers of The Inquiry, a group of experts assembled at the request of President Wilson to collect and collate data in preparation for a peace conference following World War I. Members of The Inquiry included Edward House, Sidney Mezes, Isaiah Bowman, Charles Seymour, David H. Miller, Walter Lippmann, James T. Shotwell, and Clive Day. Part of the collection was transferred from House Papers (MS 466), and the remainder was the gift of the American Geographic Society in 1961.
	Ernst Jackh Papers, 1908-1917 .75 linear ft. (2 boxes, 1 folio) MS 467 Ernst Jackh, journalist and academic, was born in Urach, Germany. He promoted the German-Turkish Alliance (1908-1914), founded the German Turkish Association (1912), and became professor of Turkish history at the University of Berlin (1914). Jackh was a member of the diplomatic service during the World War I, and, with Freidrich Naumann, an organizer of the liberal movement in Germany (1902-1912). He helped found the German League of Nations and the Hochschule fur Politik. Jackh emigrated to Britain in the 1930s and held the position of international director of the New Commonwealth Institute until 1940 when he became a professor at Columbia University. The papers consist of correspondence and other material relating to political and diplomatic affairs in Turkey and the Middle East, particularly in relation to interests of the German Foreign Office in that area. Included are the diaries of the naval attache Hans Humann, and his secret cables and reports from Constantinople to the chiefs of the German admiralty and of the naval administration (1914-1916), as well as his correspondence (1911-1916) with Ernst Jackh. Humann, friend and foster brother of Enver Pasha, was in contact with him regarding Turkish national and international issues; Enver Pasha's letters from the Tripolitanian war (1912-1913) and a draft of his unpublished autobiography accompany these papers. Other papers include the Grand Vizier Talat Pasha's unpublished autobiography as well as some correspondence with Ernst Jackh; Baron Oppenheim's designs for the Holy War of the Islamic world from India to Morocco, 1915; information about native Moslems led by the German Intelligence Service; the "Armenian Massacres" of 1915-1917, as reported to the German Ambassador, Baron Wangenheim, in Constantinople, by observers in Asia Minor, and by him to the Foreign Office in Berlin; and a collection of political posters of the Young Turkish revolution of 1908. Purchased from Ernst Jackh, 1949.
	Alfred von Kiderlen-Waechter Papers, 1891-1912 6 linear ft. (10 boxes, 1 folio) MS 312 Arranged in four series: I. Correspondence. II. Writings and Speeches. III. Subject File. IV. Biographical Material. Entered German foreign office in 1879; appointed Secretary of State of the Foreign Office in 1910. Correspondence, writings, speeches, notes and clippings on European political affairs and biographical material of Kiderlen-Waechter, German diplomat and Secretary of State. The most significant and largest portion of his correspondence and notes is that to his mistress, Hedwig Heting Kypke. These papers form a veritable diary of his life and of events in the Foreign Office from 1891 to 1912. Other correspondents include Wilhelm II, Bethmann-Hollweg, von Bulow, Eulenburg-Hertefeld, Marschall von Bieberstein and Alfred Zimmerman. Purchased from Ernst Jackh, 1949.
	Vance Criswell McCormick Papers, 1907-1946 7 linear ft. (18 boxes) MS 478 Arranged in five series: I. General Correspondence. II. The War. III. The Peace Conference. IV. Reports of the Engineering Department. V. Personal and Memorabilia. In 1902 began career as journalist and publisher; Democratic candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, 1914; chairman of the War Trade Board, 1916-1919; member of American War Mission to the Inter-Allied Conference, 1917; in 1918 advisor on economic questions to the American Commission to Negotiate Peace. Correspondence, diaries and papers relating to World War I and the Paris Peace Conference, and personal memorabilia of Vance C. McCormick, statesman and politician. These papers relate largely to McCormick's participation in the London Inter-Allied Conference (the "House Mission") and the American Commission to Negotiate Peace in Paris. Gift of Vance C. McCormick, 1942. Diaries of Vance McCormick are available on microfilm from Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library, at cost. Order no. HM74.
	Sidney Edward Mezes Papers, 1918-1931 .75 linear ft. (2 boxes) MS 657 Arranged in two series: I. Correspondence. II. Miscellaneous Memoranda and Notes Sidney E. Mezes (1863-1931): professor of philosophy at University of Texas and Dean of Faculty (1902-1908) and University President (1908-1914); in 1914 elected president of College of the City of New York, retiring in 1927; in 1917 appointed director of the Inquiry to prepare data for the Paris Peace Conference, and accompanied Wilson to Paris in 1919. Correspondence of Sidney Mezes relating to his work with The Inquiry and the American Commission to Negotiate Peace in Paris at the end of World War I. Also included are a group of miscellaneous memoranda and notes.
	Miller-Auchincloss Papers, 1917-1918 2 linear ft. (6 boxes) MS 825 David Hunter Miller (1875-1954): lawyer; admitted to New York Bar, 1911; special assistant in the State Department, 1917; served on the Inquiry under Colonel House, 1917-1918, and at the Peace Conference, 1919; active in League of Nations; editor of the Treaties, State Department, 1929; and author of numerous books on history, international law. Gordon Auchincloss (1886-1943): lawyer; admitted to New York Bar, 1911; served in various governmental positions; secretary to Colonel House during the Peace Conference, 1919; law practice in New York after the war. Correspondence and memoranda related to the work of David Miller and Gordon Auchincloss (who were law partners) as special representatives of the State Department. Their task was to gather information about commercial and financial activities based in the United States that might benefit Germany and her allies.
	Frank Lyon Polk Papers, 1883-1942 28 linear ft. (63 boxes, 5 folios) MS 656 Arranged in five series: I. Correspondence, 1898-1942. II. Diaries, 1915-1920. III. Subject Files, 1912-1921. IV. Chronological Files, 1915-1919. V. Politics and Memorabilia, 1883-1941. Frank Lyon Polk was born in New York City on September 13, 1871. He graduated from Yale College (B.A., 1894) and Columbia University Law School (LL.D., 1897). Polk served on a variety of New York City boards and commissions (1906-1913) and as Corporation Counsel (1914-1915). He also served in the Department of State as Counselor (1915-1919), Acting Secretary of State (1918-1919), and Under Secretary of State (1919-1920). Polk headed the American Commission to Negotiate Peace (1919) and managed the 1924 Democratic presidential convention campaign of John W. Davis. Polk died in New York City on February 7, 1943. The papers consist of correspondence, letterbooks, documents, diaries, subject files and other materials documenting the personal life and professional career of Frank Lyon Polk. The bulk of the material relates to Polk's Department of State service and includes correspondence with political figures, letterpress copybooks (1915-1917), and diaries (1915-1920). Materials relating to the American Commission to Negotiate Peace and the League of Nations are also included. Gift of Elizabeth Polk and her children, 1943. Diary is available on microfilm (3 reels, 35mm.) from Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library, at cost. Order no. HM47.
	Charles Seymour Papers, 1912-1963 31 linear ft. (90 boxes, 2 folios, 2v.) MS 441 Arranged in six series: I. Correspondence. II. Writings. III. Topical Files. IV. Personal and Memorabilia. V. Printed Material. VI. House Collection/Administration. Charles Seymour: author, educator; delegate to Paris Peace Conference, 1919; president of Yale University, 1930-1937; author of Intimate Papers of Colonel House, 1926-1928. Correspondence with Edward M. House (1920-1938), personal correspondence, manuscripts and correspondence preparatory to the publication of Seymour's Intimate Papers of Colonel House (1926-1928), newspaper clippings, articles, and memorabilia. Much of the material concerns Seymour's role as delegate to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. Gift of Charles Seymour.
	George Sylvester Viereck Papers, 1924-1938 1 linear ft. (5 boxes) MS 661 Arranged in five series: I. General Correspondence. II. "The Strangest Friendship in History". III. "The Memoirs of Colonel House". IV. Conversations with Colonel House. V. Miscellaneous Papers. George Viereck: poet, novelist, journalist, biographer, and pro-German publicist; biographer of Edward M. House; in March, 1942 convicted of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act and sentenced to prison. Correspondence and manuscripts dealing chiefly with Viereck's book about Colonel E. M. House and President Wilson, The Strangest Friendship in History. Also included are notes and manuscripts concerning "The Memoirs of Colonel House," and miscellaneous other papers. Purchased from George S. Viereck, 1947.
	War Poster Collection, 1914-1946 108 linear ft. (36 folios) MS 671 Arranged in three series: I. World War I, 1914-1918. II. Spanish Civil War, 1939-1945. III. World War II, 1939-1946. The War Poster Collection is a composite of several individual donations and library purchases, accumulated from the 1920s through the 1980s. Individual donations, such as that of Lafon Allen, are identified within the War Poster Collection, as single collections themselves. The collection consists of posters published in nations involved in World War I, 1914-1918, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II, 1939-1945. Great Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Canada, Australia, Ireland and other nations are represented through posters depicting such diverse topics as recruitment, enlistment, conservation, war loans, civilian service, home relief, foreign relief and propaganda messages. Posters issued by government agencies, social organizations, and private concerns are included. Donated by Lafon Allen, 1937, and several others; and transferred from the Medical Historical Library, 1990. William Mullally Collection available on microfilm (2 reels, 35mm.) from Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University, at cost. Order no. HM157.
	Paul Moritz Warburg Papers, 1904-1932 6 linear ft. (19 boxes, 1 folio) MS 535 Arranged in three series: I. Correspondence. II. Topical Files. III. Scrapbooks. Paul M. Warburg (1868-1932): member of Kuhn, Loeb & Co., N.Y., until appointed member of Federal Reserve Board, 1914- 1918; member of U.S. Section International High Commission, 1917; chairman of the board of International Acceptance Bank, N. Y., and of The Manhattan Company; director of B & O Railroad, Western Union Telegraph Co., several other corporations. Correspondence, documents, memorabilia, and printed materials relating to the career of Paul M. Warburg in banking and international finance. Correspondents include Nelson Aldrich, Carter Glass, Colonel Edward M. House and Woodrow Wilson. Gift of James P. Warburg, 1959.
	George William Watt Papers, 1920-1954 9 linear ft. (13 boxes) MS 665 Arranged in three series: I. Correspondence. II. Writings. III. Notes. George W. Watt (1878-1955): lawyer, practiced in New York and Philadelphia; retired in 1920 to Florida and wrote manuscript on Woodrow Wilson. Correspondence, research notes, clippings, and a book-length manuscript on Woodrow Wilson written by Watt, a lawyer and Wilson enthusiast. The correspondence consists mainly of Watt's requests for information about Wilson and an attempt to ascertain whether Theodore Roosevelt actually fought in the battle on San Juan Hill. Although much of the correspondence is perfunctory, there is a letter from Winston Churchill on World War I, another from Josephus Daniels on Wilson, and several replies from "Rough Riders" attesting to Roosevelt's participation in the battle.
	Arthur Willert Papers, 1907-1973 11 linear ft. (30 boxes, 1 folio) MS 720 Arranged in three series: I. Correspondence. II. Writings. III. Personal and Memorabilia. Arthur Willert: British journalist and diplomat; joined London Times in 1906; chief correspondent in U. S., 1910-1920; secretary of the British War Mission in Washington and representative of the Ministry of Information, 1917-1918; head of the News Department and Press Officer of the British Foreign Office, 1931-1935; member of British delegations to various international conferences, 1921-1934; head of the Ministry of Information Office for the Southern Region, 1939-1945; author of four books on politics, and other writings. Correspondence, writings, notes, memoranda, and printed matter of Arthur Willert, British journalist and diplomat. His correspondence is largely political, particularly during his tenure as chief correspondent of the London Times in the United States (1910-1920) and as representative of the Ministry of Information (1917-1918). As a member of United Kingdom delegations to various international conferences (1921-1934) his memoranda and other writings offer a view of European political affairs. In addition to his newspaper articles, he wrote for magazines, lectured in the United States (1936-1939) and wrote four books on international politics. In the papers are printed copies and drafts of articles, drafts of two books and a draft for an unidentified book. The correspondence of Florence S. Willert, his wife, includes forty-five letters from Eleanor Roosevelt. His correspondents include D. D. Braham, Herbert Croly, Geoffrey Dawson, Lord Northcliffe, H. W. Steed. Sir Campbell Stuart, Robert Wilberforce, Evelyn Wrench. Gift of the estate of Arthur Willert, 1974.
	Woodrow Wilson Miscellaneous Collection, 1877-1958 6.25 linear ft. (9 boxes, 3 folios) MS 716 A.B., Princeton, 1879, A.M., 1882; grad. in Law, U. of Va., 1881; practiced law in Atlanta, Ga., 1882-1883; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1886; prof. at Bryn Mawr, Wesleyan, Princeton, 1885-1910; pres. of Princeton, 1902-1910; gov. of N.J., 1911-1913; pres. of the United States, 1913-1921; author of many books. The collection consists of correspondence, printed material, photographs, speeches and messages, writings, memorabilia, and writings about Woodrow Wilson. The correspondence is primarily between Wilson and Winthrop More Daniels, (1878-1944) Princeton University faculty member 1892-1911, and Interstate Commerce Commission, 1914-1923. Gift of Winthrop M. Daniels, 1940.
Sir William Wiseman, 1916-1961 9.5 linear ft. (22 boxes) MS 666 Arranged in three series: I. World War I and the Paris Peace Conference. II. World War II. III. Business and Personal. Sir William Wiseman (1885-1962): international banker working at Herndon's in London before World War I; during World War I served in the infantry as a lieutenant colonel, then in military intelligence; acted as liaison between British government and Wilson, and as advisor at the Paris Peace Conference; after World War I joined banking firm of Kuhn, Loeb & Co. in New York. Papers pertaining to the period 1917-1919 and specifically to diplomatic relations between Britain and the U.S. during that period. Includes correspondence between Wiseman and Edward M. House; official telegrams of the British Foreign Office and of U.S. officials; British and American official and private memoranda on war matters and on problems of the Peace Conference; and reports and correspondence on Russia and on the Zionist movement. Important correspondents include: Gordon Auchincloss, Arthur James Balfour, Winston Churchill, Thomas G. Masaryk, Ignace Jan Paderewski, the Marquis of Reading, Cecil Spring-Rice and William Tyrrell. During World War II Wiseman was again engaged in intelligence operations for Great Britain and also devoted himself to war-relief work. A small amount of papers document some of these activities. Business and financial papers from his partnership in the banking firm of Kuhn, Loeb & Company (1929-1955) include correspondence, particularly in relation to the promotion of capital investment in underdeveloped countries. Among the few personal items are several photographs, memorabilia, and letters from friends and his three daughters. Gift of Sir William Wiseman in 1922 and Lady Joan Wiseman in 1966.
World War I Collection, 1914-1919 4 linear ft. (11 boxes, 2 folios) MS 754 Arranged in two series: I. Reports, Memoranda, and Printed Matter, 1914-1919. II. Personal Papers, 1914-1919. An artificial collection of printed material, photographs, songs, reports, correspondence, diaries, and miscellanea of United States men, many with a Yale University connection, relating to World War I, 1914-1919. The bulk of the printed material was transferred from the Edward House Papers. Other material has been the gift of various donors.
William Yale Papers, 1915-1919 2 linear ft. (7 boxes) MS 658 Arranged in seven series: I. General Correspondence. II. Wartime Intelligence Reports. III. Miscellaneous Materials on Palestine. IV. Miscellaneous Materials on Syria. V. Miscellaneous Materials on Arabs and Arabia. VI. Miscellaneous Paris Peace Conference Materials. VII. Miscellaneous Items. William Yale: diplomat, author, professor; employed by Standard Oil Company of New York in the Middle East, 1910-1917; in 1917 received appointment as Special Agent of the Department of State dealing with the Middle East; in 1919 attended Paris Peace Conference, where he was on the staff of the American Commission to Negotiate the Peace; in 1928 became professor of modern European history at the University of New Hampshire, remaining for 25 years; during World War II he was a special consultant to the State Department on Middle Eastern affairs. Correspondence, intelligence reports, and other papers of William Yale, author, diplomat and professor. The papers relate primarily to problems in the Near East during and immediately after World War I. Included are reports and agreements concerning Palestine and Syria and various reports by special commissions on Turkey, Arabia, and Zionism. There is also material relating to the Paris Peace Conference. Gift of William Yale, 1928.

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