STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI RESEARCH CENTER-ST. LOUIS
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST.LOUIS
Related Collection:
s0746 WORLD FEDERALIST ASSOCIATION OF GREATER ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI (1947-), ADDENDA, 1983-2004
Ronald Glossop, chairman of the World Federalist Association of Greater St.Louis, donated the noncurrent records of the organization to the Western Historiccal Manuscript Collection on January 29, 1981.
The World Federalist Association of Greater St.Louis is an affiliate of the World Federalists Association, a national organization founded in 1947. First known as the United World Federalist,Inc., the goal of this political-action lobbying organization is world peace in a world community where enforceable law replaces armed conflict. It was hoped the United Nations would be transformed into such a world federal government with limited powers adequate to make, enforce, and interpret world laws to maintain peace and prevent aggression. The United World Federalist, Inc. (subsequently called World Federalist, USA) was reorganized in 1975 as an educational organization, the World Federalist Association.
Soon after the national organization was formed in 1947, city and state chapters were organized throughout the United States. Several chapters emerged in the St. Louis area numbering almost a hundred members in the early 1950s but declining to little more than a hundred members by 1970. The chapters merged into one organization, the World Federalists Association of Greater St.Louis, and members continue to be involved in educational and political action work seeking to promote world peace through world law.
The Missouri State branch of the United World Federalist was formed in 1949. Organizational changes in 1954 replaced the state branches of the UWF by nine regional organizations, Missouri being grouped into the Midwest Region with Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.
The main function of the Midwest Region was to stimulate federalists activities in the area and coordinate political action within the four states.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The World Federalist Association of Greater St. Louis Records document the activities of the organization from 1949-1975 and contain some materials relating to the national, regional, and state organizations. The collection contains newsletters, correspondence policy statements, membership rosters, speeches, reports, bylaws, minutes, financial records, brochures, questionnaires, and bibliographies of peace literature and films.
It has been divided into four series: World Federalists Association of Greater St.Louis; United World Federalists of Missouri; United World Federalists, Midwest Region; and United World Federalists, USA.
Only a limited amount of the organization's administrative material appears within the collection: minutes for 1952 and 1970-1973; correspondence from the decade, 1961-1971; and financial records for 1954-1970 detailing names of members and contributors and the amount given to the organization. A large part of the collection consists of newsletters and educational material.
The collection of newsletters begin with the first issue, The St.Louis Federalist published in February, 1949; it was renamed The Missouri Federalist in April, 1949 and sent to all members of the United World Federalist in Missouri. When state branches of the UWF were replaced by regional organizations in 1954, the newsletter was renamed, The St.Louis Federalist and later titled,World Fed News, Greater St.Louis Chapter. The collection contains newsletters from 1949-1975 except for the period, April 1958 through October 1962.
Much of the educational material related to disarmament and includes the study of a St.Louis aircraft production engineer, W.C. Morgan's "Breakthrough: Disarmament by Electronics". This study was sent to several neutral world leaders, among them Prime Minister Nehru of India, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, and Norman Cousins. Copies of letters of these men asking for their support of the plan are among the collection, as well as a reply from Schweitzer and Cousins.
In April 1964, the St.Louis Chapter was host to 25 Hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) on a world tour to exchange ideas and information on ways to achieve disarmament and abolish war. The collection contains information on each of the 25 survivors, as well as a booklet, Goodwill Ambassadors, which reflect the horrors and anguish of the bombing through art, poetry and photographs.
SERIES DESCRIPTION
SERIES 1 - World Federalists Association of Greater St.Louis, 1949-1975, folders 1-23. Arranged by form of material and chronologically within folders. Minutes, correspondence, bylaws, financial records, newsletters, and educational material.
SERIES 2 - United World Federalist of Missouri - 1949-1954, folders 24-27. Arranged by form of material and chronologically within folders. Bylaws, correspondence, minutes, newsletters.
SERIES 3 - United world Federalist Midwest Region - 1947-1971, folders 28-29. Arranged by form of material and chronologically within folders. Correspondence, minutes, newsletters.
SERIES 4 - United World Federalist, usa, 1947-1970, Folder 30. Support literature including policy statements, brochures, newsletters, speeches, and membership lists.
FOLDER LISTING
BOX 1 - FOLDERS 1-22
SERIES 1 - World Federalist Association of Greater St.Louis
Folder 1. By Laws, 1970
2. Correspondence, 1961-1972
3. Minutes, 1952, 1970-1974
4. Newsletter, 1949
5. Newsletter, 1955-1958
6. Newsletter, 1952-1969
7. Newsletter, 1970-1971
8. Newsletter, 1972-1973
9. Newsletter, 1974-1975
10. Educational Material, 1961
11. Educational Material, 1961-1964
12. Educational Material, 1964-1969
13. Public Education Material, 1952-1971
14. Hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombings), 1964
15. Membership lists, 1956-1975
16. Speech, 1970
17. World Federalists Youth, St.Louis, 1970
18. Printed Material
19. Finances, Fund Raising Projects, 1952
20. Financial Records, 1945-1957
21. Financial Records, 1957-1961
22. Financial Records, 1962-1967
BOX 2 - FOLDERS 23-30
SERIES 2 - United World Federalist of Missouri
Folder 23. Financial Records, 1968-1970
24. Bylaws, 1949, 1951
25. Correspondence, 1952
26. Minutes. 1952
27. Newsletters, 1944-1954, 1969-1971
SERIES 3 - United World Federalist, Midwest Region
Folder 28. Correspondence, 1960-1971, Newsletters, 1970
29. Minutes, 1957
SERIES 4 - World Federalists, USA
Folder 30. Support Literature, 1947-1970
INDEX
Cousins, Norman, f.20
Disarmament, f.10-12, 30
Hibakusha (survivors of atomic bombings), f.14
Lentz, Theodore, f.6,9
Nehru, Gawaharal, f.20
Pacifism, f.1-30
Schweitzer, Dr. Albert, f.10
United Nations, f.16
United World Federalist, Inc., f.30
United World Federalist, Midwest Region, f.28
United World Federalist, of Missouri, f.24027
World Federalists, USA, f.30
World Federalists Association of Greater St. Louis, f. 1-30
STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI RESEARCH CENTER-ST. LOUIS
222 THOMAS JEFFERSON LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
ONE UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD
ST. LOUIS, MO 63121
(314) 516-5143