Despres, Emile Papers

Advisor on German Economic Affairs, Department of State, 1944-1945

The papers of Emile Despres consist of correspondence, printed materials, handwritten notes and other items related primarily to his work as an economist.

[Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List]

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ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Size: One linear foot (about 2000 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: The donor gave to the United States all copyrights which she had in the unpublished materials in this or any other collection of papers received by the United States and deposited in any depository administered by an agency of the United States. Documents created by U.S. Government officials in the course of their duties are also in the public domain. Copyright interest in other documents presumably belongs to the creators of those documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Erwin J. Mueller (1978).
Updated by: Jessica Seigler (2007) as part of the Truman Library Internship Program.
Supervising Archivists: Randy Sowell and David Clark.

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

1909 (September 21)		Born, Chicago, Illinois
1930		S.B., Harvard University
1939-1941		Economic Advisor to Chairman, Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System
1941-1944		Member, Board of Analysts; Director, Economic Division; Alternate Member, Joint Intelligence Staff, with U.S. Joint Chiefs Staff and Office of Strategic Services
1944-1945		Advisor on German Economic Affairs, Department of State
1944-1945		Advisor on German Economic Affairs, Department of State
1945		Member, American Delegation to Potsdam Conference
1946-1961		Member of the Faculty, Professor of Economics and Chairman of Department, Williams College
1948		Worked with the Economic Cooperation Administration in Paris during the summer
1951		Attached to American Embassy, Belgrade, for Economic Aid Program to Yugoslavia during the summer
1955-1956		Fiscal and Monetary Advisor, Pakistan Planning Board
1961-1973		Professor of Economics, Stanford University
1967-1968		Visiting Research Professor, Brookings Institution
1973		International Economic Reform: Collected Papers of Emile Despres , edited by Gerald Meier
1973 (April 23)		Died, Portola Valley, California

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COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

The papers of Emile Despres consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings, printed materials, handwritten notes and other items related primarily to his research and work as an economist, and especially his interest in international economic development, trade, finance, and monetary policy.

Among the materials are copies of unpublished articles by Despres, manuscripts with handwritten corrections, published articles, and statements prepared by Despres for presentation to Congress.

The handwritten notes by Despres include his thoughts on economics, as well as formulas. The correspondence includes a mixture of personal letters with letters replying to requests to appear at conferences and recommendations for individuals. Much of the correspondence dates from 1967-1968 when Despres was working as an economist at the Brookings Institution in Washington while on a leave of absence from Stanford University.

Among the other items in the collection are copies of Congressional hearings and various memoranda relating to economics, including memos prepared by Despres in 1939 on the economic effects of the European war on the United States. Of particular interest are notes by Despres on his travels through Africa and Asia, during which he surveyed economic conditions in the developing world and interviewed candidates for academic fellowships in the United States.

The Truman Library has the papers of two economists who were associates of Despres, Charles P. Kindleberger and Walter S. Salant, and the papers of other prominent economists who were his contemporaries, such as Leon H. Keyserling and James S. Earley.

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