Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations Annual Conference Georgetown University 19-22 June 1997
Washington DC: Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, 1997. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Wraps. 28 pages, plus covers. Some cover wear and soiling. Ink comments and marks noted in several places. Postage mark on back cover. Address label to Harold Langley at the back cover. Conference programs are by nature ephemeral, and it is both unusual and fortunate that this copy has survived. Harold David Langley (15 February 1925 – 29 July 2020) was an American diplomatic and naval historian who served as associate curator of naval history at the Smithsonian Institution from 1969 to 1996. As a naval historian, he was a pioneer in exploring American naval social and medical history. Langley began his professional career at the Library of Congress, Manuscripts Division, in Washington, D.C., where he served as a manuscripts assistant in 1951-52, while a graduate student. Moving to the University of Pennsylvania Libraries in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was a graduate student, he served as a manuscripts specialist, rare book collection, 1952-54. Returning to the Library of Congress, he was a manuscripts specialist, there in 1954-55. In 1955, Marywood College in Scranton, appointed him assistant professor of history. He remained there until 1957, when he received an appointment as a diplomatic historian in the U.S. Department of State. In 1964, Catholic University of America appointed him associate professor, and in 1968 promoted him to full professor in 1968. In 1969, the Smithsonian Institution, appointed him associate curator of naval history. While holding that position, he was an adjunct professor of American history at the Catholic University of America from 1971 to 2001. This year's annual conference addressed topics such as: The Sino-Soviet Split, Presidential Tape Recordings, Declassification, Covert Operations, Genocide Convention, Korean War, Eisenhower Administration, Cold War, Oral History, Imperialism, and Nuclear Weapons. Many then current and future academic luminaries presented or attended this annual meeting. The Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) was founded in order to “promote excellence in research and teaching of American foreign relations history and to facilitate professional collaboration among scholars and students in this field around the world.” It is the preeminent organization in its field, with nearly 1,300 current members in over forty countries. It hosts an annual conference, and publishes the quarterly Diplomatic History. It also publishes a triennial newsletter, Passport. SHAFR has increasingly fostered connections with international institutions and organizations. SHAFR was founded in April 1967, as a result of the efforts of Joseph O’Grady, Betty Miller Unterbeger, Armin Rappaport, and David Trask. The first meeting took place during the meeting of the Organization of American Historians in Chicago, Illinois, and was attended by around 75 scholars in the field. Its first stand-alone national conference was held at Georgetown University in 1975. Founded in the midst of tremendous social and political change, the Society sought to support new understandings of the U.S. role in the world, and to attract attention to the study of foreign relations of other countries. Finding an audience interested in such an approach, the Society grew. In 1976, it announced that, after a debate lasting since the beginning of SHAFR, the organization would publish a journal; this journal would be Diplomatic History, the first issue of which was published in January 1978. SHAFR annually hosts an academic conference in June. Every other year, the conference is held in the Washington, D.C. area; in even-numbered years locations vary, and have recently included San Diego, Lexington, KY, and Hartford, CT. Besides its own official activities, SHAFR cooperates with other academic and public history organizations. For example, SHAFR is a member of the National Coalition for History and has representatives on the Historical Advisory Committee of the U.S. Department of State's Office of the Historian. Notably, SHAFR also hosts events every year at the meeting of the American Historical Association. Condition: Good.
Keywords: Diplomatic History, Annual Conference, American History, Foreign Relations, Harold Langley, International Relations, Foreign Policy, Thomas Pickering, Propaganda, International Agreements, Detente
[Book #82663]
Price: $35.00