Main content

Karl L. Rankin Papers

Notifications

Held at: Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Rankin

Karl Lott Rankin was born on September 4, 1898 in Manitowc, Wisconsin to Emmet Woollen and Alberta Rankin. He grew up and lived in Topeka, Kansas before attending the California Institute of Technology from 1917-1919. In the 1920-1921 academic year, Rankin studied at the Federal Polytechnic Institute in Zurich. He received his degree in civil engineering from Princeton University in 1922.

His studies were interrupted by active duty in the U.S. Navy during World War I. Following his Princeton graduation, Rankin became a field engineer in Turkey and supervised construction for Near East Relief in the U.S.S.R. (Caucasus region) between 1922 and 1925. After this, he returned to the United States to run a New Jersey real estate company. This career was short-lived, however, and, in 1927, he enlisted in the Foreign Commerce Service. He served in Prague (1929), Athens (1932), Tirana (1932), Albania, and Brussels (1939). By 1940, he achieved the rank of consul while serving in Belgrade. In 1941, he was interned by the Japanese in Manila while en route to an assignment in Egypt. He held subsequent assignments in Athens (1944-1945, 1947-1949) and Belgrade (1945-1946), Vienna (1946-1947), Canton (1949), Hong Kong (1949), and Taipei (1950-1953). He was an ambassador to China from 1953-1957 and to Yugoslavia from 1958-1961. He officially retired in 1961, and in 1964, he wrote a book, China Assignment which discusses his years in Taiwan.

Rankin's first wife, Pauline Jordan (they were married in 1925) died in 1976. In 1978, Rankin married Ruth Thompson Garcelon. Rankin died on January 15, 1991 at the age of 92.

This collection contains mostly correspondence and memoranda between Rankin and other Government officials. There exist some writings, mostly official reports. A list of correspondents and subjects identified by year follows the container listing.

Two boxes of declassified papers were housed at the State Department prior to being sent to Princeton in 1974. A small number of additional documents were initially retained for review by the State Department; most of these were then declassified and forwarded to Princeton but a small number were not sent on to Princeton.

Ambassador Rankin deposited his papers in the Princeton Library in 1973 and then formally donated them in 1977.

The guest books in Series 8 were donated by Ned Allen on behalf of the Bridgton Historical Society in September 2015. The accession number associated with this donation is ML.2015.035.

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

This collection was processed by Edward J. Jaramillo (Princeton Class of 1996) in 1993. Finding aid written by Edward J. Jaramillo (Princeton Class of 1996) in 1993.

No information about appraisal is available for this collection.

Publisher
Public Policy Papers
Finding Aid Author
Edward J. Jaramillo (Princeton Class of 1996)
Finding Aid Date
1997
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Collection Inventory

Scope and Contents

These diaries are just basic reminders about what events occurred on a given day. There exist few details about conversations and meetings. Rankin probably used his diaries to remember important events about a given day. He apparently stopped writing diaries after 1953.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Physical Description

1 box

1931-1935, 1931-1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1936-1946, 1936-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1937, 1940, 1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1947-1949, 1947-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1951-1953, 1951-1953. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

This folder contains personal information regarding Rankin's academic and employment records. One can find information such as his employment salary, academic transcripts, transfer records, and certificates of service. Also, one can see Rankin's identification cards, passports, visas, and unusual personal objects (such as meal cards) here.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Physical Description

1 box

1916-1958, 1916-1958. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

This series is a collection of Rankin's correspondence with other government officials, friends, and family. It covers a broad range of topics, from business schedules to official requests and thank you notes. See the index, pp.# 13-25, for a list of names and subjects by date for this series.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Physical Description

10 boxes

1917, 1917. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1921, 1921. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1922, 1922. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Near East Relief, 1922. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Near East Relief, 1923-1924. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1925, 1925. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Berlant Development Company, 1925. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Near East Relief, 1925. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1926, 1926. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Near East Relief, 1926. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1927, 1927. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1928, 1928. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1929, 1929. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1930, 1930. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1931, 1931. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1932, 1932. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1933, 1933. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1934, 1934. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1935, 1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1936, 1936. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, 1936. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1937, 1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Albania, 1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1938, 1938. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Foreign Commerce Service Officer Retirement, 1938. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1939, 1939. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1940, 1940. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1941, 1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Belgrade, 1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1942, 1942. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Philippine Imprisonment, 1942-1943. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1943, 1943. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1944, 1944. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Egypt, 1944. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1945, 1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Greece, 1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1946, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Greece, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1947 January - 1947 June, 1947 January - 1947 June. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1947 July - 1947 December, 1947 July - 1947 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Austria, 1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1948 January - 1948 March, 1948 January - 1948 March. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1948 April - 1948 July, 1948 April - 1948 July. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1948 August - 1948 December, 1948 August - 1948 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1949 January - 1949 February, 1949 January - 1949 February. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1949 March - 1949 August, 1949 March - 1949 August. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1949 September - 1949 December, 1949 September - 1949 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1950 January - 1950 May, 1950 January - 1950 May. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1950 June - 1950 November, 1950 June - 1950 November. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1950 December, 1950 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1951 January - 1951 July, 1951 January - 1951 July. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1951 August - 1951 December, 1951 August - 1951 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1952 January - 1952 May, 1952 January - 1952 May. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1952 June - 1952 December, 1952 June - 1952 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1953 January - 1953 April, 1953 January - 1953 April. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1953 May - 1953 September, 1953 May - 1953 September. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1953 October - 1953 December, 1953 October - 1953 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1954 January - 1954 March, 1954 January - 1954 March. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1954 April - 1954 July, 1954 April - 1954 July. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1954 August - 1954 September, 1954 August - 1954 September. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1954 October - 1954 December, 1954 October - 1954 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1955 January - 1955 March, 1955 January - 1955 March. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1955 April - 1955 June, 1955 April - 1955 June. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1955 July - 1955 October, 1955 July - 1955 October. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1955 November - 1955 December, 1955 November - 1955 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1956 January - 1956 March, 1956 January - 1956 March. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1956 April - 1956 May, 1956 April - 1956 May. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1956 June - 1956 October, 1956 June - 1956 October. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1956 November - 1956 December, 1956 November - 1956 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1957 January - 1956 March, 1957 January - 1957 March. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1957 April - 1956 May, 1957 April - 1957 May. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1957 June - 1956 July, 1957 June - 1957 July. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1957 August - 1957 November, 1957 August - 1957 November. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1957 December, 1957 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1958 January - 1958 March, 1958 January - 1958 March. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1958 April - 1958 December, 1958 April - 1958 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1959 January - 1959 June, 1959 January - 1959 June. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1959 July - 1959 December, 1959 July - 1959 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1960 January - 1960 July, 1960 January - 1960 July. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1960 August - 1960 December, 1960 August - 1960 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1961 January - 1961 April, 1961 January - 1961 April. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1961 May - 1961 December, 1961 May - 1961 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1962, 1962. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1963, 1963. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1964, 1964. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1965, 1965. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1966, 1966. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1967, 1967. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1968, 1968. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1969, 1969. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1970, 1970. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1971, 1971. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1972, 1972. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1973, 1973. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1974-1988, 1974-1988. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

This series is composed mostly of official reports created by Rankin regarding the situation in a given region. In this section one can also find some of his writing (poetry, mostly) during his Philippine imprisonment during the 1940s. See the index, pp.# 13-25, for a list of names and subjects by date for this series.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Physical Description

2 boxes

1921 January - 1933 February, 1921 January - 1933 February. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1934, 1934. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1935, 1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1936 January - 1938 December, 1936 January - 1938 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Philippines/Prisoner, 1940s. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Materials Viewable Online
  1. View digital content
1939 January - 1949 December, 1939 January - 1949 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1950 January - 1952 December, 1950 January - 1952 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1953 January - 1956 December, 1953 January - 1956 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1957 January - 1967 December, 1957 January - 1967 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1968 January - 1973 December, 1968 January - 1973 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1975 - 1984, 1975 - 1984. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

This section contains clippings about Czechoslovakia and Greece during the later 1920s and earlier 1930s. Rankin was interested in gaining knowledge on the economic aspects of these regions in order to increase his effectiveness as consul. Most papers here have multiple dates and/or scribbles which make them difficult to classify chronologically.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Physical Description

1 box

Czechoslovakia, 1927. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Czechoslovakia, 1928. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Czechoslovakia, 1929. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Czechoslovakia, 1930. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Czechoslovakia, 1931. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Czechoslovakia, 1932. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Greece, 1932. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Greece, 1933. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Greece, 1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Greece, 1936. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Greece, 1933 January - 1937 December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Rankin or his staff collected several scrapbooks of newspaper clippings about important events that involved him either directly or indirectly. These volumes have been disbound and reformatted on acid free paper. Generally, the scrapbooks are grouped by region(s).

Arrangement

Loosely arranged chronologically and then by country.

Physical Description

1 box

Yugoslavia, China, Taiwan, 1941-1973. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Greece (mostly), 1944-1968. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Hong Kong, China (Taiwan), 1949-1950. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

China (Taiwan), 1950-1958. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Rankin kept photos of himself, family, friends, and others in photograph albums. He also has photos of certain regions during wartime, as evidenced in his pictures of South Korea. Like the scrapbooks, they lack organization for the most part. Estimates have been made regarding the time frames of these albums when possible.

Arrangement

Loosely arranged chronologically and/or by country.

Physical Description

6 boxes

Athens, 1947-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Saigon, Bangkok, Angkor Vat trip, 1951 February. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Free China Relief Association Comforting Team Visit to Chinese POWs in South Korea, circa 1951 August. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Greece, 1925-1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Taipei, 1950s. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Taipei, circa 1957. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Hong Kong, circa 1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Taipei (Formosa), 1950-1955. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Newspaper Clippings/Memoranda, 1963-1965. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Belgrade, 1940s. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Random Photographs, 1958-1961. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Greece, 1935-1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Yugoslavia, 1958 February-1961 April. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Taiwan, 1957. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Random Photographs, circa 1961. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Formosa, 1951. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Athens, 1944-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Athens, 1920-1939. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Oversize Materials, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Arrangement

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Scope and Contents

The six embassy guest books include information about events hosted by the embassies where Rankin served, particularly the names of the attendees and occasionally the menus.

Physical Description

2 boxes

Formosa, 1955 October-1959 January. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Athens, 1932 September-1939 April. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Belgrade, Athens, 1959 February-1972. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Vienna, Athens, Hong Kong, Taiwan, 1947-1954. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Athens, Hong Kong, Taipei, 1948-1953. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Formosa, 1953. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Print, Suggest