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Eleanor L. Dulles Papers
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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
Eleanor L. Dulles (1895-1996) was an economic specialist for the U.S. State Department from 1942 to 1962. She was most prominently known for her work in rebuilding West Berlin from 1952 to 1960. Dulles also taught economics and finance at several universities and was the author of several books.
Eleanor Lansing Dulles was born in Watertown, New York on June 1, 1895. She was the sister of former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and Central Intelligence Agency Director Allen Dulles. She attended Bryn Mawr College, earning her undergraduate degree in 1917 and a master's degree in labor and industrial science in 1920. During the early 1920s, she studied and worked in industry in the United States and England. Dulles received a master's degree from Radcliff College in 1924 and a doctorate in economics from Harvard University in 1926. From 1924 to 1936, Dulles studied and taught economics and finance at many different universities in the United States and across Europe, including the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Bryn Mawr. During this period, she also authored several books on international finance.
Dulles entered U.S. government service in 1936, becoming director of financial research of the Social Security Board. In 1942, she left the Social Security Board to accept a position in the State Department. Initially her work was involved with postwar planning in international finance. Dulles was a member of the United States delegation at the Bretton Woods conference on international finance in 1944, and for the next seven years worked to implement the Marshall Plan in Austria. From 1952 to 1959, she was a prominent figure in the economic and cultural rebuilding of West Berlin. From 1959 to 1962, she conducted studies of sixty underdeveloped countries for the Office of Intelligence and Research on issues related to foreign aid programs. Dulles resigned from the State Department in 1962, after her brother Allen Dulles left the C.I.A.
After leaving the State Department she wrote articles and books on the political landscape during and after her career in the government. Eleanor Dulles died on November 4, 1996 in Washington, D.C. at the age of 101.
Dulles's papers document her political writings after her retirement from the State Department in 1962, as well as her fundraising work with the John Foster Dulles Memorial Fund, and include drafts of her articles and books, topical files, and some correspondence. Several news articles written by Dulles about politics are included, as well as drafts of books on John Foster Dulles, Dean Acheson, and Dwight Eisenhower. A portion of her papers contains documentation and correspondence regarding articles and books written about members of her family. Also included are copies of two interviews conducted with her and a small amount of material related to her work in Germany with the State Department during the 1950s.
Please see the series descriptions in the contents list for additional information about individual series.
The following sources were consulted during the preparation of the biographical note: "Dulles, Eleanor Lansing," from Current Biography, 1962. "Eleanor L. Dulles of State Dept. Dies at 101," The New York Times, November 4, 1996.
This collection was donated in November 1990.
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 Sumit Mehta in 2008. Finding aid written by Sumit Mehta and Adriane Hanson in January 2008.
No materials were separated during processing in 2008. Two Materials entitled "The Story of My Life" were separated during processing of accurials in 2025.
People
Organization
- United States. Department of State
- John Foster Dulles Program for the Study of Leadership in International Affairs
Subject
- Educational fund raising
- Politics, Practical -- United States
- Public officers -- United States
- Cold War
- United States -- Foreign relations -- Soviet Union
Place
- Publisher
- Public Policy Papers
- Finding Aid Author
- Sumit Mehta and Adriane Hanson
- Finding Aid Date
- 2008
- Access Restrictions
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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
The John Foster Dulles Memorial Fund series documents the administration of the fund, including finances, strategies to raise money, and correspondence with Princeton University to set up the fund. The John Foster Dulles Memorial Fund was established to support pre-doctoral and postdoctoral fellows, mature scholars, and faculty engaged in foreign policy and international affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. This series also contains correspondence soliciting donations from family friends and world leaders. Also included are Eleanor Dulles's fundraising activities records, such as benefit dinner guest lists and John Foster Dulles centennial celebration plans.
Arranged alphabetically by document type.
Physical Description1 box
4 folders
2 folders
1 folder
The Topical Files series is predominantly composed of copies of articles and books written about the Dulles Family, especially Dulles's brother John Foster, as well as related correspondence seeking her approval for publication. The series also includes reports related to Dulles's work with the State Department, especially concerning her work in Berlin, Hungary, and Eastern Europe.
Arranged alphabetically by subject or document type. Box Five was kept in creators original order.
Physical Description3 boxes
1 folder
(David, son of David Blondheim and Eleanor Dulles, and Ann Welsh, adopted daughter, July 1, 1938.)
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 box
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
(Includes portions of a manuscript by Victoria Price, submitted to Eleanor Dulles for approval.)
Physical Description1 folder
1 box
1 box
The Writings series includes drafts and published copies of articles and books written by Dulles and related correspondence with readers. The majority of her writings concern the career of her brother, John Foster Dulles. Other topics include a fictional story on visiting a brain, Harvard during the twenties, and life as an ambassador. Also included are transcripts of two interviews conducted with Dulles about her life and career with the State Department and reference materials she collected in preparation for writing, the majority of which are newspaper clippings about John Foster Dulles.
Arranged alphabetically by document type and then alphabetically by title or subject. Box Four and Five was kept in creators original order.
Physical Description2 boxes
1 box
1 folder
1 folder
(Concerning a meeting between Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and Senator Joe McCarthy on April 1, 1953.)
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 boxes
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
3 folders
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 folder
1 folder
(Majority are newspaper clippings about John Foster Dulles.)
Physical Description2 folders
This contains notes Eleanors time in France, and New York City. A diary is amongst these materials which go into her day to day life.
Physical Description1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
Essays related to French reconstruction, world war one, and on a trip to North Africa.
Physical Description1 box
1 box
Essays about the history of Washington and Eleanor's trip to Washington, DC.
Physical Description1 box
1 box
Essay topics and Titles include Islam and the Arab World, "Work among the foreigners in Auburn", "The Poles in the U.S. and Auburn", Talk on Mission for Church at Rome.", "Mothers and Daughters banquet."
Physical Description1 box
1 box
Contains essays and notes realted to Luke, Psalms, George Washington, a writing entitiled "A Winter in Paris", and notes related to a trip to Africa.
Physical Description1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
Dulles and Foster Family Photographs and Slides.
The Photographs were kept in the creators original order.
Physical Description2 box
Kept in creators original order.
Physical Description1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box