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H. Freeman Matthews, Jr. 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
H. Freeman Matthews, Jr., Princeton University class of 1949, was a career Foreign Service officer, serving the State Department in a range of capacities from 1952 to 1985. Prior to his career with the State Department, Matthews, Jr. worked for the Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co. in New York. He joined the State Department in 1952 and served in Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Vietnam, and Mexico.
After returning from Mexico in 1974, he worked on the Garrison Diversion Unit project and became Director of Egyptian Affairs shortly thereafter. In 1976, the State Department transferred him to Egypt where he was Deputy Chief of Mission in Cairo from 1976 to 1980. He played a role in the peace negotians between Israel and Egypt, involving President Jimmy Carter, President Anwar Sadat, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
After returning from Egypt, Matthews, Jr. became a consultant with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security before officially retiring in 1985. After his retirement, he worked on the White House Iran-Contra Legal Task Force and Inter-Agency Review Committee from 1987 to 1991.
Matthews, Jr. died on July 22, 2006.
The H. Freeman Matthews, Jr. papers document his career in the State Department and contain subject files, newspaper clippings, photographs, and day planners. The majority of the papers are related to his time in Egypt in the late 1970s and his work on the Garrison Diversion Unit project.
Gift of Nancy Matthews in 2015.
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 Alexis A. Antracoli in 2015. Finding aid written by Alexis A. Antracoli in 2015
The archivist separated two government publications from the collection.
Subject
- Diplomatic and consular service, American -- Egypt -- 20th century
- Foreign Service
- State Department Administration
Place
- Publisher
- Public Policy Papers
- Finding Aid Date
- 2015
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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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 archivist has not imposed any arrangement on these files.
Series I: Cairo Files contains files documenting Matthews, Jr.'s time as Deputy Chief of Mission in Cairo from 1976 to 1980. The files contain background materials, momentos, news clippings, cultural information, and photographs.
Physical Description2 boxes
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
2 boxes
The archivist has not imposed any arrangement on these files.
Series II: Garrison Diversion Unit documents Matthews, Jr.'s time working on the international implications of the effort to divert water from the Garrison Dam for irrigation in North Dakota.
Physical Description1 box
1 box
1 box
The archivist has not imposed any arrangement on these files.
Series III: General State Department Files documents Matthews, Jr.'s day-to-day work and the award received.
Physical Description2 boxes
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
The archivist has not imposed any arrangement on these files.
Series IV: Personal Materials includes a letter written by H. Freeman Matthews, Jr. to his parents while in the army in 1947 as well as candid photographs and photographs of friends and colleagues.
Physical Description1 box
1 box
1 box