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Samuel W. Lewis 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

Lewis

Samuel W. Lewis (1930-2014) was an American diplomat who is best known for his 1977-1985 service as U.S. Ambassador to Israel and active presence during the 1978 Camp David Summit. Lewis joined the foreign service in 1954 on the heels of his studies at Yale University and Johns Hopkins University, during which time he fulfilled diplomatic postings in Italy, Brazil, Afghanistan, and Israel. In the United States, Lewis served as President and CEO of the U.S. Institute of Peace in addition to occupying various positions at the Department of State. Upon completing his tenure as Director of Policy Planning at the State Department in 1994, Lewis maintained an active voice in international affairs as a professor, advisor to foreign policy organizations, and frequent commentator on Middle Eastern affairs.

The Samuel W. Lewis Papers consist of speeches, correspondence, journals, oral history transcripts, and scrapbooks documenting Lewis's long career in the U.S. foreign service. The materials span Lewis's time as U.S. Ambassador to Israel, President and CEO of the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State. Content relates to topics such as Lewis's unfinished book, his personal reflections on the Camp David Summit, and diplomatic trips abroad.

The collection was donated by Kenneth E. Labowitz, Trustee of the Sallie Lewis Family Trust, in 2021. The accession number associated with this donation is ML-2021-008.

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.

The collection was processed by Quin DeLaRosa in 2022. This finding was written by Quin DeLaRosa in 2022.

A small amount of material was deemed non-archival and discarded.

Publisher
Public Policy Papers
Finding Aid Author
Quin DeLaRosa
Finding Aid Date
2022
Access Restrictions

The majority of the collection is open for research. Some files have been restricted due to security classifications.

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

Oral History Interview Transcript, 1988. 2 Volumes.
Physical Description

2 Volumes

Oral History Interview Transcript, 1998. 1 volume.
Physical Description

1 volume

Amb. Lewis Meeting Journal, 1979-1980. 1 volume.
Physical Description

1 volume

Amb. Lewis Pre-Camp David Journal, 1977 March 8-1977 October 10. 1 volume.
Physical Description

1 volume

Book - Proposals, Negotiations, Contracts, 1985-1987. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Personal Reflections on Israel and Israeli-Arab Issues, 1980-1983. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Statement before Congress, 1991 May 22. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Chapter 3, 1977 November-1978 February. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Chapter 2, 1977 July-1977 November. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Chapter 1, 1977 May-1977 July. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Book - Interview Materials, 1984-1986. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Book - Raw Materials, 1984-1986. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Lewis-Sharon, 1984-1985. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Goldman-Lewis Book Proposal, 1985-1986. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Conferences and Publications, 1991-2007. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Ned Bayne's Correspondence with Uri Lubrani, 1979-1985. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Reports, Interview, and Selections from Email Inbox, 1991-2010. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Major Speeches, 1977-1983. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Speeches and Correspondence, 1984-2006. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Speeches and Publications, 1987-1997. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Sallie Smoot Lewis Oral History Transcript, 1989 May-July. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Reports and Correspondence, 1982-2012. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Manuscript of "Snowball: Israel's War in Lebanon" by Shimon Shiffer, c. 1984. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Lewis/Erlich/Sharon, 1983 December 1. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Amb. Lewis Interview Transcript, 2010 February 25. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Speeches and Publications, 1981-1988. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Interviews/Press Briefings, 1985 January-July. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Amb. Lewis Interview Transcript, Undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Mideast Trips, 1989-1995. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Trip to Egypt/Israel, 1996 March 1. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

ME Trip (Presidential Study Group), 1996 July 1. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Pamphlet from Dedication of the Yitzhak Rabin Center, 2005 November 14. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Amb. Lewis Journals on Camp David Summit, 1978 September 5-1979 March 27. 2 Volumes.
Physical Description

2 Volumes

Amb. Lewis Various Washington Consultation Lists, 1982 January 3-1985 April 2. 1 volume.
Physical Description

1 volume

Amb. Lewis Meeting Journals, 1983 September 4-1985 May 12. 3 Volumes.
Physical Description

3 Volumes

Director of Policy Planning Meeting Journals, 1993 February 2-1994 January 21. 3 Volumes.
Physical Description

3 Volumes

Thank You Card with Cassette, Undated. 2 items.
Physical Description

2 items

Amb. Lewis Scrapbook, 1977 March 22-1978 December 18. 1 volume.
Physical Description

1 volume

Amb. Lewis Scrapbook, 1978 November 30-1979 June 20. 1 volume.
Physical Description

1 volume

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