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War Resisters' International Records

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Held at: Swarthmore College Peace Collection [Contact Us]500 College Avenue, Swarthmore 19081-1399

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Swarthmore College Peace Collection. 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

Call Number:
DG.039
Repository:
Swarthmore College Peace Collection
Extent:
3.25 linear ft. (3.25 linear ft.)
Preferred Citation:
[Identification of item], in the War Resisters' International Records (DG 039), Swarthmore College Peace Collection.
Date:
1923-1976 (inclusive)
Creator:
Brown, H. Runham (Herbert Runham), 1879-1949, Beaton, Grace M., Byrns, Elinor, Hughan, Jessie Wallace, 1875-1955, Kaufman, Abraham, and Ransom, Frances Rose
Abstract:
The War Resisters' International was founded at Bilthoven, Netherlands, in 1921 by representative pacifists from that country, Germany, Austria and Great Britain. The War Resisters' International was never more than a coordinating body in its relationship to affiliated groups.

The War Resisters' International was founded at Bilthoven, Netherlands, in 1921 by representative pacifists from that country, Germany, Austria and Great Britain. The name originally chosen for the new movement was "Paco," which is the Esperanto word for peace.

For two years the work was directed from Bilthoven, but in 1923 all papers were transferred to Enfield, England, and H. Runham Brown was appointed as Honorary Secretary. At the same time the new name was adopted.

H. Runham Brown remained as the directing and guiding force of the movement until his death in 1949. His first move was to establish contact with individual pacifists and groups of pacifists in all parts of the world. By 1925, when the first international conference of the War Resisters' International was held (in Hoddeston, England), there were 42 affiliated groups of war resisters in 19 countries and individual resisters were associated with the movement in almost every country.

From the beginning the structure of the War Resisters' International was similar to that of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, which had preceded it by two years. The War Resisters' International was never more than a coordinating body in its relationship to affiliated groups. No group and no individual was ever committed to a majority point of view or decision. Few decisions were in fact ever made by either the International Council or by conferences of the movement. Nothing more was required of anyone than that s/he subscribe to the following declaration: "War is a crime against humanity. We therefore are determined not to support any kind of war and to strive for the removal of all causes of war."

It must also be observed that although some groups were sponsored or inspired from Enfield, the main organizations connected with the movement were born independently. The No More War movement in Great Britain came into being in the same year as the War Resisters' International and sent a delegation to the Bilthoven gathering at which Paco was founded. The War Resisters League in the United States organized shortly afterwards. Both of these bodies were completely autonomous; the latter still exists, while the former merged in 1937 with the Peace Pledge Union, which in turn became the British Section of the War Resisters' International.

From the beginning the governing body of the War Resisters' International has been the International Council, which has varied considerably in size through the years. Members of the Council are elected for a period of three years at the international conferences and are not strictly representatives with delegated powers from member organizations. They are elected purely for their personal qualities.

It will be recognized that the main function of the War Resisters' International -- apart from bringing the various pacifist groups of the world together -- has been and continues to be the encouragement and sometimes the support of the individual war resisters in the remoter pars of the world. Its literature has usually been directed toward that aim.

The bulk of the material in SCPC pertains to two time periods, 1923-1949, and 1960-1976. The collection includes scattered minutes, correspondence, form letters and memoranda sent to members of the War Resisters' International International Council and to Sections in various countries, War Resisters' International publications, press releases, lists of imprisoned war resisters, and material relating to annual conferences.

The SCPC is not the official repository of War Resisters' International However, it does have a microfiche edition of the Archives of War Resisters' International, 1921-1974, for patron use.

Gift of the War Resisters' International Office in Great Britain.

Checklist prepared by Michael Sorensen, 1979; updated by Anne Yoder, January 1995; checklist prepared by Chloe Lucchesi-Malone, August 2009. Reprocessed by Anne Yoder, 2023. This finding aid was updated March 2024.

  1. War Resisters League Records (DG 040)
  2. Devere Allen Papers (DG 053)

For related materials, search the library's online catalog

All material not pertaining directly to War Resisters' International has been removed and filed in the Collected Document Groups under the organization's country.

The War Resisters' International periodicals, War Resistance and War Resister, as well as their newsletters have been moved into the retired periodicals collection.

For Magazines/Newsletters see Periodicals Collection For photographs see Photograph Collection [see also photographs and lantern slides in the Devere Allen Papers (DG 053): Photographs]

Organization
Subject

Publisher
Swarthmore College Peace Collection
Access Restrictions

None

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendents, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Use Restrictions

None

Collection Inventory

History; policies and principles, undated.
Box 1
Constitution (and revisions), 1964-1975.
Box 1
Lists of Council and Executive Committee members; 1972-1973; nominations, 1972-1973, 1975, 1979.
Box 1
Council meeting minutes, 1927-1947, 1950, 1958.
Box 1
Council meeting minutes, 1964, 1970-1975, 1981, 1989.
Box 1
Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1963-1964, 1966.
Box 1
Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1970-1972.
Box 1
Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1973-1975, 1979.
Box 1
Finances, 1924-1951.
Box 1
Finances, 1972-1984.
Box 1
Fundraising: financial appeals, circa 1934-1962.
Box 1
Fundraising in the United States: correspondence, lists, 1943-1948.
Box 1
General correspondence, 1924-1938.
Box 2
General correspondence, 1945-1974.
Box 2
Correspondence with government officials re: conscientious objectors in other countries, 1929-1949.
Box 2
Correspondence with the War Resisters League, 1933-1973.
Box 2
Correspondence with Jessie Wallace Hughan (WRL), 1925-1939.
Box 2
Correspondence with Jessie Wallace Hughan (WRL), 1940-1947.
Box 2
Correspondence with Jessie Wallace Hughan (WRL) [includes ms. of practical peace proposals by the WRI], January 24, 1940.
Box 2
Correspondence with Abraham Kaufman (WRL), 1933, 1937-1943.
Box 2
Correspondence with Abraham Kaufman (WRL), 1944-1947.
Box 2
Correspondence with Frances R. Ransome (WRL), 1944-1946.
Box 2
Correspondence with Frances R. Ransome (WRL), 1947.
Box 2
Correspondence with the Women's Peace Union, 1925-1932.
Box 2
Correspondence with Elinor Byrnes (WPU), 1925-1926, 1931.
Box 2
Lists of publications by the WRI, undated.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), 1921-1929.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), circa 1920-1939.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), 1930-1935.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), 1936-1939.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), 1940.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), 1941.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), 1942.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), 1943-1944.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), 1945.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), 1946-1949.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), 1950-1959.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), 1960-1969.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), 1970-1979.
Box 3
Literature (by date of publication), 1980-2010.
Box 4
Literature (by date of publication): "Refusing to Bear Arms: A World Survey of Conscription and Conscientious Objection to Military Service", 1997.
Box 4
Literature (by date of publication), undated.
Box 4
Literature in Esperanto [some not by WRI?], circa 1928-1947.
Box 4
Literature in German [some not by WRI?], circa 1931-1948.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "Background Paper" (no. 1, 3-8, 10), 1969.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "Background Paper" (no. 1-3, 10-12), 1972.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "Background Paper", 1973, undated.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "Circular Letter of the Youth Groups of the War Resisters International" (November 1931 – December 1933); "Circular Letter of the Pacifist Youth Secretariat of the W.R.I.," (1934 [June?]); "Circular Letter of the International Bureau of Pacifist Youth" (September 1936), 1931-1936.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication" (resumé for no. 12-20; 22-23, 27-28; resumé for 27-29), 1926; (no. 49), 1928; (no. 82), 1929, 1926-1929.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication" (no. 129-132), 1931.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 136-137, 140-141, 143, 149), 1932.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 154-155, 158-161, 163), 1933.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 167-168, 170-171, 173), 1933.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 182-183, 192-195, 197-199), 1935.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 200, 202-208, 210, 212-213, 217-220, 222), 1936.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 223-228, 230-233, 235-241), 1937.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 242-251, 253-267, 270), 1938.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 271-277), 1939.
Box 4
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 278-281, 283, 285-286, 288-289, 292-293, 295, 297-299, 301, 304), 1940-1942.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 305-306, 308-309, 311, 315, 317, 319), 1943.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 324-327), 1944.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 328-333, 335-336, 338-340, 342-343, 346-360), 1946.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 361, 371, 373-376, 378-382, 385, 388), 1947-1948.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 390, 392-394, 396, 398), 1949.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 402-405, 408, 410-416), 1950.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "International Council Communication," (no. 418-429, 431-432), 1951.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "Introductory Letter" and Letter No. 1 – Letter No. 4 [re: Disarmament Conference], 1932.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "Letter to Sections", 1927-1929.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "Letter to Sections", 1930-1931.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "Letter to Sections", 1932.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "Letter to Sections", 1933-1934.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "Letter to Sections", 1935-1936.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "Letter to Sections", 1937.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "Letter to Sections", 1938-1939.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "Letter to Sections", 1940-1948.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "Letter to Sections", 1949.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "Letter to Sections", 1950-1975.
Box 5
Literature (by title): "Letter to Council and Sections", 1940-1949.
Box 6
Literature (by title): "Letter to Council and Sections", 1950-1954.
Box 6
Literature (by title): "Letter to Council and Sections", 1960-1988.
Box 6
Literature (by title): "W.R.I. Correspondence", 1979.
Box 6
Form letters: "Dear Friend [or Comrade]", 1923-1929.
Box 6
Form letters: "Dear Friend [or Comrade]", 1930-1939.
Box 6
Form letters: "Dear Friend", 1940-1949.
Box 6
Form letters: "Dear Friend", 1950-1956.
Box 6
Form letters: "Dear Friend", 1960-1967.
Box 6
Form letters: "Dear Friend", 1970-1989.
Box 6
Form letters: "Dear Friend", 1995-2013.
Box 6
Form letters: "Dear Friend", undated.
Box 6
"News Release" (no. 11-49), December 15, 1949 - December 18, 1951.
Box 6
"News Release" (no. 50-68), January 1952 - December 1954.
Box 6
"News Release" (no. 2-34) [missing no. 3, 15, 18, 22-26, 31-33], May 1962 - December 1964.
Box 6
Press releases, 1932-1938, 1946-1949.
Box 6
Press releases, 1956-1975.
Box 7
Section lists; affiliated groups, undated.
Box 7
Australian Section, 1967.
Box 7
Belgian Section, 1975.
Box 7
British Section (No More War Movement), circa 1931-1932.
Box 7
Danish Section, 1940, 1950.
Box 7
Finnish Section, 1938.
Box 7
France-Sud-Est Section, circa 1930-1931.
Box 7
French Section: l'Internationale des Resistants a la Guerre, 1920-1929.
Box 7
French Section: l'Internationale des Resistants a la Guerre, 1930-1939, 1946.
Box 7
German Section: Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft, circa 1974-1984.
Box 7
German Section: Internationale der Kriegsdienstgegner, circa 1926-1970.
Box 7
German Section [West Germany]: Verband der Kriegsdienstverweugerer [acc. 63-87], 1962-1964.
Box 7
Italian Section: l'Associazione dei Resistenti alla Guerra, circa 1944-1947.
Box 7
Japanese Section: Japan Group, 1976.
Box 7
Netherlands [Dutch] Section: Internationale van Oorlogsbestrijders and Nooit-Meer-Oorlog-Federatie, 1933.
Box 7
Norwegian Section: Folkereisning mot Mot Krig, 1963.
Box 7
Norwegian Section, Krigsmotstandernes Interasjonale, 1946-1984.
Box 7
Polish Section, 1948.
Box 7
Spanish Section: La Section Espagnole de l'Internationale des Resistants a la Guerre, circa 1938-1980.
Box 7
Sri Lankan Section, 1983-1984.
Box 7
Swedish Section, 1947-1985.
Box 7
International Conference, Hoddesdon, London (England), July 3,1925; International Conferences, 1926-1927.
Box 8
International Conference, Sonntagsberg (Austria), July 26-31, 1928.
Box 8
International Conference (5th), Den Haag (Netherlands), May 18-19, 1929.
Box 8
International Conference, Lyon (France), August 1-4, 1931.
Box 8
International Conference, Digswell Park, Welwyn (England), July 26-30, 1934.
Box 8
International Conference, Copenhagen (Denmark),, July 23-26, 1937.
Box 8
International Conferences: addresses / messages given by Jessie Wallace Hughan, William Floyd, John Nevin Sayre and Frank Olmsted, circa 1930-1939.
Box 8
International Conference, New York City (New York, USA) / simultaneous regional conferences [includes reports of Minersville CPS Camp and letter from Walter Gormley], February 22-23. 1946.
Box 8
International Conference, Basle [Basel] (Switzerland), July 26-29, 1947.
Box 8
International Conference, Shrewsbury (England), August 5-11, 1948.
Box 8
International Conference, Braunschweig (Germany), July 27-31, 1951.
Box 8
Triennial Congress (10th), Gandhigram (India), December 21-27, 1960.
Box 8
International Conference (11th), Stavanger (Norway), July 26-31, 1963.
Box 8
Triennial Conference, April 7-10, 1966.
Box 8
Triennial Conference (13th), Haverford (Pennsylvania, USA), August 25-31, 1969.
Box 8
Triennial Conference (14th), Sheffield (England), July 22-27, 1972.
Box 9
Triennial Congress (15th), Noordwijkerhout (Netherlands), July 12-15, 1975.
Box 9
Triennial Congress (16th), Sondenberg (Denmark), August 12-18, 1979.
Box 9
Triennial Conference (17th), Perugia (Italy), July 26-30, 1982.
Box 9
Triennial Conference (18th), Vedchhi (India), December 31, 1985 - January 6, 1986.
Box 9
Triennial Conference (19th), Mariehamn Aland (Finland), June 18-24, 1988.
Box 9
Triennial Conference (22nd), Poreč (Croatia), September 18-24, 1988.
Box 9
Triennial Conference (23rd), Dublin (Ireland), August 3-10, 2002.
Box 9
Miscellaneous material by/about the WRI, 1925-1929.
Box 10
Miscellaneous material by/about the WRI, 1930-1939.
Box 10
Miscellaneous material by/about the WRI, 1940-1949.
Box 10
Miscellaneous material by/about the WRI, 1950-1959.
Box 10
Miscellaneous material by/about the WRI, 1960-1969.
Box 10
Miscellaneous material by/about the WRI, 1970-1979.
Box 10
Miscellaneous material by/about the WRI, 1980-1989.
Box 10
Miscellaneous material by/about the WRI, 1990-current.
Box 10
Miscellaneous material by/about the WRI, undated.
Box 10
Co-sponsorship of the International Anti-War Conference, Amsterdam (Netherlands), November 10-12, 1962.
Box 10
Study Conference, France, 1963.
Box 10
Youth Secretariat, 1926-1933.
Box 10
List "W.R.I. Contacts in Central and South American Countries", 1946.
Box 10
Conscientious objection/objectors, circa 1927-1984.
Box 10
Conscientious objectors in prison, circa 1930 - January 1956.
Box 10
Plight of Nazarenes and Jehovah's Witnesses in Yugoslavia, 1928-1965.
Box 10
Picketing of the French Consulate re: treatment of French conscientious objectors, 1955-1956.
Box 10
Prisoners for Peace Day / Prisoners for Peace Day Honor Roll, 1956-2012.
Box 10
Prisoners for Peace [lists], 2013-2017.
Box 10
Stuart Morris' proposed visit, 1946.
Box 10
Reports by Devi Prasad re: his international trips, 1973-1975.
Box 10
Reference material: miscellaneous, undated.
Box 10
Reference material: typescript "A Dialogue With Western Pacifism" by Rajiv Vora (India), undated.
Box 10
"A Guide to the Microfiche Edition of the Archives of the War Resisters' International" by Research Publications.
Box 11
Microfiche 2.1 - 2.103 [in microfiche box within box 11]: The Archives of the War Resisters' International deposited at the International Institute of Social History (in 1985), 1921-1974.
Box 11

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