Records of THIS for Diplomats, 1961-2015 (inclusive), 1970-2015 (bulk)

The records of THIS for Diplomats document the organization's founding, structure, and its history of supporting diplomats and their families. Records include correspondence; memoranda; reports; financial records; articles; attendance, donor, and volunteer lists; recipes; committee minutes; by-laws, photographs, one baseball hat, and three videotapes. This material was generated by the various officers, staff members, and volunteers of THIS.

The records in this collection highlight the events that THIS for Diplomats planned for foreign diplomats in the United States, which were intended to enrich the lives of diplomats and their families through educational, informational, and culture exchanges. The events sponsored by THIS gave the diplomats opportunities to experience American culture, particularly in the Washington, DC, area, such as sporting events, regional cooking demonstrations, tours of historic houses and buildings, and musical performances. Many programs were repeated year after year, due to their popularity. These documents contain the final reports submitted after each event, and many include diplomatic feedback and a summary written by the volunteer who planned it.

Although THIS for Diplomats was initially founded in order to support diplomats from Africa, the records found here represent the more social aspects of THIS for Diplomats and do not document how the organization assisted diplomats with navigating life in a segregated city.

Original folder headings were maintained; titles in brackets were created by the archivist. The majority of records were received in folders; loose material was arranged by the archivist. Some past issues of THIS for Diplomats' volunteer newsletter are available at the Schlesinger Library; consult HOLLIS, the online catalog. For more information see the THIS for Diplomats web site, http://thisfordiplomats.org/. THIS for Diplomats' web site is being captured periodically as part of Schlesinger Library's web archiving program.

Series I, ADMINISTRATIVE, 1961-2015 (#1.1-6.13, E.1), includes by-laws, volunteer handbooks, budgets, volunteer and diplomatic applications, school requests, correspondence, articles, donor lists, time sheets and committee meeting minutes. The material in this series documents the organizational structure of THIS for Diplomats, including the executive committee, administrative committee, programs committee, and service committees. This series also contains documents related to volunteer applications, handbooks, dues increases, and correspondence. Activities were planned and executed by volunteers, while counsel, coordination, and clerical work were provided by the paid staff.

Material found in this series documents the relationship between THIS for Diplomats and Meridian House International, including the financial support that Meridian House International provided between 1965 and 2014. This series also contains documents related to fundraising efforts by THIS for Diplomats, as well as volunteer recruitment.

The records in this series include a survey conducted by THIS for Diplomats in 1999, which emphasized the changing demographics of diplomats by geographic region, gender, marital status, age, and age of children. Due to the results of this survey, THIS for Diplomats decided that there was a need to attract younger volunteers, including men, as well as volunteers with full-time employment.

These records contain gaps in material; there are no records from 1961 to 1964, with the exception of the 1961-1962 annual report. This series is arranged alphabetically.

Series II, EVENTS, 1965-2015, n.d., (#6.14-26.31), includes final reports, memoranda, attendance lists, programs, fliers, articles, financial records, registration forms, recipes, and correspondence. This series contains documents related to the planning and execution of THIS for Diplomats events, under the umbrella of the program committee, and subsequently highlights the types of events offered by THIS for the diplomats and their families. This series also documents the "Introduction to THIS" event held every year for new diplomats.

Also found here are the final reports, which were completed after almost every event, and include the number of diplomats and volunteers present, how many countries were represented, how many no-shows, how successful the program was, or why the program was ultimately canceled. The committees used this information to determine whether an event should be offered again in the future.

The records in this series give an overview of the program committee and the many smaller committees it supported, which changed over the years, and have included American history and community affairs; architecture, garden, and home design; cooking; government affairs; performing arts; programs for professionals, and special events. Many of the cooking-related events produced a collection of recipes. Events that include recipes are noted as such throughout this series.

These records contain gaps in material; there are no records from 1961 to 1964, 1966 to 1969, and 1996-1999. This series is arranged chronologically.

Series III, PHOTOGRAPHS, AUDIOVISUAL, AND MEMORABILIA, 1981-1992, n.d. (#PD.1-PD.3, Vt-308.1-Vt-308.3, 27FB.1m), includes photographs, three videotapes, and one baseball hat. The photographs found in this series are from the White House children's Christmas party, and include images of Nancy Reagan and Aileen Quinn. This series also contains three videotapes related to THIS for Diplomats. Two of the videotapes were produced for the organization, and one contains a television news broadcast about THIS for Diplomats. Also in this series is a THIS for Diplomats baseball hat. This series is arranged by format.

Most of the photographs in this collection are or will be digitized and available online.