Richard Brown Scandrett papers, 1944-1954, bulk 1945-1947
Summary Information
Abstract
At a Glance
- Call No.:
- MS#1115
- Bib ID:
- 4078523 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Scandrett, Richard Brown, 1891-1969
- Repository:
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Physical Description:
- 1.26 linear feet (3 document boxes)
- Language(s):
- English .
- Access:
- You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
-
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Description
Scope and Content
This collection documents Richard B. Scandrett, Jr.'s service as a member of the Allied Reparations Commission in 1945 and chief of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration Mission to Byelorussia, 1946.
The collection is comprised of two folders and four letter books containing a wide range of material relating to Scandrett's involvement with the Allied Reparations Commission and to his position as chief of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation (UNRRA) Mission to Byelorussia. Materials include correspondence, reports, articles, clippings, and photographs.
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Series I: Allied Reparations Commission, 1944-1956
This series is comprised of two letter books contains a large range of documents relating to the creation, goals, and actions of the Allied Reparations Commission. Documents include Scandrett's summary and criticism of the commission's activities, his suggestions to Isador Lubin for a reparations plan, descriptions of the duties assigned to each US commission member, notes and instructions given to the staff of the commission, reports, correspondence, newspaper and journal articles. Volume 19A also includes a photograph of Scandrett.
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This series contains two folders and two letter books of documents providing extensive and detailed information on UNRRA Mission to Byelorussia, as well as some discussion of other missions and of UNRRA in general. The folders contain an incomplete document from Herbert Lehman formally designating Scandrett as the chief of the Mission to Byelorussia and outlining the mission's goals and his duties, as well as a copy of Scandrett's article "Byelorussians: Barefoot and Barehanded." The first letter book, Volume 20-A, includes Scandrett's summary of his experience as mission chief, photographs of headquarters, interviews, clippings, and a mission history, among other documents. Volume 20-B is also concerned primarily with the Mission to Byelorussia and contains additional correspondence and clippings, observations and reports by several of the mission staff, and photographs of the region. The letter book also contains a smaller amount of general information about UNRRA, including pamphlets and the proceedings of council meetings, and a history of the organization, as well as material on the Mission to the Ukraine. Of note is correspondence between Scandrett, Marshall MacDuffie (chief of the UNRRA Mission to the Ukraine), and others regarding controversy over "The Scared Man in the Kremlin," a book about the Ukraine mission by John Fischer.
Arrangement
This collection has been arranged into two series.
Using the Collection
Restrictions on Access
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Richard Brown Scandrett papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Related Material
Herbert H. Lehman papers Columbia University Archives, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University
Marshall MacDuffie papers Columbia University Archives, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University
Richard Scandrett Papers, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University
Accruals
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Ownership and Custodial History
Gift of Mrs. Mary Emma Landenberger Scandrett, 1970.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Correspondence, reports, clippings: Source of acquisition--Scandrett, Mrs. Richard Brown. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1970.
Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1970.
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Processing Information
Correspondence, reports, clippings Surveyed Julie Miller 05/--/87.
Papers processed Carolyn Smith.
Finding aid written Carolyn Smith 2013.
Revision Description
2013-07-04 xml document instance created by Carolyn Smith
2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.
Biographical sketch
Richard Brown Scandrett, Jr. was born in Pittsburgh on April 12, 1891. He was the son of Richard Brown Scandrett, an attorney, and Agnes Morrow Scandrett.
Scandrett attended Amherst College, graduating in 1911. He then attended Columbia University Law School and received a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1916. He also received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Colorado. After graduation, he worked for the New York law firm Simpson, Thacher& Bartlett. Scandrett married Mary Emma Landenberger in 1930, and they had four children, Nancy Day, Dwight Morrow, Eugenia, and Alexander Marshall.
From 1930 until 1960, Scandrett was a partner in the firm Scandrett & Chalaire. He was also vice president of the American Gas and Electric Company.
Scandrett entered politics as an aide to his uncle, Senator Dwight W. Morrow. He served as treasurer of the New York County Republican Committee from 1928-1932 and of the Orange County Republican Committee from 1934 to 1939. In 1938 Scandrett was a Republican candidate for congressman-at-large from New York State, amassing almost 2 million votes but losing the election. He also assisted in pre-convention efforts to support Robert A. Taft in his bids for the 1940 and 1948 Presidential nominations.
Scandrett shared his knowledge and opinions on politics and social issues through a number of articles and books. He was president of Survey Associates Inc, which published the sociological and political analysis magazines Survey and Survey Graphic, from 1935 to 1949. In 1941, he published Divided They Fall: A Plea for Unity, a book that urged the United States to enter World War II.
In 1945, Scandrett was selected by Isador Lubin, US representative to the Allied Reparations Commission, to serve on the commission as an advisor on international law. The commission, which included representatives from the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union, was responsible for settling reparations issues while keeping peace among the Allied forces during the aftermath of the war. Scandrett proposed a number of specific actions and stressed the importance keeping peace between the United States and Russia, fearing that tensions would lead to "a world after the war bristling with armament." He was dissatisfied with the commission's meetings and particularly critical of the conduct of Edwin Pauley, who succeeded Lubin as representative after Roosevelt's death, and felt that the commission ultimately weakened U.S.-Soviet relations. Scandrett resigned in July, 1945.
In 1946, Scandrett was appointed chief of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation (UNRRA) Mission to Byelorussia. The mission's goal was to oversee the distribution of $61,000,000 in supplies to the Byelorussian SSR (modern-day Belarus), which was facing dangerous shortages of food and essential items. More than half of the supplies consisted of food, mainly canned meat, lard, and dried milk. Also included were seeds, farm equipment, clothing, and medical supplies. The mission would also build several small power plants.
Scandrett appointed a staff, including three officers: Theodore Waller (administrative officer), Davis McEntire (supply officer), and Gladwin Young (agronomist). They arrived in Minsk in July, 1946. Scandrett believed that the mission, though challenging, was an overall success and that the people were appreciative. In 1946 he published an article in Survey Graphic entitled "Byelorussians: Barefoot and Barehanded" in which he described his experience and responded to allegations of censorship and looting, which, based on his observations, he felt were untrue and potentially damaging to the Byelorussians.
In addition to his political and legal work, Scandrett was involved in a number of humanitarian and social organizations. He was chairman of the men's committee of the Crusade for Children in 1933, Manhattan chairman of the United Parents Association in 1934, and treasurer of the Committee for the Relief of German Christian Refugees. He was also a member of the University Club and director of the Empire State Music Festival.
Scandrett died in Cornwall, NY, in 1969 at the age of 78.
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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