SOME PROMINENT FIGURES - American-Czech relations

Most of the personal papers held at the ASCR Archives include resources of varying kinds and quantities on the history of Czechoslovak-American scholarly relations. These primarily consist of correspondence with individual American scholars, scholarly institutes, societies, associations, academies, universities etc, articles by American scholars published in Czech periodicals and those by Czech scholars published in the USA, materials from various congresses, conferences and symposia, membership diplomas awarded to Czech scholars in the USA, photographs of American scholars and so forth. Of course, they cannot all be detailed here in full. If any record-group contains individual items only, then this information is not given at all and if it contains more extensive items, e.g. correspondence and so forth, we provide information on it at a general level only, and only more specifically if it involves some information of exceptional relevance (e.g. correspondence with prominent figures from the history of science, extensive sets of articles or other materials).

 

One of first polarographs by Jaroslav Heyrovský (from 1924, photo from his personal papers)

 

Arnošt Inocenc Bláha
A number of articles by American sociologists published in the Sociological Review [Sociologická revue] during the 1930s, articles by Czech scholars on American sociology, education, teaching and the like. Sign.IV, ser. no. 1148, b. 29, 30.
Correspondence, e.g. Sorokin Pitirim A. (2 letters + enclosure - 8 pages), 1928. Sign.II, ser. no. 188, b. 2.

Jiří Viktor Daneš see individual page

Kamil Henner Jnr.
Extensive correspondence with American doctors, esp. neurologists and American medical and other societies, e.g. American Neurological Association (K. Henner was an honorary member inter alia), American Academy of Neurology (also an honorary member), American Neurological Association, Rockefeller Foundation, New York and others, mostly from 1940s - 1960s.

Ferdinand Herčík
Including his activities at the United Nations: correspondence (3 letters received +1 copy of a letter sent), 1956 - 1962. Sign.IV, ser. no. 424, b. 4
United Nations - Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiaton: Correspondence (3+1), 1956 - 1962. Sign.IV, ser. no. 425, b. 4 .
Other committee materials and those from the Committee for the Effects of Atomic Radiation, report on scientific relations during his US stay in October 1956. Sign.IV, ser. no. 426, b. 4.

Jaroslav Heyrovský see individual page

Arnold Jirásek
Includes correspondence with American doctors and esp. with scientific institutes, universities etc., e.g. Rockefeller Foundation, New York (10+2), 1945 - 1947. Sign. II, ser. no. 3118, b. 34.
Other material on contacts between Czech and American surgeons: History of Czech surgery from the revival of the Czech Medical Faculty in 1883 to the Present (12. 6. 1926). Introduction to a lecture given on 12. 6. 1926 at the First Surgical Clinic of Charles University for Inter-State Postgraduate Assembly of North America doctors. Sign. III, ser. no. 3559, b. 63.
My American Surgery Trip. Lecture at the Prague Rotary Club of 5. 1. 1948. Sign.III, ser. no. 3575, b. 64.
Zdeněk Otomar: American Doctors in Czechoslovakia (Unitarian Mission). Svobodné slovo, 7th September 1946. Sign.V, ser. no. 3842, b. 81.

 

Ceremonial award of an honorary doctorate to Herbert C. Hoover at Charles University in Prague in 1938 (from Josef Král´s personal papers)

 

Vladimír Kadlec
Correspondence, e.g. Pitirim A. Sorokin (6), 1946 - 1949. British-American Club, Kladno (2), 1945 - 1947. British-American Club, Slaný (2), 1946. Sign.II, b. 1.
Lectures, e.g. the Anglo-American Political System - lecture at the British-American Club in Kladno in June 1947. Sign.III, b. 9.
Remembering Prof. Sorokin - Lecture at the Integral Anthropology Section of the Czechoslovak Sociological Society, (26. 3. 1968). Sign.III, b. 10.

Radim Kettner
Correspondence with American scientists and scientific institutes.
Profiles of eminent geologists, incl. such American figures as: Ebenezer Emmons, ser. no. 2152. Samuel Franklin Emmons, ser. no. 2153. William Maclure, ser. no. 2243. David Dale Owen, ser. no. 2265. John Wesley Powell, ser. no. 2280. All s ign.III, b. 42, 43.

Josef Král
Correspondence, e.g. Pitirim A. Sorokin (5+3), 1924 - 1967, some without date. Sign.II, ser. no. 234, b. 3,Rockefeller Foundation, New York (3+1+1 enclosure), 1937. Sign. II, ser. no. 370, b. 4.
Ceremonial award of Honorary Doctorate to Herbert C. Hoover at Charles University in Prague - programme, justification, text of the ceremonial address in Czech and English, 1938. Sign. IV, ser. no. 685, b. 20.

Alena Lengerová
In addition to considerable correspondence with American immunologists, there is interesting material from her US visit, e.g.: itinerary and diary of stay in USA 14. 3.-20. 5. 1966. Directory of Scientific Workers. Notes from discussions and seminars, 89 pp. Sign.III, ser. no. 143 - 146, b. 4.
Notification of lecture and seminar by A. Lengerová: "The Thymus and Immunological Self-recognition" at the Cancer Research Institute, University of Carolina, 1966. Notification of seminars and courses in immunogenetics, held by A.Lengerová at Bloomington, Albert Einstein College in New York and in Greab Falls in Montana, 1968. Sign.III, ser. no. 148 - 149, b. 4.
Programme of A. Lengerová's US visit and record of protocol at the embassy in USA, 3 pp, 1973. Information material on the 13th International Genetics congress in Berkeley - 20.- 29. 8. 1973. Attached correspondence with American scientists - Donald W. Bailey, M. Baker, 1973, E. A. Boyse, A. Knudson. Sign.III, ser. no. 156 - 158, b. 4.

 

 

Photo of Slavonic participants at the Botanical Congress in Ithaca (from Bohumil Němec ´s personal papers)

 

Bohumil Němec see individual page

Kamil Novotný see individual page

Otakar Odložilík see individual page

Jan Opočenský see individual page

Vladimír Procházka
Correspondence, e.g.: John Somerville (15+12), 1958 - 1962. Sign.II, ser. no. 293, b. 13.
Extensive material relating to Procházka's translations from American literature, reviews of works on USA etc., e.g.: Howard Fast - preparations for the publication of his selected writings, 1952 - 1954. Sign.III, ser. no. 1030, b. 42.
E. S. Gardner - articles on him and materials connected with the translations of his detective novels, 1961 - 1963. Sign.III, ser. no. 1031, b. 42.
John Steinbeck - documentation relating to the Czech translation of Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath", 1957. Sign.III, ser. no. 1034, b. 42.
Idealized history of the USA. Forward to the Czech edition of A.Maurois' "History of the USA 1917 - 1960" (part of work by L. Aragon, part by A. Maurois: Modern History of USSR and USA - 1917 - 1960). Draft of forward, preparatory material on the author, correspondence, 1964. Sign.III, ser. no. 737, b. 26.
A number of articles and speeches on the USA, very critical tone overall.
Documentation on Procházka's activities in the position of Czechoslovak Ambassador to the USA 1951 - 1952, including an exchange of diplomatic notes between the Czechoslovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Embassy in Prague (e.g. on the W. N. Oatis case), records on dealings with the American Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, E. O. Briggs, Procházka's comments and notes on business and financial relations between the USA and Czechslovakia, memoranda on the Czechoslovak Embassy in the USA, inaugural addresses by V. Procházka and the American Ambassador in Czechoslovakia, E. O. Briggs, material from a press conference organized by the Czechoslovak Embassy in Washington, correspondence connected with his office, directives, a report by V. Procházka on activities in the office of Czechoslovak Ambassador to the USA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs study materials on trade relations between Czechoslovakia and the USA, Department of State, US congress and Senate documents, materials on the W. N. Oatis criminal case, cuttings from the US press and the like Sign.IV, ser. no. 1160 - 1225, b. 55.
Materials from the UN General Assembly with critical speeches by Czechoslovak representatives against US foreign policy (esp. in Korea) 1951 - 1952. Sign.IV, ser. no. 1241 - 1242, b. 64, ser. no. 1246, b. 65, ser. no. 1297, b. 69.

Jan Rypka
Correspondence, e.g. M. Foroughy (4), 1963 - 1965, Arthut Upham Pope, (Director of the Asia Institute, New York) (2), 1947, School of Oriental and African Studies (3), 1967 - 1968, Andreas Tietze (University of California) (10), 1957 - 1964. Sign.II.
Articles, e.g.: Report on the Oriental Institute in Prague (written for the Asia Institute Bulletin in New York at the request of the Director, A. U. Pope), 1947, 11 pp Czech, 10 pp English. Sign.III.

Jan Smetana
Correspondence, e.g. American Society for Engineering Education (5+1), 1947 - 1949, American Society of Civil Engineers (1), 1954. Sign.II.
Materials from conferences, congresses etc., e.g. United Nations Scientific Conference on the Conservation and Utilization of Resources - materials from a conference organized at Lake Success, New York, 17. 8.-6. 9. 1949, Smetana's correspondence and material, 1948 - 1949. Sign.IV.

Oldřich Starý
Correspondence, e.g. Harry B. Friedgood (5+4), 1968. Sign.II, ser. no. 60, b. 1.
Institute of International Education, New York (8), 1969. Sign.II, ser. no. 145, b. 2.
Materials from congresses, e.g.: 9 th International Neurological Congress, New York + US study visit - itinerary of visit, working agenda, report on trip, correspondence, 1969. Sign.IV, ser. no. 372, b. 7.

František Karel Studnička
Correspondence, e.g. Bashford Dean (3), 1902 - 1907, ser. no. 102, Charles Hill (4), 1895 - 1903, ser. no. 219, J. B. Johnston (2), 1901 - 1910, ser. no. 254, S. A. Kaye (2), 1948-52, ser. no. 264, P. E. Sargent (2), 1900 - 1903. ser. no. 463, George Sarton (4+2), 1928 - 1935, ser. no. 462, Oliver S. Strong (5), 1895 - 1911. ser. no. 529, Burt G. Wilder (8), 1897 - 1905, ser. no. 622. All Sign. II, b. 2, 4-9.
American Museum of Natural History, New York (3), 1912 - 1914, ser. no. 647, Rockefeller Foundation, New York (11 + 8), 1927 - 1930, ser. no. 714. Both Sign.II, b. 10.

Karel Šandera
Correspondence, e.g. F. W.Zerban (69+84), 1929 - 1953. Sign. II, ser. no. 636, b. 6.
American Chemical Society, Washington D.C. (13+11), 1933 - 1949. Sign.II, ser. no. 656, b. 7.
Articles, e.g.: Progress at the Melton Institute 1931-32, 1 pp - typescript, 2 pp - manuscript, 1932. Sign.III, ser. no. 1034, b. 20.
Journey of a sugar-making analyst from Hamburg via New York to Prague, 2 pp, 1946. Sign.III, ser. no. 1068, b. 20 and a number of other minor, mostly occasional articles.

Stanislav Špaček see individual page

Bohumil Šternberk
Correspondence, e.g.: Harlow Shapley (2+3+4 enclosure sheets), 1929 - 1946. Sign.II, ser. no. 127, b. 3.
University of California, Mount Hamilton, (3), 1959 - 1961, ser. no. 181, University of Michigan (2), 1960, 1967, ser. no. 188, Smithsonian Institution- Astronomical Observatory (2), 1967, ser. no. 203. All sign.II, b. 4.

Miloslav Valouch
Memoirs of his stay at the Rockefeller laboratories 1928 - 1929. Sign.I, ser. no. 10, b. 1.
Correspondence, e.g. International Education Board, New York (5), 1928. Sign. II, ser. no. 542, b. 8.

František Vejdovský
Correspondence, e.g. Charles M. B. Cadwalader (2), 1935 - 1936, ser. no. 20, E. G. Conklin, 4, 1907 - 1928, ser. no. 25, Gustav A. Eisen (14 + encl.), 1905 - 1936, ser. no. 39, Katharine Foot (3), 1898 - 1912, ser. no. 44, Aleš Hrdlička (2), 1913 - 1928, ser. no. 71, E. L. Mark (3), 1910, ser. no. 108, Priscilla B. Montgomery (3), 1924 - 1925, ser. no. 122, Percy J. Moore (4), 1911 - 1924, ser. no. 125, Henry B. Ward (7), 1921 - 1925, some undated, ser. no. 195, Charles Zeleny (6), 1927 - 1928, ser. no. 207. All Sign.II, b. 1.
New York Academy of Medicine, New York (1), 1913, ser. no. 223, Smithsonian Institution, Washington (1), 1912, ser. no. 232. Both sign.II, b. 1.

Otto Wichterle see individual page