Agnese Nelms Haury Papers
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Abstract
Agnese Nelms Haury (1923- ) a researcher, editor, author and philanthropist, has worked in and supported the work of others in a wide range of fields, including archaeology, anthropology, international affairs, Latin American studies, human rights, and the arts. She met Alger Hiss in the 1940s when he was president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and she was working in the Endowment's Publications Department. They became close associates and, from the time of Hiss's trials of the late 1940s and early 50s, she worked strenuously in the cause of his defense. The Haury Papers contain correspondence and subject files relating to the Agnese N. Lindley Foundation, the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, The Nation Institute, and to research conducted by Tony Hiss, Bruce Craig, Jeff Kisseloff, John Lowenthal, and William A. Reuben on the Hiss defense and Hiss related research. The collection also documents the establishment of the Alger Hiss Archive, Alger Hiss Fellowship, and "The Alger Hiss Story" website. The collection also features audio visual sound and video recordings of interviews, television programs, and more pertaining to the Alger Hiss trial and Whittaker Chambers.
Biographical Note
Agnese Haury (née Nelms) was born in Houston, Texas, in 1923. Educated in Fontainbleau, France; Houston, Texas; and Greenwich, Connecticut, she graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1946 with a degree in history. She soon went to work in the Publications Department of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. While there she worked closely with Alger Hiss, who became president of the Endowment in 1947. At the Endowment she wrote and edited numerous reports and articles. She became assistant editor of International Conciliation (Carnegie Endowment) and associate editor of Intercom (Foreign Policy Association). From 1954 to 1959 she traveled to Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Libya, and Burma on special assignment for the Carnegie Endowment, making three surveys of technical assistance of the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies and of bilateral national programs. She was the author of Indians of the Andes (1956); Libya, Building a Desert Economy (1957); and The Burma Road to Pyidawtha (1958), all published by the Endowment.
Agnese Nelms married Manice deForest Lockwood 3rd in 1950. The two remained married until 1976. She was married to Denver Lindley from 1978 to 1982, and to Emil W. Haury from 1990 to 1992. After her years at the Carnegie Endowment, she held a variety of positions, including editor of several United Nations publications, editor of Anthropological Papers of the University of Arizona, and work on the Snaketown Archaeological Project.
The Agnese N. Lindley Foundation was established in the late 1970s to support projects in the fields of education, scientific advancement, the arts, human and civil rights, and the environment, as well as professional training related to these fields. She asked Alger Hiss to join the Board of Trustees of the Lindley Foundation when it was founded, and the two consulted closely on Foundation affairs for a number of years. She was a benefactor of the University of Arizona, where she established the Emil Haury Graduate Fellowship program in the Department of Anthropology, the Agnese Haury Institute for Court Interpretation, the A. N. Haury Fund for dendochronological studies, and the Haury Ceramic Heritage Fund at the Arizona State Museum. The University awarded her an honorary doctorate in 1999.
From the moment that Whittaker Chambers' accusations against Alger Hiss were first made public, Agnese Nelms became a researcher for and staunch supporter of Hiss's defense team. Her efforts on Hiss's behalf continued over the next half-century and more, and included the establishment in 1981 of the Alger Hiss Distinguished Professorship at Bard College, and assistance to the National Emergency Civil Liberties Committee, The Nation Institute, and the National Security Archive.
Arrangement
Folders arranged alphabetically by topic in both series.
The files are grouped into two series:
I. Alger Hiss Materials, 1948-2004
II. Subject Files, 1925-2004
Scope and Contents
The Agnese Nelms Haury Papers include research materials into the Alger Hiss perjury trials and charitable foundations supported by Agnese Haury. Haury's files on Alger Hiss include personal correspondence with Hiss and his family, biographical information, and materials pertaining to the allegations against Hiss and the Hiss perjury trials. Materials related to the trials include Haury's handwritten notes, files on Bruce Craig's HUAC research, the Defense Fund for Alger Hiss, the "Pumpkin Papers," the Venona Papers and General Dmitri Volkogonov, the Woodstock typewriter, and the unsealing of 1948-49 Federal Grand Jury records. Among the correspondents represented are Alger and Tony Hiss, John Lowenthal, William A. Reuben, Allen Weinstein, and Bruce Craig. Files from Haury's charitable work include correspondence, notes, clippings, and background material related to the Agnese N. Lindley Foundation, the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, The Nation Institute, the Alger Hiss archival collection at New York University, the Alger Hiss Fellowship, and "The Alger Hiss Story: Search for the Truth" website. The collection also contains clippings and research materials regarding President Richard Nixon, Sam Tanenhaus, Allen Weinstein, the Venona Cables, and issues concerning access to government documents.
Materials added to the collection in 2017 include additional Hiss research files and charitable donations in Hiss's name. They largely pertain to Haury's support of the Nation Institute's Alger Hiss Project, the Alger Hiss Endowed Chair at Bard College, and New York University's Center for the Cold War. These materials largely consist of organizing files related to these projects, but also include personal correspondence between Haury and Tony Hiss and John Lowenthal, both of whom were heavily involved in Hiss related research projects. Also included in these materials are copies of Hiss's petition for reinstatement to the Massachusetts Bar in 1975. In 2018, sound and video recordings were added to the collection, which consist of interviews, television programs, and more pertaining to the Alger Hiss trial and Whittaker Chambers.
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Agnese Nelms Haury, the creator of this collection, were transferred to New York University in 2003. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive. Please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Agnese Nelms Haury Papers; TAM 163; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Agnese Nelms Haury in 2005. Haury donated a portion of her papers to the University of Arizona. In 2017 and 2018, the University of Arizona sent a donation of Haury's papers on Alger Hiss research to NYU; the accession numbers associated with these gifts are 2005.002, 2017.060 and 2018.133.
Custodial History
The Agnese Nelms Haury Papers was donated to the Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives by Agnese Nelms Haury in 2005. Haury donated a portion of her papers to the University of Arizona. In 2017, the University of Arizona sent a donation of Haury's papers on Alger Hiss research to NYU. In July 2018, the Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona sent a donation of 12 audio visual recordings relating to Alger Hiss and Whittaker Chambers. The accession number associated with these gifts are 2005.002, 2017.060, and 2018.133.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Series I, Boxes 1 and 2 of the collection are available on microfilm (Film R-7771D) for use in this repository only. Researchers must use microfilm for this portion of the collection.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Other Finding Aids
The microfilmed portion of this collection (Series I, Boxes 1 and 2) and the microfilmed portions of several other collections related to Alger Hiss at this repository form the microfilm edition of the Papers of Alger Hiss (comprised of Film R-7771B, R-7771C, R-7771D, and R-7771E). A published guide to the Papers of Alger Hiss microfilm edition is available at this repository (call number REF E743.5.H55 P38 2006).
About this Guide
Processing Information
Processing decisions made prior to 2017 have not been recorded. In 2017 four boxes of files related to Haury's support of Alger Hiss research were added to Series I: Alger Hiss Materials. At the time of accessioning these materials were added to the file list in Series I in rough groupings by topic. They have not been arranged by the archivist and are in the order in which they were received by the donor.
In 2018, materials were placed in acid-free folders and boxes. At the time of accessioning, these materials were added to the file list in Series I. They have not been arranged by the archivist and are in the order in which they were received by the donor.
