John J. McCloy (AC 1916) Papers
Scope and Contents
The John J. McCloy Papers span the years 1897-1989, with the bulk of the material falling into the period 1940-1979. The roughly 74 linear feet of material cover the breadth of McCloy's activities, from lawyer to banker to government official to negotiator to behind-the-scenes adviser. The papers include working papers, correspondence and memoranda, speeches, scrapbooks, photographs, legal documents, printed material, and memorabilia. The collection includes very little personal or family-related material.
The first 6 series consist of materials, grouped by topic or type, that span much or all of McCloy's public career: Personal Affairs, Diaries, Scrapbooks, Speeches, Awards, and Photographs. The next 25 series consist of "working papers," divided according to McCloy's various positions, roles, and areas of influence. Series 32 consists of printed material of a general nature. (Printed material related to a given position is included in the relevant series.) Series 33: Correspondence and Series 34: Retrospectives contain unofficial correspondence and biographical material, which arrived as part of the second installment to the Papers.
More detailed description can be found at the series level. Series-level scope and content notes include: historical and biographical information; series and sub-series arrangement; subject matters and formats, and a box/folder listing.
Dates
- 1897-1989
- Majority of material found within 1940-1979
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
In general, there is no restriction on access to the John J. McCloy Papers for research use. Selected items may be restricted to protect the privacy rights of individuals or for other legal reasons. Particularly fragile items may have been replaced with copies. Material from other collections, which may be found in the McCloy Papers, cannot be duplicated.
Conditions Governing Use
All copyrights held by John J. McCloy or his heirs were transferred to Amherst College along with the papers. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of other copyrights. Requests for permission to publish material from the papers should be directed to the Archivist of the College.
Biographical / Historical
John J. McCloy (1895-1989) has been described as a "minister without portfolio" and "the most influential private citizen in America" (Harper's, Feb 1983). It was said that he held the record for the most Cabinet positions offered and refused. Among the positions that he did hold were: Assistant Secretary of War during World War II, High Commissioner of Germany after the war, President of the World Bank, Chairman of the Chase Manhattan Bank, Chairman of the General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament. In addition, he served official or unofficial advisor to every US president from Roosevelt through Reagan; his advice and assistance were sought by political and business leaders in the US and around the world.
McCloy was known as a skilled mediator and facilitator. What has been debated is the extent of his role in making policy, as opposed to articulating it. During his career, he was involved in some of the biggest--and most controversial--American policy decisions of his day. Among the issues with which he was involved and which are represented in the papers are: the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II; the shaping of Germany's post-war economy; civilian vs. military control of early atomic energy development; the Cuban missile crisis; numerous arms control and disarmament treaties; negotiations with OPEC on behalf of the major oil companies; and efforts to gain asylum in the US for the deposed Shah of Iran.
McCloy had strong ties to Amherst College; he graduated cum laude with the Class of 1916 and served on the Board of Trustees from 1947-1989. He thought of himself as a public servant and in his speeches often emphasized the importance of public service.
He died in 1989 at the age of 93.
Extent
59.5 Linear feet (52 records cartons, 28 flat boxes, 1 scroll box, 2 map case drawers)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The John J. McCloy Papers span the years 1897-1989, with the bulk of the material falling into the period 1940-1979. The roughly 60 linear feet of material cover the breadth of McCloy's activities, from lawyer to banker to government official to negotiator to behind-the-scenes adviser. The papers include working papers, correspondence, memoranda, speeches, scrapbooks, photographs, legal documents, printed material, and memorabilia. The collection includes very little personal or family-related material.
Arrangement
The John J. McCloy Papers are arranged in 35 series:
- Series 1: Personal Affairs, 1916-1986
- Series 2: Diaries, 1941-1963 with gaps
- Series 3: Scrapbooks, 1938-1980
- Series 4: Speeches, 1941-1985
- Series 5: Awards, 1943-1986
- Series 6: Photographs, 1916-1986
- Series 7: Black Tom, 1924-1946
- Series 8: War Department, 1935-1948 (bulk 1941-1945)
- Series 9: Atomic Energy, 1946-1964
- Series 10: World Bank, 1947-1949
- Series 11: Japanese Americans: Relocation and Compensation, 1942-1989
- Series 12: Eberstadt Committee, 1945-1949 (bulk 1948)
- Series 13A: High Commissioner for Germany (HICOG) - Part 1, 1946-1952
- Series 13B: High Commissioner for Germany (HICOG) - Part 2, 1949-1952
- Series 14: Germany, 1946-1986
- Series 15: Jenner-McCarthy, 1952-1955
- Series 16: Ford Foundation, c. 1954-1983 (with gaps)
- Series 17: Suez Canal Clearance Operations, 1956-1960, (bulk 1956-1957)
- Series 18: Russia and America (Roberts book), 1956-1957
- Series 19: Military Assistance Committee, 1958-1959
- Series 20: International Oil, 1946-1981 (bulk 1962-1979)
- Series 21: Disarmament, 1944-1982 (bulk 1961-1979)
- Series 22: Berlin, 1962-1963, 1971
- Series 23: Cuban Missile Crisis, 1960-1963 (bulk 1962-1963)
- Series 24: Dobrynin Meeting, 1962
- Series 25: NATO, 1949-1979 (bulk 1966-1967)
- Series 26: International Monetary Fund, 1967
- Series 27: Panama Canal Treaties, 1977-1978
- Series 28: Shah of Iran, 1979-1981
- Series 29: Reagan Transition Team, 1980-1981
- Series 30: Warren Commission (Retrospective), 1964-1979,
- Series 31: Banking and Finance (Miscellany), 1961-1985
- Series 32: Printed Material, 1920-1981
- Series 33: Correspondence, 1946-1987
- Series 34: Retrospectives, 1897, 1947-1986 (with gaps, bulk 1980s)
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The John J. McCloy Papers were given to Amherst College by McCloy through a deed of gift executed in July of 1985. Prior to their physical transfer to the Amherst College Archives, roughly half of the papers underwent a national security review by the Department of State. The bulk of these arrived at the College in May of 1986, with several batches sent later following clearance by the relevant government agency.
Chronology
- 1895 Mar 31
- Name at birth: John McCloy (Amherst College records show "Snader" as middle name until approximately 1935 and "Jay" thereafter.)
- Born in Philadelphia
- Parents:Anna May Snader McCloy and John Jay McCloy
- 1907-1912
- Peddie School
- 1912-1916
- Amherst College
- 1916-1917, 1919-1921
- Harvard Law School
- 1917 Aug-1919 Aug
- US Army
- 1917
- Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant
- 1918
- Promoted to Captain
- 1918-19
- Served with American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in France
- 1921 Aug- 1924 Nov
- Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
- 1924 Dec-1940 Dec
- Cravath, DeGersdorff, Swaine & Wood
- 1929
- Became a partner
- 1930-1941
- Involved in World War I sabotage case known as "Black Tom,"
- 1930 Apr 25
- Married Ellen Zinsser
- 1937 Nov 5
- John J. McCloy II born
- 1940 Oct-Nov
- Expert consultant to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson
- 1940 Dec-1941 Apr
- Special Assistant to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson
- 1941 Apr-1945 Nov
- Assistant Secretary of War
- 1941 Jul 16
- Ellen Z. McCloy born
- 1946-1947
- Milbank, Tweed, Hope & Hadley
- Member of Secretary of State's Committee on Atomic Energy (Acheson-Lilienthal Committee)
- 1947-1949
- President of World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development)
- 1947-1989
- Trustee of Amherst College
- 1956-1969
- Chairman of the Corporation
- 1969-1989
- Trustee Emeritus and Honorary Chairman of the Corporation
- 1948 Jun-1949 May
- Member of Committee on the National Security Organization (Eberstadt Committee) of the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government (Hoover Commission)
- 1949 Jul-1952 Jul
- US Military Governor and High Commissioner for Germany
- 1952-1965
- Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ford Foundation
- 1953
- The Challenge to American Foreign Policy published
- 1953 Jul
- Senate Subcommittee to Investigate the Administration of the Internal Security Act and Other Internal Security Laws (Jenner Committee) issues report saying that Army was tolerant of Communists in WWII and implying that JJM was responsible
- 1953-1971
- Chairman of Council on Foreign Relations
- 1953 Jan-1960 Dec
- Chairman of the Board, Chase National Bank
- 1955 Apr
- Merged with Bank of Manhattan to become Chase Manhattan Bank
- 1954 Feb
- Joseph McCarthy accuses JJM of having ordered the destruction of Army intelligence files on Communists during World War II (charge retracted two days later)
- 1956-1957 Nov
- Member of United Nations advisory team overseeing Suez Canal clearance operations
- 1958 Nov-1959
- President's Committee to Study the Military Assistance Program (Draper Committee)
- 1961-1989
- Milbank, Tweed, Hope, Hadley & McCloy Represented major oil companies during OPEC negotiations, anti-trust investigations, and divestitures
- 1961 Jan-1974 May
- Coordinator of US disarmament activities
- 1961 Jan-Oct
- Advisor to President Kennedy
- 1961-1974
- Chairman of General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament
- 1962 Oct-1963
- Chairman of Coordinating Committee of the US on Cuban Missile Crisis
- 1963 Dec-1964
- Member of Presidential Commission to Investigate the Assassination of President Kennedy (Warren Commission)
- 1964-1968
- Member of President Johnson's Senior Advisory Group on Vietnam
- 1965-1975
- Chairman of Committee for Modern Courts, Inc.
- 1966-1967
- Head of US delegation to Tripartite Talks (NATO)
- 1967
- Representative of the US Treasury Department on International Monetary Fund missions
- 1969
- The Atlantic Alliance published
- 1978
- Member of the Committee of Americans for the (Panama) Canal Treaties
- 1979-1981
- Member of Special Project Team working to gain asylum in the US for the Shah of Iran
- 1980-1981
- Member of President Reagan's transition team
- 1989 Mar 11
- Died in Stamford, CT
Processing Information
Processing of this portion of the collection began in April 1986 and was completed in April 1990. In June 1990, after McCloy's death, the Archives received a second installment to the Papers. The processing of this addition required item-level attention, as the material had not been reviewed by the State Department. The Archives coordinated reviews by both the State Department and legal counsel. During this process detailed listings and cross-references were created to indicate the specific installment to which material belonged and to facilitate research use.
The papers were received in considerable disarray, with little evidence of their original order. Wherever possible, original groupings of items and folders were retained; however, the current organization of the papers was for the most part imposed during processing.
In 2017, the physical arrangement of the papers was revised. Folders were labelled contiguously and boxes were condensed in order to house the material safely and efficiently. The finding aid was revised to reflect new box and folder numbers and to clearly delineate physical and intellectual arrangement.
- Accession Number:
- 85-099, 86-063, 90-042, 91-003, 97-087
- Processed:
- 1986-1990, 1990-1993
- By:
- Daria D'Arienzo, Archivist
Cheryl Gracey, Archives Associate
Emily Silverman, Archives Associate - Listing Revised:
- 1993 Jun-Jul
- By:
- Daria D'Arienzo, Archivist of the College
Emily Silverman, Archives Associate
Jean W. Zilewicz, Archives Associate - Listing and Finding Aid Revised
- Jun-Nov 2017
- By:
- Chris Barber, Deputy Archivist; Rachel Jirka, College Archivist
- Amherst College -- Alumni and alumnae Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Correspondence Subject Source: Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Critchfield, James H., 1917-
- Germany (Territory under Allied occupation, 1945-1955 : U.S. Zone)
- Preston, Guy
- Stimson, Henry L. (Henry Lewis), 1867-1950
- United Nations
- United States. Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government (1947-1949)
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee to Investigate the Administration of the Internal Security Act and Other Internal Security Laws
- United States. President's Committee to Study the United States Military Assistance Program
- United States. War Department
- World Bank
- World War, 1939-1945 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World politics -- 1955-1965 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Daria D'Arienzo; revised by Rachel Jirka and Chris Barber
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Repository Details
Part of the Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Repository
Amherst College Archives & Special Collections
Robert Frost Library
61 Quadrangle Drive
Amherst MA 01002-5000
(413) 542-2299
archives@amherst.edu