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Finding Aid |
1965-1974

RGXXI: Seminar on Poverty


Historical Note

This Seminar on Poverty (var. Seminar on Poverty and Race Relations; Poverty Seminars; later Committee on Urban Studies) was officially active from 1966-1972. The purpose of the Committee was to oversee the organization and outcomes of a series of conferences focused on the many components of poverty, in a multi-disciplinary approach. Daniel Patrick Moynihan was chair from 1966-1970, at which time Robert C. Wood Became Chair.

Ten initial sessions were held between May 1966 and October 1967. As a result, two books were published in 1969 by Basic Books: On Understanding Poverty: Perspectives from the Social Sciences by Daniel Patrick Moynihan; and On Fighting Poverty: Perspectives from Experience, by James Sundquist. These publications were conceived respectively as Volume I and II.

Conferences from 1968 forward were organized around four project areas: Evaluation of Social Action Programs (Peter Rossi, chair); Income Maintenance (Lee Rainwater, chair), Stratification and Poverty (S.M. Miller & S. M. Lipset, co-chairs), and Transportation and Poverty (John Meyer, chair). The project area Evaluation of Social Action Program included a joint effort with the British Home Office, consisting of a conference at Ditchley Park, England. While efforts to publish the proceedings of these conferences continued until 1973, no publications resulted.

Funding provided by the Stern Family Fund, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and by the United States Department of Transportation.

Name Variations

Seminar on Poverty (var Seminar on Poverty and Race Relations; Poverty Seminars), 1966-1967
Committee on Urban Studies, ca. 1968-1974

Scope and Content

The series is contained within the Ƶ Archives’ Record Group XXI: Ƶ Projects and Programs. This series contains the administrative and project records of the Committee, from 1965 to 1974, the majority created between 1966-1970 by the executive office of John Voss and held with project files. Included among administrative records are correspondence, grant financials, and memoranda. Included among project records are correspondence, transcripts, and planning materials. 

Administrative records from the time of Robert C. Wood as Chair of the Committee on Urban Studies are missing from this collection, and as yet are unidentified among the Ƶ’s larger unprocessed material. Significant material present includes 7” reel audio recordings of the conferences and draft transcripts of publications.

Arrangement

Processing for the series utilized MPLP principles, thus minimum preservation steps were taken, and folder titles listed in the finding aid are as they appear on the actual folders. Records of the Ƶ Committee were kept by the office of John Voss, Chief Executive Officer of the Ƶ. Original order of the records was maintained, with records interfiled where appropriate. Some files were created outside the filing system and were incorporated with like materials. 

The series is divided into two subseries: Subseries 1: Administration and Subseries 2: Projects.

Subseries 2: Projects is further divided into five sub-subseries: Sub-subseries 2.1: Poverty Seminars; Sub-subseries 2.2: Evaluation of Social Action Programs; Sub-subseries 2.3: Income Maintenance; Sub-subseries 2.4: Stratification and Poverty; and Sub-subseries 2.5: Transportation and Poverty.

Sub-subseries 2.1: Poverty Seminars is further divided into two sub-sub-subseries: Sub-sub-subseries 2.1.1: Monthly Seminars, 1966-1967; and Sub-sub-subseries 2.1.2: Poverty Publication.

Volume

4 records center cartons (4 linear feet)

Preferred Citation

[Item title, date]. Record Group XXI: Ƶ Projects – Seminar on Poverty and Race Relations/Committee on Urban Studies, 1965-1974. Archives, American Ƶ of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Subjects

Lipset, Seymour Martin
Meyer, John Robert
Miller, S. M. (Seymour Michael), 1922-
Moynihan, Daniel P. (Daniel Patrick), 1927-2003
Rainwater, Lee
Rossi, Peter H. (Peter Henry), 1921-2006
Sundquist, James L.
Voss, John, 1917-
Wood, Robert Coldwell, 1923-2005
Ditchley Foundation
Home Office, London (GB).
Stern Foundation
Poor--Transportation
Poverty--United States
Public welfare--United States
Race--Economic aspects
Race--Social conditions
United States--social policy
Ditchley Park (England)

ITEM LIST


Subseries 1: Administrative Records, 1965-1973

Description: This subseries includes Committee memos and correspondence, grant drafts, member lists, and other records related to the general management of the project, primarily from the time of Daniel Patrick Moynihan's time as chair, 1965-1970

Arrangement: Original Order

Box 1

Folder 1War on Poverty
Folder 2Correspondence CSS - Poverty
Folder 3CSS to Monihan etc. - Poverty
Folder 4Rand
Folder 5N.P.A. Poverty Committee
Folder 6Steering Group, Poverty
Folder 7Poverty Seminar - Membership after Feb. 1968 - also lists
Folder 8STERN - Poverty Seminar- future funds & Requests from foundations
Folder 9Poverty April 67 - Request to OEO
Folder 10Ford Poverty - Ford Request
Folder 11Scientists and Urban Problems
Folder 12Poverty

Subseries 2: Project Work, 1966-1974

Description: This subseries contains correspondence, project meeting planning and records, audio recordings, and resulting draft publications related to individual projects of the Committee.

Arrangement: This subseries consists of five sub-subseries, organized by individual project: Sub-subseries 2.1: Poverty Seminars; Sub-subseries 2.2: Evaluation of Social Action Programs; Sub-subseries 2.3: Income Maintenance; Sub-subseries 2.4: Stratification and Poverty; and Sub-subseries 2.5: Transportation and Poverty. Original order was maintained, and was organized generally chronologically. Audio recordings have been interfiled amidst the records where appropriate.

Sub-subseries 2.1: Poverty Seminars is further divided into two sub-sub-subseries: Sub-sub-subseries 2.1.1: Monthly Seminars, 1966-1967; and Sub-sub-subseries 2.1.2: Poverty Publication.

Sub-subseries 2.1: Poverty Seminars

 

Sub-sub-subseries 2.1.1: Monthly Seminars, 1966-1967

Box 1 (cont.)

Folder 13Poverty Seminar - General Correspondence
Folder 14Poverty Seminar -- Moynihan General Correspondence
Folder 15Poverty Seminar -- Moynihan Memos
Folder 16Letters re: participation in Poverty Seminar, Oct 1966-May 1967
Folder 17Poverty Seminars - 1966-1967 Participants
Folder 18Poverty Seminar
Folder 19Draft - Poverty Bibliography
Folder 20Bibliography Data
Folder 21"Social Class and Poverty: A Selected and Annotated Bibliography" [two copies]
Folder 22Poverty Seminar -- Planning Session - Daniel P. Moynihan [binder] 
Folder 23Poverty Seminar - Background - May 1966
Folder 24Original Transcript [1966 May 20]
Folder 25Poverty Seminar -- Moynihan - Planning Session Transcripts [1966 May 20]
Folder 26(1966) May Poverty Seminar - Transcripts [1966 May 20]

Box 1 (cont.)

(Box 4) Folder 1[Audio Reel] Seminar on Poverty - early meeting (planning session?)
(Box 4) Folder 2[Audio Reel]Seminar on Poverty - Moynihan - AM & PM 
Folder 27Extra Poverty Minutes - October - November - December 1966
Folder 28Poverty Seminar Oct. 7-8 [1966 October 7-8]
(Box 4) Folder 3[Audio Reel] Poverty & Race Seminar - October 7-8, 1966
(Box 4) Folder 4[Audio Reel] Seminar on Poverty 10/20/[1966]
Folder 29November 4-5 Seminar [1966 November 4-5]
(Box 4) Folder 5[Audio Reel] Poverty & Race Seminar - Nov 4-5, 1966, Tape #1
Folder 30December Seminar [1966 December 2]
(Box 4) Folder 6[Audio Reel] Poverty Seminar - Dec. 2,3, 1966
Folder 31January Seminar [1967 January 6]
Folder 32January Minutes - Poverty [1967 January 6]
(Box 4) Folder 7[Audio Reel] Seminar on Poverty 1/7/1967
Folder 33February Seminar [1967 February 3]
(Box 4) Folder 8[Audio Reel] Poverty Seminar, Feb. 3rd
Folder 34March Seminar [1967 March 3-4]
(Box 4) Folder 9[Audio Reel] Poverty Tape, March 3-4, 1967

Box 2

Folder 1April 7 - Seminar [1967 April 7]
Folder 2TV Panel on Poverty [1967 April 7]
Folder 3Poverty Seminar -- Letters of invitation for the Washington meeting (May 5-6, '67)
Folder 4May 1967 Seminar [1967 May 6-7]
Folder 5May Minutes Poverty (1967) [1967 May 6-7]
Folder 6October 1967 Seminar Materials [1967 October 20]

Sub-sub-subseries 2.1.2: Poverty Publication

Box 2 (cont.)

Folder 7Assignments of Copyrights, (Poverty)
Folder 8Poverty Book Contract
Folder 9Book Honoraria Poverty
Folder 10Biographical Data - Poverty Book Authors
Folder 11Poverty Book - advertising and Sales etc - publishing
Folder 12Poverty Volume I - My notes on ms. and letters abt me; permissions - Kristol letters
Folder 13War on Poverty Book - Poverty 2
Folder 14Poverty - Reprints
Folder 15Poverty Book Reviews

Sub-subseries 2.2: Evaluation of Social Action Programs

Box 2 (cont.)

Folder 16Evaluation Conference - May 1969 [1/2]
Folder 17Evaluation Conference - May 1969 [2/2]
Folder 18Evaluation Papers
Folder 19Evaluation of Social Action Programs, May 2-3, 1969 [1/2]
Folder 20Evaluation of Social Action Programs, May 2-3, 1969 [2/2]

(Box 4) Folder 10
[Audio reel] Pov. Evaluation, Session 1, first tape
(Box 4) Folder 11[Audio reel] Pov Evaluation, Session I, second tape
(Box 4) Folder 12[Audio reel] Rossi - Tape 3, First Session afternoon, May 2
(Box 4) Folder 13[Audio reel] 1st tape - Evaluation - Sat. May 3
(Box 4) Folder 14[Audio reel] 2nd tape - Evaluation - Sat. May 3
(Box 4) Folder 15Second Session - Tape 1 - Rossi Transcribed
(Box 4) Folder 16[Audio reel] Second Session, Rossi, Tape 2
Folder 21Ditchley Park [1969 October 29-November 1]
Folder 22Ditchley Papers [1969 October 29-November 1]
Folder 23Eval Conf - Ditchley [1/2] [1969 October 29-November 1]
Folder 24Eval Conf - Ditchley [2/2] [1969 October 29-November 1]

Sub-subseries 2.3: Income Maintenance

Box 3

Folder 1Income Conference [1969 May 16-17]
Folder 2Income Conference Papers CSS. - Transcript [1969 May 16-17]
(Box 4) Folder 17[Audio reel] Pov & Income, First Session, May 16
(Box 4) Folder 18[Audio reel] Income - Poverty - Second Session, May 16
(Box 4) Folder 19[Audio reel] Income - Poverty, Third Session
(Box 4) Folder 20[Audio reel] Income - Poverty, Fourth Session
Folder 3Rainwater
Folder 4A Decent Standard of Living 7/1970
Folder 5Working Class - Working Class
Folder 6Can Workers Transform Society 1970

Sub-subseries 2.4: Stratification and Poverty

Box 3 (cont.)

(Box 4) Folder 21[Audio reel] Pov. - Stratification, First Session, June 5 [1968]
(Box 4) Folder 22[Audio reel] Pov. Stratification - Second Session, June 5 [1968]
(Box 4) Folder 23[Audio reel] Pov. Stratification - Third Session, June 5 [1968]
(Box 4) Folder 24[Audio reel] Pov - Stratification, June 6, Morning Session [1968]
(Box 4) Folder 25[Audio reel] Pov. Stratification, Evening Session [1968]
Folder 7Stratification Conf. (69-72) [1/2] 
Folder 8Stratification Conf. (69-72) [2/2]
Folder 9Gans (Strat)
Folder 10Spaeth Greeley
Folder 11M. Kilson
Folder 12S.M. [Lipsett] - Stratification
Folder 13T.H. Marshall - Poverty & Inequality
Folder 14Marris-Rein
Folder 15Rein and Marriss
Folder 16SM Miller - Stratification
Folder 17W. Miller
Folder 18Publication - after Sept '72 - Schenkman - Stratification
Folder 19Schiller
Folder 20Sinfield
Folder 21Townsend
Folder 22Valentine
Folder 23Wohlstetter & Coleman
Folder 24Wolfe

Sub-subseries 2.5: Transportation and Poverty

Box 3 (cont.)

Folder 25Transportation Report and Funds Contract
Folder 26Transportation Conference Dec-March
Folder 27March Transport Papers [1968 March 15-16]
(Box 4) Folder 26[Audio reel] First Session, Trans & Poverty, March 15 [1968]
(Box 4) Folder 27[Audio reel] Poverty Seminar - Transportation - Second Session, 3/16/68
Folder 28Transportation June Conference [1968 June 7-8]
(Box 4) Folder 28[Audio reel] Poverty & Transportation - Second Session 
(Box 4) Folder 29[Audio reel] Poverty & Transportation - Third Session, June 7 [1968
Folder 29Transportation and Poverty Conference
Folder 30Transportation Report and Publication