Kaiser, Philip M. Papers

Dates: 1914-2007

Assistant Secretary of Labor, 1949-1953; U.S. Ambassador to Senegal and Mauritania, 1961-1964; Minister, U.S. Embassy, London, 1964-1969; U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, 1977-1980; U.S. Ambassador to Austria, 1980-1981

The papers of Philip M. Kaiser consist of correspondence, printed materials, speeches and speech drafts, financial records, and other documents relating to his service in the Labor Department during the Truman administration, his subsequent career as a diplomat in Africa and Europe, and his personal affairs.

See also Philip M. Kaiser oral history.

[Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List]

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Size: 12.8 linear feet.
Access: Open.
Copyright: The donor gave to the U.S. government the copyrights in this material and in any other material received by the U.S. government and maintained in a depository administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. Documents created by U.S. government officials in the course of their official duties are in the public domain. Copyright interest in other documents presumably belongs to the creators of those documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Jerry N. Hess (1962); Laura N. Heller (1969); Dennis E. Bilger (1981); Carol Briley (1986); David Clark, Randy Sowell, Jan Davis and Sharie Simon (2010); David Clark, Jan Davis, and Katie Smith (2014); Randy Sowell (2025).

[Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List]

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Philip Mayer Kaiser was born in New York City on July 12, 1913. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1935, he studied at Oxford University in England as a Rhodes Scholar. Kaiser married Hannah Greeley in 1939, and they had three sons, Robert, Charles, and David. From 1939 to 1946, Kaiser worked for the Federal Reserve Board, the Foreign Economic Administration, and the State Department. In 1946, he joined the Labor Department, and a year later he was named chief of the Department’s Office of International Labor Affairs. Kaiser served as Assistant Secretary of Labor from 1949 to 1953, with general responsibility for issues involving international labor. From 1955 to 1958, he was a special assistant to New York Governor W. Averell Harriman. Kaiser subsequently served as a professor of international relations at the American University in Washington, D.C. In 1961, he was appointed U.S Ambassador to Senegal and Mauritania, and in 1964 he became Minister at the U.S. Embassy in London, a position he held until 1969. Thereafter, Kaiser remained in London, working as an executive with the Encyclopaedia Britannica and as a consultant. He resumed his diplomatic career in 1977, when he was named U.S. Ambassador to Hungary. Kaiser later served as Ambassador to Austria, from 1980 to 1981. His autobiography, Journeying Far and Wide, was published in 1993. Kaiser died in Washington, D.C. on May 24, 2007.

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COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

The papers of Philip M. Kaiser consist of correspondence, printed materials, speeches and speech drafts, financial records, and other documents relating to his service in the Labor Department during the Truman administration, his subsequent career as a diplomat in Africa and Europe, and his personal affairs. The papers are arranged in four series.

The first series, the Labor File, contains materials relating to Kaiser’s service in the Labor Department and his continuing interest in issues involving international labor after the end of the Truman Presidency. The correspondence, printed materials, speeches, reports, itineraries, and other documents in this series include information concerning Kaiser’s appointment and service as Assistant Secretary of Labor; his involvement with the International Labor Organization (I.L.O.) and his attendance at the annual sessions of the I.L.O. in Geneva, Switzerland from 1949 to 1953; and his contacts with labor attaches at U.S. Embassies and with State Department officials.

The second series, the Foreign Service File, contains correspondence, speeches and speech drafts, printed materials, and other documents pertaining to Kaiser’s career as a diplomat and business executive from 1961 to 1981. Also included in the series are diaries (which Kaiser used as appointment books); administrative records concerning social events at the Embassies in London, Budapest, and Vienna; newspaper articles relating to Kaiser’s official responsibilities; and records concerning his official travels as an ambassador. Materials in the Foreign Service File contain information about such topics as U.S. relations with Africa, the United Kingdom, and Eastern Europe during the Presidential administrations of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Jimmy Carter; the rise and fall of détente in the 1970s; and the return of the crown of St. Stephen to Hungary in 1978. The series also contains personal materials from this period, including the medical records of Kaiser and his immediate family; financial records pertaining to salaries, taxes, investments, and insurance policies; and correspondence relating to Kaiser’s political and business activities.

The third series, the Correspondence File, contains letters, memoranda, and printed materials received or sent by Kaiser or by members of his family. Most of the correspondence concerns Kaiser’s personal, professional, and political activities from the early 1940s to the early 1980s. The series includes official and personal correspondence with eight U.S. Presidents, several British Prime Ministers, and such prominent persons as Dean Acheson, Mortimer Adler, Billy Graham, W. Averell Harriman, Hubert H. Humphrey, Robert F. Kennedy, Newton Minow, Eugene Rostow, Byron R. White, and Herman Wouk. Also included is correspondence with other friends and associates of Kaiser, and with his wife, sons, and other relatives. The materials relating to his eldest son, Robert G. Kaiser, include articles Robert wrote as a journalist for the Washington Post and letters relating to his experiences as a correspondent in South Vietnam during the late 1960s. The correspondence with Harris Shane of the Labor Department’s Loyalty Board includes Kaiser’s detailed replies to questions concerning his past activities and associates. Also in the series is a memo by Kaiser recounting the circumstances surrounding the death of Adlai E. Stevenson, who collapsed on the sidewalk not far from the London Embassy in July 1965.

The fourth series, the Subject File, contains correspondence, reports, printed materials, and other documents relating to various aspects of Kaiser’s life and career. Particularly extensive are materials concerning his work during the 1950s as an adviser to New York Governor W. Averell Harriman on the problems of the elderly; his association with the American University and with organizations such as the Ford Foundation and the Free Europe Committee; and his involvement in labor issues and Democratic Party politics. The series also includes speeches delivered by Kaiser during his later years, the contents of a scrapbook, and photocopies of photographs that have been transferred to the Truman Library’s audiovisual collection.

The Truman Library also has the transcript of an oral history interview with Philip M. Kaiser.

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SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Container Nos.

  

Series

1-4

   LABOR FILE, 1939-1961
Correspondence, printed materials, press releases, speeches and speech drafts, reports, itineraries, transcripts, and other documents. Arranged alphabetically by folder title, and thereunder chronologically.

5-14

   FOREIGN SERVICE FILE, 1961-1981
Correspondence, printed materials, speeches and speech drafts, administrative and financial records, appointment diaries, and other documents. Arranged alphabetically by folder title, and thereunder chronologically.

15-25

   CORRESPONDENCE FILE, 1928-2005
Correspondence, printed materials, speeches and speech drafts, and other documents. Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

26-32

   SUBJECT FILE, 1914-2007
Correspondence, reports, printed materials, speeches and speech drafts, and other documents. Arranged alphabetically by folder title, and thereunder chronologically.
[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

FOLDER TITLE LIST

LABOR FILE, 1939-1961

Box 1

  • "ABC of Peace and Security": The Economist, July 31, 1954
  • Applicants
  • Appointment as Assistant Secretary of Labor
  • Appointment as Assistant Secretary of Labor: Congratulations [1 of 2]
  • Appointment as Assistant Secretary of Labor: Congratulations [2 of 2]
  • Foreign [1 of 2]
  • Foreign [2 of 2]
  • International Labor Organization [1 of 2]
  • International Labor Organization [2 of 2]
  • International Labor Organization: Employer Group

Box 2

  • International Labor Organization: Forced Labor Convention, 1956
  • International Labor Organization: Meetings of the Governing Body, 1948-1953
  • International Labor Organization: 32nd Session, 1949, Geneva, Switzerland
  • International Labor Organization: 33rd Session, 1950, Geneva, Switzerland
  • International Labor Organization: 34th Session, 1951, Geneva, Switzerland
  • International Labor Organization: 35th Session, 1952, Geneva, Switzerland
  • International Labor Organization: 36th Session, 1953, Geneva, Switzerland
  • "International Activities of the Department of Labor"
  • International Labor Office
  • Invitations
  • Labor Attaches and State Department Officials [1 of 2]

Box 3

  • Labor Attaches and State Department Officials [2 of 2]
  • "Labor Law and the National Interest"
  • Labor Unions
  • Latin American Labor
  • Little Cabinet Committee
  • Memoranda: Incoming
  • Office of International Labor Affairs
  • "On Co-Existing Peacefully": The Economist, August 7, 1954
  • Organization For Rehabilitation Through Training
  • Photographs: List of Photos Transferred to the Audiovisual Collection
  • Princeton University Officials
  • "Sovroms"
  • Speeches: 1949
  • Speeches: 1950
  • Speeches: 1951

Box 4

  • Speeches: 1952 [1 of 2]
  • Speeches: 1952 [2 of 2]
  • Speechs: 1953
  • "The Foreign Policy Role of American Trade Unions," by Walter Galenson
  • "The Real Lessons of Indo-China": The Economist, July 24, 1954
  • "U.S. Government Organization for the Conduct of International Labor Relations," by Sidney Sober

FOREIGN SERVICE FILE, 1961-1981

Box 5

  • Administrative
  • American Express Card
  • Austria
  • Austria: Kreisky
  • Balliol Gaudy, 1974
  • Christmas Letters
  • Civil Service, 1977
  • Connecticut Avenue Property, 1977
  • Contributions and Dues, 1972-1977
  • Democrats Abroad
  • Democrats Abroad: Citizenship
  • Democrats Abroad: Platform Committee, 1976
  • Democrats Abroad: United Kingdom Platform Drafts, 1976
  • Desk Calendars, October—December 1964
  • Diary, 1965-1966
  • Diary, 1967-1968

Box 6

  • Diary, 1969
  • Diary, 1979
  • Diary, 1981
  • Directories: Biographical Entries
  • Disarmament
  • Encyclopaedia Britannica: Appointment and Salary
  • Encyclopaedia Britannica: Correspondence, 1970-1973

Box 7

  • Farewell Reception, 1980
  • Financial Records, 1977-1981
  • Financial Statements, 1977-1980
  • Foreign Affairs, 1974-1977
  • Foreign Affairs: "America and the World, 1979"
  • Foreign Affairs: Fall 1980
  • Forms Regarding Appointment as Ambassador to Hungary, 1977-1980
  • Georgetown University: School of Foreign Service
  • German Marshall Fund of the United States

Box 8

  • Guest Lists, 1968
  • Guest Lists, 1969-1970
  • Guinness Mahon: Employment, 1975-1977
  • Harriman, W. Averell: Visit to Hungary, 1978
  • Hostages: "The Hostages—The Austrian Connection" by Robert J. Lipschutz
  • Human Rights
  • Hungary [1 of 2]
  • Hungary [2 of 2]
  • Hungary: Correspondence
  • Hungary: Crown of St. Stephen [1 of 3]
  • Hungary: Crown of St. Stephen [2 of 3]
  • Hungary: Crown of St. Stephen [3 of 3]

Box 9

  • Hungary: Political
  • Hungarian Personalities
  • Income Tax, 1978
  • Insurance: Clements and Company
  • Insurance: Fenchurch
  • Insurance: Fidelity Storage
  • Insurance: Peek Puckle Ltd.
  • Insurance: Valuation of Goods
  • International Relations
  • Invitation Lists
  • Invitations, 1970
  • Janeway, Eliot: Investments
  • Kreisky, Chancellor Bruno: Meetings
  • London: Economic
  • London: Entertainment
  • London: Miscellaneous
  • London: Personnel
  • London: Political
  • London: Public Affairs
  • Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria
  • McGovern Campaign, 1972
  • Medical
  • Medical History: Kaiser, Charles R.
  • Medical History: Kaiser, Hannah
  • Medical History: Kaiser, Philip M.
  • Medical History: London Years

Box 10

  • Medical Records, 1969-1981 [1 of 2]
  • Medical Records, 1969-1981 [2 of 2]
  • Morgan Greenfell: Investments
  • Muskie Campaign, 1971-1972
  • NATO and the Warsaw Pact: "Fact Sheet—Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction Negotiations," February 1980
  • New Directions: Political Action Organization, 1976
  • Newspaper Clippings, 1961-1963
  • Newspaper Clippings, 1964-1965
  • Newspaper Clippings, 1966
  • Newspaper Clippings, 1967
  • Newspaper Clippings, 1968
  • Newspaper Clippings, 1969
  • Payroll Statements, 1977-1979

Box 11

  • Payroll Statements, 1979-1981
  • Personal [1 of 2]
  • Personal [2 of 2]
  • Personal Memoranda
  • Personnel Actions
  • Photographs: List of Items Transferred to the Audiovisual Collection
  • Polansky, Sol: Charge D’Affaires, U.S. Embassy, Austria
  • Politik, 1980
  • Press Clippings, 1970
  • Publications, 1980-1981
  • Qualtinger, Helmut: Profile in the New Yorker
  • Receipts
  • Representation Funds for Social Events, 1964-1967
  • Representation Funds for Social Events, 1968-1969
  • Representation Funds for Social Events, 1979
  • Representation Funds for Social Events, 1980-1981

Box 12

  • Resignation as Ambassador to Austria
  • Retirement
  • Salary Statements
  • Satra Corporation: Appointment as Consultant
  • Satra Corporation: Expenses
  • Satra Corporation: Washington
  • Senegal and Mauritania: Correspondence
  • Senegal and Mauritania: Economic
  • Senegal and Mauritania: General
  • Senegal and Mauritania: Independence Ceremonies for Rwanda, 1962
  • Senegal and Mauritania: International Labor
  • Senegal and Mauritania: Letter of Resignation
  • Senegal and Mauritania: Miscellaneous
  • Senegal and Mauritania: Personnel
  • Senegal and Mauritania: Political
  • Senegal and Mauritania: Presentation of Credentials
  • Senegal and Mauritania: President Senghor’s Visit to Washington, November 1961
  • Senegal and Mauritania: Visitors
  • Shearson Hayden Stone: Personal Investments
  • Shipment of Goods
  • Social Functions, 1964
  • Social Functions, 1965
  • Social Functions, 1966
  • Social Functions, 1967
  • Social Security
  • Speech: London, Goodman Lecture, June 16, 1980

Box 13

  • Speech: Vienna, American Chamber of Commerce, May 28, 1980
  • Speeches and Addresses, 1964-1965
  • Speeches and Addresses, 1966
  • Speeches and Addresses, 1967
  • Speeches and Addresses, 1968-1969
  • Speeches and Background Materials
  • State Department Communications, 1977-1979
  • Technical Studies, Inc.
  • Travel, 1971: Israel
  • Travel, 1977: West Germany
  • Travel, 1977: Washington, D.C.
  • Travel, 1978: Brussels Military Trip
  • Travel, 1978: London
  • Travel, 1978: London Chiefs of Mission Conference
  • Travel, 1978: Salzburg
  • Travel, 1978: SHAPE Headquarters
  • Travel, 1978: Washington, D.C.

Box 14

  • Travel, 1978: Yugoslavia and Greece
  • Travel, 1978-1979: Washington, D.C.
  • Travel, 1979: Home Leave
  • Travel, 1979: London
  • Travel, 1979: London, Ditchley Foundation Conference
  • Travel, 1979: Vienna, Munich, and Salzburg
  • Travel, 1979: Washington, D.C. and Boston
  • Travel, 1980: Graz
  • Travel, 1980: Salzburg and Alpbach
  • Travel, 1980: Washington, D.C.
  • Travel, 1981: Burgenland
  • Travel, 1981: Innsbruck
  • Travels, 1977-1981: Departure and Return Telegrams
  • Travels, 1978-1981: Various Locations
  • United Kingdom: Economic Problems
  • United Kingdom: Rules and Regulations
  • Weekly Schedules, 1967-1970
  • Wertheim and Willow Fund: Investments
  • Wilson, Woodrow: Article by Philip M. Kaiser
  • Young, Arthur: Taxes

CORRESPONDENCE FILE, 1928-2005

Box 15

  • A
  • Acheson, Dean
  • Adler, Mortimer
  • American Association for the United Nations
  • Anthoine, Robert
  • Attwood, William
  • B [1 of 4]
  • B [2 of 4]
  • B [3 of 4]
  • B [4 of 4]

Box 16

  • Beichman, Arnold
  • Benton, William
  • Biden, Joseph R., Jr.
  • Bonham Carter, Mark
  • Brogan, Denis W.
  • Brown, Dyke
  • Bruce, David
  • C [1 of 3]
  • C [2 of 3]
  • C [3 of 3]
  • Callaghan, James
  • Carter, Jimmy
  • Chayes, Abram
  • Cleveland, Harlan
  • Craig, Gordon

Box 17

  • D [1 of 2]
  • D [2 of 2]
  • Davin, Dan
  • Dorman, William
  • Douglas-Home, Alec
  • E
  • Ebert, Robert H.
  • Eisenhower, Dwight D.
  • Evron, Ephraim
  • F [1 of 2]
  • F [2 of 2]
  • Fairbanks, Douglas, Jr.
  • Feldman, Justin
  • Frankel, Charles

Box 18

  • G [1 of 2]
  • G [2 of 2]
  • General
  • Graham, Billy
  • H [1 of 3]
  • H [2 of 3]
  • H [3 of 3]
  • Harriman, W. Averell
  • Hausdorff Family
  • Healey, Denis

Box 19

  • Heath, Edward
  • Heller, Walter W.
  • Hill, Christopher
  • Humphrey, Hubert H.
  • I
  • Israel, Eleanor
  • J
  • Jackson, Henry M.
  • Johnson, Lyndon B.
  • K [1 of 2]
  • K [2 of 2]
  • Kaiser Family
  • Kaiser, Benjamin (Brother)
  • Kaiser, Charles R. (Son)

Box 20

  • Kaiser, David E. (Son)
  • Kaiser, Hannah Greeley (Wife)
  • Kaiser, Henry (Brother) [1 of 2]
  • Kaiser, Henry (Brother) [2 of 2]
  • Kaiser, Jerome (Brother)
  • Kaiser, Morris (Father)
  • Kaiser, Philip M.
  • Kaiser, Robert G. (Son) [1 of 3]

Box 21

  • Kaiser, Robert G. (Son) [2 of 3]
  • Kaiser, Robert G. (Son) [3 of 3]
  • Kampelman, Max
  • Kennedy, John F.
  • Kennedy, Robert F.
  • Koeppler, Heinz
  • Korzenik, Sidney S.
  • L [1 of 2]
  • L [2 of 2]
  • Louchheim, Katie
  • M [1 of 2]
  • M [2 of 2]

Box 22

  • Mc-Mac
  • McClelland, Roswell D.
  • McPherson, Harry C., Jr.
  • Meyer, Fleur
  • Minow, Newton
  • Morison, Elting
  • Morison, John H.
  • N
  • Neustadt, Richard E.
  • Nind, Philip F.
  • Nixon, Richard M.
  • O
  • P [1 of 2]
  • P [2 of 2]

Box 23

  • Pechman, Joseph A.
  • Peckarsky, Charles W.
  • Perlman, Mark
  • Perlman, Selig
  • Portes, Richard D.
  • Q
  • R [1 of 2]
  • R [2 of 2]
  • Read, Benjamin H.
  • Reagan, Ronald
  • Ribicoff, Abraham
  • Riesel, Victor
  • Robinson, Marshall A.
  • Roche, John P.
  • Rostow, Eugene

Box 24

  • S [1 of 3]
  • S [2 of 3]
  • S [3 of 3]
  • Scheuer, James H.
  • Shane, Harris
  • Sieff, Sir Marcus
  • Stephansky, Ben
  • Stevenson, Adlai E.
  • T

Box 25

  • Tannenwald, Theodore, Jr.
  • Tree, Marietta
  • Truman, Harry S.
  • V
  • W [1 of 2]
  • W [2 of 2]
  • Weisz, Morris
  • Wheeler-Bennett, Sir John
  • White, Byron R.
  • Williams, Edgar T.
  • Williams, Murat W.
  • Wills, H. D. H.
  • Wolf, Milton A.
  • Wouk, Herman
  • Y
  • Z

SUBJECT FILE, 1914-2007

Box 26

  • Aging: Bibliography
  • Aging: Democratic Platform, 1956
  • Aging: Political
  • American University: Curriculum
  • American University: International Labor Program, 1960-1969 [1 of 3]
  • American University: International Labor Program, 1960-1969 [2 of 3]
  • American University: International Labor Program, 1960-1969 [3 of 3]
  • Arbitrator’s Application Forms
  • Articles

Box 27

  • Biographical Material
  • Book Reviews
  • Campaigns and Elections: Democratic Party, 1948-1952
  • Cartoon
  • Certificates
  • Civil Service Commission, 1940-1941
  • Clippings: Foreign Affairs and the 1960 Campaign
  • Correspondence To Be Answered, 1955-1959
  • Democratic Advisory Council, 1960
  • Democratic National Convention, 1956: Labor Delegates
  • Forand Bill: Wilbur J. Cohen
  • Ford Foundation Program [1 of 2]
  • Ford Foundation Program [2 of 2]
  • Foreign Relations Committee

Box 28

  • Free Europe Committee
  • Free Europe Committee: Press Clippings
  • Free Russia Fund, 1951
  • Galbraith, John Kenneth: "Foreign Policy and the Fundamental Revolution"
  • Harry S. Truman Library
  • Histadrut
  • Humphrey, Hubert H.: Speech to Group Health Institute, May 26, 1959
  • Hungary
  • Hungary: Return of the Crown of St. Stephen
  • International Free Trade Unions
  • International Labor Organization
  • Israel

Box 29

  • "Japanese Trade Unionism—Past and Present" by Izutaro Suehiro, 1950 [1 of 2]
  • "Japanese Trade Unionism—Past and Present" by Izutaro Suehiro, 1950 [2 of 2]
  • John F. Kennedy Library: Oral History Interview
  • Journeying Far and Wide: Letters of Congratulation
  • Kaiser, Charles R.: School Papers and Printed Materials [1 of 2]
  • Kaiser, Charles R.: School Papers and Printed Materials [2 of 2]

Box 30

  • Kaiser, David E.: School Papers and Printed Materials [1 of 2]
  • Kaiser, David E.: School Papers and Printed Materials [2 of 2]
  • Kaiser, Robert G.: School Papers
  • Lectures Delivered at the University of Wisconsin
  • Notes on Disraeli and Blum
  • Personal Memorabilia [1 of 2]
  • Personal Memorabilia [2 of 2]
  • Photo Album

Box 31

  • Photographs
  • Printed Materials
  • Radio Free Europe, 1957-1958
  • Recession, 1958
  • Scrapbook [1 of 2]
  • Scrapbook [2 of 2]
  • Special Assistant, New York State
  • Speech Drafts and Press Releases
  • Speeches, 1974-1988 [1 of 2]

Box 32

  • Speeches, 1974-1988 [2 of 2]
  • Speeches, 1990-2005
  • Speeches and Related Materials, 1954-1958
  • U.S. National Commission for UNESCO: Third National Conference, 195
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