Dates: 1953-1960
The papers of Ben Hill Brown, Jr. consist of correspondence, memoranda, newspaper clippings, and other items relating to his career in the State Department and his diplomatic service in Iraq, Libya, and Turkey.
Size: Less than one-half of one linear foot (about 50 pages).
Access: Open
Copyright: Naomi Brown donated to the U.S. government her copyright interest in the unpublished writings of Ben Hill Brown, Jr. in this collection, and in any other collection of papers in the custody of the U.S. government. Documents created by U.S. government employees in the course of their official duties are also in the public domain. Copyright interest in other documents is assumed to belong to the creators of those documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Randy Sowell, Dennis Bilger (2002).
[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]
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1914 (February 8) |
Born, Spartanburg, South Carolina |
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1935 |
Received A.B. degree, Wofford College |
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1939 |
Received J.D. degree, George Washington University Law School |
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1939-1941 |
Practiced law, Spartanburg, South Carolina |
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1941-1946 |
Active duty in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel |
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1946-1949 |
Assistant Legal Adviser, Department of State |
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1949-1955 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations |
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1955-1956 |
Assigned to National War College |
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1956-1958 |
Director, U.S. Operations Mission to Iraq |
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1959-1960 |
Director, U.S. Operations Mission to Libya |
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1960-1964 |
Consul General, U.S. Embassy, Istanbul, Turkey |
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1964-1969 |
U.S. Ambassador to Liberia |
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1989 (May 25) |
Died, Washington, D.C. |
The papers of Ben Hill Brown, Jr. relate to his service as a State Department official and diplomat from 1953 to 1960. They include correspondence, memoranda, newspaper clippings, press releases, and the manuscript of an article written by Brown. The material is arranged in a single series.
Before becoming a diplomat, Brown served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations. Included in his papers is the manuscript of an article he wrote while holding that office, entitled "Congress and the Department of State." In this article (which was published in September 1953 in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science), Brown examined the historical relationship between the executive and legislative branches in the field of foreign policy, and urged greater consultation between the State Department and the congressional committees dealing with foreign affairs.
Brown was sent to Iraq in 1956 to serve as director of the U.S. Operations Mission to that nation. As a representative of the International Cooperation Administration (ICA), he directed the ICA's program of technical assistance to agricultural and economic development projects in Iraq, while also coordinating economic aid to Iraq under the Baghdad Pact. The collection includes an article from Brown's home town newspaper dealing with this diplomatic assignment; a letter from Brown describing his trip to Iraq and his experiences in that country; a letter from Congressman George McGovern praising his work there; and a formal ICA evaluation of his performance. Brown later held a similar post in Libya before becoming U.S. consul general in Turkey. Of particular note in the collection is a memorandum from Brown summarizing his career, activities, and interests. This was written at the request of a superior while Brown was stationed in Libya.
The Truman Library has an oral history interview with Brown (Oral History Interview No. 277), which focuses almost entirely on his service in the State Department from 1946 to 1955, and does not deal with his subsequent diplomatic career. More information about U.S. policy toward Iraq can be found at the Library in the Papers of Harry S. Truman (White House Official File 507 and President's Secretary's Files) and Dean Acheson (Memoranda of Conversations).
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Container Nos. |
Series |
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1 |
SUBJECT FILE, 1953-1960 Correspondence, memoranda, newspaper clippings, press releases, and a typed manuscript. Arranged in alphabetical order by folder title, and thereunder chronologically. |
Box 1
- Correspondence, 1955-1960
- Manuscript of Ben Hill Brown, Jr., "Congress and the Department of State"
- Newspaper Clippings, 1953-1960
- Press Releases, 1956, 1959, Undated [International Cooperation Administration and State Department]