The records of Women for Meaningful Summits were created in the normal course of business. The majority of the records originate from the home office based in Washington D.C. Summit information and incoming correspondence was typically produced in the creator’s state or country of origin. Most of the records date from 1985, when the organization first formed, until 1997.
The records in this collection are arranged into five series: GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, FINANCIAL RECORDS, EVENTS AND SUMMITS, PARTNERSHIP FILES, and VISUAL MATERIALS.
The GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS provide a concise overview of the day-to-day operations of the organization. Mailings, correspondence, copies of the newsletter, press releases and newspaper clippings provide a sense of how the organization was run. The collection contains little biographical information on WMS presidents or board members.
The FINANCIAL RECORDS contain the organization’s tax information, funding proposals, grants, information on large donations, fundraising lists and financial statements.
The EVENTS AND SUMMITS records contain advertisements, invitations, correspondence, event announcements, lists of attendees, event receipts, pre-summit briefings, press releases, delegation materials, and summit materials. Events are the activities hosted by WMS, typically in Washington D.C. Hosting events served as means to educate, or celebrate with member and endorser populations. Summits were the political meetings held by international government officials and attended by WMS delegations. These files are an invaluable part of the collection, providing an accurate timeline of the activities of WMS.
The PARTNERSHIP FILES consist of correspondence and published items from endorsing organizations. When WMS first started, the founding organizers sent out a letter and participation form to numerous groups requesting endorsement and support for their cause. The intent of the letter was for organizations to use the materials provided to coordinate membership and establish networks. WMS hoped that through local functions member organizations would be able to raise awareness about the upcoming summit. The goal of WMS was to form a coalition of endorsing organizations, who would then call for substantial action to reverse the arms race. The purpose of having a list of endorsing organization was twofold: first the list would be presented to Gorbachev and Reagan in the form of a petition. Secondly WMS wanted to establish itself as a well-supported organization. Response to the initial letter was positive and numerous diverse organizations became partners with WMS. WMS’s relationship with endorsing organizations is reflected in the partnership files.
The VISUAL MATERIALS series consists of photographs of WMS delegations at various summits and an oversize poster entitled “Rating the Summit;” The poster appears to be signed by members of the 1987 WMS delegation.
