Although the Poole Papers contain only scattered, somewhat disappointing, references to his service in Russia during the Revolutionary period, there is relatively good documentation about his role in the development of diplomatic education and training at Princeton and his general ideas concerning the conduct of foreign policy. The papers are arranged as Correspondence, Speeches and Writings, and Subject Files.
The CORRESPONDENCE dates from the period 1918-1919 and 1928-1952. It contains some information regarding his work in Russia, as well as requests to the State Department for leaves of absence due to the illness of his wife. There is also an interesting 1918 summary of events in Vologda and a report on activities of the Berlin Embassy during 1927. This section includes many letters from colleagues after his 1930 resignation. A large part of this series concerns his educational work at Princeton including suggested organization of courses, goals to be accomplished by the school, and suggestions for faculty and guest lectures. (Material relating to lectures delivered by Poole as an instructor at Princeton are filed with the SPEECHES AND WRITINGS series). Later correspondence includes letters regarding his appointment as chief of the special mission to interrogate German personnel, as well as numerous thoughtful letters from editors and readers concerning a 1947 article he published in Life about the balance of power. (This article is not included in the SPEECHES AND WRITINGS series, however.) Also here are inquiries from researchers, together with Poole's replies (several of which discuss his work in the Soviet Union between 1917 and 1922) and references to his oral history interview at Columbia. (This interview which dealt with Poole's early career in Berlin and Russia is not included with the papers.) The 1944 material contains memoranda on conversations held in behalf of the OSS with the Reverend Stanislaus Orlemanski who had interviewed Stalin about relations between the Kremlin and the Vatican and about Stalin's plans for the formation of a new Polish government, as well as a copy of a lengthy report from D. Wilgress, the Canadian ambassador in Moscow. Notable within the 1951 correspondence is a memoranda Poole received concerning George F. Kennan's view on the OSS Foreign Nationality Branch.
SPEECHES AND WRITINGS primarily consist of material relating to several courses that Poole taught at Princeton and Harvard: Conduct of Foreign Relations (Govt. 32), Freedom Through Balance of Power (Govt. 115), and International Politics (Govt. 18). Also included are materials for a third presentation (the Russian Mission, 1917-1924); because this is not identified by a course number the purpose of this group of folders is unknown. This series is arranged alphabetically by course or lecture title. Unfortunately, the collection does not contain transcripts of the actual lectures Poole delivered, although the files, which are arranged by original lecture number, contain extensive reference materials which shaped Poole's understanding and handwritten notes. (The latter vary in their usefulness.) Also included are notes, outlines, and a rough draft for an undated book entitled “Democracy and Foreign Affairs.” Two folders of speeches delivered during his career include one paper entitled “The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia,” a 1933 address on the issue of U.S. recognition of the Soviet Union (which Poole strongly favored), notes concerning his interrogation of Germany personnel after World War II (an unpleasant experience, he said), and numerous addresses on topics related to foreign affairs.
The alphabetically-arranged SUBJECT FILES contain material on miscellaneous topics of interest to Poole such as local government in the United States, the cause of war, trade promotion, and the United Nations, as well as a large number of student papers. One notable folder entitled “Soviet Recognition” includes material relating to the issue of diplomatic recognition of the Soviet Union in 1933. This file contains the American Foundation's confidential survey of the opinions of over 500 prominent Americans on that issue.
