Collections : [Rare Book & Manuscript Library]

This collection of papers thoroughly documents most aspects of the life and work of Boris Sapir, particularly his activities as a Menshevik leader and writer in the Russian emigration, and as an historian of Russian populism and socialism. Materials on his work as a Menshevik include correspondence with his colleagues, significant files on the "Foreign Delegation" in Germany in the 1920s-30s, and on its "New York Center" in the 1940s-50s, an extensive collection of photographs of his fellow Mensheviks, and files and manuscripts relating to the Inter-University Project on the History of Menshevism from the 1960's. Concerning Sapir's career as an historian and archivist, there is material he used for his many publications in the field, correspondence with scholars and students (mostly asking his guidance, or thanking him for it), and some of his own manuscripts. There is a great deal of material on his personal life as well, in particular in his correspondence, in files on his biography, bibliography, and posthumous "rehabilitation, " and in his manuscript and photograph collections. Less well documented are his two decades of work with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Besides the importance of the papers generated by Sapir himself, this collection is an excellent source for work on the Mensheviks because he was entrusted by his friends and colleagues with their own papers. These materials help to document the history of Menshevism particularly from the still hopeful years of the "Foreign Delegation" in Germany in the 1920s, to the last years of the "New York Center, " including its internal disputes in the 1950s, soon followed by the deaths of those Mensheviks who had survived the many years of wars and persecutions. Some of the materials go back to the pre-revolutionary era, through memoirs on the early years of Russian Marxism (1890s-1917). The entire collection consists of approximately 24, 000 items, spanning 1898-1992. Most of it consists of Sapir's own papers.

Materials related to the Mensheviks - one of the factions within the Russian socialist movement of the early 20th century, the other being the Bolsheviks. The factions emerged in 1903 following a dispute within the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) between Julius Martov and Vladimir Lenin. The split proved to be long-standing and had to do both with pragmatic issues based in history, such as the failed revolution of 1905, and theoretical issues of class leadership, class alliances, and interpretations of historical materialism.

Memoirs of T︠S︡ereteli. The collection contains six chapters of T︠S︡ereteli's memoirs"Vospominanii︠a︡ o fevralśkoĭ revoli︠u︡t︠s︡ii" published by Mouton & Co., Paris (in collaboration with Harvard and Columbia) in 1953. The chapters in the collection are numbered ten through fifteen and correspond to chapters one through six in part two of the published work. The chapters in the collection primarily deal with the February Revolution, the domestic and foreign policy of the Provisional Government and the nationality question. There are also four issues of "The Russian Review" (1955-1956) in which sections from chapter ten were published. Included as well are typed copies of related supporting materials from 1917-1920, such as copies of Bolshevik and Menshevik documents and press articles.

Notes, manuscripts, and clippings used by Raphael Abramovitch in the preparation of his book, The Soviet Revolution, 1917-1939 (New York, 1962). There are chapter drafts, notes, Russian newspaper clippings, and manscripts by other persons. Among the last are two manuscripts by Boris L. Dvinov on the opposition in the Soviet Communist Party and on Soviet-German relations. Related to several BAR collections, including Leopold Haimson papers.

Correspondence, manuscripts, and documents created during Baikalov's sojourn in England, from about 1918 on. There is correspondence with major Russian emigres such as Aleksandr Guchkov, Aleksandr Kerenskii, Boris Nikolaevskii, and Marc Slonim, and with British figures such as Malcolm Muggeridge, the Duchess of Atholl, Sir Bernard Pares, and Sidney Webb.

Manuscripts collected by David J. Dallin consists of autobiographical essays in English and Russian by Soviet displaced persons, discussing their lives in the USSR and why they chose not to return there. There are also essays in English telling the stories of Soviet displaced persons from the point of view of another unidentified narrator. Also included is a letter dated 2 Aug. 1943 from Povilas Zadeikis, a representative of Lithuania in the United States in 1934 – 1957.

Manuscripts collected by David IUl'evich Dalin (Давид Юльевич Далин, David J. Dallin, born David Iul'evich Levin; 1889 – 1962), Menshevik leader, writer and lecturer on Soviet affairs, author of numerous works on the Soviet Union. These manuscripts are broken into two parts. The first consists of 15 autobiographical essays (8 in English, 7 in Russian) by Soviet displaced persons, discussing their life in the USSR and why they chose not to return there. The second part consists of 5 essays in English telling the stories of Soviet displaced persons from the point of view of another, unidentified narrator. Also included is a letter dated 2 Aug. 1943 from Povilas Zadeikis, a representative of Lithuania in the United States in 1934 – 1957.