Oxford LibGuides: League of Nations: Links to archives, personal papers and guides

League of Nations archives

Over 15 kilometres, comprising 14.2 million pages of League of Nations documents and related archival material have now been digitized and are freely available via the League of Nations Archives

Research guides relating to the League of Nations
From the United Nations Archives, Geneva
Chronology of the League of Nations
From the United Nations Office Geneva.
League of Nations photography collection

Papers of prominent individuals available in Oxford

Examples below of relevant collections in Oxford. If you would like to consult any of the collections below (excluding Alexander Loveday), please email the Bodleian Libraries Special Collections team: specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Alexander Loveday (1888-1962)
N.B. This collection is housed at Nuffield College please contact library-archives@nuffield.ox.ac.uk
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Alexander Loveday was an eminent economist who worked at the League of Nations and was Warden of Nuffield College between 1950-1954. The collection contains paperwork and correspondence regarding his League of Nations work, including work on the Financial Section and Economic Intelligence Service; his personal correspondence; notes on his various publications and some of his diaries.
Cowley, Sir Arthur
Papers accumulated by Sir Arthur Cowley as a member of library sub-committees of the International Committee of Intellectual Co-operation of the League of Nations.
Dickinson, Willoughby Hyett, 1st Baron (1859-1943)
was one of the originators of the League of Nations, and Chairman of the League of Nations Society. The collection includes papers and pamphlets by Dickinson and others, and papers of the League of Nations Society and the League to Enforce Peace.
Gilbert Murray (1866-1957)
Vice President of the League of Nations Society from 1916,[29] and acted in 1921/2 as a League delegate for South Africa.
Bodleian Library Special Collections.
Lugard, Frederick Dealtry , Baron Lugard of Abinger
From 1922 to 1936 Dealtry was a member of the Permanent Mandates Commission of the League of Nations. He was a member of the international slavery committees of 1924-1925 and 1932
Perham, Dame Margery Freda (1895-1982)
Diaries, notes and papers relating to broadcasts and the academic career of Dame Margery Perham, the first official and female fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford. The papers relate to a wide range of colonial subjects including the Africa Bureau, aid and development, Anti-Slavery Society, economy, education, Fabian Colonial Bureau, League of Nations and United Nations, and span geographically from Africa, Asia, Middle East, South America, Australasia, and Oceania.
Zimmern, Sir Alfred (1879-1957)
Papers and correspondence, mainly relating to his work for international peace, including papers concerning the League of Nations, UNESCO, Zimmern's Geneva School of International Studies, the Hartford (Connecticut) Study Center, and the Greater Hartford Council for UNESCO, with lectures, articles and broadcasts by Zimmern, and printed pamphlets and periodicals containing articles by him. Bodleian Library Special Collections.

Useful resources

Cabinet papers (1915-1981) on the League of Nations
National Archives guide - some documents available in full text.
Covenant of the League of Nations
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Archives
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library is a presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. The Library houses the personal papers of the President and Mrs. Roosevelt created before, during, and after the presidency, as well as the records and papers of other various organizations and individuals associated with Roosevelts.
International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation
Centenary of the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation. International Conference May 2022. Has a bibliography of publications on the ICIC
Japan Center for Asian Historical Record: JACAR
Over 9000 documents are returned relating to the League of Nations when searching under the A-Z title index for League of Nations.
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JACAR is a digital database testifying to Japan's historical relations in Asia as well as elsewhere. This site provides access to official documents of the Japanese Cabinet, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Army and Navy. In an effort to share history as it has been documented, JACAR's archives showcase the original records, including full images of the documents, all in digitized form, on an unprecedented scale.
League of Nations - research guide from the National Archives
This guide will help you find records at The National Archives relating to the origins, establishment, and consequences of the League of Nations.
League of Nations Search Engine: LONSEA
Created by historians at Heidelberg University , the LONSEA database illustrates the history of international organisations and global governance. Its focus is the material collected by the League of Nations on the proceedings of international activities from 1919 to 1946
League of Nations statistical and disarmament documents
From: Northwestern Universities Library (An archived webpage)
League of Nations Union - London School of Economics collection
1918-1971
National Library of Scotland
National Library of Scotland completed a digitization project of League publications in Economics and Finance, Health, International Law, Armament, Intellectual Cooperation, and more.
Newspapers and other online news sources from the 17th – 21st centuries
Many articles on the League of Nations can be found in contemporary newspapers. Guide to searching the newspapers collections held by the Bodleian Libraries
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American Periodical series: 1740-1940
The Economist Historical Archive: 1843-2007
Guardian 1821-2003 (same database includes Observer 1791-2003)
Illustrated London News Historical Archive: 1842-2003
The Times Digital Archive: 1785-1985
Washington Post: 1877-1991
Researching League of Nations documents
A useful guide from Houser Global Law Program, written by Gabriela Femenia.
Treaty of Versailles
United Nations Office at Geneva
Weiner Library for the Study of the Holocaust & Genocide
Microfilm collection of documentation dealing with the role of the League of Nations, in particular with regard to the problem of Jewish refugees in Nazi Germany, c1938-1939. The papers include minutes, agenda, reports and memoranda of the Refugees Committee of the League of Nations
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum
A large amount of material is now accessible via the e-Library, to include speeches, newspaper articles, cartoons and papers of other prominent politicians.
World Peace Foundation
The World Peace Foundation was established by Edwin Ginn, a Boston-based publisher of educational texts and an advocate for international peace. Created initially as the International School of Peace on July 12, 1910, the WPF was tasked with educating a global audience about the ills of war and promoting international peace.
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The World Peace Foundation was the authorized sales agent of League publications for the United States from 1920 to 1936. The Foundation offered a global subscription service, through which American libraries acquired League documents. The Foundation bound documents together by year and by sales category, and supplied title pages to the collected volumes