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Kurt Bloch papers

 Collection
Identifier: Coll 019

Scope and Contents

The collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, published material and reports, lecture material, research files, and photographs; material is in English and German.

Biographical information can be found in folder 2.

Correspondence is largely personal and is arranged by date, 1919-1979.

Manuscript material is separated into article, lectures, reports, research material, miscellaneous, and writings by others. Article, lecture, and report material is organized by title. Research material is organized by date, 1894-1945. Material is in English and German.

Article topics include monetary policies, currency reform banking, population problems, and land issues in China, Japan (and Manchuria) as well as Jewish property transfers in Germany.

Lecture material is from presentations at Harvard University's Civil Affairs Training School - Far Eastern area. Topics covered are Japanese and Chinese industrial structures, inflation, agriculture, resources, and foreign trade.

The reports were compiled for the Office of Price Administration and the National Economic Council of the Chinese Government (1933-1937). Topics include financial statements for respective Chinese provinces, Japanese wartime price controls, war finance, and Chinese currency standard.

The research material primarily concerns land economics, and consists of summaries of articles from multiple journals include Chinese economic journals. Material is almost entirely in German.

Published material includes articles arranged by title, material by others, and newspaper clippings arranged by date, 1929-1977.

Dates

  • 1894-1979
  • Majority of material found within 1919-1979

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Biographical / Historical

Kurt Bloch (1900-1976) was a German economist, journalist, editor, and author. Although trained and educated primarily in Germany, Bloch completed graduate work in the US at John Hopkins, 1924-1925.

In 1933, while in London, Bloch accepted a League of Nations assignment as economic advisor to the National Economic Council of the Chinese Government. There he acquired the expertise that enabled him to later serve as consultant to the US government on Chinese and Japanese wartime price policies. He would later write the book, German Interests and Policies in the Far East in 1940.

Bloch returned to the US in 1937, serving as research associate and associate editor for Far Eastern Survey from 1938-1942 and as consultant to the Office of Price Administration (OPA) from 1940-1942.

From 1941 - 1950, Bloch was employed by Time Inc. and served as associate editor of Fortune. Bloch then worked as associated editor for Barron's from 1950 until his death.

Extent

6 linear feet (12 containers)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Kurt Bloch (1900-1976) was a German economist, journalist, editor, and author. The collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, published material and reports, lecture material, research files, and photographs; material is in English and German.

Arrangement

Collection is organized into the following series: Correspondence, Manuscripts, Published Material, and Photographs.

Material within this collection is minimally arranged. Any arrangement is either derived from the records' creators or custodians or from staff at the time of initial processing. It may be necessary to look in multiple places for the same types of materials.

Other Finding Aids

Paper finding aid with additional information is available in Special Collections & University Archives.

Physical Description

12 manuscript boxes; 1 photo box (8x10)

Processing Information

Collection processed by Karin Kozlowski, 1981.

This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.

This collection received a basic level of processing including minimal organization and rehousing.

Description information is drawn in part from information supplied with the collection and initial surveys of the contents.

Title
Guide to the Kurt Bloch Papers
Status
Complete Description
Author
Finding aid prepared by University of Oregon Libraries, Archivists' Toolkit Project Team and Tanya Parlet.
Date
2012
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.
Sponsor
Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Repository Details

Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1299 USA