With Malice Toward None: IFLA and the Cold War
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With Malice toward None: IFLA and the Cold War Donald G. Davis, Jr. Graduate School of Library and Infor- e returned to the cellar, mation Science and Department of "Hselected one of the volumes Donald G. Davis, Jr. earned his BA in History. He may be contacted at the at random, opened it to be certain history in 1961 from the University University of Texas at Austin, that it was one of the dangerous of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); Austin, Texas 78712-1276, USA his MA in history in 1963 and his (fax: +(1-512) 4713971; e-mail MLS in 1964, both from the Univer- [email protected]). sity of California, Berkeley; and his PhD in library science in 1972 from the University of Illinois at Urbana. He received the MATS from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1996. Mr Davis has been an active participant in professional and scholarly societies since the mid-1960s. His positions have included two terms on the American Library Association's International Relations Committee and the execu- tive committees of the Associa- tion's Library History Round Table and the International Relations Round Table, as well as the IFLA Round Tables on Library History and books. He glanced at the page and of Editors of Library Journals. A reg- saw the word Communist. Then he ular participant in IFLA gatherings, ripped the back cover off. The pages he has participated in 13 of the last were thick and heavy, and while 15 annual conferences. He has been they ripped quite easily page by an adviser to several programmes page they would not come loose in sponsored by the U.S. Library of handfuls... So patiently he ripped Congress and given more than 60 the pages out, a few at a time...Hare presentations to groups of varying opened the iron door and stuffed size. Since 1977, Mr Davis has edit- the paper bundle inside. The free ed the quarterly journal, Libraries & edges caught fire and curled back Culture (formerly the Journal of in flame from the smoldering ashy Library History), published by Uni- remains of the morning's trash."1 versity of Texas Press. He has authored or co-authored several This passage from the soon to be books, and edited five volumes of blacklisted Hollywood Ten writer conference proceedings and collect- Abraham Polonsky's novel, A Sea- ed papers. In addition he has pub- son of Fear, delves into the crip- lished over 125 book chapters, arti- pling paranoia of infiltration by the cles, and reports, as well as more ideological other that seized the than 200 book reviews. His honors world as the Cold War intensified in include election to Beta Phi Mu the years following World War II. As (Golden Anniversary Award, 1999) stern-faced presidents and commis- and Phi Kappa Phi and fellowships sars confronted each other a kind of from the American Institute of Indi- bomb-shelter mentality enveloped an Studies and the Newberry citizens across the world. Naturally, Library. He has held John P. Com- as this fear and suspicion spread mons Teaching Fellowships and into many all occupations and several awards from the University discourses, librarianship was not Research Institute at the University spared; neither was the Inter- of Texas at Austin, in addition to national Federation of Library Asso- receiving the Texas Excellence in ciations (IFLA), the prime interna- Teaching Award. He is listed in the tional organization of librarianship, major biographical reference works. spared the turbulence of the Cold Mr Davis is currently Professor, War. Claiming, and for the most IFLA JOURNAL 26 (2000) 1 13 Donald G. Davis, Jr. part maintaining, a stand of neu- malice towards none, with charity tate and organize fruitful discus- trality, IFLA still suffered from the for all.'"4 With this ideal as a bea- sion of subjects of current inter- verbal darts and political skirmish- con, IFLA stepped into the Cold est in the world of librarianship. es of an international community War era. IFLA believes that the best ser- undergoing tremendous postwar vice it can perform is to bring changes and of the stifling Cold The International Federation of together periodically a world- War. Library Associations came into wide variety of authoritative being at the Fiftieth Anniversary practitioners of the arts of library From the 1917 October Revolution celebrations of the (British) Library service, to provide them with the until the demise of the totalitarian Association in Edinburgh, on 30 opportunity for comparing prac- manifestation of communism in at September 1927. The initiating tices and experiences with each the end of the 1980s, the main members included groups from the other, and on the basis of struggle engaging the political pow- United Kingdom, Germany, Switzer- informed and matured discussion ers of this 20th century has been land, France, and the United States. to make recommendations for the conflict between capitalism and By the outbreak of World War II, action.6 communism. There was a brief IFLA comprised member organiza- interlude during World War II in tions from 31 countries, including This front of professionalism which the natural enemies formed such non-European nations as Chi- remained intact for the most part. an uneasy alliance to defeat the na, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, IFLA held conferences, committees common enemy of Axis fascism. and India. Reminiscing about the met, reports were issued and, over- Almost immediately after the War, organization, ex-President Preban all, much good and useful work was however, the primary struggle Kirkegaard stated that IFLA's accomplished. However, throughout resumed with greater energy and "establishment and its internation- the association's survival during the purpose. By the time Winston alism is the cultural effort of men Cold War not surprisingly there Churchill fired what was, in effect, and women of good will after World were disagreements among the var- the starting gun for the Cold War, War I to recreate what had been for ious factions that threatened the his Iron Curtain speech delivered hundreds of years the tradition for foundations of the Federation. on 6 March 1946, the world powers the scientific and scholarly layer of were already lined up in opposition society...after the peace, cultural The geo-political structure of the to each other2. In 1948, in London, people, who appreciated their world was transformed, in theory, IFLA President W. Munthe national situation, were open mind- when the ailing Roosevelt, addressed this new political ani- ed and could see that their nations Churchill and Stalin divided up the mosity. He stated: could not master all things and world at the Yalta Conference, and, needed cooperation and inspiration. in fact, with the surrender of Berlin The ideals we fought for seem This is the background on which and Tokyo. The Yalta Conference set farther away than ever. Shall our IFLA grew.5 the state for future disagreements most urgent concern be to pre- that led to the Cold War. Soon, pare bigger evacuation premises, After surviving the destruction of thereafter, library organizations to dig deeper anti-air raid - nay the War safely in Bern, Switzerland, from nations under the auspices of anti-atomic bombshelters in IFLA reorganized and began assist- Soviet influence began queuing up which we can bury the intellectu- ing damaged and decimated to join the ranks of IFLA. Actually, al treasures we have in our cus- libraries around the world. It is Poland and Czechoslovakia boasted tody? Shall we, the torch bearers appropriate that IFLA spent the war members from as early as 1929.7 of enlightenment, end as years headquartered in a neutral These neo-Communist organiza- gravediggers of science and land since during the Cold War, tions were joined by groups from scholarship?3 IFLA became itself a kind of orga- Yugoslavia, Rumania, the German nizational Switzerland. It ignored Democratic Republic, and Hungary. By the time Munthe voiced these the politics of its member states Gradually, the Soviet satellite sentiments, IFLA had already and allowed Britons to work with nations boasted a strong presence weathered the storms of interna- Russians to work with Germans to in the ranks of IFLA.8 By 1957, and tional depression, the rise of fas- work with Czechs - and eventually since that time, Soviet (and later cism, and the devastation of World to work with Nigerians and Cam- Russian) members have held a vice War II. Now it was preparing to bodians. As IFLA President Frank presidency on the Executive Board.9 weather another era of uneasiness Francis later said at the 1968 Frank- In 1959 the Union of Soviet Social- and calamity. In order to accom- furt conference: ist Republics Library Council joined plish their goals and to create an IFLA.10 Now the two dominant ide- international community of librari- First, IFLA is an international ologies of the world, capitalism and ans, IFLA, under the leadership of association in which all members communism, were head to head in Munthe, strove to "support all ben- have equal rights to participate in the prime international library eficial forces in shaping new modes the discussions and to influence organization. This inclusion of the of thought in accordance with Abra- the conclusions. Second, its pow- feuding superpowers and their min- ham Lincoln's famous words: 'with er stems from its ability to facili- ion nations even affected the struc- 14 IFLA JOURNAL 26 (2000) 1 With Malice toward None: IFLA and the Cold War ture of the IFLA governing organi- ideology, culture and science."15 At [and] shy, partly because she was zation. In a 1972 conference report that same conference an ALA repre- apprehensive that she might say Victor Britannicus asks: sentative defined the main concerns more than she should."22 of American libraries as "social Why does an Executive Board responsibility, intellectual freedom IFLA grew from the predominant opinion (added to the IFLA and the freedom to read."16 This nations of imperialism in Western Statutes) specify that of six Vice ALA representative [name?], in a Europe and North America.