Accession No. 91-20 Scripps Institution of Oceanography Archives Processing Record ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revelle, Roger Randall Dougan 1909-1991 Roger Randall Dougan Revelle Papers, 1909-1991 Physical Description: 205 boxes (186 mss, 8 Lmss, 2 1/2 shoe boxes, 8 oversize), slides Brief Description: Papers of oceanographer Roger Revelle, documenting his work in science & public policy, MidPac & Capricorn Expeditions, Pacific bomb tests, carbon dioxide & climate change, NAS, ICSU, UNESCO, AAAS, IOC, UCSD, La Jolla Playhouse & the US Navy. Arrangement: Files from the six separate accessions of the Revelle Papers were brought together, combined, and arranged into nine series: Biographical; Correspondence; Organizations; University of California, San Diego; Subjects; Writings, Speeches, and Publications; Writings of Others; Calendars, Addresses and Telephone Memo Records; and Audiovisual. These series generally correspond to the series arrangement in another Revelle collection in SIO Archives [83- 47], with several additional series, but without a Harvard series. Files relating to Harvard University are located in the Organizations Series. The original order has been maintained whenever possible. However, Revelle's filing system was not consistent for the various office locations and over time. For example, in one accession, letters of recommendation and nomination were filed by individual's name, and in another accession filed chronologically by year. Files have been combined to create a single comprehensive series or subseries whenever possible. Revelle often kept two or more separate files for the same topic at different locations. This often resulted in duplicates and some overlap of dates within different folders. The separate folders were combined and items within folders interfiled into chronological order. Duplicates have been weeded out and discarded. A final accession included ten cartons of papers that were found in loose piles in Revelle's office at SIO at the time of his death. These papers consisted of correspondence, manuscripts, reports and various other materials. The loose papers were sorted and interfiled into appropriate series and folders by the processor. Folder titles have been enhanced when necessary for clarity. Additions to titles and titles created by the processor appear in brackets on the folders. Items with post-it notes were photocopied and the post-it notes then discarded. The copy appears in front of the original document. Faxes, newsprint and other acidic paper has been photocopied and the original discarded unless deemed to be of special value. Legal and oversized documents are housed at the end of the collection. Documents from folders that have been moved to legal or oversize boxes are indicated on the container list. Scope and Content: The Revelle papers date from 1929-1991, with the bulk being from 1978-1990. The collection provides extensive documentation of Roger Revelle's career at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and UCSD Department of Science, Technology and Public Affairs. Although the papers do contain materials dating back to Revelle's early career, they provide particularly strong documentation for the years after Revelle returned to UCSD from Harvard. For more complete documentation of Revelle's early career at UCSD and at Harvard Center for Population Studies, see the Revelle collection [83-47], in the SIO Archives. This collection also provides strong documentation of Revelle's professional activities outside of UCSD. The Organizations Series, the largest series in the collection, contains many files relating to Revelle's affiliation and service in a large number of local, national, and international organizations. Documentation of Revelle's naval service is also provided. Navy Personnel records are housed in the Biographical Series. In addition, the papers contain some documentation of Revelle's participation in Pacific bomb testing in the 1940's and early 1950's. These files are located in the Subjects Series. The Revelle papers contain many documents pertaining to Revelle's interest in the relationship of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to global warming. His dedication to this issue is evident throughout the collection. A particularly rich source of documentation is the Organizations Series. The Subjects, and Writings, Speeches and Publications Series also contain important documentation on carbon dioxide and global warming. Also abundant in this collection are files representing the large body of writing Revelle produced in his career, including a typescript of Revelle's first important paper, "The Solubility of Calcium Carbonate" from 1934, and drafts of the 1957 paper with Hans Suess, "Carbon and Carbon Dioxide." These are found among many other manuscripts and transcripts in the Writings, Speeches and Publications Series. The Revelle collection also includes copies of manuscripts and papers written by others. These are filed in the Writings of Others Series. Published writings of others collected by Revelle were listed and then separated from the collection. The Revelle papers 83-47 does provide some documentation of Revelle's personal life and family, but of a limited nature. The Correspondence Series has some letters to family members and personal friends, as well as some correspondence relating to personal finances and leisure activities. Series Description BIOGRAPHICAL SERIES The Biographical Series contains materials dating from 1929 through 1991, with the bulk being from 1979- 1991. The subseries are arranged alphabetically, and chronologically within folders. Included here are autobiographical notes, biographies and interviews of Revelle dating from 1979 to 1990. Also included is an annotated 1985 transcript of an oral history of Revelle conducted by Sarah Sharp of the Regional Oral History Office, Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley, about the Office of Naval Research. For the other volumes, please see Sarah L. Sharp, Oceanography, Population Resources and the World: Oral History Interviews with Roger Randall Dougan Revelle, 1986-1988. The Biographical Series provides ample documentation of coverage of Revelle by the media from 1940-1991. These materials are located in two different subseries: "Clippings re: Revelle," and "Publicity." Also in this series are personnel documents relating to Revelle's service in the Navy from 1936-1956, and his academic appointments at UCSD from 1979-1988. The Biographical Series contains many documents relating to Revelle's awards, honorary degrees, and certificates of merit and achievement. Many of these items arrived at the archives in frames. Certificates, diplomas, and other framed documents were removed from them and filed. Decorative wall plaques were separated from the collection. CORRESPONDENCE SERIES The Correspondence Series contains incoming and outgoing correspondence dating from 1939 through 1991, with the bulk being from the 1980's. This series is split into two subseries, "General" and "Personal." The Personal Correspondence Series was maintained by Revelle's office from 1939-1976. In general, both subseries relate to Revelle's professional career, with the main distinction between personal and general correspondence being that the personal correspondence contains letters relating to Revelle's professional activities outside of the University. Subsequent to 1976, all correspondence was filed under one chronological heading. This arrangement has been maintained, although separate correspondence files from the various accessions were combined. All loose correspondence was interfiled in the "General" subseries. Revelle had one separate file of collected letters from Sir Edward Bullard and Dr. Anton Brun, dating from 1960-1979. These are found at the end of the Correspondence Series. Incoming letters are arranged chronologically with Revelle's reply following. Researchers should note that Revelle often waited long periods of time before answering incoming mail. For correspondence relating to Revelle's position as Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, see Records of the SIO Office of the Director, Revelle (81-23), in the SIO Archives. The Correspondence Series contains documentation of Revelle's professional career, as well as civic involvement. The series contains letters to and from such notable individuals as Harald Sverdrup, Carl Eckart, Sir Edward Bullard, Walter Munk, Paul Waggoner, and Thomas Malone, among many others. This series should be used in conjunction with the other series in the collection. Correspondence relating to specific topics or organizations are also filed with other materials in the Subjects and Organizations Series. Likewise, correspondence relating to specific publications, speeches or lectures may also be filed with manuscript materials in the Writings, Speeches and Publications Series. ORGANIZATIONS SERIES This series dates from 1940-1991, with the bulk being from 1977-1991. Organizations are arranged alphabetically by name of organization and items within folders are arranged chronologically. Organizations files from the various accessions were combined to make one continuous alphabetic arrangement. Larger files are broken into subseries as appropriate. Materials on specific conferences are filed under the name of the organizing body. When the organizing body was not apparent, conferences were filed directly under the name of the conference. This large series documents Roger