Description and Finding Aid ROBERT A. SPENCER AND THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL OF CANADA FONDS F2313 Prepared by Sylvia Lassam and Marion Magee, 2014 TRINITY COLLEGE 6 HOSKIN AVENUE, TORONTO, ON, CANADA M5S 1H8 WWW.TRINITY.UTORONTO.CA [email protected] 416 978-2019 Robert A. Spencer and ACC fonds ROBERT A. SPENCER AND THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL OF CANADA FONDS Dates of creation 1954-2001, predominantly 1990s Extent 4.23 m of textual records 3 graphic items Biographical sketch Robert Allan Spencer, historian, educator and administrator, was born in Montreal on 9 November 1920. Following his undergraduate degree from McGill (BA 1941), he served with the Canadian Forces in Britain and Northwest Europe (1942-1946). After obtaining his MA in 1947 (University of Toronto) and his DPhil (St John's College, Oxford) in 1950, he joined the Department of History at the University of Toronto. He held various administrative posts in the Department and in the University during his career culminating in his years as the director of the Centre for International Studies (1976-1986). Between 1959 and 1984 he was co-editor of International Journal. His main field of historical scholarship, German studies, led to active involvement in the Atlantic Brücke, the annual Canada-Germany symposium. The links he developed with the Federal Republic of Germany earned him the Goethe Medal and the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit. He wrote or edited works in the areas of German affairs and Canadian foreign policy. A founding member of the Atlantic Council of Canada, he served as Secretary, Secretary-Treasurer, Vice-President and President over the period from 1966 to 1990. In 1998 he was given an Honorary Fellowship by Trinity College. In 1948 Professor Spencer married Ruth Margaret Church. The couple had three children, Charles, Valerie Spencer Keyes and Katherine Spencer-Ross. Professor Spencer lives in Ottawa. Administrative history The Atlantic Council of Canada (ACC) developed out of the Canadian Atlantic Coordinating Committee (CACC) which was formed in 1954 under the leadership of Professor Edgar McInnis of the Department of History, University of Toronto (later the first full-time president of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs - CIIA). In doing so he acted at the suggestion of the Secretary of State for External Affairs, Lester B. Pearson, his friend and former colleague, who had recognized that as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 2 Robert A. Spencer and ACC fonds was to continue indefinitely it was necessary to provide public understanding of and support for it. The CACC brought together representatives of the CIIA and the United Nations Association (UNA). In 1966 it was succeeded by the Atlantic Council of Canada, which two years later was incorporated and continued this role. Scope and content Fonds consists mainly of files relating to both the administrative and public activities of the Atlantic Council of Canada during the years when Robert A. Spencer (RAS) was executive director of the Council. Also included are files relating to the ACC's involvement with the Canadian government, the North Atlantic Treaty Association, the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA), the Committee on Atlantic Studies (CAS), and the Turkish Atlantic Council. Contains series 1. Origins and history 2. Atlantic Council of Canada 3. Administration 4. Programme Committee activities 5. Activities under the direction of the President and the Executive Committee 6. Relations with DFAIT, DND, and NATO Headquarters in Brussels 7. The Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) 8. NATO Enlargement 9. Committee on Atlantic Studies (CAS) 10. Turkish Atlantic Council Notes Acquisition history: The fonds consists of records donated to the Archives by Robert A. Spencer in September 2010. Arrangement: The files remain largely in the order received from the donor. In some cases several small files on the same subject have been collapsed and duplicates or extraneous material has been discarded. Restrictions on access: none. Terms governing use and reproduction / publication: Various copyright holders. It is the researcher's responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the fonds. Provenance access points: Spencer, Robert Allan (1920- ) 3 Robert A. Spencer and ACC fonds SERIES 1: ORIGINS AND HISTORY, 1954-1990 Dates of creation: 1954-2000 Extent: 39 cm of textual records Scope and content: Series contains files documenting the Canadian Atlantic Coordinating Committee (CACC), from which the Atlantic Council of Canada developed, under the leadership of Professor Edgar McInnis of the Department of History, University of Toronto. The CACC brought together representatives of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs (CIIA) and the United Nations Association (UNA). In 1966 it was succeeded by the Atlantic Council of Canada (ACC). Files chronicle this progression in chronological order. Location / File Listing FOLDER/UNIT TITLE START END BOX/ DATE DATE FILE # CACC 1954 1954 1-1 CACC 1960 1963 1-2 CACC 1960 1963 1-3 CACC – formation of Atlantic Council of Canada 1966 1966 1-4 CACC 1964 1966 1-5 ACC 1966 1966 1-6 ACC 1967 1967 1-7 ACC 1968 1968 1-8 ACC 1969 1969 1-9 ACC 1970 1970 1-10 ACC 1971 1971 1-11 ACC 1972 1972 1-12 ACC 1973 1973 1-13 4 Robert A. Spencer and ACC fonds ACC 1974 1974 1-14 ACC 1975 1975 1-15 ACC 1976 1976 1-16 ACC 1977 1977 1-17 ACC 1978 1978 1-18 ACC 1979 1979 1-19 ACC 1981 1981 1-20 ACC Annual Reports 1980 1982 2-1 ACC Conference Programmes 1980 1996 2-2 ACC 1980 1980 2-3 ACC 1982 1982 2-4 ACC 1983 1983 2-5 ACC 1984 1984 2-7 ACC 1985 1985 2-8 ACC 1987 1987 2-9 ACC 1988 1988 2-10 ACC – Meetings 1989 1989 2-11 ACC – Nominating Committee and annual general meeting 1989 1989 2-12 ACC 1989 1989 2-13 ACC – Planning Seminars 1989 1989 3-1 ACC – NATO at 40 Conference 1989 1989 3-2 ACC – Application for grant to Department of National Defence 1989 1989 3-3 ACC – General 1990 1990 3-4 5 Robert A. Spencer and ACC fonds ACC – Board of Directors 1990 1990 3-5 ACC – Annual General Meeting 1990 1990 3-6 ACC – Correspondence with Directors 1990 1990 3-7 ACC – Executive Committee 1990 1990 3-8 ACC – Nominating Committee 1990 1990 3-9 ACC – Ottawa Mafia 1990 1990 3-10 ACC – Fundraising and membership 1990 1990 3-11 ACC – Visit by NATO Secretary General Manfred Wörner 1990 1990 3-12 ACC – External Affairs, National Defence, Canadian Institute for 1990 1990 3-13 International Peace and Security ACC – Miscellaneous 1995 2002 3-14 SERIES 2: ATLANTIC COUNCIL OF CANADA, 1991-2006 Dates of creation: 1991-2006 Extent: 91 cm of textual records Scope and content: Series consists of records from the presidency of Robert A. Spencer (RAS) and includes those dealing with the role of successive ACC chairmen, H.N.R. (Hal) Jackman and Edward H. Crawford, the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, which record much of the Council’s activities, together with those of the annual meetings. Also included are the reports of the Nominating Committee which reflect the success in recruiting directors from across the country, annual reports providing summaries of the Council’s work, and correspondence. Location / File Listing FOLDER/UNIT TITLE START END BOX/ DATE DATE FILE # Report to Chairman 1991 1991 4-1 6 Robert A. Spencer and ACC fonds Board of Directors meetings 1991 1991 4-2 Annual Report 1991 1991 4-3 Annual General Meeting 1991 1991 4-4 Executive Meetings and correspondence Jan 1991 June 1991 4-5 Executive Meetings and correspondence July 1991 Dec 1991 4-6 Nominating Committee 1991 1991 4-7 Patron H.N.R. Jackman 1992 1996 4-8 Chairman Edward H. Crawford 1992 1998 4-9 Annual Report 1992 1992 4-10 Annual General Meeting 1992 1992 4-11 Board of Directors 1992 1992 4-12 Executive Committee Jan 1992 June 1992 4-13 Executive Committee July 1992 Dec 1992 5-1 Nominating Committee 1992 1992 5-2 Board of Directors meetings 1993 1993 5-3 Annual Report 1993 1993 5-4 Board of Directors correspondence 1993 1993 5-5 Nominating Committee 1993 1993 5-6 Executive Committee [1] 1993 1993 5-7 Executive Committee [2] 1993 1993 5-8 Annual General Meeting 1993 1994 1994 5-9 Board of Directors meetings 1994 1994 5-10 Board of Directors correspondence 1994 1994 5-11 Executive Committee [1] 1994 1994 6-1 Executive Committee [2] 1994 1994 6-2 Nominating Committee 1994 1994 6-3 Honorary Directors 1994 1995 6-4 Board of Directors meetings 1995 1995 1995 6-5 Board of Directors correspondence 1995 1995 6-6 Executive Committee 1995 1995 6-7 7 Robert A. Spencer and ACC fonds Annual General Meeting 1995 1995 6-8 NATO Information Seminar 1995 1995 6-9 Nominating Committee 1995 1995 6-10 RAS report on ATA activities, Europe 1995 1995 6-11 Visit by NATO Secretary General Willy Claes 1995 1995 6-12 Board of Directors meetings 1996 1996 7-1 Board of Directors correspondence 1996 1996 7-2 Executive Committee minutes Jan 1996 June 1996 7-3 Executive Committee minutes July 1996 Dec 1996 7-4 Nominating Committee 1996 1996 7-5 Annual General Meeting 1996 1996 7-6 Nominating Committee 1996 1996 7-7 Ottawa Chapter 1996 1997 7-8 Board of Directors meetings 1997 1997 8-1 Correspondence with Directors 1997 1997 8-2 Executive Committee Jan 1997 May 1997 8-3 Executive Committee June 1997 Dec 1997 8-4 Annual Report 1997 1997 8-5 RAS talks, Ottawa 1997 1997 8-6 Chairman’s Search Committee 1997 1998 8-7 Chairman Donald S.