The Oberlin College Archives is pleased to announce the availability of The King-Crane Commission Digital Collection. Oberlin College President Henry Churchill King (1902-1927) led President Woodrow Wilson’s American Section of the Inter-Allied Commission on Mandates in Turkey, known as the King-Crane Commission, following the end of World War I (June –August 1919).
As the fate of the territories of the Ottoman Empire was being negotiated at the Paris Peace Conference, the Commission was tasked with “acquainting itself as intimately as possible with the sentiments of the people of these regions with regard to the future administration of their affairs.” Although their report was suppressed at the Paris Peace Conference and subsequent treaties ultimately supported British and French colonial aspirations, this effort is nevertheless an important moment in US history--indeed in Oberlin's history.
In order to increase the study of the King-Crane Commission—within Oberlin’s classrooms and beyond, Maren Milligan, Visiting Assistant Professor of Middle East North African Studies in the Oberlin College Politics Department, and Oberlin College Archivist Ken Grossi applied for and received an Ohio Five Next Generation Library Mellon Grant to bring together in a single online digital collection materials relating to the work of the King-Crane Commission. The creation of this digital collection was a collaborative effort between Milligan and staff members of the Oberlin College Archives and the Oberlin College Library. Theodore Waddelow ’11 served as the Research Associate for the project.
The core materials of the collection consist of the King-Crane Commission Records filed in the Henry Churchill King Presidential Papers at the Oberlin College Archives. Other institutions provided materials to expand the research potential of the collection, including the Hoover Institute Archives at Stanford University – The Donald Brodie Papers, and The University of Illinois Archives – The Albert Lybyer Papers. The King-Crane Commission project team continues to work with other institutions, including the University of New Hampshire – William Yale Papers, and the Library of Congress – George Montgomery Papers, to locate materials to add to the digital collection.
However, perhaps more important than the papers of the Commission members are the petitions submitted by people of the region. The project team has sought to locate and curate the petitions submitted by various peoples of the region, thus restoring these lost voices.
The online digital collection includes an interactive map, tracing the route of the Commission’s work in the Middle East, and detailed instructions to assist researchers in navigating the collection of over 600 items. For further information about the King-Crane Commission and to view the collection (correspondence, reports, maps, photographs, petitions) please see the following url address -- http://www.oberlin.edu/library/digital/king-crane/.
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