Records of the Peace Corps
(Record Group 490)
1961-91
Table of Contents
- 490.1 Administrative History
- 490.2 General Records of the Peace Corps
1961-72
- 490.3 Records of Support Offices 1961-71, 1974-88
- 490.4 Motion Pictures (General)
1961-71
- 490.5 Sound Recordings (General)
ca. 1975 - ca. 1985
- 490.6 Still Pictures (General)
1961-91
Established: As an operating agency in the Department of State by Department of State Delegation of Authority 85-11, effective March 3, 1961, pursuant to EO 10924, March 1, 1961. Recognized legislatively by the Peace Corps Act (75 Stat. 612), September 22, 1961.
Transfers: To newly established ACTION by Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1971, effective July 1, 1971; to autonomous agency status within ACTION by EO 12137, May 16, 1979; to independent agency status by title VI of the International Security and Development Cooperation Act of 1981 (95 Stat. 1540), February 21, 1982.
Functions: Administers and coordinates federal international volunteer and related domestic volunteer programs.
Finding Aids: Preliminary Inventory included as part of the Preliminary Inventory of RG 362, which formerly included Peace Corps records, in National Archives microfiche edition of preliminary inventories.
Security-Classified Records: This record group may include material that is security-classified.
Related Records:
General Records of the Department of State, RG 59.
Records of ACTION, RG 362.
490.2 General Records of the Peace Corps
1961-72
490.2.1 Records of the Office of the Director
Textual Records: General correspondence ("Director's Chrono File"), 1961-65. Subject file, 1961-66. Correspondence of Acting Director Bill Moyers, 1963. Correspondence and public statements of Director R. Sargent Shriver, 1962-66. Correspondence and other records of Director Jack Vaughn, 1966-68. Correspondence relating to individual countries ("Country File"), 1962-63. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1961-66. Summaries of incoming letters, 1961-63. Summaries of actions taken at staff meetings, 1961-64. Interim policy directives, 1961-66. Lists of approved Peace Corps programs ("Matrixes") and related correspondence, 1970-72.
490.2.2 Records of the Executive Secretariat
Textual Records: Correspondence of the Executive Secretariat ("Chrono Files"), 1962-63. Copies of letters sent by R. Sargent Shriver, Bill Moyers, and members of the Executive Secretariat ("Executive Secretariat Chron File"), 1961-65.
490.2.3 Records of the East Asia and Pacific Regional Office
Textual Records: Training files, 1961-70.
490.3 Records of Support Offices
1961-71, 1974-88
490.3.1 Records of the Office of Administration and Finance
Textual Records: Records of the Administrative Services Division, consisting of superseded Peace Corps Manual issuances, 1964-71; Interim Policy Directives, 1961-66; and Management Notices, 1961- 65. Records of the Budget Division, consisting of records relating to costs of training and overseas activities, 1965-71; and briefing books for budget hearings, 1963-66.
490.3.2 Records of the Office of Planning, Evaluation, and
Research
Textual Records: Copies of letters sent by Deputy Associate Director Joseph G. Colemen, 1964-66. Records of the Division of Evaluation, consisting of country program evaluations, 1961-67; evaluations of training given to Peace Corps volunteers, 1961-63; and close-of-service conference reports, 1963-70.
490.3.3 Records of the Office of Programs and Training Support
Textual Records: Records of the Women in Development Office, 1974-88.
490.3.4 Records of the Office of the Inspector General
Textual Records: Country reports, 1963-64. Subject file, 1963-64.
490.4 Motion Pictures (General)
1961-71
Films created, commissioned, or acquired by the Peace Corps, documenting the training of volunteers for service in various countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; Peace Corps activities in agriculture, education, and family planning; and appearances by President John F. Kennedy and Peace Corps Directors R. Sargent Shriver and Jack Vaughn, 1961-71 (236 reels).
490.5 Sound Recordings (General)
ca. 1975 - ca. 1985
Recordings made by the Peace Corps primarily to promote its programs and to assist with recruitment efforts, including radio public service advertisements, interviews with returning volunteers, and a recorded account of Triunfo, a Peace Corps program implemented in Honduras, ca. 1975 - ca. 1985 (24 items).
490.6 Still Pictures (General)
1961-91
Photographic Prints and Proof Sheets (190,011 images): Portraits of Peace Corps staff, 1963-87 (SP, 25,000 images). Activities of directors and other staff, and notable persons, 1961-90 (DA, EH, G; 17,300 images). Training in Hilo, HI, and views of Hawaii, 1963 (HT, 38 images). Activities of volunteers overseas, 1961-90 (FC, FCS; 139,500 images). Views of Afghanistan, taken by volunteers Larry and Ann Nichols, 1968-69 (LAN, LANK; 1,782 images). Ghanian arts, crafts, and cultural activities, 1970 (GAC, 91 images). Images reproduced in the newsletter Peace Corps/Current, 1970-71 (PCC, 6,300 images).
Photographic Prints, Proof Sheets, Negatives, and Color Slides (24,900 images): Activities of Peace Corps directors and volunteers, 1961-90 (D, GC; 19,200 images). Training of volunteers in the United States, 1962-69 (T, 5,000 images). Headquarters staff members, used to illustrate Who's Who in the Peace Corps, 1963 (WW, 700 images).
Photographic Negatives (485,000 images): Activities of Peace Corps directors and staff, and overseas volunteers, including some that match photographic prints described above, 1962-91 (AC, C, F, N, PC, R, STA).
Color Slides (41,524 images): Public affairs activities, 1968-79 (GK, 481 images). Activities of volunteers overseas, 1961-83 (CK, KM; 40,200 images). Presentations about the Peace Corps, 1971-81 (AV, 843 images).
Posters (129 images): Recruiting Peace Corps volunteers, publicizing the Peace Corps Partnership Program, and commemorating Peace Corps anniversaries, 1962-90. (P, 128 images). Peace Corps recruiting, 1980 (PP, 1 image).
Bibliographic note: Web version based on Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States. Compiled by Robert B. Matchette et al. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1995.
3 volumes, 2428 pages.
This Web version is updated from time to time to include records processed since 1995.
