Harry Roscoe Snyder papers, 1927-1998

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Summary

Creators:
Snyder, Harry Roscoe, 1906-
Abstract:
Datebooks, correspondence, speeches and writings, notes, memoranda, reports, studies, printed matter, maps, posters, and photographs relating to Arabian American Oil Company personnel training and education in Saudi Arabia, American educational assistance in the Middle East, the promotion of Arab-American cultural ties, and the establishment of American military installations in Saudi Arabia during and immediately after World War II.
Extent:
36 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 3 oversize folders (16.0 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Harry Roscoe Snyder papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The papers of Harry Roscoe Snyder, consisting of datebooks, correspondence, speeches and writings, notes, memoranda, reports, charts, clippings, printed matter, maps, posters, and photographs, relate to Arabian American Oil Company personnel training and education in Saudi Arabia, American educational assistance in the Middle East, promotion of Arab-American cultural ties, and the establishment of American military installations in Saudi Arabia during and immediately after World War II.

The papers reflect Snyder's lifetime of engagements in Middle Eastern, particularly Saudi Arabian, affairs and education. The correspondence and printed matter of the American Friends of the Arabs (Career File), a short-lived organization started by Snyder and Elihu Grant, attempts to open up conversations among academics and journalists regarding Palestine and Zionism in the U.S. and abroad.

While serving in the military, Snyder helped negotiate an agreement for a U.S. airfield in Dhahran for use during World War II. Because the agreement was not settled until after the war's end and with a brand new airfield built, Snyder was chosen to command the United States Air Force 1414th Training Division in their Saudi Arabian Training Mission. This portion of the Career File consists of materials from the development and implementation of this training program, including correspondence, memoranda, and photographs.

To meet the demands of oil production, the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco) developed industrial training centers in Abqaiq, Dhahran, and Ras Tanura. Snyder's role as education coordinator in the Training Department of Aramco required him to deliver training and educational services to maintain these centers and encourage the growth of skilled trade workers in Saudi Arabia.

Among the materials relating to industrial training in the Aramco Education and Arab Training File are records of the company's efforts to build elementary and secondary schools in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Reports to the Saudi Arabian government on the state of operations in the company, correspondence and memoranda regarding projects, and charts relating to enrollment and curriculum development of company-built/Saudi Arabian government schools are among the highlights of these records. Other materials relating to education in Saudi Arabia, including schools for girls, can also be found in the Subject File.

As a result of his work as a consultant for architecture firms in the United States and Saudi Arabia (Educational Consulting File), Snyder's papers include materials relating to the development, construction, and operation of several academic institutions in Saudi Arabia. Although not all of these projects materialized, the records in this series add to the understanding of educational developments within the kingdom. In addition, the series includes materials from the development of a Saudi Arabian airline cadet program, directed by Hamzah Dabbagh in consultation with Snyder.

The Datebooks include diary entries, notes, contacts, and schedules. There is a single book for each date, with the exception of 1968 and 1971, which each have two.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1906 January 18
Born, Chicago, Illinois
1925-1927
Minister, First Methodist Church, Bear Creek, Wisconsin
1927
B.A., economics and geology, Lawrence University, Wisconsin
1927-1929
Adjunct professor of commerce, American University of Beirut
1930-1942
Assistant manager and editor, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., San Francisco and New York
1939-1942
M.A., geography, Teacher's College, Columbia University
1942-1946
Military service (Intelligence Officer, Section Chief, Persian Gulf Area, Islamic Specialist; Military Intelligence Service, War Department, General Staff)
1942
Lecturer on Iran, School of Military Government, University of Virginia
1945
Negotiated an agreement with King 'Abd al-'Aziz Ibn Saud for U.S. airfield in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia
1946-1947
Associate director, Near East College Association, New York
1947-1949
U.S. Air Force, Chief, Saudi Arabian Training Mission and Commanding Officer, 1414th Training Squadron (Dhahran)
1949-1952
Director of education and Arab training, Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco)
1952-1955
Coordinator of general and industrial education, Aramco
1955-1956
Leave of absence to pursue EdD at Teacher's College, Columbia University
1956
Acting coordinator, general and industrial education, Aramco
1956-1957
Education liaison for Saudi Arabian government, Aramco
1957-1965
Coordinator, Saudi Arabian government/Aramco Education Services
1963
Author, Community College Education for Saudi Arabia, Ann Arbor, Michigan, University Microfilms, Inc. (Ed.D. dissertation)
Ed.D., college administration and educational foundations, Columbia University
1965-1972
Professional consultant service of the Saudi Arabian government to the College of Petroleum and Minerals, Aramco
1972
Educational consultant and lecturer on Middle Eastern affairs
1988 April 6
Died, Tucson, Arizona
Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1997.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Harry Roscoe Snyder papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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