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Walter J. Levy Papers, 1911-1998

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Levy, Walter James, 1911-1997
Title
Walter J. Levy Papers
Dates
1911-1998 (inclusive)
Quantity
41.10 cubic ft. (102 boxes)
Collection Number
08428
Summary
Collection contains materials dealing with Levy's work in the petroleum industry and trade, international finance, economics, world politics, and foreign relations between the U.S. and Middle Eastern countries and in Asia, particularly Iran and Indonesia from 1911-1988.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English, , German, , French, , and Spanish
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Historical Note

Levy (1911-1997) was born in Hamburg, Germany and received a doctorate in law from Kiel University in 1933. He left Germany shortly thereafter due to the growing Nazi influence and moved to London to work for the "Petroleum Press Service," a journal of petroleum economics. He emigrated to New York in 1941 and worked briefly as a petroleum writer for "Fortune" magazine. In 1942 he joined the U.S. Office of Strategic Services as a petroleum advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. From 1948 to 1949 he was chief of the petroleum branch of the Economic Cooperation Administration, an agency of the Marshall Plan. In 1949 Levy established his own oil consulting firm, W.J. Levy Consulting Corp., in New York City. In addition to his regular consulting duties, he has acted as an advisor to the Truman, Kennedy, and Nixon administrations; the United Nations; and the European Economic Community. Levy served as an advisor to envoy W. Averell Harriman from 1951 to 1953 after Iran nationalized its oil facilities in 1951. In 1963, Levy served as an advisor to Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Wilson Wyatt, who had been appointed by President Kennedy to negotiate an agreement between the government of Indonesia and oil companies from the United States.

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Content Description

Collection contains materials dealing with Levy's work in the petroleum industry and trade, international finance, economics, world politics, and foreign relations between the U.S. and Middle Eastern countries and in Asia, particularly Iran and Indonesia from 1911-1988. The collection contains speeches (1936-1988); correspondence relating to his work for the U.S. government and with various countries, especially Iran and Indonesia (1933-1987); extensive reports completed by Levy's consulting firm on world oil production, oil markets, oil policy and trade, and individual refineries (1941-1988); and scrapbooks (1911-1983) with photographs, newsclippings, and awards. The collection also contains a 3/4 inch and Beta videocassette of Levy appearing on ABC News in 1982 and an audiocassette tape of Levy being interviewed by the British Broadcasting Company. Portions of the collection are in French, German, and Spanish.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Walter J. Levy Papers, Collection Number 08428, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in five series.

Related Materials

Related Materials

There are no known other archival collections created by Walter J. Levy at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

The Walter J. Levy Papers were given to the American Heritage Center by Mr. Levy 15 August 1994. The papers were received from Mr. Levy's office in good condition. The classification system established there was retained and original folder titles for the speeches, correspondence, scrapbooks and report files were preserved. More material was received from Christopher Phillips in 2020.

Processing Note

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Inez Dillion Prister in 1994. Updated by Alexandra Cardin in June 2022.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Anglo-Iranian Oil Dispute, 1951-1954.
  • Energy policy --United States.
  • Petroleum industry and trade --Economic aspects --Indonesia.
  • Petroleum industry and trade --Economic aspects --Iran.
  • Petroleum industry and trade --Economic aspects --United States.
  • Petroleum industry and trade --Political aspects --Indonesia.
  • Petroleum industry and trade --Political aspects --Iran.
  • Petroleum industry and trade --Political aspects.

Corporate Names

  • Levy (W. J.) Consultants Corporation
  • United States. Dept. of State.
  • United States. Economic Cooperation Administration.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Audio cassettes.
  • Photographs.
  • Scrapbooks.
  • Speeches.
  • Videocassettes.

Processed by Inez Dillon Prinster
2006

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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