University of Wyoming
Bernfeld (1909-1975) was born in New York City and graduated from Fordham University in 1932. He was a special agent for the U.S. Department of the Interior in Casper, Wyoming from 1937-1942 before serving in World War II. Bernfeld worked for the U.S. Office of Price Administration in Cheyenne, Wyoming from 1946-1947. From 1947-1957 he served as a prosecutor for the U.S. military government in the Ryukyus Islands and Okinawa, Japan.
He joined the legal department of American Metal Climax, Inc. (AMAX) in 1957 and was chief counsel for AMAX Explorations, Inc., a subsidiary of AMAX. He served as a representative of AMAX for the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Committee on Peaceful Uses of the Deep Sea Beds from 1968-1973 and the U.S. State Department Advisory Committee on the Law of the Sea. He wrote "A Short History of American Metal Climax, Inc." in 1963 along with "Practices and Pitfalls in the Acquisition of Minerals in the United States" in 1966.
The collection contains materials relating to Bernfeld's work as an attorney in Wyoming and Japan and for AMAX from 1934-1975. The collection consists mostly of 2,693 photographs and negatives that Bernfeld took while traveling as a U.S. Dept. of Interior Agent. The photographs are a record of Bernfeld's travels, which followed the main highways in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Montana, North and South Dakota, and Nebaska.
Bernfeld's work as an attorney during the U.S. military's governing of the Ryukyu Islands of Japan contains legal case files regarding court martials, murders, marriage procedures, work contracts, and immigration for which the military government oversaw. There is also a small amount of material relating to the history of the islands. Some of the material is in Japanese.
Bernfeld's AMAX office files consist of reports, correspondence, and legal documents regarding his work as attorney for AMAX copper, lead, and zinc mining in the U.S. and other areas of the world, especially Iran. There is also approximately one cubic foot of materials relating to Bernfeld's research of the history of AMAX, including reminiscences by company officials, AMAX director's correspondence (photocopies), transcripts of Bernfeld's interviews with company officials, and histories of predecessor companies.
The collection also contains typescript copies of the manuscripts and related research materials for "Practices and Pitfalls in the Acquisition of Minerals in the United States" and "A Short History of American Metal Climax, Inc."; a collection of autographs; and miscellaneous other materials relating to Bernfeld representing AMAX on the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of the Sea Bed.
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
There are no known other archival collections created by Seymour S. Bernfeld at the date of processing.
Finding aid available in repository.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
The American Heritage Center is in the process of converting its older container lists to a more accessible format. This link is to an older version of a container list.