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Personal Papers of James L. Theodores
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Personal Papers of James L. Theodores

  • WB IBRD/IDA WB_IBRD/IDA_109
  • Fonds
  • 1966 - 2002

Fonds consists of records from Theodores's time as Resident Representative in Kabul, Afghanistan and as Field Coordinator for the World Bank Group. Many of the records in this fonds appear to be a selection made by Theodores either during his time employed at the Bank or upon his departure. Some of the records, such as those relating to Afghanistan after Theodores had completed his time as Resident Representative there, may have been collected by Theodores for personal interest or in support of potential research projects to be undertaken at a later date. A small number of records relating to Theodores's employment with the World Bank or to the history and future of Afghanistan are also included.

Theodores, James L.

Personal records

A business card file containing various business cards of James L. Theodores and of other individuals in the fields of international development, media, and hospitality is included in this series. Numerous versions of Theodores's Curriculum Vitae and commendation letters are also included.

World Bank Group Field Coordinator security policy and planning

Series consists of records relating to World Bank Group security policy, planning, coordination, and response activities, and James L. Theodores's role leading this work as Field Coordinator (FC) between 1981 and 1987. Records include: official Bank policies and procedures on security in the field and other materials authored by Theodores and distributed to Bank staff; external publications on security and terrorism; undated and uncredited briefing papers on hijackings, letter and parcel bombs, and telephone threats; consultants' reports on World Bank Group security policy and planning; staff guidelines regarding street crime, burglary, vehicles and travel, and fire protection; reports and summaries of political incidents, security advisories, and incidents involving Bank staff; correspondence regarding specific travel bans; work program and other materials related to the Field Office Improvement Program developed by Theodores upon taking over the position of FC; and the FC transition program that resulted in the transfer of the Field Security System to the General Service Department's (GSD) Security Division upon Theodores's departure from the World Bank in 1987. Some records also relate back to Theodores's time as Resident Representative in Kabul, Afghanistan (1977-1980) and the various security plans and guidelines he followed and enforced.

Series also includes records related to the hijacking of Pakistan International Airlines PK326 in March 1981. One of the hostages was World Bank staff member Jeffrey Balkind. Theodores served as the coordinator and major spokesman for the World Bank's informal Crisis Management Team during the hostage taking. Records include regular updates on the hijacking, primarily in the form of wires from the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Resident Representative in Kabul, Afghanistan. Security updates authored by Theodores presumably for internal World Bank consumption are also included.

Records in this series related to the hijacking were subsequently used by Balkind for research purposes. A letter from Balkind to Theodores thanking him for the use of these records is included as is the packaging used to courier the records back to Theodores. The packaging is dated June 26, 1996. A complete draft of Balkind's unpublished history of the hijacking, "Life and Death on a Tarmac: The Hijacking of PK326" is included. Other chapters of the book that were reviewed and annotated by Theodores are also included, as is correspondence between Theodores and Balkind.

Records related to the May 1985 abduction of consultant Dr. Robert Williams, his wife Jenny Williamson, and their driver are also included. Williamson was engaged in work on a World Bank supervised project in Pakistan. Records include initial reports and notes on the incident and regular updates, including those made to senior staff World Bank staff.

World Bank Resident Representative for Afghanistan activities and related research and reference materials

Series consists primarily of records related to Theodores's role as Resident Representative for Afghanistan between 1977 and 1980. Many of the records in this series appear to have been compiled by Theodores as either research or memory aids; they have been placed in plastic sleeves and, in many cases, given annotations in the form of sticky notes affixed to the front page of a document or group of documents that describe the document(s) or, in some cases, provide commentary. As part of these compilations,records relating to Afghanistan that were received or collected by Theodores previous or subsequent to his time as Resident Representative have also been included.

Series consists of records relating to the role and mission of the Resident Representative and its relationship with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) representative in Afghanistan. These records date back to the opening of the World Bank country office in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1969. Specifically, records relate to: the establishment of the Afghanistan Resident Mission in 1969; briefings on the country's military and political situation (including after the 1973 coup d'etat); the World Bank's role in Afghanistan; Theodores's assignment to Kabul, Afghanistan; the role and objectives of the Resident Mission in Afghanistan; the Mission's relationship and communications with the UNDP representatives regarding operations and security policy; and the diplomatic status of the Resident Representative.

Records related to Theodores's activities as Afghanistan Resident Representative are contained in a chronological file divided into sections according to topic (credentials/identification, receiving guests, health, insurance, taxes, and shipping) and correspondent (World Bank headquarters, family, and personal). Correspondence with World Bank colleagues relates to administration, staffing, travel, housing logistics, and expressions of congratulations or gratitude. Substantive discussion of ongoing or prospective lending operations or economic and sector work is minimal.

Series also consists of four maps of Afghanistan. These include two maps showing political regions (1976), a navigational map (1966), and a general map (1975).

Records compiled by Theodores that appear to be research or memory aids relate to a variety of topics, including: the origins and early days of the Soviet/Afghan war; World Bank security policy and updates; encryption of correspondence; evacuation guidelines; Afghan office budgeting; Bank and resident mission staffing;Theodores's emergency evacuation from Afghanistan in January 1980 for health reasons; assistance of Afghan nationals in communication with the American embassy; transfer of confidential records upon closure of the Kabul office; the Theodores family's final departure from Afghanistan in June, 1980; the closure of the World Bank's Kabul office; and updates on local office staff subsequent to Theodores's departure from Afghanistan. The majority of the records are from Theodores's time in Afghanistan, but somerecords date subsequent to his departure. Records are in the form of correspondence (typed, handwritten, telexes), reports, newspaper clippings, and Afghan government issuances.

Theodores compiled records related to the 1973 and 1978 coups and subsequent Soviet invasion in 1979 as well as the murder of United States Ambassador Adolph "Spike" Dubs in February 1979. These records primarily consist of correspondence between Theodores and Bank colleagues. Records also contain lengthy handwritten letters fromTheodores to his family. Speeches, decrees, and reports made by the various Afghan leadership regimes in 1978 and 1979 are also included.

In addition to correspondence, newspaper clippings from Afghanistan and from other international publications reporting on events in Afghanistan as well as editorials and speeches by external experts commenting on the events and future of Afghanistan are included. Included is a collection of materials related to the nearly decade-long conflict between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union and is primarily newspaper clippings and magazine articles.

Series also consists of three sets of photograph prints. The first consists of fifteen black and white prints depicting Afghani citizens and landscapes. The images appear to be shot by John Siceloff of the American Peace Corps and are not dated. The other two sets of photographs consist of ten color prints and three black and white prints depicting Afghani citizens, landscapes, and towns. Prints appear to have been sold and acquired by Theodores commercially.

A small amount of records related to a talk that Theodores gave at the Newport Public Library in 2002 on the past and future of Afghanistan are also included. Records include presentation notes, articles, and correspondence.