A. W. Clausen became World Bank President in July 1981 and served a full five year term. Shortly after he became President, Clausen established a Managing Committee to provide overall administrative and programmatic control of the Bank's activities. The records of the Clausen presidency are best approached through the official files of this Managing Committee, which provide comprehensive documentation on virtually all issues before the Bank during those years. Both Clausen's personal records of the Committee as well as the Committee's official records are part of this sub-fonds.
Clausen was President during the world debt crisis of the early 1980s, and throughout the files are documents about the issues of debt management and the Bank's programs of sectoral and structural adjustment. Discussions of a multilateral investment insurance program began during the Clausen years, which culminated in the establishment of the Multilateral Investments Guarantee Agency (MIGA) after Clausen left office. Both the Special Assistance Program for countries coping with the global recession and the Special Facility for Africa to provide policy reform assistance in sub-Saharan Africa were launched during Clausen's tenure, and the Clausen years saw a growing emphasis on programs in agricultural and rural development and environmental management, among others. Evidence of Clausen's personal interest in these issues can be found throughout the records, but particularly in the extensive set of alphabetical subject files that show Clausen's involvement with issues and organizations. Clausen's views are also evident in the chronological file of his outgoing correspondence during his entire time in office.
The country files and the itinerary files on official trips are good sources of information on the Bank's relationship with and the economic situation in the member countries. The records include photographs of Clausen's visits to countries and to World Bank projects.
