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South Asia: Manuscripts and Archives: Chester Bowles

This is a brief overview of selected collections in Yale's Manuscripts and Archives (located within Sterling Memorial Library) that have South Asia content.

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Part IX, Series V. BOX 406AU: “Nepal Trip” (b&w), DVD use copy (1952).  Chester Bowles (MS 628). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library.

More stills from this video available.

About the Bowles Collection

Excerpted from Chester Bowles (MS 628) Finding Aid:

"The papers consist of correspondence, speeches, writings, photographs, clippings, oral history interviews, and other material documenting the personal life and professional career of Chester Bowles. Bowles' political career in Connecticut and his service as ambassador to India are detailed, as is his work as a foreign policy advisor, chairman of the Democratic Platform Committee at the 1960 national convention, and author and speaker on political affairs.

Chester Bowles was born on April 5, 1901 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He graduated from Yale University in 1924 (B.S.) and established the advertising firm of Benton and Bowles, with William Benton, in 1929. Bowles served in the Office of Price Administration in Connecticut and at the federal level. He was named a Special Assistant to the Secretary General of the United Nations and was elected governor of Connecticut (1948-1950). Bowles served as ambassador to India (1951-1953, 1963-1969) and was elected to the U.S. Congress (1959-1960). He also served as a foreign policy advisor to Adlai Stevenson and John F. Kennedy, and held the positions of Under Secretary for Political Affairs and Special Representative and Advisor on Africa, Asia, and Latin American Affairs (1960-1961). Bowles lectured and wrote extensively on national and foreign political topics and published his memoirs in 1971."

This collection is not digitized.

Bowles Collection - Highlights


BOX 381, FOLDER 65: Ephemera, including absentee voting information; Parliament of India Diplomatic Gallery Card; and DNC and USIS cards.


BOX 375, FOLDER 38: Photographs of a Sikh wedding.


BOX 375, FOLDER 43: Photographs of Kalimpong.


BOX 375, FOLDER 43: Photograph of diya vendor, before Divali.

Librarian for South Asian Studies