Inventory of the Arthur I. Bloomfield Papers, 1927-1995
[top]Descriptive Summary
TitleArthur I. Bloomfield Papers,
1927-1995
Creator
Bloomfield, Arthur I.
Extent
12 Linear Feet
7200 Items
Repository
7200 Items
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special
Collections Library, Duke
University
Language
English.
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Administrative Information
Access RestrictionsCollection is open for research.
However, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this
collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in this collection have
not been transferred to Duke University. For more
information, consult the copyright section of the
Regulations and Procedures of the Rare Book, Manuscript,
and Special Collections Library.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Arthur I. Bloomfield
Papers, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections
Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The papers of Arthur I. Bloomfield, economist
and university professor, were received by the Special
Collections Library as a gift from Professor Bloomfield in
1996. Funding for the processing of this collection was
provided by Professor Bloomfield.
Processing Information
Processed by Joanna Vinluan and Paula Jeannet
Mangiafico
Completed November 29, 1999
Encoded by Paula Jeannet Mangiafico
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
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Biographical Note
| 1914, Oct. 2 | Born Arthur Irving Bloomfield in Montreal, Canada. |
| 1931 | Entered McGill University on scholarship after graduating first out of 900 students in the Province of Quebec high school leaving examinations. |
| 1935 | B.A. (Economics and Political Science), McGill University. |
| 1936 | M.A. (Economics and Political Science), McGill University. Thesis: "Canadian Wheat Marketing Policy, 1929-1936." |
| 1940, Autumn-1941 | Research Assistant to Prof. Oskar Morgenstern, Princeton University. Collected and analyzed international financial data for major industrial countries before 1914 and in the 1920s. |
| 1941-1958 | Federal Reserve Bank of New York: Economist, Research Dept. 1941-47; Chief of Balance of Payments Division, 1947-53; Senior Economist, 1953-58. |
| 1942 | Ph.D. (Economics), University of Chicago. |
| 1944-1945 | Consultant to Foreign Economic Administration, Washington, D.C. |
| 1945 | Acquired U.S. Citizenship. |
| 1949, Sept.-1950, Mar. | Advisor, Bank of Korea and Korean Ministry of Finance, Seoul, South Korea, on behalf of the Economic Cooperation Administration. |
| 1950 | Publication of Capital Imports and the American Balance of Payments, 1934-39 (University of Chicago Press), based on doctoral dissertation. |
| 1951, Dec.-1952, Apr. | Financial Advisor, United Nations Civil Assistance Command and the United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency, in Pusan, South Korea. |
| 1953, Feb. | Member, four person team sent to the Associated States of Indochina by the Mutual Security Administration to evaluate U.S. foreign aid program to that area. |
| 1953, Autumn | Senior Economist, Professional Staff of the (Randall) Commission on Foreign Economic Policy, U.S. Government, Washington, D.C. |
| 1954, Oct.-1955, Jan. | Consultant, U.S. Foreign Operations Administration, Indochina. |
| 1956, Nov. and 1960, Aug. | Consultant, International Cooperation Administration, in Seoul, South Korea. |
| 1957-1958 | Year-long research trip visiting 12 European central banks (six months at Bank of England) on a Rockefeller grant, conducting research on the international gold standard before 1914. |
| 1958-1985 | Professor of Economics, University of Pennsylvania. |
| 1959 | Published Monetary Policy under the International Gold Standard, 1880-1914 (Fed. Reserve Bank NY). |
| 1961, Jan. | Consultant, Institute of Social and Economic Research, University College of the West Indies, Jamaica and Trinidad. |
| 1963 | Published Short-term Capital Movements under the Pre-1914 Gold Standard (Princeton Univ. Press). |
| 1964, Sept.-Dec. | Consultant, Central Bank of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, on behalf of the Ford Foundation. |
| 1966, Aug.-Sept. and 1967, June | Consultant, U.S. Agency for International Development, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. |
| 1968 | Published Patterns of Fluctuation in International Investment Before 1914 (Princeton Univ. Press). |
| 1974-1975 | Research in London for article "Adam Smith and the Theory of International Trade." |
| 1978-1998 | Member, Managing Board of Editors, Journal of Post Keynesian Economics. |
| 1985-1998 | Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Pennsylvania. |
| 1998, Oct. 6 | Died in Washington, D.C. |
Collection Overview
The papers of university professor and economist
Arthur Bloomfield span the period from 1927 to 1995. They
consist chiefly of research files from his job as economist
at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 1941-1958,
professional and academic correspondence received or
written from 1931 to 1995, research notes on various topics
in international finance, notes for his university classes
on the history of economic thought, and research files on
the pre-1914 gold standard. The papers document
Bloomfield's career as economist and professor of
economics, with special emphasis on his work as economic
consultant for the United States federal government,
particularly for the New York Federal Reserve Bank, and for
the governments of post-World War II South Korea and
Indochina. His chief areas of research activity focused on
international banking, evaluating foreign aid programs, the
pre-1914 gold standard, and economic development in the
U.K. and British Commonwealth countries (including the
British West Indies), and economy and banking in Malaysia,
Kuala Lumpur, the Congo, and Zaire. Substantial materials
on the history of economic thought can be found in
Bloomfield's teaching files. The collection is comprised of
six series: Correspondence Series, Incoming and Outgoing;
Federal Reserve Bank of New York Series; Pre-1914 Gold
Standard Series; History of Economic Thought Series;
Research Files Series; and Miscellaneous Series.
The Correspondence Series, Incoming and Outgoing,
contains letters received or written by Bloomfield over the
period 1931 to 1995. Arranged in folders chronologically,
this substantive collection of letters lends insight into
Bloomfield's professional and academic life.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York Series
contains material pertaining to Bloomfield's first career,
spanning 17 years, as an economist at the New York Federal
Reserve Bank. For that position he wrote a number of
research memoranda and in-house articles on a wide range of
international finance topics. Before World War II he wrote
mostly on economic developments in the U.K. and British
Commonwealth countries, but after the war his research
memoranda involved a broader range of topics.
The Pre-1914 Gold Standard Series contains
research notes for an intended book on the functioning of
the international gold standard, 1880-1914. Bloomfield
embarked on a year-long research trip to Europe in 1957 on
a Rockefeller grant, visiting twelve European central
banks, including the Bank of England where he spent over
six months. In the end, he did not complete the book, but
did write three substantial monographs from his notes:
Monetary Policy under the
International Gold Standard, 1880-1914 (Fed.
Reserve Bank NY, 1959);
Short-term Capital Movements
under the Pre-1914 Gold Standard (Princeton Univ.
Press, 1963); and
Patterns of Fluctuation in
International Investment before 1914 (Princeton
Univ. Press, 1968). Although these books are not in the
collection, this series contains one file folder for many
countries or geographical areas, including: Switzerland,
U.S.A., Sweden, Norway, Italy, Australia, New Zealand,
South Africa, India, Egypt, France, Canada, U.K., Japan,
Germany, Finland, Denmark, Russia, Belgium, Netherlands,
Austria, and Hungary.
The History of Economic Thought Series is an
extensive collection of files on diverse topics in the
history of economic thought. After 1974 Bloomfield's
research became increasingly devoted to the history of
economic thought, and he taught both graduate and
undergraduate level classes on the subject at the
University of Pennsylvania.
The Research Files Series contains research notes
associated with various overseas assignments and trips.
Over the period 1949-1984, Bloomfield made numerous trips
to developing countries as a consultant, in some cases
helping to establish the Central Bank (e.g. South Korea),
or in other cases evaluating foreign aid programs to those
areas (e.g. Indochina). In addition to notes made in
preparation for, and during, these assignments, this series
also contains notes for several articles (published and
unpublished), speeches, and conferences.
The bulk of the Miscellaneous Series consists of
papers from Bloomfield's undergraduate days at McGill
University, including one paper written in 1937 for Frank
Knight's ECO 305 class at the University of Chicago, titled
"Thorstein Veblen and his
Analysis of Business Enterprise."
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Subject Headings
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
- Bloomfield, Arthur I.-(Arthur Irving).
- Economic history.
- Economists-Correspondence.
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
- Economic assistance, American-Indochina.
- United States. Army. Korea Civil Assistance Command.
- Economists-United States-Correspondence.
- Gold standard-History.
- International finance.
- Banks and banking-South Korea.
- Banks and banking-England.
- Banks and banking-West Indies.
- Banks and banking-Congo (Democratic Republic).
Detailed Description of Collection
Correspondence Series, Incoming and Outgoing, 1931-1995
Includes all correspondence received by and
written by
Professor Bloomfield
concerning academic and other professional matters.
Arranged in chronological order.
Box 1
Incoming,
1931-1995
(51
folders)
Outgoing,
1944-1948
(5
folders)
Outgoing,
1949-1995
(46
folders)
Box 2
Outgoing,
1949-1995
(46
folders)
Federal Reserve Bank of New York Series, 1941-1958
Contains Bloomfield's
research memoranda
(short papers or articles which he wrote on a diverse range
of topics) and reports written for his job as an economist
with the
Federal Reserve Bank of New
York.
Box 2
Research Memoranda,
1941-1944
(7
folders)
Box 3A-3B
Research Memoranda,
1944-1958
(21
folders)
Pre-1914 Gold Standard Series, 1945-1966 and undated - (See also Oversize Materials)
Contains material for Bloomfield's intended
book on the functioning of the
international gold
standard.
Box 3B-3C
One file folder each on:
Switzerland,
U.S.A.,
Sweden,
Norway,
Italy,
Australia-
New Zealand,
South Africa,
India,
Egypt and miscellaneous
European and Far Eastern
Countries (
ca.
1957-1966)
Box 4
One file folder each on:
France,
Canada,
United Kingdom,
Japan,
Germany,
Finland,
Denmark,
Russia,
Belgium,
Netherlands,
Austria,
Hungary Bibliography,
undated
Summary Country Notes,
ca.
1958
Pre-1914 Short-term Capital
Movements,
1957-1962
Some general readings on the
Gold Standard especially
before
1914,
1945-1958
History of Economic Thought Series, 1974-1985 and undated
This series contains class lectures, readings,
and other teaching materials on the
history of economic thought.
Arranged in original random order.
Box 4
Classical economists in
general,
undated
Physiocrats and
Turgot,
undated
David
Ricardo
J. S. Mill and
J. E. Cairns,
undated
Marxist
Economics
Box 5
Senior,
Say,
Bentham,
undated
The
Austrians:
Menger,
Bohm-Bawerk,
Wierser,
undated
Thomas
Malthus and Lord
Lauderdale,
undated
Historical School and
Institutionalists,
undated
Gevons and the Marginal
Revolution
Walras and Pareto,
undated
Alfred Marshall,
undated
Cournot,
Gossen,
Dupont,
von Thunen
Wicksell,
Schumpeter,
Fisher. . .,
undated
J.B. Clark and
Marginal Productivity,
undated
19th C.
British
Views on Trade and Growth,
undated
(8
folders)
Notes and Readings on article "
Adam Smith and Theory of
International Trade,"
undated
Ancients and Schoolmen,
ca.
1983
Mercantilists and
Galiani,
Hume,
Cantillon,
Pelty,
Buisguilbaert,
Stewart,
ca.
1983
Adam Smith,
ca.
1985
Some readings and notes on class
lecture in the Theory of
International trade, Part
II,
ca.
1975
Some readings on Class Lectures in
International Monetary Economics,
ca.
1983
Some lectures on
History of Economic Thought,
ca.
1980
Box 6
Some Lectures on History of Economic
Thought,
ca.
1980
English Theories of
Trade and Growth,
1700-1800,
ca.
1983
19th C. British views on
Emigration,
Colonization, and
Trade,
ca.
1983
19th Century French theories on
Foreign Trade (and
Bibliography),
ca.1983
(4
folders)
Viner and
Keynes and
Macroeconomics,
ca. late
1970s
Class Reading Lists and
Examinations,
1974-1981
Research Files Series, 1940-1992 and undated, (bulk 1948-1983)
Notes relating to overseas assignments,
publications, and various other professional activities.
Arranged in rough chronological order.
Box 6
Report on the
Congolese Zairian
Monetary Reform,
1967
June
Work as an Assistant to
Oskar Morgenstern on his
National Bureau
Project on the
Gold Standard,
1940 Sept.-1941
Nov.
Trip to London and Paris for
Federal Reserve Bank of N.Y.,
1948
Apr.-May
Memoranda Prepared for
U.N. Civil Assistance Command,
Korea and
U.N. Reconstruction Agency,
1951 Dec.-1952
Mar. (Pusan,
Korea)
Misc. Memoranda of
Federal Reserve Bank N.Y.,
1948-1956,
1950-1956
Notes on two Trips to
S. Korea,
1949-1950,
1951-1952
Answers to Questions Submitted by
the
Bank of Korea, Pusan,
1952, 8
Feb.
Some Notes on my Work with the
Randall Commission,
1953
Paper delivered at NYU, "We Live in
the World: An Analysis of International Balance of Payments
Problems,
Foreign Investment and
Foreign Aid,"
1953
Oct.
Missions to
Indochina (Member of
Wilbur Commission of
1953)
Assignments in the
British West Indies and
Colonial Monetary Systems,
1960-1961
Discussion at Meeting of
Association for Asian
Studies,
1963
Notes on
Monetary Targeting (in
connection with
1963
unpublished report on
Malaysia)
Country Summary Notes on my
Princeton Study, No. 21,
1968
Notes and Readings on my
trade-theory survey article in the Annals
1969
Report to
Wilbur Commission on
foreign aid to the Associated States of
Cambodia,
Laos, and
Vietnam,
1953
Fund Report on trip to England and
France for
Federal Reserve Bank of
N.Y.,
1948
Box 7A
Notes on Speeches at NYU, Cornell,
Waterloo, University of Melbourne,
1972
Official intervention in the
foreign exchange market
(notes for State Dept. Report),
1973-1977
Claremont Monetary Conference,
1978
October
Speech on
Korea (with notes)
before Tuesday Korean Luncheon Meeting at Library of
Congress,
1988, 19
Apr.
Miscellaneous (from notes on
Jacob Viner),
1972-1992
Central Banks and the State,
1979-1983
Memoranda written for
Foreign Economic Administration
and
Federal Reserve Board,
1944-1945
Short-term Capital Movements
before
1914:
Notes on Princeton study (
ca.
1963)
Notes and some statistics on my
Princeton Study #21 (1968)
Box 7B
Long Cycles in
Foreign Investment before
1914
(Princeton Study #21),
1968
Marxism and
Foreign Trade: Notes on an
Uncompleted Project,
ca.
1970
My comments about and notes on
Bologna Conference,
1971
Miscellaneous Series, 1927-1992 and undated
Contains Bloomfield's undergraduate work at
McGill University, including term papers, papers written
for his extracurricular clubs, and speeches. Also contains
a paper written in graduate school at the University of
Chicago. Additional miscellaneous files include reprints of
articles by Jacob Viner and obituaries of colleagues.
Arranged in original random order.
Box 7B-8
Miscellaneous reports and papers by
Bloomfield
(7
folders)
:
"The Economic Crisis and
Commission Government in
Newfoundland,"
1935
"The Single Tax: A
Study in the Economics of Dissent,"
1935
"The
Bretton Woods
Agreements,"
ca. 1943-1944,
for Hillel Club
"Progress Already
Made Towards World Recovery,"
1934,
for McGill Political Economy Club
"What Can We Do for the
Maritime Provinces?,"
1935,
written for McGill Political Economy
Club
"The Allegory in the First Book of
the Fairie Queene by
Edmund Spenser,"
undated
"The Canadian Wheat
Problem,"
1936
"The Pluralistic
Revolt in Politics,"
1935
"
Thorstein Veblen and
his Analysis of Business Enterprise,"
1937
(written for
Frank Knight's ECO 305
class at U. of Chicago)
Reprints of articles on deaths of
prominent economists,
1973-1992
Sidney Weintraub's CV,
1977-1979
Sidney Weintraub's
memorial service,
1983
Reprints of some articles of
Jacob Viner,
1927-1962
Term papers and speeches from McGill
and University of Chicago,
1933
