Charles T. Snyder papers, 1956-1970s
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Summary
- Creator:
- Snyder, Charles T., 1920-1993
- Abstract:
- Charles T. Snyder was a United States Information Agency (USIA) employee from 1956 to 1977 who worked primarily with the Africa Division of the Voice of America radio broadcasting program. Collection contains documents and photographs related to Snyder's work, with a particular focus on a 1959 trip around the African coast and the proposal and construction of the Liberia Relay Station.
- Extent:
- 0.25 Linear Feet
- Language:
- Materials in English.
- Collection ID:
- RL.12012
Background
- Scope and content:
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Collection includes documents, photographs, correspondence, and other material related to Snyder's work in the US Information Agency with the Voice of America programming. Most of the documents are related to a 1959 trip along the African coast and to the Liberia Relay Station for Voice of America project.
- Biographical / historical:
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Charles T. ("Tom") Snyder, a white United States Information Agency (USIA) employee from 1956 to 1977, was born in Muncie, Indiana, on January 24, 1920. He studied political science, history, english, and music at the University of Michigan, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1942. After working for the federal government in several different capacities, he joined the USIA in 1956 and served as the script writer, chief editor, and branch chief of Voice of America's Africa Division. Snyder retired in May 1977. He passed away in 1993.
The USIA was a federal government agency in existence from 1953 until 1999, when it was folded into the US Department of State. USIA's mission was to effectively disseminate information about the United States and its foreign policies in a way that was understandable and meaningful to foreign populations. This activity is known as public diplomacy.
Voice of America (VOA), established in 1942, is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of the United States and is still in operation today. It operated under the USIA umbrella after the USIA was established in 1953. In 1976 President Ford signed the VOA Charter into law, identifying VOA's mission and principles. VOA provides news and information in more than 40 languages for digital, television, and radio platforms.
"Project Larry" was the nickname for the USIA and VOA's Liberia Relay Station construction project. The purpose of this relay station was to provide effective radio coverage of Africa, central Europe, and the Middle East. The Liberia Relay Station opened in 1964 and was in operation until its destruction in September 1990.
Sources: Patricia A. Holmes, "The Voice of America in Liberia: The End of the Road," Liberian Studies Journal 17, no. 1 (1992), 79-93; Wikipedia (accessed May 13, 2022); InsideVOA (accessed May 13, 2022).
- Acquisition information:
- The Charles T. Snyder Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2022.
- Processing information:
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Processed by Leah Tams, May 2022.
Accessions described in this collection guide: 2022-0021.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
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Contents
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- Restrictions:
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Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
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- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], Charles T. Snyder Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1gt7j