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Walter Spencer Robertson Papers (1893–1970)

Call number: Mss1 R5495 b

The Walter Spencer Robertson papers (Mss1 R5495 b) were recently processed and made available to the public and complement our other collection of his papers (Mss1 R5495 a) already in our archives.

Walter Spencer Robertson (1893–1970), originally from Blackstone, Virginia, was a notable figure during the early to mid twentieth century. He served as a pilot during World War I, and worked as an investment banker at Scott & Stringfellow in Richmond, Virginia. He rose to national prominence through his expertise in the culture and politics of the Far East. Robertson served as the American Minister at the U.S. Embassy in Chungking, China from 1945 to 1946, and as Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs from 1953 to 1959, under the direction of Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. By the time of Robertson's appointment to the State Department, the United States was deeply into the Cold War and attempting to thwart the worldwide spread of communism. He urged the United States to support the anticommunist governments of China and Korea. To this end Robertson forged diplomatic and personal relationships with foreign leaders such as Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek of China and President Syngman Rhee of Korea. The correspondence, scrapbooks, and photographs of both Robertson and his wife, Mary Dade Taylor Robertson, provide insight into the often complicated and delicate world of international diplomacy.

The full contents of the collection may be viewed by visiting the reading room of the Virginia Historical Society. A detailed description of the content can be found in the VHS online catalog (call number: Mss1 R5495 b).

Images
From top to bottom: A 1953 photograph of Walter Spencer Robertson with President Syngman Rhee of Korea; a 1953 photograph of Walter Spencer Robertson as he is sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern affairs by Raymond Muir; a c. 1918 photograph shows Walter Spencer Robertson with his crashed plane; and a photograph of an unidentified woman, Mary Dade Taylor Robertson, May-ling Soong Chiang (Madam Chiang Kai-shek), and Walter Spencer Robertson during a visit by Madam Chiang's visit to the Robertson's home, Milburne, in Richmond, Virginia.

Access the Collection
Go to the VHS online catalog