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Ranft collection

 Collection
Identifier: MS 3008

Abstract

The papers in the Ranft Collection span the years 1943 to 1976, with the bulk of the collection falling between the years 1948-1962. The collection consists of letters, news articles, financial records, travel information, interviews, and over a hundred photographs. The collection has been arranged around Joseph and Adele Ranft.

Dates

  • 1943-1976
  • Majority of material found within 1948-1962

Creator

Language of Materials

Some items in French and Greek.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

The reproduction of materials in this collection may be subject to copyright restrictions. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine and satisfy copyright clearances or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information visit the MCHC’s Rights and Permissions page.

Biographical Note

Joseph Leonard Ranft, Jr. was born in Baltimore, Maryland on January 9, 1905. His parents were Joseph Leonard Ranft, born 1874 in Baltimore, Maryland and Anna Ranft, born 1882 in Baltimore, Maryland. Joe attended Army-Navy Preparation in Baltimore from 1919-1923. He attended the University of Maryland, in Baltimore where he studied law. He began his career in journalism at the Baltimore Sun. From 1934-1936, Joe worked as a manager in Hamilton, Bermuda at the Bermuda News Bureau. From 1936-1942 he was a reporter for the Washington Times-Herald. Joe worked briefly for the Office of War Information as a radio editor. During the 1940s he worked for United Press in New York and then the International News Service (INS) in Paris. Joe covered the Nuremberg Trials for INS and was in Berlin during the Berlin Airlift.

While working for Radio Free Europe, Joe established their Athens Bureau during the late 1950s. He became Chief of the News Division and then Program Manager of Radio Free Europe in New York. During the 1960s he worked as a consultant in Washington, D.C., working for NASA, the US Information Agency, and the Agency for International Development (AID). He also did free lance writing, mostly travel writing. In 1957, he wrote a speech for President Eisenhower on Hungarian freedom fighters. Joseph Ranft died of cancer on August 13, 1974 at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Adele Allerhand Ranft was born on December 24, 1908 in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father, Max Allerhand was born on December 27, 1861 in Vienna, Austria. Her mother, Anna Allerhand was born on May 15, 1869 in Hanover, Germany. Adele was a writer, mostly during freelance work, but she did work for the Washington Times-Herald during the late 1930s, early 1940s. Joe and Adele were married on May 29, 1943. Adele died in Washington, D. C. in January 1976.

Extent

2 Linear Feet (4 document boxes)

Arrangement

The Ranft Collection consists of three major series: 1) Joseph Ranft Papers; 2) Joseph and Adele Ranft Papers; and 3) Adele Ranft Papers. The papers in this collection range from 1943-1976.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Ranft Collection was donated to the Maryland Historical Society Library in 2001 by Douglas Shepherd.

General

Use gloves with box 2 for photographs.

Scope and Contents

The bulk of the collection has been arranged within the Joseph Ranft (1905-1974) series. Joe Ranft was a journalist and self-described “intelligence specialist,” who worked for International News Service (INS) and Radio Free Europe. The bulk of the series deals with Joe’s time with these two organizations. The Joseph Ranft series deals mainly with his work on Eastern Europe. There are news articles, interviews, correspondence, press releases, and briefings dealing with the Communist Soviet Union presence in Eastern Europe.

The bulk of the Joseph and Adele Ranft series centers on their financial records and photographs. There are over one hundred photos, most without a date or location/name noted. The legal documents consist of an apartment lease, rabies vaccination papers for their cat Kukla, who they took to live with them in Athens, Greece, and various estate information. Also included is a folder containing various ephemera.

The bulk of the Adele Ranft series revolves around travel information, which covers the years 1951 to 1973. Adele’s correspondence, both personal and professional spans the years 1943 to 1976. There are numerous articles written by Adele, spanning the years 1943 to 1952. Also included are various newspaper clippings and a list of quotations that Adele found interesting.

The Ranft Collection offers insight into the political and economic situation in communist Eastern Europe, directly following World War II. Much of Joe’s information came from interviewing refugees from Soviet controlled territories. There are also many articles on U. S. foreign aid and policy. Although Joe Ranft covered the Nuremberg Trials for INS, there are only a few items relating to this event. One major weakness of this collection is that many of the items do not have dates. Also, copies of Joe’s interviews do not state who is being interviewed. For some items the content could not be determined as they were written in either French or Greek.

Title
Guide to the Ranft collection
Status
In Progress
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Revision Statements

  • 2020-03-24: Manually entered into ArchivesSpace by Emily Somach.

Repository Details

Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository

Contact:
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750