Guide to the Albert Ford Hinrichs letters from the USSR

John Hay Library
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
Fax: 401-863-2093
email: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2009

Collection Overview

Title:	Albert Ford Hinrichs letters from the USSR
Date range:	1930-1978
Creator:	Hinrichs, Albert Ford, 1899-1978
Extent:	75 items
Abstract:	This collection consists primarily of letters describing the USSR in 1930 and 1932 as it appeared to an American economist. Also included is miscellaneous biographical information relating to the author.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library
Collection number:	Ms. 82.3

Scope & content

The letters written from the USSR in 1930 and 1932 provide day-by-day details of life in Russia, with an emphasis on the economy. From his observations in 1930 emerged two general impressions: first, that the Russians were willing to experiment with new ideas, regardless of their origin; and, second, that the workers and peasants identified with the new leaders who had risen from their own ranks. The 1932 sabbatical trip was intended as an opportunity to study the mechanics of economic planning: the mechanics of the development of an economic plan as it worked its way up from farms and factories to the central planning agency and then down again into a five-year program. Two overwhelming impressions emerged during the 1932 trip: first, that people as individuals lived under terror; second, that the mechanics of detailed economic planning were more involved than human management could cope with.

In addition to the letters themselves, the collection includes biographical and autobiographical material relating to Dr. Hinrichs, notably a transcript from a tape-recorded account, in 1978, of his life down to 1946.

Access Points

Subject Topics

• Government, Politics and Law

Arrangement

• Series 1: Letters
• Series 2: Miscellaneous

Biographical note

Albert Ford Hinrichs, born in 1899, obtained three degrees in economics at Columbia University between 1921 and 1923. Following several years at the New York State Bureau of Housing and Regional Planning, in 1926 he became Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the Bureau of Business Research at Brown University, a position which he held until 1934.

While a member of the Brown University faculty, he made two trips to the Soviet Union. His first trip, in July and August 1930, was as a member of a group led by Professor Seager of Columbia University (under whom Dr. Hinrichs had studied), the first group of American economists to visit that country since 1917. A tour of the countryside had been arranged in advance with Intourist. His second trip, from August to November 1932, had been intended as a full year's sabbatical stay. His plan, for which he obtained permission from the Soviet government before leaving the United States, was to spend four months in Moscow, visit his wife and children in Switzerland at Christmas, and then tour the Russian countryside. But there was famine and popular unrest that year, and the projected tour was not permitted; he even found it difficult to make appointments with officials in Moscow. After rejoining his family, therefore, he did not return to Russia but spent six months in 1933 studying national planning in Italy and other topics.

Following his return to the United States, Dr. Hinrichs was able to apply his research to a book on social and economic planning, which he wrote in collaboration with Lewis Lorin under the auspices of the National Planning Commission in the Department of the Interior. In 1934 he joined the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Department of Labor, where he remained until 1946. Subsequently he held several official, academic, and advisory positions until 1967. He died in 1978.

Chronology

Date		Event
1899		Born in Brooklyn, New York
1916-1920		Attended Cornell University
1921		B.A. in Economics, Columbia University
1922		M.A. in Economics, Columbia University. Married Edith F. Pendreigh
1923		Ph.D. in Economics, Columbia University
1924-1926		Director of Research, New York State Bureau of Housing and Regional Planning
1926-1934		Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the Bureau of Business Research, Brown University
1930		First trip to USSR
1932		Second trip to USSR
1934-1940		Chief Economist, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor
1940		Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics
1940-1946		Acting Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics
1946-1948		Economist, Kiplinger Washington Agency
1948-1953		Assistant Chief of the Division of Finance and Fiscal Policy, U.S. Economic Cooperation Administration
1955-1957		with Institute of Public and Business Administration, University of Karachi
1957-1964		Professor of Business Administration and Director of Graduate Studies in Business, Syracuse University
1959-1961		Principal Statistical Advisor to the Government of Pakistan
1964-1978		Professor Emeritus, Syracuse University
1965-1967		Chief Statistical Advisor to the Government of the Republic of China
1978		Died in Washington, D.C.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Albert Ford Hinrichs letters from the USSR, Ms. 82.3, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	John Hay Library Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 Fax: 401-863-2093 email: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	This collection was donated to Brown University in 1982 by Dr. Hinrich's widow, Mrs. Edith P. Hinrichs.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Brown University Library staff
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Daniel Mejia 2009 February 27
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Inventory

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