A collection of sound recordings documenting discussion sections from the first International Oceanographic Congress, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from August 31 to September 12, 1959.
International Oceanographic Congress Sound Recordings, 1959 (SMC 169)
Extent: .7 Linear feet (2 shoeboxes)
Digital Content
All recordings in the collection have been digitized.
The first International Oceanographic Congress was held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from August 31 to September 12, 1959. The Congress was sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, UNESCO and the Scientific Committee on Ocean Research (SCOR).
A collection of sound recordings documenting discussion sections from the first International Oceanographic Congress, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from August 31 to September 12, 1959. There are a total of 70 separate tape recordings, sequentially numbered from 1 to 78 (tape numbers 10, 17, 22, 33, 36, 60, 73, and 76 were missing prior to acquisition by the Library). Roger Revelle was a facilitator at the conference and he can be heard introducing colleagues, leading summary discussions of presented papers, and guiding question and answer sessions on many of the recordings. Revelle and Sir Edward Bullard are both present in the final two tapes in the collection, discussing a final summary of the Congress. The recordings document only a small selection of proceedings, and appear to capture the more free-ranging scientific discussions that followed formal paper presentations. Topics include all aspects of oceanography, including a statement on climate change by Revelle.
In addition to Revelle and Bullard, speakers on the recordings include (in alphabetical order): Gustaf Arrhenius, J. D. Bernal, Trygve Braarud, Wallace S. Broecker, Anton Bruun, H. O. Bull, Dayton Carritt, G. S. Carter, Charles Cox, John E. Cushing, Robert S. Dietz, Malcolm Dole, Maurice Ewing, Z. A. Filatova, S. W. Fox, Kurt Fredriksson, H. Friedrich, Edward Goldberg, Edwin L. Hamilton, Harry Hess, G. Evelyn Hutchinson, Columbus Iselin, A. G. Kolesnikov, Devendra Lal, A. S. Laughton, Gordon G. Lill, Heinz Lowenstam, Willem V.R. Malkus, N. B. Marshall, Y. Miyake, Haakon Mosby, Walter H. Munk, D. M. Owen, N. K. Panikkar, Edgard Picciotto, Norris Rakestraw, Dixy Lee Ray, Francis P. Shepard, C. J. Shipek, J. H. Steele, K. K. Turkian, Allyn Vine, William Von Arx, Torben Wolff and Georg Wust.
Recordings are arranged by original reel number, which corresponds to a chronological sequence through the Congress. Reels from the same or directly related sessions are grouped together under shared topical titles and dates, though sometimes the topic of discussion changes unpredictably, and the end of one session and the start of another is not always clear.