Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1935-1947 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
2 volumes - 978 p.
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
At the heart of the collection is S. Lester's "diary" written between 1935 and 1946 when he served with or for the League of Nations, in Geneva and Danzig. S. Lester kept a considerable number of letters and texts of all kinds during his life. His notes were inspired by minor and major events, the working of the League of Nations, personalities he met, political developments, some family matters, and fishing. They varied in length between a half page and five pages or more, at times on a daily or twice daily basis, followed by periods when nothing was put down. A large part of the journal (1935-1941) was hand-written in note-books, the rest was typed on loose-leafs by S. Lester himself or his secretary, with date and place and often annotated "private", or "secret", or "confidential".
After his death in 1959, and several moves, all of these papers were mislaid and presumed to be lost. However, in 1980 an important part of his journal was found covering much of 1935-1941. These papers were thought to be all that had survived, and were, therefore, copied, bound under the title "Diary" together with some less interesting papers. Subsequently three more batches of papers turned up including the rest of his journal for 1934-1946, and all his other papers from 1929 to 1959.
Repository
Archival history
The diary, consisting in two bound volumes, was donated to the United Nations Library in Geneva, Registry, Records and Archives Unit, by Sean Lester's daughters: Dorothy Mary Gageby, Patricia Kilroy and Ann Gorski, in July 1981.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
This unedited and uncorrected typescript of the diary and papers of Sean Lester covers, in part, the period when he was League of Nations High Commissioner in Danzig (1935-1937), Deputy Secretary-General (1937-1940) and Secretary-General (1940-1947, by decision of the General Assembly in 1946) of the League of Nations in Geneva.
The material bound in this "Diary" is by no means complete, even for the 1935-1941 period. Some time after the "Diary" was bound, a further box of papers, covering most of S. Lester's life, was found, including: private diary entries, general S. Lester's notes, correspondence, press, etc. In fact, some of the most important papers for 1935-1941 were found and are not therefore in the "Diary" - for instance as regards the 1936 crisis.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Public
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Protection period to: 2007-12-31
Creation date remarks: 1 letter, included in the bound volume 2, is dated 5 August 1958
Note
The two volumes of Sean Lester's Diary were both digitized twice:
The first scan took place in 2006 and the letters were then scanned and indexed individually. These PDFs can be accessed at the [Document] level.
The second scan took place in 2021, as part of the LONTAD project, this time creating a single PDF for each bounded volume. These PDFs are in higher resolution than those of the 1st scanning project, and are available at the [File] level.
Alternative identifier(s)
Scope ID
Reference Code
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Lester, Sean (Subject)
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Responsible employee: Blukacz-Louisfert Blandine (UNOG Library)
Archivist's note
Protection period duration: 60
Archivist's note
Protection period note:
Archivist's note
Permission: No permission necessary.
Archivist's note
Physical usability: Without limits
Archivist's note
Term of protection: None