Jordan J. Baruch papers

The Jordan J. Baruch papers consist primarily of writings and presentations by Baruch, as well as correspondence. While these materials comprise the bulk of the collection, the papers also include course notes, reports, meeting agendas and minutes, photographs, clippings, background material, and some ephemera. The collection spans the years 1946 to 2011, with the bulk of the material dating from the 1970s and 1980s.

The materials contained in this collection cover a wide variety of topics including industrial and technological innovation, the intersection of engineering and business management, computer automation in hospitals, Baruch's government service, and the development of one of the earliest academic and business partnerships between the US and China after the two countries normalized relations beginning in 1972. The papers also include drafts of Baruch's unpublished memoir, which lend context to the rest of the materials in the collection.

Series 1. Biographical and Personal Information contains drafts and outlines of Baruch's memoir, along with resumes, photographs, publication lists, mementos, professional certifications, a scrapbook, and "people" files relating to personal and professional contacts Baruch made throughout his life.

Series 2. Chronological Files contains correspondence files. The bulk of this material dates from 1977 to 1981, when Baruch served as Assistant Secretary for Productivity, Technology and Innovation in the US Department of Commerce. Other correspondence in this series deals with Baruch's time working with Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN), MEDINET/General Electric, and EDUCOM; his time teaching at Harvard, Dartmouth, and Johns Hopkins; his years working as a consultant with the Jordan Baruch Associates, Inc.; and his work in China. Also included in this series are several years' worth of weekly planners and some subject files.

Series 3. Course Notes consists of course notes and materials from Baruch’s time teaching at the Harvard Business School (1971-1974), the Thayer School of Engineering and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College (1974-1977), and the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University (early 1990s).

Series 4. Government Work Files contains some of the work Baruch completed during his tenure as Assistant Secretary for Productivity, Technology and Innovation in the US Department of Commerce (1977-1981). The materials in this series mainly focus on Baruch's work on the Domestic Policy Review on Industrial Innovation (DPR), which was an advisory document for President Jimmy Carter.

Series 5. Testimonies consists of statements and testimonies given by Baruch at hearings before committees of the US Senate and House of Representatives. These testimonies dealt with a wide range of topics including technological and industrial innovation, the United States' international competitiveness in industry, patent and trademark laws, and the administration of government departments that Baruch oversaw in his role as Assistant Secretary for Productivity, Technology and Innovation. The testimonies in this series provide very detailed information on policies and thought about technology and innovation in the 1970s and 1980s.

Series 6. International Work Files contains material related to Baruch's international work and travels, both during his time in the Department of Commerce and as a consultant. The materials in this series cover Baruch's work on technological innovation in developing countries, his help establishing institutes for science and technology management, his founding of the Israel-US Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation, and his work with the Board on Science and Technology for International Development's (BOSTID), Science and Technology for Industrial Development (STAID) project. These files include background documents from the US Department of State, travel itineraries, correspondence, meeting agendas, reports, proposals, and publications.

Series 7. China Files covers Baruch's travels to and work in the People's Republic of China. Baruch traveled to China in 1977 with a delegation from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), where he visited factories and toured cultural sites. The knowledge he gained from that trip gave him an understanding that proved helpful during the US Secretary of Commerce's visit to China in 1979, when a a protocol to promote interchange concerning the management of science and technology matters between the US and China was signed. This trip laid the groundwork for the establishment of the National Center for Industrial Science and Technology Management Development (NCISTMD) in 1980, of which Baruch had a major part. The center was one of the early academic and business partnerships between the US and China, at a time when friendly relations between the two countries were still quite new; President Nixon's diplomatic visit with Chair Mao Zedong had just taken place in 1972. Baruch was involved with the NCISTMD for several years and returned to China a few more times. Materials in this series include correspondence, notebooks, proposals, program plans, clippings, writings, course notes, recordings of lectures, photographs, and souvenirs.

Series 8. Writings and Presentations contains articles, case studies, working papers, grant proposals, speech transcripts and outlines, and book chapters by Baruch, as well as drafts, notes, correspondence, background material, his doctoral thesis, and materials from conferences and symposia that he attended and participated in. Boxes 19 through 22 of this series contain drafts, outlines, notes, and references dealing with the topic of innovation, and these files culminate with a copy of Baruch's 1997 book, Innovation Explosion, which was co-authored with James Brian Quinn and Karen Ann Zien.