![Blaney memorabilia news page](/sites/default/files/2023-12/12_7_2023_Blaney_370_208.jpg)
The Library is pleased to announce the generous donation of the papers of Ambassador John W. Blaney (MSFS’1975) to the Booth Family Center for Special Collections. The collection, given by Ambassador Blaney earlier this year, documents his career, from his education at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, to his time in Moscow during the collapse of the Soviet Union, to his pivotal role in ending the Liberian Civil War.
Ambassador Blaney carefully organized his collection before donating it to the Booth Family Center for Special Collections. He also personally annotated the bulk of his papers, providing unique insight and context to the documents, photographs, and memorabilia. The collection documents all aspects of his career in foreign service. In a recent presentation to the Georgetown University Library Board, Blaney explained that he strove “to avoid making this a kind of fairy-tale collection, selectively going from success to success, while ignoring setbacks.”
![Blaney memorabilia](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2023-12/12_7_2023_Blaney2.jpg?itok=y2yG9rQR)
Memorabilia from Blaney’s years in Moscow.
The Cold War portion of the collection documents Blaney's diplomatic experiences in Moscow from 1988 to 1991 as the Soviet Union was disintegrating. According to Blaney, in this section researchers will find “primary material on what happened and why, from someone who interacted with and really knew most all the key Soviet actors” during the final days of the U.S.S.R.
![Blaney on the cover of the New York Post](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2023-12/12_7_2023_Blaney1.jpg?itok=S0ToBHq_)
Cover page of the New York Post featuring Blaney in Liberia. Inscribed by Colin Powell to Blaney, “Warrior Ambassador.”
His time serving as U.S. Ambassador to Liberia is also extensively documented. Included are his experiences in 2003, when he crossed “no man’s land” to broker a peace deal between the government of Charles Taylor and the anti-Taylor rebel group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy.
The John W. Blaney Papers, while currently unprocessed, are open to the public and can be accessed by appointment in the Booth Family Center for Special Collections reading room. Looking to honor Ambassador Blaney’s service and recognizing the research and instructional value of his papers, Library Board member Bernard J. Picchi and his wife Nancy S. Picchi made a generous financial donation to support the hiring of an archivist. The donor-funded archivist will process the collection, craft an online finding aid, and assist in the design of a future exhibition. The Picchis believe that the collection will be of interest to researchers exploring primary sources related to international diplomacy, conflict resolution, nuclear arms control, and the role of the United States and the United Nations in Africa. As Blaney explained to the Library Board, the collection “is something of a gold mine for historians, policy analysts, those looking for PhDs, and perhaps most importantly, students [interested in a career in diplomacy].”