Kenneth H. Towsey Collection

MUM.00767

Table of Contents

Summary Information

Biographical Note

Scope and Content

Administrative Information

Related Materials

Controlled Access Headings

Access Restriction

PURL

Collection Inventory

Access Restriction

 Open for research. This collection is stored at an off-site facility. Researchers interested in using this collection must contact Archives and Special Collections at least two business days in advance of their planned visit.

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PURL

 http://purl.oclc.org/umarchives/MUM00767/

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Summary Information

Repository

University of Mississippi Libraries

Title

Kenneth H. Towsey Collection

ID

MUM.00767

Date

1952-1986

Extent

7.0 boxes 7 boxes

Dimensions note

7 boxes (9.5 linear feet).

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Kenneth H. Towsey ran the Information Office of Rhodesia in Washington, DC after the United States denied diplomatic recognition to the white minority regime following its 1965 declaration of independence from the United Kingdom. The collection contains correspondence with officials in Rhodesia and members of the United States Congress as well as files, clippings, and publications on Rhodesia and Zimbabwe.

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Biographical Note

Born in Nottingham, England on 9 January 1920, Ken Towsey flew fighter planes in the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm during World War II. After the war, he earned a master’s degree in modern languages from Oxford University and moved to Southern Rhodesia where he worked in the Department of the Prime Minister and the Ministry for External Affairs.

In 1964, Towsey was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and traveled to the United States as Counselor for Rhodesian Affairs at the British Embassy. Although the British government was prepared to grant Southern Rhodesia independence, it required colonies to first establish majority rule. When the white leaders of Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence in November 1965, Britain denounced the move as illegal and the United Nations called for sanctions and the severance of economic ties with the minority regime. The United States denied Rhodesia diplomatic recognition, but Towsey established the Information Office of Rhodesia in Washington, DC under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Following a Bush War with African nationalists, London negotiations resulted in Rhodesia temporarily reverting to colonial status in 1979 with independence granted to the New Republic of Zimbabwe after an internationally supervised election gave the presidency to Robert Mugabe in 1980. Towsey remained as Charge d’Affaires of the embassy in Washington, DC until the arrival of the new ambassador. He retired from diplomatic service in 1981 and later worked as an administrator for a biomedical business in Bethesda, Maryland.

Towsey and his wife, Joan, had three daughters: Hilary Stemp, Virginia Hawkins, and Celia Larsen. Towsey died of a heart attack on 3 September 1993 in his Bethesda, Maryland home.

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Scope and Content

The Kenneth H. Towsey Collection primarily holds material related to his official and unofficial diplomatic service in Washington, DC on behalf of Rhodesia. The “Correspondence with Rhodesia” files are dominated by communications with the office of the Secretary for External Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussing Towsey’s meetings and speeches, events in Rhodesia, background on and opinions of U.S. officials, African activity in the U.S., and U.S. reaction to Rhodesian policies. Many of the letters are stamped “Confidential” or “Secret.” The collection also includes Towsey’s letters with members of Congress, material related to his speaking engagements, subject files, and newspaper clippings.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

University of Mississippi Libraries 2017

Access Restrictions

The collection is open to researchers. However, since the collection is stored at an off-site facility, advance notice is required two business days before an intended visit in order to arrange the transfer of requested boxes to Special Collections.

Copyright Restrictions

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

Additions

No further additions are expected to this collection.

Acquisition Information

Kenneth H. Towsey’s daughter, Ceclia Towsey Larsen, donated the collection in May 2017.

Processing Information

Political Papers Archivist Leigh McWhite processed the collection and encoded the finding aid in June-July 2017.

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Related Materials

Separated Materials

Photographs are stored in cold storage in Modern Political Archives Photographs Box 5, Folder 25.

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Controlled Access Headings

Personal Name(s)

• Kenneth, Towsey, 1920-1993

Subject(s)

• United States – Foreign relations – Zimbabwe
• Zimbabwe – Foreign relations – United States

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Collection Inventory

BOX 1
Folder 1-1. 45rpm record “The Deafening Silence: Sermon Preached by the Dean, the Very Rev. J.R. da Costa, in the Cathedral of St. Mary and All Saints in Salisbury, Rhodesia, on Friday, 8th September, 1978, at the service for those who died and were massacred in the Viscount Air Disaster, Sunday, 3rd September, 1978.”
Folder 1-2. 503 Club
Folder 1-3. African National Council (1 of 2)
Folder 1-4. African National Council (2 of 2)
Folder 1-5. Annual Reports
Folder 1-6. Briefing Papers 1979-1980 (1 of 2)
Folder 1-7. Briefing Papers 1979-1980 (2 of 2)
Folder 1-8. Carnegie-Mellon University
Folder 1-9. Cartoons
Folder 1-10. Chrome [Byrd Bill]
Folder 1-11. Clippings 1953-1989, Undated
Folder 1-12. Clippings 1963-1978
Folder 1-13. Clippings 1966-1979
Folder 1-14. Clippings 1976-1977
Folder 1-15. Clippings March-April 1978
Folder 1-16. Clippings October-December 1978
Folder 1-17. Clippings by Malcom Muggeridge
Folder 1-18. Correspondence with Family 1952
Folder 1-19. Correspondence with Family 1954
Folder 1-20. Correspondence with Family 1965
Folder 1-21. Correspondence with Family 1969
Folder 1-22. Correspondence with Family 1972
Folder 1-23. Correspondence with Family 1973
Folder 1-24. Correspondence with Family 1975
Folder 1-25. Correspondence with Family 1976
Folder 1-26. Correspondence with Family 1977
Folder 1-27. Correspondence with Family 1978
Folder 1-28. Correspondence with Family 1979
Folder 1-29. Correspondence with Family 1983
Folder 1-30. Correspondence with Family 1984
Folder 1-31. Correspondence with Family 1985
Folder 1-32. Correspondence with Family 1986
Folder 1-33. Correspondence with Family Undated
Folder 1-34. Correspondence with Others 1965-1977
Folder 1-35. Correspondence with Rhodesia 1960
Folder 1-36. Correspondence with Rhodesia 1965
Folder 1-37. Correspondence with Rhodesia January-June 1966
BOX 2
Folder 2-1. Correspondence with Rhodesia July-December 1966
Folder 2-2. Correspondence with Rhodesia January-June 1967
Folder 2-3. Correspondence with Rhodesia July-December 1967
Folder 2-4. Correspondence with Rhodesia January-August 1968
Folder 2-5. Correspondence with Rhodesia September-December 1968
Folder 2-6. Correspondence with Rhodesia January-June 1969
Folder 2-7. Correspondence with Rhodesia July-December 1969
Folder 2-8. Correspondence with Rhodesia January-June 1970
Folder 2-9. Correspondence with Rhodesia July-December 1970
Folder 2-10. Correspondence with Rhodesia 1971
Folder 2-11. Correspondence with Rhodesia 1972
Folder 2-12. Correspondence with Rhodesia 1973
Folder 2-13. Correspondence with Rhodesia 1974
Folder 2-14. Correspondence with Rhodesia 1975
Folder 2-15. Correspondence with Rhodesia 1976
Folder 2-16. Correspondence with Rhodesia 1977
Folder 2-17. Correspondence with Rhodesia 1978
BOX 3
Folder 3-1. Correspondence with Rhodesia 1979
Folder 3-2. Correspondence with Rhodesia 1980-1982
Folder 3-3. Correspondence with U.S. Congressmen and Senators February 1967 – June 1971
Folder 3-4. Correspondence with U.S. Congressmen and Senators 1970-1973
Folder 3-5. Correspondence with U.S. Congressmen and Senators 1974-1976
Folder 3-6. Correspondence with U.S. Congressmen and Senators 1977-1979
Folder 3-7. Communism in Africa 1966 – 1976
Folder 3-8. Correspondence with Richard Griggs [of Duluth, Minnesota]
Folder 3-9. European, Asian, and Colored Education
Folder 3-10. Extradition [re: Louis Steinberg; original folder stamped “Secret”]
Folder 3-11. London Negotiations October 1965 [original folder stamped “Top Secret”]
Folder 3-12. Manuscript “The Crippled Eagles” by Robin Moore. Note: International Creative Management label on title page.
Folder 3-13. Joshua Nkomo
Folder 3-14. Papers and Articles by Ken Towsey
Folder 3-15. Peace Commission
Folder 3-16. Personal/Biographical Information
Folder 3-17. Prime Minister’s Visit [to Washington, DC] July 1979
Folder 3-18. Publications about Africa
BOX 4
Folder 4-1. Publications about Rhodesia (1 of 3)
Folder 4-2. Publications about Rhodesia (2 of 3)
Folder 4-3. Publications about Rhodesia (3 of 3)
Folder 4-4. Publications by Rhodesia (1 of 2)
Folder 4-5. Publications by Rhodesia (2 of 2)
Folder 4-6. Publications Miscellaneous
Folder 4-7. Racial Discrimination Commission
Folder 4-8. Rhodesia
Folder 4-9. Rhodesian Viewpoint (Published in the United States of America by the Rhodesian Information Office) 1968-1977
Folder 4-10. Security [Intelligence]
Folder 4-11. Speaking Engagements 1967-1970
Folder 4-12. Speaking Engagements 1970-1973
Folder 4-13. Speaking Engagements 1974-1977
Folder 4-14. Speaking Engagements 1977-1978
Folder 4-15. Speaking Engagements 1980
BOX 5
Folder 5-1. Speeches
Folder 5-2. Students’ Political Activities in United States
Folder 5-3. Terrorism 1977-1978
Folder 5-4. Terrorism 1978-1979
Folder 5-5. Terrorism 1979-1980
Folder 5-6. Ken Towsey’s Recollections
Folder 5-7. U.S. Presidential Campaign 1968
Folder 5-8. U.S. Statements November 1965 – December 1966
Folder 5-9. U.S. Statements, Some Correspondence with Congressmen, Some Canadian Views 1966
Folder 5-10. U.S. Statements 1967
BOX 6
Folder 6-1. U.S. Statements 1969
Folder 6-2. U.S. Statements 1970
Folder 6-3. U.S. Statements 1971
Folder 6-4. U.S. Statements 1972-1973
Folder 6-5. United States Treasury Investigation of Robert P. Mackey
Folder 6-6. Zimbabwe (1 of 6)
Folder 6-7. Zimbabwe (2 of 6)
Folder 6-8. Zimbabwe (3 of 6)
Folder 6-9. Zimbabwe (4 of 6)
Folder 6-10. Zimbabwe (5 of 6)
Folder 6-11. Zimbabwe (6 of 6)
SMALL BOX
Campaign buttons “Nixon Agnew” (2)
Campaign button “Nixon’s the One!”
Campaign button “McCarthey”
Campaign button “Humphrey Muskie”
Campaign buttons “Nixon Agnew” (2)
Campaign buttons “nixon agnew” (2)
Campaign buttons “nixon” (2).
Modern Political Archives Photographs, Box 5, Folder 25  Separated Materials Photographs have been separated from the collection for cold storage.