Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1954-2001 (Creation)
- 1954- (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
4.23 m of textual records
3 graphic items
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Atlantic Council of Canada (ACC) developed out of the Canadian Atlantic Coordinating Committee (CACC) which was formed in 1954 under the leadership of Professor Edgar McInnis of the Department of History, University of Toronto (later the first full-time president of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs - CIIA). In doing so he acted at the suggestion of the Secretary of State for External Affairs, Lester B. Pearson, his friend and former colleague, who had recognized that as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was to continue indefinitely it was necessary to provide public understanding of and support for it. The CACC brought together representatives of the CIIA and the United Nations Association (UNA). In 1966 it was succeeded by the Atlantic Council of Canada, which two years later was incorporated and continued this role.
Name of creator
Biographical history
Robert Allan Spencer, historian, educator and administrator, was born in Montreal on 9 November 1920. Following his undergraduate degree from McGill (BA 1941), he served with the Canadian Forces in Britain and Northwest Europe (1942-1946). After obtaining his MA in 1947 (University of Toronto) and his DPhil (St John's College, Oxford) in 1950, he joined the Department of History at the University of Toronto as a Lecturer. By 1964, he had achieved the position of full professor and in 1986, Professor Emeritus.
During his early years at McGill, Spencer joined the McGill University Canadian Officers Training Corps as a Cadet in 1941. By 1944, he had been promoted to Captain. After World War II, from 1958 to 1966, he served in the University of Toronto Contingent, Canadian Officers Training Corps as a Major, then as a Lieutenant Colonel and commanding officer (1962-1966). He then served on the COTC’s Board of Trustees to 2001.
In addition to serving as Associate Chairman of the Department of History from 1964 to 1967, Professor Spencer also served as Associate Dean, School of Graduate Studies, Division I (Humanities) from 1973 to 1976, and Director of the Centre for International Studies, which was established under his initiative in 1976. He was also instrumental in formulating the International Studies Programme from 1967 to 1972. During his tenure, he has taught courses on European history, with emphasis on German history during the 19th and 20th centuries. Related fields of interest include international relations, Canadian foreign policy and East-West relations in Europe, and he has researched, spoken and written extensively on these subjects both internationally and in Toronto.
Fluent in English, French and German with some knowledge of Italian, Spencer has served as a visiting professor at Historische Kommission zu Berlin, Friedrich Meinecke Institute, Free University of Berlin (1970), Facolta di Giurisprudenza, University of Siena (1985), St. Anthony’s College at Oxford (1986) and as a visiting fellow at the Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University (1987). Over the years, he as has been co-editor of the International Journal, and been an active member of several organizations and institutions including: the Canadian Historical Society, the Canadian Institute of International Affairs (CIIA), the Canadian German Conference, Atlantik-Brücke, the Atlantic Council of Canada, the Committee on Atlantic Studies and the Canadian Council for European Affairs. He also produced radio talks and documentaries for CBC.
During his sixty-year career as both an academic and a military commander, Professor Spencer has received numerous awards and recognition for his achievements. Most notably, he was awarded the Canadian Decoration (1964), the Jubilee Medal (1978), the Goethe Medal (1983) and the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit by the Federal Republic of Germany (1986). He has also received numerous research grants, including managing a major research grant of $275,000 from the Donner Canadian Foundation from 1978 to 1986. In 1998 he was given an Honorary Fellowship by Trinity College.
In 1948 Professor Spencer married Ruth Margaret Church. The couple had three children, Charles, Valerie Spencer Keyes and Katherine Spencer-Ross. Professor Spencer lives in Ottawa.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
The fonds consists of records donated to the Archives by Robert A. Spencer in September 2010.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Fonds consists mainly of files relating to both the administrative and public activities of the Atlantic Council of Canada during the years when Robert A. Spencer (RAS) was executive director of the Council. Also included are files relating to the ACC's involvement with the Canadian government, the North Atlantic Treaty Association, the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA), the Committee on Atlantic Studies (CAS), and the Turkish Atlantic Council.
Contains series
- Origins and history
- Atlantic Council of Canada
- Administration
- Programme Committee activities
- Activities under the direction of the President and the Executive Committee
- Relations with DFAIT, DND, and NATO Headquarters in Brussels
- The Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA)
- NATO Enlargement
- Committee on Atlantic Studies (CAS)
- Turkish Atlantic Council
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
The files remain largely in the order received from the donor. In some cases several small files on the same subject have been collapsed and duplicates or extraneous material has been discarded.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open
Conditions governing reproduction
Various copyright holders. It is the researcher's responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the fonds.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Uploaded finding aid
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Dates of creation revision deletion
2016-07-25
Language(s)
- English