Library of Congress to Receive Collection : Armand Hammer to Donate Papers

Armand Hammer, an industrialist whose ties to the Soviet Union date back more than 60 years to the days of Vladimir I. Lenin, plans to donate his personal papers to the Library of Congress, the head of the library announced Friday.

The collection will include the correspondence and personal papers of the 89-year-old chairman of Occidental Petroleum Corp., as well as films and recordings documenting Hammer’s contacts with world leaders, Librarian of Congress Daniel J. Boorstin said.

The Library of Congress plans a special exhibit from the Hammer collection on Hammer’s 90th birthday, May 21, 1988.

“Armand Hammer’s life is a brilliant American saga of enterprise, energy and imagination,” Boorstin said in a statement. “His career shows us, too, the role that leaders in our nation of nations can play in bringing the world together.”

Hammer’s agreement to donate his papers stipulates that during his lifetime and for an as-yet-undetermined period thereafter, the papers may be consulted only with the permission of Hammer or those authorized to act in his behalf.

Hammer, who lives in Los Angeles, is best known for his contributions toward improving East-West relations and as a lifelong patron of the arts.

In a statement released with the library’s announcement, Hammer said:

“I have been fortunate to have had a long and active life, bringing me into contact with many different people and events. I hope that in the future, scholars may be able to learn from some of these and that this might further the cause of understanding among nations of different ideologies.”