Researching the League of Nations Archives

The archives of the League of Nations are constituted by three fonds:

• The Secretariat Fonds: all the material produced or received at the headquarters of the League of Nations.
• The Refugees Mixed Archival Group Fonds (Nansen Fonds): linked to the activities of Fridtjof Nansen as League of Nations High Commissioner (for Prisoners of War, and later for Russian Refugees).
• The External Fonds: groups of files constituted outside the Secretariat by more or less autonomous bodies established by the League of Nations.

The archives of the League include also various collections:

• The Bulky Enclosures collection: annexes, or even parts, of certain Registry files stored separately due to their large size.
• The Official Documents collection: minutes, reports, and documents of the various League organs.
• The League of Nations Library Map Collection: maps acquired by the Library of the League of Nations.
• The Photograph Collection: photos from the time of the League.
• The Conventions, Ratifications and other Diplomatic Instruments (League of Nations): diplomatic instruments in most cases concluded under the auspices of the League of Nations and deposited with its Secretary-General.
• The Registry Index Cards collection: index cards created and used by the League’s Registry Unit which was responsible for registering correspondence and for opening files.