Scope and Content of the Collection
This collection comprises a mixture of Boris Shishkin's personal and office papers consisting of correspondence, speeches and writings, reports, phone logs and printed material. The collection provides some documentation on Shishkin's early educational and professional career, but in more depth his work with the AFL on issues of racial discrimination and housing. The collection spans the years 1918 to 1968, but most of the material is dated from 1931 to 1971.
Shishkin cultivated wide-ranging interests that are reflected in the correspondence and subject files. Undoubtedly, his Russian origins contributed to a life-long interest in issues concerning that part of the world, and the collection provides some insight into his views on these issues. His participation in war-time boards and agencies, and his work with the Marshall Plan, provides information on World War II and the European recovery.