Activities of the Friends
 

MEETINGS
 

^^ II ^HE FRIENDS' series of events for the present academic
year came to a conclusion on Tuesday, April 23, when
- approximately 200 attended the Bancroft Award dinner
which was held in the Men's Faculty Club. During the program
President Kirk announced the winners of the prizes for the two
books judged by the Bancroft Prize Jury to be the best in the field
of American history published during 1956: Russia Leaves the War,
by George F. Kennan, former Ambassador to the Soviet Union,
and Wilson: The Neiv Freedom, by Arthur S. Link, Professor of
History at Northwestern University. He presented a S 2,000 check
to each of the authors. Certificates were presented to Mr. Herbert
S. Bailey, Jr., Director of the Princeton University Press which
published both books. Russell Lynes, Managing Editor oi Harper's
Magazine, was the principal speaker.

C. Waller Barrett, Chairman of the Friends, presided. The
audience expressed its pleasure with applause w hen he announced
that cash gifts and the appraised value of books, manuscripts, and
collections given by our members during the past six years totaled
over $259,000 and when he said that the Columbia Libraries have
purchased the John Jay Collection. He added that $25,000 has yet
to be raised in order that the final payment can be made on July 17,
but the Avalon Foundation has agreed to match all new gifts up to
a total of J17,500. Thus, he said, every gift from now on will have
double value.

The Council of our Association will meet shortly to plan the
autumn meeting which will inaugurate our 1957-58 series of events.

FINANCES
In accordance with our regular practise, wc arc publishing below
a brief statement with regard to the amount which has been

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