Historical Note
The Sister City relationship between Seattle, Washington and Kobe, Japan
began in 1957 through the office of Seattle Mayor Gordon Clinton and Mayor
Chujiro Haraguchi of Kobe. The program was part of an international
"People-to-People" initiative first suggested by President Eisenhower in 1956.
The Seattle-Kobe relationship was the first of 21 sister-city relationships
held by Seattle today; others include Mazatlan, Mexico; Galway City, Ireland;
and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Content Description
The Seattle-Kobe Affiliation Committee Public Relations Records date
from 1957 to 1964 and contain quarterly reports, correspondence, memoranda,
meeting notices, committee directories, newspaper clippings, and photographs
illustrating the programs, projects, and activities of the committee and the
relationship between residents of Seattle and Kobe. Reports, correspondence,
and clippings discuss committee activities, special events, student exchange
programs, visits from Japanese royalty, political leaders, and other
dignitaries, and information about donations and gifts exchanged between the
cities. Cultural events, such as showings of Japanese films, an exhibit of
Japanese art at the Seattle Art Museum, and the Seattle visit of the Kobe High
School choral group (as well as the Ingraham High School Choir's visit to Japan
in the following year) are also documented in committee materials and newspaper
clippings. Materials comprising an overview of the Seattle-Kobe Sister City
relationship, as well as information on the city of Kobe itself, are included
in the collection.
The public relations records were maintained by Jeanne Smith, public
relations director for the committee.