WHD Division Country Files

75033

1946-1990, predominant 1968-1989

series

textual records

147.5 linear feet of textual records

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, The, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, Mexican peso crisis

Series is open according to the Policy on Access to the Fund's Archives. Files will be screened by reference staff for any time restrictions. Closed material for this series is in box 295.

Series consists of country files maintained by Western Hemisphere Department (WHD) divisions. The records reflect all aspects of the Department’s business with member countries, in particular the conduct of IMF missions and the monitoring of economic, financial and political developments in member countries. WHD Division Country Files duplicate WHDAI Country Files to some degree, but contain more IMF internal correspondence in general. In particular, the files contain: more preparatory work such as drafts, data tables and supporting material for missions; more comments on work by and from division staff; more cables or letters of routine exchanges between country authorities and the division staff as part of keeping data current; more memoranda to files prepared by the desk economists written in response to current developments; less correspondence between the WHD’s Immediate Office, IMF management, and country authorities; and, more material in the various official languages of the members. Topics of note include: quota calculations, IMF membership, technical assistance, resident representatives, and missions. Some country files date from before the country in question was an IMF member or before they were transferred to the Western Hemisphere Department. Records consist of: memoranda exchanged between division staff, other department staff, and other IMF staff; correspondence with IMF Resident Representatives, and with other technical assistance experts assigned to countries; memoranda, letters, and cables exchanged with country government officials, central banks, embassies, and other regional and international organizations; draft and final Executive Board Documents; briefing papers; mission back-to-office reports; minutes of meetings between WHD or IMF staff and member representatives or other institutions; news wire telexes and news clippings; comments on drafts and final papers by WHD, sometimes in collaboration with other departments; and, comments or responses to work prepared by other departments. Series is arranged alphabetically by country and then chronologically.