Howard C. Taylor’s contemporaneous account of the genesis and early history of the Columbia University International Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction, from its founding in 1965 to the end of 1968.  Also included is a brief retrospective account of the preliminary efforts, 1953-1965, to establish the Institute.

Most of the work consists of Taylor’s almost daily notes of his efforts to get the Institute established and operating.  The phone calls, conversations, meetings, and correspondence this required are described in considerable detail. The entries were made on or shortly after the day they occurred and are usually labeled “Institute Notes” or “Institute History.”  Also included are copies of correspondence, grant proposals submitted to foundations, and reports of conferences

Taylor conceived of the Institute as a center for research in all aspects of human reproduction. He was in contact with leaders in the fields of population control, family planning, genetics, biochemistry, international public health, and the social sciences both in the US and abroad.  He met frequently with Columbia University officials and the Dean of the University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons; officials of the Ford Foundation, who provided initial funding for the Institute; and with officers of other foundations. He worked closely with the Population Council, Planned Parenthood, and other organizations working in the field.