Foreword: Arthur Maass is one of the major figures in the development of water policies and planning procedures in the post-World War II era. An early critic of Corps of Engineers planning procedures, as evidenced in his well-known book Muddy Waters, he later headed the Harvard Water Program, which contributed substantially to the rise of multiobjective river basin planning. He has written influential studies on economic analysis and institutional relationships as they affect water resources development. He also has served as an adviser on water issues to the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Bureau of Reclamation, the People’s Republic of China, and the Corps.
Professor Maass donated his voluminous papers to the Office of History of the Army Corps of Engineers in 1984. The papers cover all aspects of his involvement in natural resources issues as well as his teaching career at Harvard. They are an important source on the evolution of federal water management in the so called big dam era. Historians, planners, social scientists, lawyers, and others interested in water resources issues will find much of interest.
The Maass Papers complement several other collections held by this office, including the papers of Henry P. Caulfield, Jr., Gilbert White, Harry Schwarz, and Howard L. Cook. Eventually, all collections will be inventoried, and registers will be available in typewritten format in the Office of History or, on a selective basis, in published form.
