Special Advisor; Representative abroad, September to December 1944, and March to June 1945, Roberts Commission

Prior to World War II, Sumner McKnight Crosby was an assistant professor at Yale, specializing in medieval architecture. When the war interrupted his research and excavations at the Abbey of St.-Denis, he acted as Special Advisor to the Roberts Commission from 1943 to 1945. Crosby also served as Executive Secretary to the American Council of Learned Societies and from 1944 to 1945 he advised the State Department on the restitution of cultural materials. In 1950, he was awarded the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the French government for his achievements.