Jella Lepman’s relationship with the United States defined the last third of her life and led to her greatest accomplishments—and disappointments. Accordingly, American archives contain a wealth of office memoranda and personal correspondence that document her work with American institutions and reveal how those institutions interacted with her. Based on the extensive use of those archives, this chapter sheds new light on how Jella Lepman was able to ride the ebbs and flows of American support, enabling the International Youth Library to develop strong organizational roots until it could be transferred to German stakeholders who were the only ones who could guarantee its long-term success. Though Jella Lepman fought valiantly to prevent German control over the library, her failure to get her way conversely paved the way for its long-term survival.