Memorializing James Longstreet, 1941

In 1941, Helen Dortch Longstreet, widow of Confederate general James Longstreet, and the the Longstreet Memorial Association were planning for the placement of a memorial to the general on the Gettysburg battlefield.  That organization had been “organized on the Gettysburg field by the Veterans of Longstreet’s command during the seventy-fifth anniversary celebration of the battle” … Continue reading Memorializing James Longstreet, 1941

The Perils of Royal Protocol, 1914

On June 4, 1914, U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain Walter Hines Page presented the following individuals to King George V: Mr. Ralph Page (the ambassador’s son)Mrs. Ralph PageMrs. Edward Bell (wife of the Second Secretary of the embassy)Miss Esther ClevelandMrs. Randolph MordecaiMiss Margarita PenningtonMiss Dorothy DoubledayMiss Mary Sanger Presentations at Court, June 4, 1914 (NAID … Continue reading The Perils of Royal Protocol, 1914

Guatemala, Great Britain, and the United States and Guatemala’s Claim to British Honduras (Belize), 1931-1948

Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, retired senior archivist from the National Archives at College Park. Guatemala, off and on for more than 100 years, claimed all or part of British Honduras (Belize), a British crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico and east of Guatemala. Periodically Guatemala … Continue reading Guatemala, Great Britain, and the United States and Guatemala’s Claim to British Honduras (Belize), 1931-1948

The Incarceration of E.E. Cummings and William Slater Brown in France during World War I as Reflected in Department of State Records: Part II – William Slater Brown

Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives at College Park. The previous post described the French internment of E.E. Cummings and William Slater Brown during World War I because of the latter's comments in letters home.  It ended with the release of Cummings and his return to … Continue reading The Incarceration of E.E. Cummings and William Slater Brown in France during World War I as Reflected in Department of State Records: Part II – William Slater Brown

The Incarceration of E.E. Cummings and William Slater Brown in France during World War I as Reflected in Department of State Records: Part I – E.E. Cummings

Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives at College Park. E.E. Cummings (Edward Estlin Cummings) is widely regarded as one of America's greatest poets.  A 1915 graduate of Harvard University, during World War I he volunteered for the ambulance service operated by the American Red Cross in … Continue reading The Incarceration of E.E. Cummings and William Slater Brown in France during World War I as Reflected in Department of State Records: Part I – E.E. Cummings

U.S. Domestic Discrimination as a Problem in the United Nations, 1949

Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. The effect of race discrimination on U.S. international relations during the years after World War II was a critical issue for U.S. foreign policy and remains so to this day. After World War II, … Continue reading U.S. Domestic Discrimination as a Problem in the United Nations, 1949

“Arias Bernal’s Trip to Washington”: a Mexican Cartoonist Joins the War Effort

Today’s post is written by Daniel Dancis, an Archivist in the Textual Processing Branch at the National Archives, College Park, MD. Antonio Arias Bernal, an accomplished Mexican political cartoonist, came to Washington, D.C. in 1942 at the invitation of the U.S. government to create editorial cartoons to promote the Allied war effort. Prior to being … Continue reading “Arias Bernal’s Trip to Washington”: a Mexican Cartoonist Joins the War Effort

John Foster Dulles Enters Duty as Secretary of State

Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. John Foster Dulles became Secretary of State on January 21, 1953.  By the time he attained that position, Dulles had amassed considerable foreign policy experience both in and out of government.  The grandson of … Continue reading John Foster Dulles Enters Duty as Secretary of State

Records of the Foreign Affairs Agencies in the National Archives Bearing on the History of United States Relations with Africa-II: Records of the Department of State, part 2

Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. At the 1969 National Archives Conference on the National Archives and Foreign Relations Research, the proceedings of which were published in 1974,[1] Morris Rieger, a longtime National Archives staff member, contributed a paper entitled … Continue reading Records of the Foreign Affairs Agencies in the National Archives Bearing on the History of United States Relations with Africa-II: Records of the Department of State, part 2

The Approach of World War II: A View from the U.S. Embassy in Poland

Today’s post was written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. The Textual Records Division is in the midst of a large-scale project to identify and refile a large volume of "orphan" records. These are documents and files that have become separated from their proper … Continue reading The Approach of World War II: A View from the U.S. Embassy in Poland