The National Archives’ Arthur Evarts Kimberly and the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section’s Document Restoration Sub-Section, 1944-1945

Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. The linguists with the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) of General Douglas MacArthur’s General Headquarters, Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) were responsible, at ATIS headquarters in Australia and, attached to units in the field, for translating captured documents … Continue reading The National Archives’ Arthur Evarts Kimberly and the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section’s Document Restoration Sub-Section, 1944-1945

How and When Did World War II Officially Become World War II?

Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. An excellent source for answering the questions posed in the title of this post, and other military questions, is the records of the Office of the Adjutant General (Record Group 407). Specifically, to answer the official designation question, … Continue reading How and When Did World War II Officially Become World War II?

Efforts by Ernst Posner and the National Archives to Protect European Archives during World War II

Today's post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher. The National Archives began to think, after the invasion of North Africa in World War II, of the practical importance of records in connection with the government of conquered territory.  Archivist of the United States Solon J. Buck and senior National Archives official Oliver W. Holmes took … Continue reading Efforts by Ernst Posner and the National Archives to Protect European Archives during World War II

The Price of the Past

Today's blogger is Emily Hauser, a summer 2013 intern in the Archives I Reference Section who worked with Army records. While writing descriptions of records of the Adjutant General’s Office (Record Group 94), I came across some very interesting documents created by the War Department concerning various budgets from 1920 in Washington, D.C.  One of the charts … Continue reading The Price of the Past

What’s in a name? The story behind the series title “Ciano Papers: Rose Garden”

Today's post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher. The National Archives of the United Kingdom has many interesting record series titles.  One of my favorites is “Mussolini's personal files (the ‘Handbag’ files).”  This series consists of the papers that Mussolini was carrying in two handbags when he was captured in April 1945.  Likewise, the National … Continue reading What’s in a name? The story behind the series title “Ciano Papers: Rose Garden”

Army Records at Archives I

Today's post is written by T. Juliette Arai, a reference archivist who works at Archives I.  Along with M. Marie Maxwell, she will be joining us as a regular blogger.  "What records do you have here?" is a common question we are asked everyday at Archives I.  This post -- Part 1 of a 3-part series … Continue reading Army Records at Archives I

The Pond in a barn

By Jason Clingerman In 2001, seemingly secretive government documents were “found in locked safes and filing cabinets in a barn near Culpeper, Virginia.” After investigation, the records were turned over to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for review. The files turned out to be the records of a highly secretive intelligence organization led by John … Continue reading The Pond in a barn