Today’s post is by Rachael Salyer, Subject Matter Expert for Modern Military Records at the National Archives in College Park, MD. Photograph of WAC Officers Inspecting the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, Feb 15, 1945 (NAID 531249, Local ID: 111-SC-200791) In early 1945, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion became the only Women’s Army Corps … Continue reading The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion and the Women’s Army Corps (WACs) in World War II
Designating a Day of Rest, 1908
On March 24, 1908, the Rev. Dr. Wallace Radcliffe, representing a committee of like-minded people, sent a letter to President Theodore Roosevelt as a follow-up to a meeting the day before. Their concern - government agencies working on Sundays. They were complaining, specifically, about work at Giesboro Point in Washington, DC, but noted “that recent … Continue reading Designating a Day of Rest, 1908
We Gather Together – Thanksgiving Related Properties in the National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) graders examining Thanksgiving turkeys at Washington, DC market in 1927 (National Archives Identifier 148742769) In 1941, a Joint Resolution of Congress established that Thanksgiving be observed on the fourth Thursday of each month. There are a number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places … Continue reading We Gather Together – Thanksgiving Related Properties in the National Register of Historic Places
Fragments of a Life: Diego Rivera through the Lens of the FBI
“Each and every one of my murals contains the expression of my own personality” Diego Rivera [1] Photograph of Diego Rivera pg. 54 HQ [Headquarters]-100-155423 [Classification- Domestic Security] [Diego Rivera] (NAID 16592669) (FOIA Tracking Number RD 46183); Series: Classification 100 (Domestic Security) Headquarters Case Files (Entry P 186); Record Group 65 The National Archives’ Special … Continue reading Fragments of a Life: Diego Rivera through the Lens of the FBI
“Neither Confirm Nor Deny” Before the Glomar Explorer
In the early 1970s, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) undertook a covert operation, code-named AZORIAN, to raise a sunken Soviet submarine 16,500 feet from the floor of the Pacific Ocean using a commercial vessel known as the Glomar Explorer. The effort was only partially successful. When word of the mission eventually leaked out, the CIA … Continue reading “Neither Confirm Nor Deny” Before the Glomar Explorer
The Mysteries Contained in a Donated Record Group at NARA
Today's post is by John C. Harris, Archives Specialist at National Archives at Philadelphia Image from Scrapbook Owned by Bill Grigg. File Unit: Scrapbook, Undated (NAID: n/a, HMS Entry ID: PH-6519); Papers of Alvah C. Duke, Scrapbooks and Other Records, Undated Scrapbook, Record Group 0200; National Archives and Records Administration, Philadelphia, PA. “Calmed by the … Continue reading The Mysteries Contained in a Donated Record Group at NARA
Things that Go Bump in the Night – Haunted Properties in the National Register of Historic Places
Ronald Reagan reads on Air Force One
Around the World in 175 Days, 1924: Department of State Contributions to the U.S. Army Flight Around the World: Part X: Congratulations and Thank You
This is the tenth, and final, in a series of blog posts. When we last left our pilots they had returned to North America at Icy Tickle in Labrador. From there, they flew to Hawkes Bay, Pictou Harbor, and returned to U.S. soil with an unscheduled stop at Mere Point, Maine, on September 5. Their … Continue reading Around the World in 175 Days, 1924: Department of State Contributions to the U.S. Army Flight Around the World: Part X: Congratulations and Thank You
A nice house, with a yard, and a dog – Suburbs in the National Register of Historic Places
Great River Road - Kit Home (National Archives Identifier 7718976) It’s the American Dream to own a little white house with a picket fence, maybe a dog (or a cat) in the yard, with your 2 and a half kids on the swings in the back yard, in the American Suburbs. There are more than … Continue reading A nice house, with a yard, and a dog – Suburbs in the National Register of Historic Places
Before the Hatch Act
All U.S. Government employees are, or should be, familiar with the provisions of the Hatch Act. Enacted in 1939, and amended several times since, the Hatch Act (formally titled “AN ACT To prevent pernicious political activities”) limits certain political activities of federal employees. The law was enacted to ensure that federal programs are administered in a … Continue reading Before the Hatch Act