Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. World War II began on September 1, 1939, with the German invasion of Poland. France and Great Britain, fulfilling their international obligations, declared war on Germany but could do little to aid the Poles … Continue reading British Opinion About The United States After Pearl Harbor
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. World War II was not only a war of battleships and bullets. Words, in the form of overt and covert propaganda and psychological warfare, played an important role. See the post Airplanes over France for examples … Continue reading War of Words: Race-Based Propaganda During World War II
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. During World War II, the U.S. government produced propaganda films to rally public support. Among the most famous of those motion pictures is Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress released in 1944. The … Continue reading Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress
Today’s post is written by Daria Labinsky, an Archivist at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum June 25 marks the fortieth anniversary of gay rights activist and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk’s Gay Freedom Day speech, sometimes called the “Hope” speech, in which he called on President Jimmy Carter to speak out against Proposition 6, … Continue reading Jimmy Carter and Harvey Milk: On the Campaign Trail and Beyond
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. Several investigations followed the near-disaster at Three Mile Island. The most important was the President's Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island established by President Jimmy Carter in April 1979. The twelve-member panel … Continue reading International Aspects of the Three Mile Island Incident III: Follow Up
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. The overseas reaction to the Three Mile Island accident was varied. In most countries the response was muted but there were exceptions. Examples of the different reactions include (All referenced telegrams can be viewed … Continue reading International Aspects of the Three Mile Island Incident II: International Reaction
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. On March 28, 1979, a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, experienced a partial meltdown. While ultimately there was no large-scale release of radioactive materials, the potential for a major disaster … Continue reading International Aspects of the Three Mile Island Incident I: Keeping the World Informed
Today’s post is by Candice Blazejak, an Archives Technician on detail at NARA’s Innovation Hub in Washington, DC Researchers and curious visitors come into National Archives facilities everyday looking for long lost information or out of general curiosity. They focus on what the records contain more so than what they look like. Recently, I started … Continue reading Beyond the Records in the Hub
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. Shortly after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, the U.S. embassy in Great Britain submitted a despatch entitled "The Role of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh" (now in … Continue reading A Look Ahead at the New Queen, 1953
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. On February 6, 1952, King George VI of Great Britain died and his daughter, Princess Elizabeth, ascended to the throne. Formal coronation of the new Queen took place on June 2, 1953. President Dwight … Continue reading The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
