To assist researchers interested in records of the Department of State and other foreign affairs agencies, the most heavily used records in the National Archives, the Textual Archives Services Division has launched a newly revamped set of pages on the Archives’ website for providing an introduction to foreign affairs records.
The conduct of foreign affairs is a key issue in United States history. The Department of State is designated to lead in the overall direction, coordination, and supervision of American foreign policy and foreign relations. During both World War I and World War II, temporary agencies came into existence to deal with special foreign affairs problems relating to those conflicts. During the cold War, a community of agencies evolved to deal specifically with foreign policy issues. In addition, many other agencies have important roles in American national security affairs.
The new pages focus on the records of the Department of State but also include information on the temporary special foreign affairs agencies that came into existence during World War I and World War II, as well as the more permanent agencies that fought the Cold War. Also included is information about records that are valuable for genealogical purposes and about Department of State publications, including online resources.
In addition to the information on the site itself, there are links to more information and finding aids.
We invite you to take a look!
This is great!