Yugoslavia 1970: The Writing on the Wall

By David Langbart From time to time while working in the records, NARA staff find documents that provide new perspectives on events through which they lived.  I recently had that experience. I remember well the terrible humanitarian disaster that befell local populations as Yugoslavia ripped itself apart during the 1990s.  I remember, too, how many … Continue reading Yugoslavia 1970: The Writing on the Wall

Follow the money: the origins of the Secret Service

Today's post is by National Archives Volunteer Bill Nigh. This is the sequel to his earlier post. _____ In my first post, I briefly described the volunteer project based on the records of the U.S. Secret Service  (Record Group 87).  I stated that this organization began its presidential security mission following a presidential assassination, but its initial … Continue reading Follow the money: the origins of the Secret Service

The U.S. Secret Service: It Took 42 Years to Protect the President

Today's post (part one in a two-part series) is by National Archives Volunteer Bill Nigh. When I was assigned my first volunteer project, one associated with the U.S. Secret Service (Record Group 87), I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Like many my age, I picture the Secret Service agent climbing on the rear deck of … Continue reading The U.S. Secret Service: It Took 42 Years to Protect the President

African Americans and the American War for Independence

Today's post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher. Englishman Nicholas Cresswell, during July 1777, wrote in his journal that the American army was composed of a “ragged Banditti of undisciplined people, the scum and refuse of all nations of earth.”  Baron Curt von Stedingk, a Swedish colonel in French service, described the American army in Savannah … Continue reading African Americans and the American War for Independence