Author: NationalArchivesBlog

Department of State Records Now Available Online: Despatches from Special Agents, Notes to Foreign Missions, and Notes from Foreign Consuls, 1789-1906

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in Digitization Projects, Finding Aids, Foreign Affairs Research Guides, State and Foreign Affairs

The National Archives is pleased to announce that more records of the Department of State have been digitized and are now available online through the National Archives Catalog.  This is the third in a series of occasional posts.  The first post described the microfilm digitization project and the first foreign affairs records made available through … Continue reading Department of State Records Now Available Online: Despatches from Special Agents, Notes to Foreign Missions, and Notes from Foreign Consuls, 1789-1906

A Founder of the United States Foreign Service Writes: Joseph Grew on the Importance of Diplomatic Service, 1921

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in State and Foreign Affairs

Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives at College Park, MD. In August 1921, the Department of State sent a circular to all American diplomatic posts asking for answers to a multi-page questionnaire soliciting information to clarify “the needs of the Government in the matter of appropriations … Continue reading A Founder of the United States Foreign Service Writes: Joseph Grew on the Importance of Diplomatic Service, 1921

4 men and 1 woman standing around conference table

More than a “Single Issue Community”: The Congressional Hispanic Conference

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in Hispanic/Latinx History, Legislative Branch

Today's post was written by Lynn Nashorn, textual processing and accessioning archivist at the National Archives at College Park. Serving as the Republican counterpart to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Conference (CHC) emerged following a rift within the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus was formed in 1976 as a bipartisan organization … Continue reading More than a “Single Issue Community”: The Congressional Hispanic Conference

From the Bronx to the Bench: Sonia Sotomayor’s Trailblazing Journey to the Supreme Court

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in Crime, Justice, and Intelligence, Hispanic/Latinx History

Today's post was written by Lynn Nashorn, textual processing and accessioning archivist at the National Archives at College Park. Looking South from the Bronx to Manhattan, May 1973 (NAID 548407) Born on June 25, 1954 in The Bronx in New York City, Sonia Sotomayor overcame personal and professional adversity to become the first woman of … Continue reading From the Bronx to the Bench: Sonia Sotomayor’s Trailblazing Journey to the Supreme Court

Reagan seated at the resolute desk looking into a camera that is out of shot

The Iran-Contra Affair: Faded in Time, but not Forgotten

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in CIA & NSA, Hispanic/Latinx History, Presidents, State and Foreign Affairs

Today’s post was written by Lynn Nashorn, textual processing and accessioning archivist at the National Archives at College Park. Called many names from the Iran-Contra Scandal to the McFarlane affair (after National Security Advisor under President Ronald Reagan Robert McFarlane) to simply Iran Contra, the Iran-Contra affair involved United States officials illegally funding Central American … Continue reading The Iran-Contra Affair: Faded in Time, but not Forgotten

Atlantic Crossing: The Christmas Visit

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in Hollywood and Film, Presidents, State and Foreign Affairs, World War II

Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives at College Park, MD.  The PBS miniseries Atlantic Crossing tells a story of a princess stealing the heart of the president of the United States in a made-for-television drama about the World War II relationship of President Franklin D. Roosevelt … Continue reading Atlantic Crossing: The Christmas Visit

More Department of State Records Now Available Online: Consular Despatches, 1783-1906

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in Digitization Projects, Finding Aids, Records Reference and Research, State and Foreign Affairs

Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives at College Park, MD. The National Archives is pleased to announce that additional records of the Department of State have been digitized and are now available online through the National Archives Catalog.  An earlier post described the microfilm digitization project … Continue reading More Department of State Records Now Available Online: Consular Despatches, 1783-1906

Cuban refugees on a sailboat, clipped from New York Times article

Castro, Cuba, and a Fleet of Fishing Boats: The Causes and Effects of the Mariel Boatlift

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in Civil Rights, Cold War, Hispanic/Latinx History, State and Foreign Affairs

Today’s post was written by Lynn Nashorn, textual processing and accessioning archivist at the National Archives at College Park. In 2020, the United States marked the 40th anniversary of the Mariel boatlift that brought approximately 125,000 Cubans to the United States in the course of just over six months. The journey to this mass exodus … Continue reading Castro, Cuba, and a Fleet of Fishing Boats: The Causes and Effects of the Mariel Boatlift

Problems with Mutiny on the Bounty, 1960

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in Hollywood and Film, State and Foreign Affairs

Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Mutiny on the Bounty is a major 1962 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture starring Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, and Richard Harris.  It is a fictionalized account of the true mutiny that took place on HMAV Bounty in April … Continue reading Problems with Mutiny on the Bounty, 1960

Responding to the release of “On the Beach:” Early use of emojis

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in Hollywood and Film, State and Foreign Affairs

Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives at College Park, MD. An earlier post discussed the U.S. Government’s preparations for dealing with international reaction to the 1959 motion picture On the Beach. That film depicted the post-apocalyptic world after a nuclear war.  It was the first major … Continue reading Responding to the release of “On the Beach:” Early use of emojis