Articles Placed in the Cornerstone of the National Archives Building

Ask an Archivist? I’m all a-Twitter!

Today’s post is written by Alan Walker, a processing archivist at Archives II in College Park. I’m never on Twitter. Sure, I know of it; it’s a pervasive presence in our culture. One of the best greeting cards I’ve seen makes a hilarious play on it: Jesus on Twitter. “12 new followers: cool!”, “Whoops, crowd … Continue reading Ask an Archivist? I’m all a-Twitter!

Handwritten letter admitting to theift of item from haunted house

Haunted House Hijinks in the Highlands: Or Sailors in Trouble with Scottish Authorities

Today’s post was written by Nick Baric, a processing Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC. In May of 1918 a group of American sailors detached to a base at Kyle of Lochalsh in the Scottish Highlands found themselves in a bit of hot water. They faced accusations of removing a jewel box from a … Continue reading Haunted House Hijinks in the Highlands: Or Sailors in Trouble with Scottish Authorities

Exploitation of Captured Japanese Documents by the Far Eastern Section, Foreign Intelligence Branch, of the Office of Naval Intelligence (OP-16-FE), 1944-1946

Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. Most researchers dealing with the translation of captured and seized Japanese records are familiar with the primary organizations translating those records.  These would include the Pacific Military Intelligence Research Service (PACMIRS), the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS), the … Continue reading Exploitation of Captured Japanese Documents by the Far Eastern Section, Foreign Intelligence Branch, of the Office of Naval Intelligence (OP-16-FE), 1944-1946

Exploitation of Captured and Seized Japanese Records by the Pacific Military Intelligence Research Service (PACMIRS) 1945-Spring 1946

Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. The U.S. Army’s Pacific Military Intelligence Research Service (PACMIRS), located at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, had been established in September 1944 to exploit captured Japanese records.  During 1945 it saw a steady increase in staff and workload–from 120 personnel in … Continue reading Exploitation of Captured and Seized Japanese Records by the Pacific Military Intelligence Research Service (PACMIRS) 1945-Spring 1946

Letter from ACLS Chairman William Dinsmoor to AOTUS Solon Buck

Committee of the American Council of Learned Societies on the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas

Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. The idea of establishing an American commission to assist in protecting and restituting cultural property in war areas grew out of discussions among American educators and museum officials about the potentially dangerous impact of the European war on historic … Continue reading Committee of the American Council of Learned Societies on the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas

Everett Parker Lesley, Jr.: The Monuments Man who drafted the Wiesbaden Manifesto

Today’s post, written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, is the next installment in an ongoing series of posts on real-life Monuments Men. The movie, The Monuments Men, has focused great attention on the Monuments Men (and women) and their work during and after World War II. Of course the movie cannot tell the story of the … Continue reading Everett Parker Lesley, Jr.: The Monuments Man who drafted the Wiesbaden Manifesto

President Truman Creates the National Intelligence Authority and the Central Intelligence Group, January 22, 1946: The Documents

Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. Recently I went to look in the stacks in the National Archives at College Park, MD for some information in the records of the Army’s Adjutant General (Record Group 407) about the relationship between the War Department’s Military … Continue reading President Truman Creates the National Intelligence Authority and the Central Intelligence Group, January 22, 1946: The Documents

How and When Did World War II Officially Become World War II?

Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. An excellent source for answering the questions posed in the title of this post, and other military questions, is the records of the Office of the Adjutant General (Record Group 407). Specifically, to answer the official designation question, … Continue reading How and When Did World War II Officially Become World War II?

Marriage Certificate of Eva Braun and Adolph Hitler, p1

Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate: From the Bunker in Berlin to the National Archives in Washington, D.C. {Part I: The Creation of the Documents}

Today's post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher and is the first piece in a four-part series. The National Archives and Records Administration plans to place Adolf Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate (National Archives identifier 6883511) on exhibit beginning March 21, 2014.  This series of posts traces these documents from the time of their … Continue reading Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate: From the Bunker in Berlin to the National Archives in Washington, D.C. {Part I: The Creation of the Documents}

Efforts by Ernst Posner and the National Archives to Protect European Archives during World War II

Today's post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher. The National Archives began to think, after the invasion of North Africa in World War II, of the practical importance of records in connection with the government of conquered territory.  Archivist of the United States Solon J. Buck and senior National Archives official Oliver W. Holmes took … Continue reading Efforts by Ernst Posner and the National Archives to Protect European Archives during World War II