Posts covering all things Presidential.
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. After President John F. Kennedy's triumphant June 1963 visit to West Berlin to show support for that city and his famous proclamation "Ich bin ein Berliner," it should not be surprising that citizens of … Continue reading Berlin Reacts to the Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. Even though American Foreign Service Officers overseas received the news about the tragic events in Dallas through public media, the Department of State had the responsibility to provide its posts with official updates. Consequently, … Continue reading The Department of State and the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: Keeping the Field Informed
Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. With the recent releases of records relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy it might be useful for readers of Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) records that form part of the released records, to better understand actually … Continue reading The Federal Bureau of Investigation Records Relating to the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: The Challenge of Abbreviations and Euphemisms
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. During the nineteenth century, the residence of the President of the United States was routinely referred to as the "Executive Mansion." President Theodore Roosevelt changed that in 1901. On October 17 of that year, … Continue reading When did the President’s Home become the “White House”?
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. On November 22, 1963, Secretary of State Dean Rusk was aboard a U.S. Air Force plane over the Pacific Ocean. He was leading a delegation of Cabinet officials to Japan to meet with their … Continue reading Receiving Notification of President Kennedy’s Shooting: November 1963
Today’s post is written by Jackie Kilby, Archives Technician at the National Archives at College Park, MD. After a meeting with President George Washington in Mount Vernon on October 1, 1792, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson rode off to Alexandria. It was only later that day did he realize he “unfortunately dropped… some papers… [on] … Continue reading Thomas Jefferson and the Case of the Missing Letters
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. On June 5, 1947, Secretary of State George C. Marshall addressed the graduating class at Harvard University. In his speech, Marshall noted that World War II had caused "the dislocation of the entire fabric … Continue reading The President Says Thank You, 1948: The Marshall Plan
Today’s post is written by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives in Denver. The scourge of road trip vacations. The bane of work commutes. Chances are every person who drives has a recent complaint or two about road construction hindering their plans and it’s possible that 79 years ago President Franklin Roosevelt too had … Continue reading Detour Ahead: The Paving of the White House Driveway
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. An earlier post discussed President Franklin D. Roosevelt's decision to request the formal resignation of all chiefs of U.S. diplomatic missions overseas (ambassadors and ministers), both career and non-career, after the election of 1940 … Continue reading “In the Interest of the Efficiency of the Foreign Service”: Changes in U.S. Diplomatic Representation Abroad After the Election of 1944
Today’s post was written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. In an unusual move, given that the incumbent President remained in office, after winning the election of 1940, Franklin D. Roosevelt requested the formal resignation of all chiefs of U.S. diplomatic missions overseas (ambassadors … Continue reading “In the Interest of the Efficiency of the Foreign Service”: Changes in US Diplomatic Representation Abroad after the Election of 1940
