Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives in College Park, MD. The National Archives is pleased to announce that many important records of the Department of State are being digitized and made available online through the National Archives Catalog. The records consist largely of the various series … Continue reading Now Available Online: Department of State Records, 1789-1906
Category: State and Foreign Affairs
Department of State and Related Foreign Affairs Agencies.
“Amazingly Poor Judgement”: Robert Sam Anson in Cambodia, August 1970
Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives in College Park, MD Noted journalist Robert Sam Anson died on November 2, 2020. The obituaries printed in The New York Times and The Washington Post mentioned that he was captured and held by Communist forces in Cambodia while covering … Continue reading “Amazingly Poor Judgement”: Robert Sam Anson in Cambodia, August 1970
The Peace Corps Welcome Books – Snapshot of the country from a unique viewpoint
Today’s post is by Deborah Gayle, Archivist in the Electronic Records Division at the National Archives at College Park, MD. The Peace Corps Welcome Books (National Archives ID 51087241) cover the countries in which Peace Corps volunteers serve. Peace Corps volunteers receive these guides at their time of assignment to help them learn about their … Continue reading The Peace Corps Welcome Books – Snapshot of the country from a unique viewpoint
A Brief Survey of the Disposition of Captured Japanese Records, 1945-1962
Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Within five years after the end of World War II the Japanese Government was making requests for the release of convicted war criminals and for the return of records that had been captured by US military forces. … Continue reading A Brief Survey of the Disposition of Captured Japanese Records, 1945-1962
Khrushchev’s Secret Speech, 1956
Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Josef Stalin presided over the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) from 1928 until he died in March 1953. (See this post for a humorous reaction to his death.) His standing in the U.S.S.R. at the … Continue reading Khrushchev’s Secret Speech, 1956
The Incarceration of E.E. Cummings and William Slater Brown in France during World War I as Reflected in Department of State Records: Part II – William Slater Brown
Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives at College Park. The previous post described the French internment of E.E. Cummings and William Slater Brown during World War I because of the latter's comments in letters home. It ended with the release of Cummings and his return to … Continue reading The Incarceration of E.E. Cummings and William Slater Brown in France during World War I as Reflected in Department of State Records: Part II – William Slater Brown
The Incarceration of E.E. Cummings and William Slater Brown in France during World War I as Reflected in Department of State Records: Part I – E.E. Cummings
Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives at College Park. E.E. Cummings (Edward Estlin Cummings) is widely regarded as one of America's greatest poets. A 1915 graduate of Harvard University, during World War I he volunteered for the ambulance service operated by the American Red Cross in … Continue reading The Incarceration of E.E. Cummings and William Slater Brown in France during World War I as Reflected in Department of State Records: Part I – E.E. Cummings
Foreign Reaction to Reforming the Supreme Court, 1937
Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives at College Park. Franklin D. Roosevelt began his second term in office on January 20, 1937, the first President inaugurated on that day and month. In February, reflecting his frustration with the Supreme Court's numerous negative decisions on New Deal … Continue reading Foreign Reaction to Reforming the Supreme Court, 1937
Women in Diplomatic Service, 1924
Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives at College Park Until 1922, neither the United States nor Great Britain included women in their diplomatic services. There was a major difference, however, in the practices of the two countries. In the United States it was by tradition; in … Continue reading Women in Diplomatic Service, 1924
FDR and Diplomatic Security, 1935
Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. The October 1935 issue of The Atlantic Monthly included an article entitled "Worse Than Arnold" by Burton J. Hendrick. That article was a preview from Hendrick's book The Lees of Virginia. Hendrick, a graduate of … Continue reading FDR and Diplomatic Security, 1935