Text Message Top 5 of 2021

Please enjoy this countdown of our most popular blog posts of 2021. Thank you for continuing to read the Text Message and we hope you join us for more stories, insights, and highlights from the textual records of the National Archives in 2022! #5 "Lucy, I'm Home!"... from the Army Armed Forces Newsmap, vol 1, … Continue reading Text Message Top 5 of 2021

map of Austria showing occupation zones

Soviet-American Cooperation Regarding Hitler’s Führer Museum Documentation, 1945-1946

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. Adolf Hitler desired to create a museum in Linz, Austria, to house art objects he had acquired before and during World War II. The German art authorities created a large quantity of documentation relating to the acquisition of … Continue reading Soviet-American Cooperation Regarding Hitler’s Führer Museum Documentation, 1945-1946

Z Plan cover page

The Capture and Exploitation of Japanese Records during World War II

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. U.S. Military forces began capturing records almost as soon as the war began and started exploiting them immediately. Documents were first captured from a Japanese plane downed in the Pearl Harbor attack. These provided the first clues to … Continue reading The Capture and Exploitation of Japanese Records during World War II

Nuremburg Laws excerpt

The Nuremberg Laws: From Nuremberg to the National Archives

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. For the 1935 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg, Nazi German’s Chancellor Adolf Hitler called for the convening of the Reichstag in the city on September 15, the concluding Sunday, in order to pass a Reich Flag Law, making … Continue reading The Nuremberg Laws: From Nuremberg to the National Archives

World War II-era Far East Cultural Property Losses: Research at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Dealing with World War II-era looted assets can be a challenging endeavor. Prior to 1990 there were relatively few scholarly works or newspaper articles on the subject of World War II-era looted assets, in part because of the … Continue reading World War II-era Far East Cultural Property Losses: Research at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland

The Creation of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. On June 25, 1941, an order was drafted which would establish William J. Donovan's wished-for intelligence agency as the Office of Coordinator of Strategic Information (for background see: William J. Donovan and the Establishment of the Office of … Continue reading The Creation of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)

Atlantic Crossing: The Christmas Visit

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

Men in suits posing for a photograph

William J. Donovan and the Establishment of the Office of the Coordinator of Information, July 1940-July 1941

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. In July 1940, several weeks after France capitulated to Germany, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox proposed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Secretary of State Cordell Hull that someone be sent to England to study the … Continue reading William J. Donovan and the Establishment of the Office of the Coordinator of Information, July 1940-July 1941

The Surreal Suspect: The FBI’s Brief Investigation of Salvador Dalí

Today’s post is by Megan Dwyre, Special Access and FOIA Program Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Salvador Dalí was born 117 years ago today on May 11, 1904 in Figueras, Spain. This post highlights Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Headquarters case file 100-142631 on the famous Surrealist painter (NAID 16591992). In … Continue reading The Surreal Suspect: The FBI’s Brief Investigation of Salvador Dalí

Lucy, Desi to Get 8 Million w/picture of Desi Arnaz & Lucille Ball smiling at each other

“Lucy, I’m Home!”…from the Army

Today's post was written by Christen Brown, Archives Technician in the Special Media Division at the National Archives in College Park, MD. Desiderio Alberto Arnaz, born March 2, 1917 in Santiago de Cuba, was an actor, musician, and producer best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the television sitcom I Love Lucy.  But, … Continue reading “Lucy, I’m Home!”…from the Army