Today’s post was written by Jennifer Eltringham, a summer 2016 intern at the National Archives at Denver. Albert Racine of the Blackfoot Tribe from Browning, Montana, enlisted in the U.S. Army in April of 1942, one day before his 35th birthday. When he left home to serve in World War II, however, he was not alone. … Continue reading “Cutting Capers on the Sands of North Africa”: A Soldier’s Art before, during, and after World War II
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
Today’s post was written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. The Textual Records Division is in the midst of a large-scale project to identify and refile a large volume of "orphan" records. These are documents and files that have become separated from their proper … Continue reading The Approach of World War II: A View from the U.S. Embassy in Poland
Today's post was written by David Langbart, Reference Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. John Kelly, a respected columnist for the Washington Post, recently (June 14, 2016) wrote about Brooks Harding’s “Four Freedoms Flag.” Harding designed the flag to represent the countries fighting against Axis tyranny during World War II, commonly referred to … Continue reading A Flag for the United Nations
Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. For the past twelve years most people who have had dealings with Miriam Kleiman at the National Archives know that she is a public affairs specialist. It is probable that they do not know that her association with the … Continue reading Miriam and Me: The Beginnings of an Archival Adventure and Friendship in 1996
Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher and Dr. Sylvia Naylor, Archivists at the National Archives at College Park. During the summer of 1940, as German military forces overran France, many Americans began to support the need for compulsory military training in the event that the United States entered the war in Europe. In … Continue reading Major League Baseball, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and World War II, 1941-1942
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. This is the third, and final, in a series of posts on the fate of the USS Lexington at the Battle of the Coral Sea, May 8, 1942. The previous posts (1) described the Battle of the Coral Sea, included … Continue reading The Death of a Lady: The USS Lexington (CV-2) at the Battle of the Coral Sea, Part III: Battle Report
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. The previous post described the Battle of the Coral Sea, included a transcript of portions of the log of the USS Lexington describing the action on May 8 1942, and included images of the entire log for that day. The following … Continue reading The Death of a Lady: The USS Lexington (CV-2) at the Battle of the Coral Sea, Part II: Photographs
Today's post was written by David Langbart, Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. This is the first post in a three-part series. After the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, imperial Japanese forces seemed unstoppable, winning battle after battle in the Philippines, and other places in the Pacific – Wake Island, Guam, … Continue reading The Death of a Lady: The USS Lexington (CV-2) at the Battle of the Coral Sea, Part I: The Log
Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. This is the final part in a three part series. General Truscott announced on December 29 that Third U.S. Army intelligence officers, after a long search, had uncovered important documents signed by Hitler. In announcing the find, Truscott was … Continue reading The Search for Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate Part III
