“Outsiders” in the United States Army during the American War for Independence

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland.  Throughout the U.S. Army’s history there have been political and social issues surrounding the recruitment and utilization of “outsiders,” people who were not like the majority of white and native-born soldiers with whom they served. This post takes … Continue reading “Outsiders” in the United States Army during the American War for Independence

Still image from the Covered Wagon.

There’s No Business Like Show Business: Hollywood Comes to the Wind River Indian Reservation, 1922–1925

Today’s post is by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver and Subject Matter Expert for Native American Related Records. It is the early 1870s, on the expansive western plains. Starvation is gripping an unspecified tribe. The once plentiful bison, those that their elders assured them could never be wiped out, were in … Continue reading There’s No Business Like Show Business: Hollywood Comes to the Wind River Indian Reservation, 1922–1925

The Pentagon Papers, 1971: Use By American Adversaries

Previous posts, described some of the Department of State’s actions relating to the publication of the “Pentagon Papers.”  One key point in the government’s argument against publication was that it would provide aid and comfort to America’s overseas opponents.  As the Department’s June 17 telegram about the repercussions of the publication of the documents predicted, … Continue reading The Pentagon Papers, 1971: Use By American Adversaries

image of house with Halloween decorations

BOO! Haunted Properties in the Records of the National Register of Historic Places

This post is part of an ongoing “road trip” featuring records from the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 – 2017 (National Archives ID 20812721), a series within Record Group 79: Records of the National Park Service. Photograph of Halloween Decorations (National Archives Identifier 202803005). It’s October, the air is … Continue reading BOO! Haunted Properties in the Records of the National Register of Historic Places

The Pentagon Papers: The Department of State Supports Action in the Courts

As noted in a previous post, the legal battle over publication of the “Pentagon Papers” by the New York Times took place in the Federal court in New York, where the Times was located.  To support the government’s position in court, the Department sent information to its officials in New York City through the U.S. … Continue reading The Pentagon Papers: The Department of State Supports Action in the Courts

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

The Pentagon Papers: The Department of State Reacts

On June 13, 1971, the New York Times began publishing articles based on a “Top Secret” Office of the Secretary of Defense study of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967.  The study had been leaked to that newspaper by Daniel Ellsberg, one of the analysts who worked on the project. The study, entitled … Continue reading The Pentagon Papers: The Department of State Reacts

Department of State Records Now Available Online: Despatches from Special Agents, Notes to Foreign Missions, and Notes from Foreign Consuls, 1789-1906

The National Archives is pleased to announce that more records of the Department of State have been digitized and are now available online through the National Archives Catalog.  This is the third in a series of occasional posts.  The first post described the microfilm digitization project and the first foreign affairs records made available through … Continue reading Department of State Records Now Available Online: Despatches from Special Agents, Notes to Foreign Missions, and Notes from Foreign Consuls, 1789-1906

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

top of Bill of complaint

The Past is the Present in the Asian American/Pacific Islander Records Aggregation Project

Today’s post is by Leah Booth and John Marden, Archives Technicians at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. As part of the Asian American/Pacific Islander Records Aggregation Project at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) we are working to assess our holdings of records and materials relevant to the Asian American and Pacific … Continue reading The Past is the Present in the Asian American/Pacific Islander Records Aggregation Project