By David Langbart June 18, 2015. The bicentennial of the battle of Waterloo, one of the most important events in early nineteenth century European history. At that battle, an Anglo-Allied army commanded by the Duke of Wellington combined with a Prussian army under the command of Gebhard Blucher and defeated the French army commanded by … Continue reading Waterloo!
By David Langbart Scholars and others use the series Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS), the official documentary publication of American foreign policy, and other printed primary sources, as sources of easily-accessible documentation. Strict reliance upon published documents, however, can lead one astray if the point you are trying to draw is not the … Continue reading Led Astray by Published Documents
By David Langbart Airplanes filled the sky over Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. D-Day. Some planes dropped bombs; some planes towed gliders; some planes dropped paratroopers; some planes dropped . . . paper. Paper in the form of propaganda leaflets. The propaganda was aimed both at the French and at the Germans. Two days … Continue reading Airplanes Over France, June 6, 1944
By David Langbart The Historical Office at the Department of State recently published a history of the documentary publication now referred to as Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS). The book, entitled Toward "Thorough, Accurate, and Reliable:" A History of the Foreign Relations of the United States Series, also is available online. The history describes … Continue reading The Making of a FRUS Volume
Today's post was written by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver. On February 28th, 1876, four Crow Indians enlisted in the U.S. Army as Indian Scouts at Fort Ellis Montana. Those four men: Curly, Goes Ahead, White Man Runs Him, and Hairy Moccasin, were under the command of Colonel Gibbons when on … Continue reading From Scouting for Custer to Farming the Plains; The Life and Times of Hairy Moccasin as Seen in the Crow Indian Agency Records
By David Langbart In April of this year, Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, made a state visit to the United States. In June 1957, Abe’s grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, then Japan’s prime minister, made a similar visit to the United States. That visit came to symbolize a renewal of the strength of the U.S.-Japan friendship after … Continue reading Golf Diplomacy, 1957
Today's post was written by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver. The United States National Park system, its scope and breadth unrivaled in the world, boasts hundreds of parks, monuments, sites, recreation areas, and even the White House within its purview. Saved from development and also federally managed, the most notable geological … Continue reading “In Motion Pictures We Do Not Actually Dynamite the Sheep,” A Brief Look at Hollywood’s Filming History with the National Park Service
Today's post is written by Chris Naylor, Director of the Textual Records Division. I recently opened a fortune cookie that contained a saying with special significance to me. This phrase, “The best prophet of the future is the past,” originally attributed to Lord Byron, returned to me a few days later as I reviewed a … Continue reading The Best Prophet of the Future is the Past: September 11 – 1970, 1981, and 2001
By M. Marie Maxwell RG 64, entry NA-273A. Center Market, looking southwest on 9th St., 1928 What do these three have in common? They all are properties within the District of Columbia, properties that appear in National Archives Textual series housed in Washington, DC. Initially, I had hoped to trace the property ownership of the … Continue reading The National Archives, the Fireman’s Insurance Building, and the Carter G. Woodson House
By David Langbart An earlier blog post discussed the November 8, 1963, memorandum on the problem of leaks Under Secretary of State George W. Ball sent to President John F. Kennedy. Since then, more documentation on what led to that memorandum has come to light. By early September 1962, President Kennedy and Under Secretary Ball … Continue reading Leaks in the Department of State, 1963: Antecedents
