By David Langbart Records on Turkish atrocities against the Armenians during World War I can be found in a number of different records groups holding records of the Department of State. (1) RG 59: General Records of the Department of State contains significant documentation relating to Turkish persecution of the Armenians. The primary source is … Continue reading Department of State Records Relating to Turkish Atrocities Against the Armenians During World War I
Reporting the Death of the President, 1865
By David Langbart On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln attended a performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater. While there, he was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth. He died the next morning. As part of the same murderous conspiracy, Secretary of State William Henry Seward was attacked at his home … Continue reading Reporting the Death of the President, 1865
Baseball Patents
Today's post is written by archivist David Pfeiffer Yes, spring is here. Major League Baseball’s opening day is Monday, April 6. Finally. It has been a long cold winter. As Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby once said “People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. … Continue reading Baseball Patents
The Monuments Men in March 1945: Ronald Balfour and Walker Hancock
Today's post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher March 1945 would be a busy and eventful time for the Monuments Men officers, as the Allied armies advanced into Germany. This was especially true for two of them: Ronald Balfour and Walker Hancock. During combat operations in February 1945, Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFA&A) officer, … Continue reading The Monuments Men in March 1945: Ronald Balfour and Walker Hancock
Bipartisanship in Foreign Policy, 1953
By David Langbart The development of the Cold War after World War II and America’s ascension to a position as the leading World power with its attendant dangers and complications led to somewhat of a removal of partisan politics from foreign policy issues. Underlying this move, referred to as bi-partisanship, was the idea that the … Continue reading Bipartisanship in Foreign Policy, 1953
Leaks in the Department of State, 1963
By David Langbart In recent years, the subject of leaks of classified information from U.S. Government agencies has received a great deal of attention. This is not a new problem; I have seen references to such leaks as early as World War I. In the early 1960s, however, the Department of State suffered a spate … Continue reading Leaks in the Department of State, 1963
Foreign Policy and Domestic Discrimination
By David Langbart As the Department of State noted in a major 1950 publication “There is no longer any real distinction between ‘domestic’ and ‘foreign’ affairs.” (Our Foreign Policy, Department of State Publication 3972, released September 1950). In the post-World War II Twentieth Century, perhaps no issue better illustrates that statement than the movement for … Continue reading Foreign Policy and Domestic Discrimination
The Monuments Men During February 1945: Locating Repositories of Looted and German Cultural Property
Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, archivist at the National Archives in College Park. At the end of January, Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, head of the 12th Army Group, wrote the G-5s of his four Armies (First, Third, Ninth, and Fifteenth) regarding the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFA&A) Specialist Officers and their … Continue reading The Monuments Men During February 1945: Locating Repositories of Looted and German Cultural Property
Operation Clarion: February 22-23, 1945
Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, archivist at the National Archives in College Park. In mid-September 1944 General Henry H. ( “Hap”) Arnold, commander of the U.S. Army Air Force, proposed that every available British and American airplane be used on some clear day to swarm all over the German Reich, attacking military objectives … Continue reading Operation Clarion: February 22-23, 1945
It’s Cold Inside!
Today's post is written by Daniel Dancis, an archivist at the National Archives in College Park, MD. As most of the eastern United States is experiencing record setting low temperatures this week it is timely to look back at a letter written by then-Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. to the Office of the Sergeant At … Continue reading It’s Cold Inside!