By David Langbart. It might surprise some to learn that government bureaucrats have a sense of humor and that it occasionally appears among the records preserved in the National Archives. One such instance was recently located in the files of the World War II-era Office of War Information (OWI). That agency was responsible for formulating … Continue reading Holiday Humor in Wartime: 1942
Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. As early as 1937, the German Messerschmitt Company developed the jet plane, the Me-262 Schwalbe (Swallow). It was flown experimentally in 1941 with a piston engine and then successfully in 1942 with jet engines, but was rejected by the … Continue reading The German Jet Me-262 in 1944: A Failed Opportunity – Part I
Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. The Monuments Men -- the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFA&A) specialists assigned to General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) -- had begun operations in France in June 1944 and by December had moved into … Continue reading The Monuments Men: Taking Stock and Preparing to Move Forward, December 1944
By M. Marie Maxwell Earlier this month millions of Americans voted. Voting is one of the hallmarks of our democracy, and one method to make their elected officials accountable to the people. Government accountability, for the elected and the unelected, is also found through peaceful protest, letters, petitions, journalistic exposes, court actions and other expressions … Continue reading NAACP vs the Washington DC Police Department: A 1957 hearing before the DC Board of Commissioners
By David Langbart. In recent years, we have seen a spate of memoirs by high government officials, many of them controversial. Among those publications are books by former Secretaries of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Colin Powell, George Shultz, Henry Kissinger, and Dean Rusk. Perhaps the model for all of them is Cordell Hull, at least … Continue reading Memoirs of a Secretary of State: Cordell Hull
Today’s post is written by Meghan Ryan Guthorn, an accessioning archivist at Archives II in College Park In archives, as in books, it is important not to judge the content by the cover. Even the records series with the driest names can be home to some of the most fascinating pieces of history. The President’s … Continue reading Statistics: The Subtle Tool
By David Langbart. Scholars are increasingly writing about the physical destruction visited upon friendly European countries during World War II’s campaign to free Western Europe from Nazi domination. Recent books such as Keith Lowe’s SAVAGE CONTINENT, Antony Beevor’s D-DAY, Max Hastings’s ARMAGEDDON, and Rick Atkinson’s THE GUNS AT LAST LIGHT (all quite excellent and worth … Continue reading Rebuilding After World War II: The Experience of Saint-Lo, France
Today’s post is written by Alan Walker, a processing archivist at Archives II in College Park. I’m never on Twitter. Sure, I know of it; it’s a pervasive presence in our culture. One of the best greeting cards I’ve seen makes a hilarious play on it: Jesus on Twitter. “12 new followers: cool!”, “Whoops, crowd … Continue reading Ask an Archivist? I’m all a-Twitter!
By David Langbart. Working in a large bureaucracy, such as the U.S. Government, one’s accomplishments are often overlooked by the most senior leadership. On occasion, however, the big boss notices and recognizes the work being done. In some cases, the biggest boss in the bureaucracy – the President – notices. One such instance occurred in … Continue reading The President Says Thank You, 1963: U.S. Policy Regarding The Congo
Today’s post was written by Nick Baric, a processing Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC. In May of 1918 a group of American sailors detached to a base at Kyle of Lochalsh in the Scottish Highlands found themselves in a bit of hot water. They faced accusations of removing a jewel box from a … Continue reading Haunted House Hijinks in the Highlands: Or Sailors in Trouble with Scottish Authorities
