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
By David Langbart One never knows what will be found in the files. While undertaking holdings maintenance on some records, the document described here appeared. In September 1945, just after the formal end of World War II, the British embassy in Washington sent a diplomatic note to the Department of State requesting some information. In … Continue reading Married Women in the U.S. Government, c. 1945
Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. Most researchers dealing with the translation of captured and seized Japanese records are familiar with the primary organizations translating those records. These would include the Pacific Military Intelligence Research Service (PACMIRS), the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS), the … Continue reading Exploitation of Captured Japanese Documents by the Far Eastern Section, Foreign Intelligence Branch, of the Office of Naval Intelligence (OP-16-FE), 1944-1946
Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. The U.S. Army’s Pacific Military Intelligence Research Service (PACMIRS), located at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, had been established in September 1944 to exploit captured Japanese records. During 1945 it saw a steady increase in staff and workload–from 120 personnel in … Continue reading Exploitation of Captured and Seized Japanese Records by the Pacific Military Intelligence Research Service (PACMIRS) 1945-Spring 1946
By David Langbart “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” is considered one of the great motion pictures produced by the American movie industry. In 1989, the Library of Congress added this masterpiece to the United States National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The movie, starring James Stewart as Jefferson Smith (the “Mr. … Continue reading “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”: Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy as Movie Critic
Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. The idea of establishing an American commission to assist in protecting and restituting cultural property in war areas grew out of discussions among American educators and museum officials about the potentially dangerous impact of the European war on historic … Continue reading Committee of the American Council of Learned Societies on the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas
