An earlier post discussed the collapse of the French attempt to initiate a film festival at Cannes in 1939, due to the outbreak of World War II. Getting that festival off the ground was an early priority of the French government once the war ended in Europe in May 1945 and planning for resumption of … Continue reading The Show Must Go On. Take 2 At Cannes, 1946.
In January 1942, shortly after the United States was thrust into World War II by the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent December 11 declaration of war by Germany, officials in the Department of State considered the issue of the U.S. attitude toward the Geneva Protocol for the Prohibition of … Continue reading Tell Us What You Really Think Mr. Secretary [Poison Gas Warfare], 1942
On November 30, 1908, Secretary of State Elihu Root and Japanese ambassador to the United States Baron Kogoro Takahira, in a process initiated by Takahira on October 26, exchanged diplomatic notes discussing the policies of the U.S. and Japan in the Far East – what has since been known as the Root-Takahira Agreement. The arrangement … Continue reading Advice from the President, 1908
Cannes. Glitz. Glamor. Film stars. Today, the Cannes film festival – formal title Festival de Cannes - is considered the epitome of the international motion picture world. The festival had an uncertain beginning. The first official French notification to the U.S. government of the planned festival arrived in the Department of State in the … Continue reading Calling “Cut” on the First Take at Cannes, 1939
In late 1943/early 1944, Humphrey Bogart and his wife Mayo Methot went on an 2-1/2 month entertainment tour of military bases in North Africa and Italy for the USO. Their party also included actor Don Cummings and accordionist Ralph Hark. In addition to giving shows, Bogart and his wife visited hospitals and undertook other morale-boosting … Continue reading Private First Class Bogart
There is no document in the National Archives entitled the “Red House Report.” There is, however, a SHAEF intelligence report that mentions a late 1944 meeting that took place at the Hotel Rotes Haus [Red House] in Strasbourg, France, that has become known colloquially as the “Red House Report.” On November 7, 1944, the SHAEF … Continue reading SHAEF Intelligence Report EW-Pa 128 (AKA the “Red House Report”): Real Plan or Red Herring?
Thomas Edward Lawrence is most famous for his action in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in support of British forces in the Middle East during World War I, activity that won him the appellation of “Lawrence of Arabia.” T.E. Lawrence Lawrence was introduced to Arab language, culture, and history while doing archeological work … Continue reading Lawrence of Arabia: A View from 1939
Washington, DC, sitting as it does in the mid-Atlantic region, experiences hot and humid summers. Office buildings evolved to make the summertime work situation tolerable. By the early twentieth century, many government buildings had high ceilings, large windows, and opening/closing transoms over doors to allow air flow-through in an effort to make offices as comfortable … Continue reading Getting Ready for Summer in Washington
One of the more notable events in U.S.-Soviet relations during the Eisenhower Administration War was the American National Exhibit in Moscow from July 25 to September 4, in 1959. This was the scene of the so-called Kitchen Debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Chairman of the Soviet Council of Ministers Nikita Khrushchev. The … Continue reading Sticky Fingers in Moscow, 1959
In October 1960, in the last months of the Eisenhower Administration, the Civil Service Commission announced the establishment of the Federal Woman’s Award for outstanding achievement by women in the Federal career service to be administered by the Board of Trustees, Federal Woman’s Award. The award was announced in the following press release: A pamphlet … Continue reading Recognizing Women in Federal Service, 1961
