Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. The fall of 1968 leading up to the Presidential election on November 5, saw active peace negotiations between the United States and North Vietnam.[1] One (among many) aspect of the situation that threatened to … Continue reading Vietnam Negotiations, 1968: The Problem of Leaks
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. As World War II in Europe drew to a victorious close in late April 1945, the Department of State sent the following circular telegram to American diplomatic and consular officers.[1] In it, the Department … Continue reading Celebrating Victory in Europe (VE) Day, 1945
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. One of the more notable incidents in the combat experience of U.S. troops during World War I is that of the so-called "Lost Battalion." During the fighting in the Meuse-Argonne in October 1918, over … Continue reading Aftermath of War: A World War I Hero Lost at Sea: The Death of Charles Whittlesey, 1921
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. On January 17, 1893, Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani was overthrown in a coup. The resulting Provisional Government sent five commissioners to Washington to negotiate a treaty of annexation with the United States. To accomplish that, … Continue reading Making Good History: Preserving Records of the February 1893 Negotiations with Hawaiian Commissioners
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. This is a revision of an earlier post. Tomorrow marks the centennial of the first Thanksgiving celebration after the armistice effectively ending World War I.[1] With the end of the war, Americans had more … Continue reading Thanksgiving Around the World, 1918
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. The Armistice effectively ending World War I went into effect at 11AM on November 11, 1918. After several earlier false rumors of the suspension of hostilities, official word of the signing of the armistice … Continue reading The 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month, 1918
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. An earlier post described a minor contretemps involving use of the Department of State communications precedence indicator "NIACT" [Night Action]. That problem persisted over the years as demonstrated by a 1978 exchange of telegrams … Continue reading Why Did You Wake Us Up in the Middle of the Night?: Use of NIACT, 1978
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. One of the mainstays of intelligence collection is photography. Among the variety of images collected are overhead photography, aerial photography, and what can only be called regular photography. All three types are represented in … Continue reading Photographic Intelligence: The Civil War
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. On January 21, 1963, at the behest of McGeorge Bundy at the White House, the Department of State sent a circular telegram to 14 embassies in Europe and the U.S. mission in Geneva.[i] The … Continue reading Why Did You Wake Us Up in the Middle of the Night?: Use of NIACT, 1963
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. As numerous scholars have demonstrated, World War II in the Pacific had a distinct racial aspect to it.[1] The Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor reinforced a long-standing strand of American racial animosity towards … Continue reading Watching Out for Your Friends: 1942 Guidance for U.S. Propaganda in the Pacific During World War II
