Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. On March 2, 1929, President Calvin Coolidge signed PL 70-952. That law authorized the War Department to arrange for trips, designated as pilgrimages, by the mothers and widows to the overseas graves of soldiers, … Continue reading Passports and Travel Documents for Pilgrims: Gold Star Travel
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. November 20, 2017, marked the 70th anniversary of the marriage of Princess Elizabeth, now Queen Elizabeth II, and Philip Mountbatten. The royal family announced the engagement in early July 1947. Princess Elizabeth and Philip … Continue reading Great Britain’s Royal Wedding of 1947
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. After President John F. Kennedy's triumphant June 1963 visit to West Berlin to show support for that city and his famous proclamation "Ich bin ein Berliner," it should not be surprising that citizens of … Continue reading Berlin Reacts to the Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. Even though American Foreign Service Officers overseas received the news about the tragic events in Dallas through public media, the Department of State had the responsibility to provide its posts with official updates. Consequently, … Continue reading The Department of State and the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: Keeping the Field Informed
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. The effect of race discrimination on U.S. international relations during the years after World War II was a critical issue for U.S. foreign policy and remains so to this day. After World War II, … Continue reading U.S. Domestic Discrimination as a Problem in the United Nations, 1949
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. As the election of 1960 approached, President Dwight Eisenhower made a unique suggestion to Secretary of State Cristian Herter. In a telephone conversation on the afternoon of October 31, General Andrew Goodpaster, Staff Secretary … Continue reading Inviting the World to Watch the Election of 1960
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. While the Foreign Service reporting found in Department of State files is mostly about the countries in which the U.S. has overseas representation or about U.S. relations with those countries, the files include a … Continue reading A View of the Election of 1960 From Abroad
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. In December 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt sent the Department of State a letter in which he admonished that agency for preparing a set of remarks for his use in greeting a foreign visitor that … Continue reading Theodore Roosevelt Schools the Department of State, 1908
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. Among the more popular genealogical-type records among the files of the Department of State are those relating to visas. Except for a brief time during the American Civil War (1861-1865), alien visitors did not … Continue reading Department of State Visa Records in the National Archives
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. World War II began in September 1939, with the German invasion and quick conquest of Poland. Both Great Britain and France declared war on Germany in support of the Poles, but no major military … Continue reading Dunkirk in the Department of State Records
