One of the original functions of the Department of State was oversight of the territories. In 1873, an act of Congress (17 Stat. 484) transferred that function to the Secretary of the Interior. In 1900, however, territorial responsibility was once again thrust on the Department of State after the United States conquered and seized Puerto … Continue reading The Department of State and Oversight of Puerto Rico, 1900-1909
King George VI King George VI of Great Britain died on February 6, 1952, at Sandringham House. He had come to the throne in December 1936 upon the abdication of his brother Edward VII. Edward gave up the throne in order to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. George, as the second son, had not … Continue reading Responding to the Death of King George VI
In July 1943, World War II raged around the world. In Europe, the combined U.S./British bombing campaign against Germany proceeded. In Nazi-occupied areas, mass murder continued. On July 5, on the Eastern Front, the huge and pivotal battle of Kursk began. In the Mediterranean, U.S. and British forces were about to invade Sicily on July … Continue reading Love Among the Ruins (Apologies to Robert Browning et. al.)
This is the third and final post in a series describing World War II-era records of the Department of State and other closely related agencies relating to refugees, displaced persons, relief, and war crimes. It describes records of the Foreign Economic Administration, the Clemency and Parole Board for War Criminals (Japanese), and the Displaced Persons … Continue reading Department of State Records Relating to Refugees, Displaced Persons, Relief, and War Crimes During the World War II Era, Part 3: Related Agencies and Publications
This is the second of three parts describing World War II-era records of the Department of State relating to refugees, displaced persons, relief, and war crimes. It describes the decentralized files of the Department. Part 1 described relevant central files. As noted in that post, there is significant overlap among the central and decentralized files … Continue reading Department of State Records Relating to Refugees, Displaced Persons, Relief, and War Crimes During the World War II Era, Part 2: Decentralized Files
Perennial subjects of interest in the records of the Department of State for the World War II era are refugees, displaced persons, relief, and war crimes. Among the headquarters records of the Department of State are many records relating to those topics. This is the first of three posts to discuss those materials. The records … Continue reading Department of State Records Relating to Refugees, Displaced Persons, Relief, and War Crimes During the World War II Era, Part 1: Central Files
An earlier post discussed the 1959, United Artists release of the major motion picture On the Beach. The movie was based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Nevil Shute. To recapitulate - Both the book and the movie take place in a post-apocalyptic world. The nuclear fallout resulting from World War III … Continue reading International Reaction to the Motion Picture “On the Beach”
Please enjoy this countdown of our most popular blog posts of 2021. Thank you for continuing to read the Text Message and we hope you join us for more stories, insights, and highlights from the textual records of the National Archives in 2022! #5 "Lucy, I'm Home!"... from the Army Armed Forces Newsmap, vol 1, … Continue reading Text Message Top 5 of 2021
Archbishop Desmond Tutu greets Vice President Al Gore, May 10, 1994 (NAID 24717040) Bishop Desmond Tutu died on December 26, 2021. He was best known for his human rights and nonviolence activities while the Anglican bishop of Johannesburg and then the archbishop of Cape Town, the first Black person to hold either position. Tutu was a hero of … Continue reading Desmond Tutu, October 1931-December 2021
The murder of U.S. diplomats overseas is usually considered a modern phenomenon – a result of increased terrorist activities beginning in the 1960s. While some American diplomats were murdered overseas earlier, John Mein, then U.S. ambassador to Guatemala, was the first sitting American Ambassador to be killed overseas. He died on August 28, 1968, during … Continue reading Attempted Assassination of a U.S. Ambassador, 1921
