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. The presidential election of 1972 came in the midst of the U.S. rapprochement with the USSR known as detente. Earlier in the year, President Richard Nixon traveled to Moscow for a major summit with … Continue reading The Presidential Election of 1972: Analysis of Soviet Bloc Opinion
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. Upon assuming the crown in February 1952, the British "empire" led by Queen Elizabeth II consisted of a conglomeration of states and territories bound together in various ways. There were a number of sovereign … Continue reading Queen Elizabeth II: Changing Circumstances, Changing Titles
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. Part I described the SKYLAB program and international concerns about its reentry. Beginning in April 1979, and with increasing frequency as the date approached, the Department of State informed overseas posts of the date … Continue reading What Goes Up Must Come Down: Dealing With the International Aspects of the Demise of SKYLAB, Part II
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. 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
By David Langbart The National Archives holds records relating to many firsts: First President. First airplane. First computer. First atomic bomb. First man on the moon. Here is another first. This is Lucile Atcherson. [Source: Lucile Atcherson; Official Personnel Folders-Department of State; Record Group 146: Records of the U.S. Civil Service Commission; National Archives, St. … Continue reading An Archives Filled with Firsts
Today's post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher. The National Archives of the United Kingdom has many interesting record series titles. One of my favorites is “Mussolini's personal files (the ‘Handbag’ files).” This series consists of the papers that Mussolini was carrying in two handbags when he was captured in April 1945. Likewise, the National … Continue reading What’s in a name? The story behind the series title “Ciano Papers: Rose Garden”
By David Langbart The motto of the National Archives is "What is Past Is Prologue." Recently, while assisting a researcher at Archives II, I ran into my Dad, even though he died several years ago. A bit of background will help you understand. My father's first Government service, like most in his generation, came in … Continue reading A personal prologue at the National Archives
