Guatemala, Great Britain, and the United States and Guatemala’s Claim to British Honduras (Belize), 1931-1948

Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, retired senior archivist from the National Archives at College Park. Guatemala, off and on for more than 100 years, claimed all or part of British Honduras (Belize), a British crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico and east of Guatemala. Periodically Guatemala … Continue reading Guatemala, Great Britain, and the United States and Guatemala’s Claim to British Honduras (Belize), 1931-1948

map of Austria showing occupation zones

Soviet-American Cooperation Regarding Hitler’s Führer Museum Documentation, 1945-1946

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. Adolf Hitler desired to create a museum in Linz, Austria, to house art objects he had acquired before and during World War II. The German art authorities created a large quantity of documentation relating to the acquisition of … Continue reading Soviet-American Cooperation Regarding Hitler’s Führer Museum Documentation, 1945-1946

“Outsiders” in the United States Army during the American War for Independence

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland.  Throughout the U.S. Army’s history there have been political and social issues surrounding the recruitment and utilization of “outsiders,” people who were not like the majority of white and native-born soldiers with whom they served. This post takes … Continue reading “Outsiders” in the United States Army during the American War for Independence

Z Plan cover page

The Capture and Exploitation of Japanese Records during World War II

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. U.S. Military forces began capturing records almost as soon as the war began and started exploiting them immediately. Documents were first captured from a Japanese plane downed in the Pearl Harbor attack. These provided the first clues to … Continue reading The Capture and Exploitation of Japanese Records during World War II

Nuremburg Laws excerpt

The Nuremberg Laws: From Nuremberg to the National Archives

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. For the 1935 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg, Nazi German’s Chancellor Adolf Hitler called for the convening of the Reichstag in the city on September 15, the concluding Sunday, in order to pass a Reich Flag Law, making … Continue reading The Nuremberg Laws: From Nuremberg to the National Archives

World War II-era Far East Cultural Property Losses: Research at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Dealing with World War II-era looted assets can be a challenging endeavor. Prior to 1990 there were relatively few scholarly works or newspaper articles on the subject of World War II-era looted assets, in part because of the … Continue reading World War II-era Far East Cultural Property Losses: Research at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland

Homestead Act

Women Homesteaders

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Next year marks the 160th anniversary of the Homestead Act, a law making free public lands available to homesteading under certain conditions. Its provisions were responsible for helping settle much of the American West. Between 25 and 39 … Continue reading Women Homesteaders

The Creation of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. On June 25, 1941, an order was drafted which would establish William J. Donovan's wished-for intelligence agency as the Office of Coordinator of Strategic Information (for background see: William J. Donovan and the Establishment of the Office of … Continue reading The Creation of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)

Men in suits posing for a photograph

William J. Donovan and the Establishment of the Office of the Coordinator of Information, July 1940-July 1941

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. In July 1940, several weeks after France capitulated to Germany, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox proposed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Secretary of State Cordell Hull that someone be sent to England to study the … Continue reading William J. Donovan and the Establishment of the Office of the Coordinator of Information, July 1940-July 1941

The National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement’s Report on Lawlessness in Law Enforcement

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Introduction In 1929, President Hoover established a commission to undertake the first comprehensive national study of crime, the American criminal justice system, and law enforcement in the United States. This commission in the two years that followed would … Continue reading The National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement’s Report on Lawlessness in Law Enforcement