Today's post was written by David Langbart, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. President Obama will visit Cuba later this month. It will be only the second time an incumbent President visits that island nation. The first presidential visitor was Calvin Coolidge in 1928, when he attended the Sixth International Conference of American … Continue reading The President Goes to Cuba: 1928
Today's post was written by David Langbart, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. Douglas MacArthur was born on January 26, 1880. As his 70th birthday approached, he was serving as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) in occupied Japan. In that position he had significant interaction with the Department of State. In … Continue reading Douglas MacArthur Turns 70: Birthday Greetings from the Secretary of State
Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. This concludes the 8-part series on Hunting Hitler. The person Brigadier Dick White, head of counter-intelligence in the British Zone, would turn to in September 1945 to sort out the details of Hitler’s death was Hugh Trevor-Roper. Born January … Continue reading Hunting Hitler Part VIII: The Search Ends, September-November 1945
Today's blog was written by David Langbart, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. December 21 is the 70th anniversary of the death of General George S. Patton, Jr., renowned and controversial general and subject of the unforgettable 1970 eponymous motion picture. While he was without a combat command at the time of his … Continue reading The Funeral of General George S. Patton, Jr.
Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. This post is part of a multi-part series. At the end of May 1945, Allied military and diplomatic officials went to Berlin to discuss the occupation of Berlin with Marshal Georgy Zhukov, Soviet commander of the Russian Zone of Occupation. … Continue reading Hunting Hitler Part VII: The Search Continues, June-September 1945
Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher and Dr. Sylvia Naylor, Archivists at the National Archives at College Park. The Jewish community in the United States expressed many complaints during April and May 1945 about how displaced persons, particularly Jews, were being treated by the U.S. Army in Germany. Secretary of the Treasury Henry … Continue reading The Harrison Report, President Truman, and General Eisenhower
Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. This is the sixth post in a multi-part series. With Adolf Hitler’s death just before 4pm on April 30, 1945, Hitler’s right-hand man Martin Bormann realized he had no position at all, unless Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz should confirm … Continue reading Hunting Hitler Part VI: The Search Begins, May 1945
Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. This is the third blog in a multi-part series. In the early hours of April 30, 1945, Hitler continued saying his goodbyes in his bunker. The next group would consist of many people closest to him. This gathering consisted … Continue reading Hunting Hitler Part III: The Bunker (Morning, April 30th)
Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives in College Park, MD. This is the first in a multi-part series. Introduction On November 10, 2015, the History Channel will begin an eight-part series on the possibility that Adolf Hitler did not die in his Berlin bunker on April 30, but … Continue reading Hunting Hitler Part I – The Bunker (April 28-April 29)
By David Langbart Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey, a long-time medical officer at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), died recently. Her obituaries describe a long and distinguished career at the FDA but highlight her role in preventing the approval of the drug Thalidomide for use in the United States. When used by pregnant women, that … Continue reading The Department of State and the Battle Against Thalidomide
