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
By David Langbart By Executive Order 9981 (NAID 300009), dated July 26, 1948, President Harry S Truman ordered the integration of the armed forces of the United States. Given the stationing of large numbers of American forces overseas after World War II, that move potentially had ramifications for U.S. relations with host countries. With that … Continue reading Foreign Policy Aspects of Integration of the U.S. Armed Forces
Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher and Dr. Sylvia Naylor, Archivists at the National Archives in College Park. Dr. Alfred Hentzen, on the staff of the Kaiser Friedrich Museum in Berlin, was mobilized into the German Army in mid-1942. While serving on the Intelligence Staff of a Panzer Division in North Africa, he … Continue reading The Kümmel Report
By David Langbart The recent announcement that the United States and Cuba will establish embassies in each other’s capitals signifies the beginning of a second era of formal relations between the two countries. The first era lasted from 1902, when the U.S. sent its first diplomatic representative to independent Cuba, until January 1961, when the … Continue reading The End of the Beginning: The United States Breaks Relations with Cuba, 1961
By David Langbart June 18, 2015. The bicentennial of the battle of Waterloo, one of the most important events in early nineteenth century European history. At that battle, an Anglo-Allied army commanded by the Duke of Wellington combined with a Prussian army under the command of Gebhard Blucher and defeated the French army commanded by … Continue reading Waterloo!
By David Langbart Scholars and others use the series Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS), the official documentary publication of American foreign policy, and other printed primary sources, as sources of easily-accessible documentation. Strict reliance upon published documents, however, can lead one astray if the point you are trying to draw is not the … Continue reading Led Astray by Published Documents
