In April 1950, the United States and Ireland elevated the diplomatic presence in their respective national capitals from a legation (headed by an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary) to an embassy (headed by an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary). The last American minister and first American ambassador to Ireland was George A. Garrett, whose tenure covered … Continue reading “An Act of Displeasure:” Reaction to the Possibility of a Woman Ambassador, 1951
This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the motion picture The Godfather. Even before that movie saw its release, the studio began work on the sequel – The Godfather Part II. Photography began in October 1973, and the picture came out in December 1974. Some of the action in Part II takes place in … Continue reading The Godfather Shoots Abroad
[NOTE: This post was drafted before the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine.] Chernobyl. Today, the name of the city in present-day war-torn Ukraine conjures visions of a nuclear disaster of previously-unseen proportions. On April 26, 1986, technicians at the nuclear power plant near Chernobyl lost control of one of the four reactors on the site … Continue reading Chernobyl Before It Was CHERNOBYL!
The 1956 motion picture Giant was exactly that. Three hours and 17 minutes long. Directed by George Stevens. Filled with stars: Elizabeth Taylor. Rock Hudson. James Dean (in his last film). Sal Mineo. Dennis Hopper. Carroll Baker. Jane Withers. Chill Wills. Mercedes McCambridge. Rod Taylor. Music by Dimitri Tiomkin. “Giant” received 10 Academy Award nominations, … Continue reading Cutting “Giant” Down to Size
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
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
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 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”
