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Cold War: Voices of Confrontation and Conciliation
For almost fifty years, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in the Cold War. This global stalemate emerged after both nations had been allies against Hitler during World War II. What political events precipitated the Cold War? What scientific and technological developments fueled the arms race that characterized the Cold War? What new institutions were created by the Cold War, and how were existing institutions reshaped by it? How did the Cold War condition society and culture? How did it shape the foreign policies of the U.S. and the Soviet Union? What did--and does--"the end of the Cold War" mean for citizens in the United States and the former Soviet Union? The answers to these questions and more are available in this collection of oral histories.
Commercial and Trade Relations Between Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union and the U.S., 1910-1963
This collection of U.S. State Department Central Classified Files relates to commercial and trade relations beginning in the Tsarist Russia period and extending through Khrushchev period in Soviet history. It contains a wide range of materials from U.S. diplomats including materials on treaties, general conditions affecting trade, imports and exports, laws and regulations, customs administration, tariffs, and ports of entry activities.
The Amerasia Affair, China, and Postwar Anti-Communist Fervor
The Ameriasia Affair was the first of the great spy cases of the postwar era. It prompted several congressional investigations, stirred-up partisan controversy, and threatened to destroy the political reputations of several government officials.
As an outspoken woman and humanitarian, Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) was a prime target for an investigation by J. Edgar Hoover. Her work with youth movements and the civil rights of minorities made many Americans of the time uneasy, and Hoover, of course, felt obligated to investigate her alleged radical, subversive, and un-American activities. This file includes the usual correspondence, memos, and newspaper clippings. The letters between Hoover and Eleanor provide fascinating insight into their relationship. Also included are many letters from "ordinary" citizens protesting Roosevelt's activities and syndicated column, "My Day," pleading with Hoover that "she must be stopped."
Ecuador: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1960-1963
The documents in this archive trace developments primarily during the administration of John F. Kennedy. Included here are plans by the U.S. Air Force, under an existing understanding between Quito and Washington, to commence photograph mapping operations in Central and Western Ecuador. Documents on commercial affairs include a report on the robust market of U.S. ophthalmic goods in Ecuador with continuing competition expected “from French, German, Swiss, and Japanese products”; and a proposed visit by U.S. fisheries consultants (June 1962).
This collection consists of correspondence and telegrams received and sent by the American consular post in Beirut. The topics covered by these records include the protection of interests of American citizens, foreign trade, shipping, and immigration. But there is more to these records than traditional consular activities – the Beirut post provides a unique look into the French Mandate in Syria-Lebanon. Consular officials reported on the administration of the Mandate, its problems, French repression, and Arab rebellion. There are unique materials on the Druse Rebellion of 1925 ,religious conflicts between Christian, Maronite, and Muslim communities, repression by French military forces, French efforts to settle Bedouin tribes in Syria, nationalist organizations and rebellion, anti-Zionism activities, riots and civil disturbances in the cities, villages and rural areas, failure of the Franco-Lebanese Treaty of 1936, creation of a new mandate administration in Syria in 1939, the war clouds in Europe, and Palestinian views on Syrian independence.
Iran (Persia): Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1883-1959
The documents in this collection on Iran are sourced from the Central Files of the General Records of the Department of State. The records are under the jurisdiction of the Legislative and Diplomatic Branch of the Civil Archives, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
Japan: Records of the U.S. Department of State Relating to Political Relations, 1940-1944
This archive traces the outbreak of the U.S. war with Japan in December 1941 through 1944. It is one of three digital collections based on the microfilm title Records of the U.S. Department of State Relating to United States Political Relations with Japan, 1930-1954. The source material contains Decimal File 711.94.
This collection documents the private and public life of American lawyer and diplomat George W. Ball. Ball served as counsel in the Lend-Lease Administration and the Foreign Economic Administration from 1942 to 1944. In 1961, he became Under Secretay of State for Economic Affairs. Ball then served as Under Secretary of State from 1961 to 1966 under both Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. His tenure as Under Secretary of State is most noted for his opposition to the Vietnam War. This is an outstanding collection for research in diplomatic history and foreign policy.
War, Peace, and Democracy in America: Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies, 1940-1942
The Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies (CDAAA) was an advocacy organization formed in May 1940 to persuade the American public that the United States should supply the Allies with as much material and financial aid as possible in order to keep the U.S. out of the war. The wealth of CDAAA's publications shed light on political attitudes of the time. Publications include flyers, pamphlets, cartoons, newsletters, newspaper advertisements and clippings, postcards, press releases, a syndicated column called "It Makes Sense", radio transcripts, speeches, petitions, and policy statements. The Subject Files document the many organizations with which the Committee was sympathetic, as well as the many isolationist organizations to which the Committee was opposed. With the bombing of Pearl Harbor, CDAAA acknowledged that its work had come to an end, and in January 1942, it merged with the Council for Democracy to form Citizens for Victory To Win the War, To Win the Peace.
Nazism in Poland: The Diary of Governor-General Hans Frank
This collection reproduces the Tagebuch or journal of Dr. Hans Frank (1900-1946), the Governor-General of German-occupied Poland from October 1939 until early 1945. The journal is in typed format, in chronological order, covering all aspect of Generalgouvernment (GG) administration from its seat in the royal Wawel castle in Krakau (Kraków). The entries reflect administrative matters, rather than the spontaneous thoughts or feelings usually found in a diary.
State Papers Foreign: Low Countries and Germany expands on the domestic papers in Part I and presents the first section of the foreign papers during the reigns of George I, George II, and George III until 1782, when the State Papers series ends.
Literature, Culture and Society in Depression Era America: Archives of the Federal Writers' Project
The Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) was the most controversial and contentious program of the Work Projects Administration (WPA), an integral part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s "New Deal." This bold, imaginative and wide-ranging enterprise is the key to understanding literature, culture and society in America during the Depression era.
Jewish Underground Resistance: The David Diamant Collection
David Diamant is the pseudonym of David Erlich, a Jewish communist and committed member of the underground resistance during World War II. This collection consists of original documents collected by Diamant over a period of approximately 30 years dealing primarily with the Jewish segment of the French underground resistance; many of the documents originate with communist groups, and some deal with Polish groups. Most of the documents are in French, while some are in Yiddish.
Afghanistan in 1919: The Third Anglo-Afghan War
This collection presents the complete files of the Political Warfare Executive (PWE) kept at the U.K. National Archives as FO 898 from its instigation through to its closure in 1946, along with the secret minutes of the special 1944 War Cabinet Committee "Breaking the German Will to Resist."
War on Poverty Community Profiles: Midwestern States
The Community Profiles provide an in-depth analysis of poverty in America with an extensive inventory of historical data at a local level. Each profile, composed as a narrative with statistical indices, contains information showing general poverty indicators, size and composition of the poor population, and selected aspects of geography, demography, economy, and social resources. Midwestern states in this collection include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
The Dominican Republic has experienced many setbacks on the road to democracy. Dominican political history has been defined by traditions of “personalism,” militarism, and social and economic elitism which has undermined its efforts to establish liberal constitutional rule. This collection includes State Department, U.S. Embassy, and Dominican republic governmental dispatches, instructions, and miscellaneous correspondence dealing with topics such as political affairs and government; public order and safety; military affairs; social matters (including history and culture); economic conditions (including immigration and emigration); industry and agriculture; communications and transportation; and navigation. The material is in English, making the information contained in these files particularly accessible.
German Colonial aspirations in Asia and the Pacific ended with the start of the First World War. Japanese Army forces seized German leased territories in China and the Japanese naval forces occupied the German Pacific colonies. The Treaty of Versailles legitimized Japan’s aggression and the territories were officially mandated to the Japanese government. This collection comprises correspondence, studies and reports, cables, maps, and other kinds of documents related to U.S. consular activities. U.S. Consulates were listening posts reporting on the activities of the German colonial governments and later the Japanese mandate authorities, and the activities of the native peoples.
Albania: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1945-1963
Albania established a Communist regime and a one-party system under Yugoslav and Soviet guidance. The People's Republic of Albania, declared in January 1946, was led by Enver Hoxha (1908-1985), Stalin’s disciple, who served as party general secretary, prime minister, and commander in chief. The documents here are sourced from the Central Files of the General Records of the Department of State. The records are under the jurisdiction of the Legislative and Diplomatic Branch of the Civil Archives, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
Egypt: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1853-1962
This archive covers Egypt from the years before the opening of the Suez Canal through the era of British domination, Arab nationalism, and independence. The documents here are sourced from the Central Files of the General Records of the Department of State. The records are under the jurisdiction of the Legislative and Diplomatic Branch of the Civil Archives, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.