|
Primary sources for historical research: Twentieth-century U.S. foreign affairs
This guide lists important collections of primary sources on twentieth-century U.S. foreign affairs held by the Princeton University Library. It covers microform, print and digital collections. Microforms listed in this guide are housed in Firestone Library Microforms Service on C floor. Printed guides to these collections are usually also housed in Microforms Service and have call numbers beginning "FilmB." A few collections held by Princeton Theological Seminary or by the Center for Research Libraries are also listed in this guide. Please consult a librarian for help if you would like to use these collections. For further information, please see Guides to primary sources for historical research: introduction.
Table of Contents
- Major series
- Topical collections
Note: for U.S. foreign relations with particular regions of the world, see the guides to those regions:
Also, Princeton holds substantial collections on U.S. foreign relations as part of the Public Policy Papers at Mudd Manuscript Library. See Finding aids: diplomacy for other collections in this area.
See US
Presidents for a list of Princeton's microform holdings of papers of US
presidents. For published papers, search the Main Catalog for the president
as an author, e.g. Eisenhower, Dwight.
Note that unpublished presidential papers are generally held in presidential
libraries rather than by the National Archives. See http://www.archives.gov/presidential_libraries/ for a list with links and
addresses.
See the US Presidents guide and the regional guides for the important series National Security Files, which documents the foreign policy of the Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations.
| Documents of the National
Security Council (U.S.) |
| See below |
|
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms UA23.G84 |
Microfilm 04814 (Microfilm of original papers from 1947-1977)
Microfilm 0475X 1st Supplement
Microfilm 05783 2nd Supplement
Microfilm 05784 3rd Supplement
Microfilm 09634
Microfilm 08672
Microfilm 08807
Microfilm 10575
"Documents of the National Security Council is the only series that collects and publishes all of the formerly classified NSC papers that have been released through Freedom of Information Act requests. The broad range of documents now conveniently available for the first time-including formal policy papers, progress reports, background documents "P" files, "Mill" papers, National Security Council actions, national security action memoranda, and national security study memoranda-gives researchers an unmatched, inside view of the highest level of foreign policy decision making in the Executive Office of the President." See http://academic.lexisnexis.com/documents/upa_cis/11141_DocsNSCBaseSet.pdf and other online guides for supplements.
See also the Index to Documents of the National Security Council
Public Administration Collection (SF). Firestone UA23.15 |
| Minutes of Meetings of
the National Security Council |
| See below |
|
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms UA23 .G85, UA23 .N37 etc. |
Microfilm 05190
Microfilm 08678
[1st Supplement]
Microfilm 08679
[2nd Supplement]
Microfilm 10583 [3rd Supplement]
Microfilm 11894 [4th Supplement]
This is a subseries of the above.
|
| Public Statements by the
Secretaries of Defense, 1947-1981 |
| Microfilm 02265 |
81 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms UA23.3.L47 |
"Public Statements by the Secretaries of Defense gives researchers their best opportunity to trace the growth and development of the defense establishment in the United States since the Department of Defense was formed in the aftermath of World War II. ... press conferences, background briefings, press statements, and official testimony, along with interview, speeches, and supporting documents, have been collected and organized by the office of the Secretary of Defense." Arranged by presidential administration: Part 1. The Truman Administration (1947-1953); Part 2. The Eisenhower Administration (1953-1961); Part 3. The Kennedy and Johnson Administrations (1961-1969); Part 4. The Nixon and Ford Administrations (1969-1977); Part 5. The Carter Administration (1977-1981). See http://academic.lexisnexis.com/documents/upa_cis/
11230_PublStatementsSecDefPt1.pdf |
| Foreign relations of the United States |
A major source of primary material on US foreign relations is:
Foreign relations of the United States. Department of State, United
States of America. Washington : US G.P.O.
Firestone Library (F) 1096.922.7
Some volumes from the 1950s and 1960s are also available on microfiche at:
Government Documents Collection (DOCS) Call Number: S 1.1
There are several online versions of parts or all of this series:
"The Foreign Relations of the United States series presents the official
documentary historical record of major US foreign policy decisions and significant
diplomatic activity. The series, which is produced by the State Department's
Office of the Historian, began in 1861 and now comprises more than 350 individual
volumes. The volumes published over the last two decades increasingly contain
declassified records from all the foreign affairs agencies." [from the
State Dept. web site] |
As classified documents are released to the public, they may appear in any of several databases or web sites. No single site or database provides complete coverage, so the diligent researcher will consult them all.
| Declassified Documents Reference Service |
| (Post World War II-1970s) Indexing and full text access to a rich collection of declassified documents from various government agencies, including the White House, the CIA, the FBI, the State Department, and others covering events following World War II. This database is a good place to start and additional resources are available for research in this area |
| Digital National Security Archive |
| Access to a wealth of significant primary documents central to U.S. foreign and military policy since 1945. Comprised of 22 core collections; each contains a diverse range of policy documents including presidential directives, memos, diplomatic dispatches, meeting notes, independent reports, briefing papers, White House communications, email, confidential letters, and other secret material. |
This collection comprises studies prepared by a variety of government and non-governmental organizations to inform U.S. policy making, including RAND Corporation, the Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute, the Naval War College's Center for Advanced Research, the National Defense University, the Institute for Defense Analysis, the American Institutes for Research. It is arranged by date and by region: see the guides by region at http://libweb4.princeton.edu/help/research/history/microforms/. In addition, listed below in this guide are the topical series on Immigration; Terrorism; and Nuclear Weapons, Arms control, and the Threat of Thermonuclear War.
| Immigration: Special Studies |
| See below |
|
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms JV6483 .I454 |
Microfilm 09827 (1969-1988)
Microfilm 11857 (1999-2003
|
Nuclear Weapons, Arms control,
and the Threat of Thermonuclear War:
Special Studies |
| See below |
|
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms JX1974.7 .L47 |
"The series examines all the issues surrounding the international debate on nuclear weapons, their nature and deployment, the prospects for controlling their spread, and the consequences of using them. Many of the studies explore the substantial political, ideological, and technical barriers that have often blocked real progress toward limiting nuclear weapons. Most notably, the studies assess the strategic reevaluations by American and Soviet leadership made in the light of domestic pressures and international crises."
Microfilm 05160 (1969-1981)
Microfilm 10615 [Supplements 1 through 7, 1981-1995]
Microfilm 11859 [Eighth supplement, 1996-2001]
|
| Terrorism: Special Studies, 1975-2001 |
| Microfilm 09826 |
|
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms HV6431 .T4776 |
"Since the 1970s, the phenomenon of international terrorism has repeatedly forced itself upon the American consciousness. At the same time, policy makers have struggled to formulate an effective and coherent strategy to combat terrorist acts, both domestically and abroad. The series provides a multifaceted examination of the facts, causes, and political implications of a phenomenon that confronts every region of the world."
|
| Records of the Department of State relating to .... |
| Collections in this series cover internal and foreign affairs in many countries and regions, 1910 through the 1960's. They are arranged by country and date, and listed under guides for regions at http://libweb4.princeton.edu/help/research/history/microforms/. You can also retrieve a reasonably complete list by searching the Main Catalog for "Records of the Department of State relating"
Originals held by National Archives as part of Record Group 59, General Records of the Dept. of State. See http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/059.html. |
| Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files |
| Collections in this series cover internal and foreign affairs in many countries and regions, generally after World War II. They are arranged by country and date, and listed under guides for regions at http://libweb4.princeton.edu/help/research/history/microforms/. You can also retrieve a reasonably complete list by searching the Main Catalog for "Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files"
Originals held by National Archives as part of Record Group 59, General Records of the Dept. of State. See http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/059.html. |
| CIA Research Reports, 1946
-1976 |
| Microfilm 01861 |
44 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms D839.3.C52 |
In 8 parts; worldwide coverage divided by region/country.
|
| U.S. Military Intelligence
Reports: Surveillance of Radicals in the United States, 1917-1941 |
| Microfilm 05415 |
34 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms HN90.R3U85 |
"The era of the First World War witnessed several fundamental changes in the role of the American federal government. Not the least of these was the use of military services as a counter-force against disaffected elements of the civilian population—particularly against radical labor organizers and leftist intellectuals. [This] collection makes available generous selections from recently opened records of the Army’s G-2 "negative" branch engaged in the surveillance of radicals in the United States. "
|
| The U.S. Intelligence Community
Organization, Operations, and Management, 1947-1989 |
| Microfiche 1511 |
226 microfiche |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms JK468.I6U846
1990 |
| Material that documents the "bureaucratic reality" of U.S. intelligence operations. Includes organization manuals, regulations, interagency directives, annual summaries of military intelligence, and studies of U.S. intelligence done by other U.S. government agencies. Indexed by subjects and organizations. |
| Foreign Broadcast Information Service |
| "FBIS, the Foreign Broadcast Information Service, and BBC Worldwide Monitoring
are translation services that have been provided respectively by the US government
and BBC since 1946 for FBIS, and 1939 for the BBC. JPRS, the Joint Publications
Research Service, was an auxiliary service to FBIS from 1953-1995. FBIS Daily
Reports in paper/microfiche ended in 1996; World News Connection, which is FBIS
full text on the web, began in 1994." For more information, see Translation
Services: FBIS, BBC and Beyond: A Research Guide (from which the above is
quoted)
FBIS Daily Reports 1952-1996 can be found at Microfilm S01854. FBIS Daily Reports
1946-1951 are available in print, but
the volumes are shelved in Annex A. Do an "annex request" for the dates/areas of interest to you. |
Princeton's Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library holds the records of the Council on Foreign Relations, "a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and national membership organization dedicated to improving understanding of international affairs by promoting a range of ideas and opinions on United States foreign policy. The Council has had a significant impact in the development of twentieth century United States foreign policy." See Council on Foreign Relations Records, 1918-2006: Finding Aid for more information. Note that the records are closed for 25 years from the date of their creation.
| Records of the Council on Foreign Relations, 1921-1951 [microform] |
| Microfiche 1637 |
517 fiches |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms E744 .R426 2007 |
This is a microform edition of portions of the Council’s records from 1921-1951, include Conferences, Study Groups, Meetings, and the War and Peace Project.
|
| Manhattan Project: Official
History and Documents |
| Microfilm 04568 |
12 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms QC773.A1xG8 |
"The Manhattan Project has been called the most outstanding achievement of applied science. With the declassification in 1976 of the files of the Manhattan Project, historians were at last given the opportunity to study the project's files, foremost among which is the official history of the enterprise. The documents that are appended to the appropriate volumes of the official history add even more depth to the account."
|
| Wartime Conferences of
the Combined Chiefs of Staff (World War II) |
| RECAP: Microfilm 05378 |
3 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms none |
| "Published here are proceedings of the eight major conferences of the Combined Chiefs of Staff during the war. At these sessions, topics ranged from strategy for particular campaigns to debate over postwar occupation. The CCS records are critical for research on the formation of Allied strategy and the dynamics of the wartime alliance."
|
| U.S. Commission on Wartime
Relocation and Internment of Civilians |
| Microfilm 01885 |
35 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms D769.8.A6L47 |
"The relocation and internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II has been called one of the worst abuses of governmental authority in the history of the United States. Beginning in 1942, more than 120,000 Japanese-Americans, were ordered to leave their homes and were transported to relocation centers for the duration of the war. In 1980, Congress established the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC). The purpose of CWRIC was to review the facts and circumstances surrounding both the decision to issue Executive Order 9066 and the way in which the order was implemented, as well as to assess the impact of the order on the American citizens and resident aliens who were relocated and interned. During the course of its investigation, CWRIC compiled a vast quantity of documentary materials, which are published here. The records come from relevant federal agencies, such as the War Department, the War Relocation Authority, the FBI, and the Department of Justice; as well as from officials and civilians." See http://academic.lexisnexis.com/documents/upa_cis/
1729_USCommWarRelocInternPt1.pdf
|
| Internment of Japanese Americans [microform]: records of the Franklin D Roosevelt Library |
| Received but not yet cataloged, January 2009 |
6 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| |
| Papers of George C. Marshall [microform]: selected World War II correspondence |
| Microfilm 09654 |
40 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms E745.M37 A4 |
| Microfilmed from the George C. Marshall papers, George C. Marshall Library, Lexington, Virginia. See Marshall, George C. (1880-1959) in American National Biography. |
| The Origins of the Cold
War |
| Microfiche 1542 |
17 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms D839.3 .O744
1982 |
| "The historical conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States, and the world events that served to influence relations between the two world powers are presented here." Primarily based on Foreign Relations of the United States. |
| Papers of Dean Acheson [microform]: Princeton Seminars, 1953-1954 |
| Microfilm 06058 |
4 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| Papers of Dean Acheson Princeton Seminars, 1953-1954. See Acheson, Dean (1893-1971) in American National Biography. |
| The Rise and Fall of Senator
Joseph R. McCarthy |
| Microfiche 1543 |
23 fiches |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms E748.M143 R57
1982 |
"The brief but dramatic political reign of Senator Joseph Raymond McCarthy is examined in this collection, from the Wheeling speech to McCarthy's condemnation by the Senate in late 1954." See also http://www.anb.org/articles/07/07-00188.html
|
| Voice of America |
| 1096.943 |
reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms none |
(Voice of America scripts, 1953-1980)
|
| Files of the Communist Party of the USA in the Comintern archives [microform] |
| Microfilm 11816 |
326 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms none |
| "The material in the collection, largely the original headquarters records of the CPUSA shipped to Moscow many decades ago, spans the period from 1912 to 1944 with the bulk in the period from 1922 to 1936. The files contain the original incoming mail, carbons of outgoing correspondence, reports from regional and local organizers, and internal memoranda produced by officials and offices of the national headquarters. In addition to CPUSA records produced in America, these files contain documents created or gathered in Moscow by CPUSA representatives to the COMINTERN. Most of the material in the CPUSA records is in English, although in some files key documents are accompanied by Russian, German, or French translations." |
| Archives of War Resisters'
International, 1921-1974 |
| Microfiche 446 |
103 fiche |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms none |
| See http://www.iisg.nl/archives/en/files/w/10773401.php for the finding aid to the original documents, now housed at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam.
|
FBI Files
A selection of FBI files are available on the FBI's web site at Electronic Reading Room. In addition, Princeton has many FBI files in microform. For FBI files on African-Americans, please see the LibGuide at
African American Studies: FBI Files
| FBI File on the House Committee
on Un-American Activities |
| Microfilm 05654 |
9 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms none |
| "From 1938 through 1975, the House Committee on Un-American Activities and the FBI developed a working relationship that both increased the power of the committee and gave the bureau another means of investigating suspected Communists. This file ... contains hundreds of reports centered on HUAC’s major investigations" |
| FBI File on the Students
for a Democratic Society and the Weatherman Underground |
| Microfilm 07330 |
8 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms HN90.R3 F34 |
| "This is one of the few collections on Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and its spin-off, the Weatherman Underground Organization, between 1962 and 1977. Strong in descriptions of antiwar rallies and SDS-produced materials, the file is particularly useful for its detailed coverage of the SDS-led protests at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. The FBI's interest in the SDS was piqued by Communist party leader Gus Hall's comment that his party had the SDS "going for us." Both J. Edgar Hoover and President Johnson came to view the SDS as a key fomenter of anti-Vietnam sentiment."
|
| COINTELPRO: the Counterintelligence
Program of the FBI |
| Microfilm 05649 |
30 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms none |
| "The FBI Counterintelligence Program file contains details of the bureau’s attempts to “expose, disrupt, and neutralize” groups that J. Edgar Hoover perceived as threatening to national security. The material in this file, spanning COINTELPRO’s existence from 1956 to 1971, is especially valuable for the view it offers of the U.S. political climate in the 1960s. The file is organized in sections that reflect the bureau’s interests, among them the Communist Party of the USA, Black nationalist “hate” groups, White “hate” groups, the Socialist Workers Party, and Cuban groups supporting Fidel Castro."
|
| The Communist Party, USA
and Radical Organizations, 1953-1960: FBI Reports from the
Eisenhower Library. |
| Microfilm 06842 |
7 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms HX83 .C655
1990 |
| "During the Eisenhower years, the FBI put a number of radical groups under surveillance. It gathered intelligence for use by selected federal offices, including the president’s, in monographs that assessed in great detail the organizations’ structures, inner workings, and beliefs. Most of the documents deal with the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) ... also includes reports on three other extremist organizations: The Nation of Islam, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Socialist Workers Party." See http://academic.lexisnexis.com/documents/upa_cis/10834_CPUSAFBIDDELib.pdf |
| Records of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam [microform] |
| Microfilm 07715 |
100 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms DS557.4 .G84 |
| Consists of material from the holdings of the Library of the U.S. Army Military History Institute. "MACV controlled all U.S. military operations, commanded all army elements, managed military assistance and advisory efforts, coordinated U.S. intelligence operations, advised the U.S. ambassador to South Vietnam, and oversaw the many allied units and agencies in Vietnam." |
| Confidential U.S. State Department central files. Vietnam, 1960-January 1963 [microform] |
| Microfilm 11686 |
24 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms DS559.912 .C663 |
| Originals held by National Archives as part of Record Group 59, General Records of the Dept. of State. See http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/059.html . internal affairs, decimal numbers 751K, 751G, 851K, 851G, 951K, and 951G and foreign affairs, decimal numbers 611.51K, 611.51G, 651K, and 651G. See http://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/upa_cis/group.asp?g=466 |
| Vietnam and Southeast Asia [microform]: special studies, 1960-1980 |
| Microfilm 05637 |
13 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms DS557.7 V538 1982 |
| This collection comprises studies prepared by a variety of government and non-governmental organizations to inform U.S. policy making. |
| Documents on the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam [microform] |
| 1744.867 |
8 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms DS557.4.P5 |
| "The following set of documents was gathered by Mr. Douglas Pike while he was serving as a foreign service officer with the U.S. Information Agency in Vietnam. They are internal documents of the National Liberation Front and the People’s Revolutionary Party captured by units of the Vietnamese Army"--P. [1] of Inventory. Includes "Inventory of Communist documents, Saigon, Vietnam, December 1966" on 66 leaves at beginning of the first reel. Vietnamese and English. Microfilm of originals in Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for International Studies. |
| Vietnam, the media, and public support for the war [microform] |
| Microfilm 05642 |
11 reels |
Printed guide: none |
This collection "documents relations between the White House and the media during the Vietnam War era, revealing how the White House attempted to create and control a favorable perception of the war by the media and the public." The records are held by the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Texas. See http://www.lexisnexis.com/documents/academic/upa_cis/
2292_VietnamMediaSuppWar.pdf |
| Vietnam, National Security Council histories [microform] |
| Microfilm 05362 |
8 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms Z1223.Z7G52 |
Consists of classified documents from the White House and the military, organized to present a history of U.S. decision-making about the war in Vietnam. See http://www.lexisnexis.com/documents/academic/upa_cis/
3222_WarVietnamNSCHist.pdf . This collection is also known as The War in Vietnam, Classified Histories by the National Security Council. |
| Lyndon B. Johnson national security files. Vietnam, 1963-1969 [microform] |
| See below |
reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms |
| This collection comprises documents on U.S. foreign policy and international relations from the Lyndon B. Johnson Library, including correspondence and reports. See http://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/2upa/Isiaas/NationalSecurityFiles.asp
Microfilm 08675 [November 1963-June 1965]
Microfilm 10598 [First supplement]
Microfilm 11694 [2nd supplement]
Microfilm 08676 [Special Subjects] |
The Johnson Administration
and Pacification in Vietnam:
Robert Komer-William Leonhart Files, 1966-1968 |
| Microfilm 09824 |
15 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms DS558 .J636 |
| Consists of material from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library that documents the American pacification effort in Vietnam. "Topics addressed include agriculture and land reform, the South Vietnamese army, Buddhists and Catholics in Vietnam, defense spending, the Doan Ket National Reconciliation Program, South Vietnamese economic indicators, conditions in the hamlets, Viet Cong infrastructure, intelligence coordination and exploitation, peace negotiations, postwar planning, and psychological warfare." |
| Transcripts and files of
the Paris peace talks on Vietnam, 1968-1973[microform] |
| Microfilm 05639 |
12 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms DS559.7 .T72 |
| Consists of verbatim transcripts of the peace talks. |
| U.S. Armed Forces in Vietnam,
1954-1975 [microform] |
| Microfilm 05638 |
21 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms DS558.5 .U82 |
| An collection assembled from various sources to document U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Four parts: Indochina Studies; Vietnam: Lessons Learned; Vietnam: Reports of U.S. Army Operations; Vietnam: U.S. Army Senior Officer Debriefing Reports. |
| The War in Vietnam [microform]: Papers
of William C. Westmoreland |
| Microfilm 09653 |
25 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms E840.5.W4 A2 |
| Consists of correspondence, news clippings, reports and memoranda, and public statements of General Westmoreland. |
| Westmoreland v. CBS [microform] |
| Microfiche 847 |
1,010 microfiche |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms E840.5.W4 A2 |
| Records of the libel suit brought by General Westmoreland against CBS for their documentary "The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception." Although the case was settled out of court, some 80,000 documents on the conduct of the war were amassed. See also http://academic.lexisnexis.com/documents/upa_cis/592_WestmorelandvCBS.pdf |
| America in protest [microform]: records of anti-Vietnam War organizations |
| On order, December 2008 |
51 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| Materials from anti-war organizations, including Vietnam Veterans Against the War; National Coordinating Committee to End the War in Vietnam; Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam.. Guide linked from http://microformguides.gale.com/GuideLst.html |
|
