Tis the season to give holiday gifts. Here in the Office of the Archivist, we are in the business of giving gifts all year round. One of the little-known things that we do is provide facsimile gifts for the President of the United States. My staff receive requests from the State Department Protocol Office for … Continue reading Archival Gift-Giving
Someone in the Office of War Information (OWI) News Bureau was certainly having a jolly old time on Christmas Eve 1942, when they wrote this memorandum concerning rumors flying around (by way of a reindeer-led sled) about a “man in whiskers who … will come down many chimneys bringing gifts to hundreds of American homes.” … Continue reading Holiday Humor in World War II
As the nation’s record keeper, the National Archives is responsible for making the records of the U.S. Government available to the public. These records—some famous but others quite ordinary—tell the nation's story, document the actions of government officials over the years, and confirm the rights guaranteed to individuals. They are records that deserve preservation not … Continue reading Pursuing Civic Literacy
As a veteran of the Vietnam War, I was determined to mark the 50th anniversary of the height of the Vietnam War with an exhibit here at the National Archives. Our records, some recently declassified, continue to yield discoveries and provide insight and evidence for people seeking to understand the war. In Remembering Vietnam, we … Continue reading “Remembering Vietnam” Exhibit Entered into Congressional Record
The University of Virginia Library is pleased to announce Phase II of the Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) Cooperative program. The University of Virginia Library is collaborating with the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, and 27 other Cooperative members. This second and final phase of establishing the Cooperative (2017-2019) is generously funded by … Continue reading Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC), Phase II (November 2017-October 2019)
As Thanksgiving approaches, we have much to be thankful for here at the National Archives. We are grateful for the records we hold in trust, and for a mission that lets us serve the democracy and the people of this Nation. I also give thanks this year for the industrious staff at the National Archives, … Continue reading Giving Thanks
The National Archives opened our newest exhibition, Remembering Vietnam: Twelve Critical Episodes in the Vietnam War on November 10, 2017. The exhibit examines 12 critical episodes in the Vietnam War to provide a framework for understanding the decisions that led to war, events and consequences of the war, and its legacy. This 3,000-square-foot exhibit uses … Continue reading Remembering Vietnam
Today’s guest blog post comes from T.J. Stiles, author of Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America. I could not have written my last book, Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America—nor have won the Pulitzer Prize for it—without the National Archives. But the reason may not … Continue reading Less-well-traveled paths at the National Archives
The National Archives released 2,891 records on Thursday related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy that are subject to the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (JFK Act). These records are available for download online. The President has also ordered that all remaining records governed by section 5 of … Continue reading National Archives Releases JFK Assassination Records
Washington, DC is home to some of the most fantastic museums in the world. Museums where visitors see one of a kind objects, are transported around the world through expositions, and participate in unique programming. The National Archives is one of those museums. Here, visitors contemplate our democracy while examining the signed Constitution of the … Continue reading Sleepover at the National Archives
