Jim Crow, Meet Lieutenant Robinson: A 1944 Court-Martial (Spring 2008) - A fight against bias in the Army presages a historic baseball career for Jackie Robinson.

"No Little Historic Value": The Records of Department of State Posts in Revolutionary Russia (Spring 2008) - War, revolution, and natural disaster took their toll on U.S. embassy and consular records.

Ready Access: NARA's Federal Records Centers Offer Agencies Storage, Easy Use for 80 Billion Pages of Documents (Spring 2008) - The Federal Records Centers Program provides an essential service for U.S. Government agencies.

To Protect and to Serve: The Records of the D.C. Metropolitan Police, 1861–1930 (Spring 2008) - Police records document the historical and social fabric of the nation's capital.

Summer

Finding Out Who You Are: First Stop, National Archives (Summer 2008) - The Archivist discusses the indispensable role of the National Archives in genealogical research.

Sage Prophet or Loose Cannon? (Summer 2008) - A sharp Navy intelligence officer predicted Japan's actions while earning the ire of the top brass.

Battlefilm: Motion Pictures of the Great War (Summer 2008) - A look at NARA's trove of images of World War I.

LBJ: Still Casting a Long Shadow (Summer 2008) - The legacies of the Great Society and the Vietnam War buildup that shape history's assessment of the nation's 36th President.

Attacking the Backlog (Summer 2008) - A major Archives project works to get a billion unprocessed records available to the public.

Exodus to Kansas (Summer 2008) - An 1880 congressional inquiry investigated the beginnings of the African American migration from the south.

2007

Spring

Civic Education: Lighting the Path to the Future (Spring 2007) - Civic education is an essential element of NARA's overall mission.

A Discovery: 1798 Federal Direct Tax Records for Connecticut (Spring 2007) - Researchers can find a wealth of information in a rare collection of documents.

Diplomacy and Duels on the High Seas: Littleton Waller Tazewell and the Challenge of HMS Euryalus (Spring 2007) - Carefully laid plans for a dramatic confrontation between two ships are upset by the outbreak of peace in the War of 1812.

The 200th Anniversary of the Survey of the Coast (Spring 2007) - Many of federal scientific agencies can trace their roots to Thomas Jefferson's order for a charting of the young nation's ever-growing coastline.

School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents (Spring 2007) - A NARA exhibit gives us a peek at the report cards, homework, athletic prowess, and musical abilities of our modern Presidents when they were students.

Sharing the Excitement of History: NARA's New Boeing Learning Center Supports Education Programs Nationwide (Spring 2007) - This latest part of the National Archives Experience will serve as the focal point for NARA's civic education efforts throughout the nation.

A Final Appeal to Capitol Hill: The U.S. House's Accompanying Papers File, 1865–1903 (Spring 2007) - Citizens exercising their constitutional right to petition left future generations a weath of genealogical information.

Summer

Progress toward a Goal of Greater Access (Summer 2007) - Allen Weinstein discusses NARA's efforts to increase and make easier access to our holdings nationwide.

American Mysteries, Riddles, and Controversies!: New Exhibit at the Hoover Presidential Library Challenges Visitors to Ask Better Questions in the Search for Answers (Summer 2007) - When details are lacking, history sometimes leaves the door open to wild and imaginative speculation about what really happened.

"Tear Down This Wall": How Top Advisers Opposed Reagan's Challenge to Gorbachev—But Lost (Summer 2007) - One of Ronald Reagan's most famous speeches came close to losing its most memorable line—until the deciding vote was cast.

"Sweltering with Treason": The Civil War Trials of William Matthew Merrick (Summer 2007) - Lincoln's administration finds a way to work around a federal judge with Confederate sympathies.

Rich, Famous, and Questionably Sane: When a Wealthy Heir's Family Sought Help from a Hospital for the Insane (Summer 2007) - Psychiatric records from a government hospital provide a peek into the private lives of wealthy and prominent families and their squabbles over sanity.

Chasing Technology: The Challenge of Preserving Audiovisual Records (Summer 2007) - Archivists face great challenges in preserving film, tape, and sound recordings.

"Their . . . Bedding is wet Their floors are damp": "Pre-Bureau" Records and Civil War African American Genealogy (Summer 2007) - Discover what the records show about life for African American refugees before the Freedmen's Bureau.

Fall

Honoring a Sacred Obligation to History (Fall 2007) - The future role of NARA and the Nixon Library.

Herbert Hoover's Boy Biographer (Fall 2007) - An 11-year-old boy writes a biography and gains a few moments of fame.

Wearing Lipstick to War: An American Woman in World War II England and France (Fall 2007) - Remembering Liz Richardson, one of the "Red Cross girls".

Nixon's Library Now a Part of NARA: California Facility Will Hold All Documents and Tapes From a Half-Century Career in Politics (Fall 2007) - Tracing the Nixon documents from private library to federal repository.

Listening to Nixon: An Archivist's Reflections on His Work with the White House Tapes (Fall 2007) - The ongoing work of processing the Nixon tapes.

Preserving the Past, Keeping Pace with the Future (Fall 2007) - A look at preservation programs at the National Archives.

Looking for an Ancestor in the Panama Canal Zone, 1904–1914 (Fall 2007) - Exploring court records created during the building of the Atlantic-Pacific link.

Winter

The National Archives and the World (Winter 2007) - The Archivist discusses the National Archives' role on the international stage.

The First Proposal, or, What a Future President of the United States Did When He Was Rejected by the Woman He Loved (Winter 2007) - Young Harry Truman pursued Bess despite being spurned time after time.

Mission to Štĕchovice: How Americans Took Nazi Documents From Czechoslovakia—and Created a Diplomatic Crisis (Winter 2007) - In postwar Europe, an American unit clandestinely removed Nazi records from a booby-trapped cave.

Digging Deep at the National Archives: Film, Still Pictures Holdings Were Major Resource for Ken Burns's World War II Documentary (Winter 2007) - Filmmaker Burns mined the vast holdings of World War II records at the National Archives.

Opening the Files on War Crimes (Witner 2007) - A final report from the panel that made public documents on Nazi and Japanese actions during World War II.

Native Americans in the Antebellum U.S. Military (Winter 2007) - Learn how to find the hundreds of American Indians who served in the U.S. military between 1815 and 1858.

2006

Spring

After a Disaster: The National Archives as "First Preservers" (Spring 2006) - NARA's post-hurricane records recovery efforts.

VIPs in Uniform: A Look at the Military Files of the Famous and Famous-To-Be (Spring 2006) - A look at the military files of some of the famous and famous-to-be, including Elvis Presley, Steve McQueen, George S. Patton Jr., and Jack Keroauc.

Beyond the Box Score: Baseball Records in the National Archives (Spring 2006) - Explore a wealth of information about baseball and its illustrious past found in an unlikely place—the records of the National Archives.

When an American City Is Destroyed (Spring 2006) - How the U.S. military became the "first responders" and took charge

Hemingway on War and Its Aftermath (Spring 2006) - How his chronicles of World War I affected one of the 20th century's most influential writers and, in turn, the course of American literature.

A Founding Father in Dissent: Elbridge Gerry Helped Inspire Bill of Rights in His Opposition to the Constitution (Spring 2006) - Today Gerry might be all but forgotten, but his participation in the Constitutional Convention was key to shaping our government.

Lights! Camera! History! Ideas! (Spring 2006) - The William G. McGowan Theater Serves as a Venue for Documentary Film and Policy Forums

An Extraordinary President and His Remarkable Cabinet: Doris Kearns Goodwin Looks at Lincoln's Team of Rivals (Spring 2006) - A noted author discusses her work on her latest book.

The World War II Army Enlistment Files and AAD (Spring 2006) - NARA's online Access to Archival Databases allows searches for World War II personnel.

Summer

Strictly Unclassified: Some Thoughts on Secrecy and Openness (Summer 2006) - The Archivist addresses concerns about access to records.

Ike's Interstates at 50 (Summer 2006) - Young Dwight Eisenhower's views on the importance of good roads later served as a catalyst in creating today's half-century-old interstate highway system.

Reclaiming Pieces of Camelot (Summer 2006) - A complicated legal trail led to the recovery of many long-missing papers and artifacts from John F. Kennedy's years in the White House and Congress.

NARA's Oldest Partnerships: Affiliated Archives (Summer 2006) - Some of the holdings of the National Archives are actually stored and made accessible right where they were created and are mostly frequently used.

Native Americans in the Census, 1860–1890 (Summer 2006) - Genealogists pursuing Native American ancestry should look for leads in earlier censuses.

Fall

Pursuing Civic Literacy: NARA Education Programs Promote New Ways to Teach History (Fall 2006) - NARA remains committed to engaging Americans in the study of their own history through written records that document that history.

Into the Woods: The First Year of the Civilian Conservation Corps (Fall 2006) - The first of Franklin D. Roosevelt's major New Deal programs is launched before the last echoes of his inaugural address are gone.

Prelude to McCarthyism: The Making of a Blacklist (Fall 2006) - In the early days of the Cold War, the Attorney General draws up a list that sets the boundaries for loyalty.

Abner Pratt and Michigan's Honolulu House (Fall 2006) - A 19th-century U.S. consul leaves his post under a cloud but builds a Hawaiian palace in the upper Midwest.

The D-Day Classroom: Eisenhower Library Program Offers Students Lessons in History and Leadership (Fall 2006) - At the Eisenhower Library, students can once again decide whether June 6, 1944, is a good day for the Allies to storm the beaches of Normandy.

The Story of the Female Yeomen during the First World War (Fall 2006) - The vague language of the Naval Act of 1916 opened the door to women volunteering in the U.S. Navy.

Winter

Roosevelt Mythistoricus (Winter 2006) - Archivist Allen Weinstein recalls how an eight-year-old boy struggled to come to terms with FDR's death in 1945.

The Christmas Tree Ship: Captain Herman E. Schuenemann and the Schooner Rouse Simmons (Winter 2006) - The Rouse Simmons, laden with trees for the Chicago holidays, mysteriously disappears in frigid Lake Michigan.

FDR at 125 (Winter 2006) - To mark the 125th anniversary of FDR's birth on January 30, 1882, Prologue looks at the impact of his presidency and his legacy.

A "New" FDR Emerges: Historians, Teachers, Authors Take a Fresh, Sometimes Critical, Look at Roosevelt (Winter 2006) - Prominent FDR historians take a fresh look at his life and times.

FDR, Archivist: The Shaping of the National Archives (Winter 2006) - In the spring of 1934, FDR took a keen interest in the newly established National Archives.

NARA's Armies of Volunteers (Winter 2006) - They serve on the front lines, without pay, and help the National Archives provide first-rate customer service at all locations around the country.

The Final Voyage of the Portland: Reconstructing the List of the Steamer's Crew through NARA Records (Winter 2006) - Genealogy Notes reconstructs the crew list of the Portland, which went down off the coast of New England in 1898.

Fala and the Barkers for Britain (Winter 2006) - Pieces of History looks at how FDR's "best friend" helped in the war effort.

2005

Spring

Secrecy and Salesmanship in the Struggle for NARA's Independence (Spring 2005) - Robert Warner, sixth Archivist of the United States, recounts the steps toward an independent National Archives in the 1980s.

The Frozen Sucker War (Spring 2005) - In pre–air-conditioning America, Good Humor and Popsicle square off in search of market share in the growing frozen sucker market.

Belva Lockwood: Blazing the Trail for Women in Law (Spring 2005) - She stood up to a President, became the first woman to argue before the Supreme Court, and helped stir the woman suffrage movement.

Winema and the Modoc War: One Woman's Struggle for Peace (Spring 2005) - A Modoc woman sought to foster better relations between her tribe and the U.S. Government.

Finding Place for the Negro: Robert C. Weaver and the Groundwork for the Civil Rights (Spring 2005) - A future cabinet member shaped government policies toward African Americans during the Depression and World War II.

20th-Century Veterans' Service Records: Safe, Secure - and Available (Spring 2005) - How records of soldiers, sailors, and airmen are preserved in our St. Louis facility and how to get copies of them.

Sealing the Sacred Bonds of Holy Matrimony: Freedmen's Bureau Marriage Records (Spring 2005) - A state-by-state look at marriage licenses, certificates, registers, and reports in federal records that document marriages of former slave couples.

Summer

At the National Archives, Pursuing Two Great Goals to Improve Service to Our Customers (Summer 2005) - NARA is committed to fulfilling electronic records initiatives and expanding its public and educational outreach.

Getting the Message Out: The Poster Boys of World War II (Summer 2005) - The Boy Scouts of America were mobilized to distribute the government's patriotic messages and warnings about spies and saboteurs on the home front.

Monuments, Manifest Destiny, and Mexico (Summer 2005) - The 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexican boundary line is drawn, and redrawn, amid politics and turmoil on both sides of the border.

The Presidential Libraries Act after 50 Years (Summer 2005) - FDR had already built his presidential library and donated it to the government, but it took some carefully crafted legislation before any more Presidents could do so.

Those Elusive Early Americans: Public Lands and Claims in the American State Papers, 1789–1837 (Summer 2005) - The thousands of claims and other records preserved from the records of the Senate and House contain a wealth of information on individuals and families living in America from 1789 to 1838.

Fall

Where Have You Gone, James Madison? (Fall 2005) - Archivist Allen Weinstein discusses the relevance of the U.S. Constitution and the thoughts of its leading architect, James Madison.

The "Fast Mail:" A History of the U.S. Railway Mail Service (Fall 2005) - As the railroads speeded America's westward movement, post office cars made the nation's mail move faster, too.

The "Z Plan" Story (Fall 2005) - Japan's secret plan to defeat the U.S. fleet is lost at sea, but soon drifts into "enemy" hands-those of American generals and admirals.

Finding Ordinary Americans with Extraordinary Stories (Fall 2005) - The search for the real people whose stories live within the records of the National Archives brings surprises, joy, and sadness.

There's a NARA Near You! Exploring the Regional Archives (Fall 2005) - Nearly one-quarter of NARA's holdings are located in its regional archives, and there may be one near you.

"You have the body": Habeas Corpus Case Records of the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia, 1820–1863 (Fall 2005) - These case files can provide names of individuals and family members; birth, marriage, and death information; and detailed information on the daily lives of the people involved in the cases.

Winter

Bill of Rights Memories (Winter 2005) - Allen Weinstein writes about some "radical" notions in need of some attention.

Movie vs. Reality: The Real Story of the von Trapp Family (Winter 2005) - How the producers of The Sound of Music altered the story of the family that endeared itself to audiences on stage and screen.

Trading Gray for Blue: Ex-Confederates Hold the Upper Missouri for the Union (Winter 2005) - Former Confederate prisoners joined the North to help keep peace in the West.

Voices of Emancipation: Union Pension Files Giving Voice to Former Slaves (Winter 2005) - After the Civil War, African American citizens provided an oral history of their lives in bondage.

The ERA: Technology to Aid Archivists, Historians (Winter 2005) - Lockheed Martin's role in building an archives for digital records.

Serving at the Pleasure of the President: The Nomination Papers of the United States Senate, 1789–1946 (Winter 2005) - In providing "advice and consent" for Presidential appointments, the Senate has also produced controversy and drama.

2004

Spring

The ERA: An Archives of the Future and for the Future (Spring 2004) - The National Archives continues its progress toward building the Electronic Records Archives.

Just Between You and Me: Children's Letters to Presidents (Spring 2004) - When youngsters write to the White House, the subject can be anything: dogs, messy rooms, Elvis Presley, or a $10 bill.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka: A Landmark Case Unresolved Fifty Years Later (Spring 2004) - With its decisive ruling, the Supreme Court transformed America's schools, fueled the civil rights movement, and stirred the nation's conscience.

An Alleged Wife: One Immigrant in the Chinese Exclusion Era (Spring 2004) - How U.S. authorities kept a Chinese bride in limbo for nearly two years and how others fought for her release.

Archivist Announces Results of The People's Vote (Spring 2004) - The votes are in! See what voters chose as the 10 most influential documents in U.S. history.

The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (Spring 2004) - Using records of veterans homes to gather information about Civil War and later veterans.

Summer

Providing Customer Service of the Highest Order (Summer 2004) - Archivist John W. Carlin describes improvements in our new Research Center in Washington, DC.

Cold Mountain's Inman: Fact Versus Fiction (Summer 2004) - A look behind the story in the book and motion picture.

LBJ Champions the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Summer 2004) - How President Lyndon Johnson laid the groundwork for this historic legislation and battled fellow southerners for its passage.

The Ordeal of Herbert Hoover (Summer 2004) - The 31st President hid his warm, human side as he fought the Great Depression, only to be rejected by the voters.

Bridging the Mississippi: The Railroads and Steamboats Clash at the Rock Island Bridge(Summer 2004) - Building the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi.

Creating the National Archives (Summer 2004) - Seventy years ago, on June 19, 1934, FDR signed into law "an Act to establish a National Archives of the United States Government."

Authors on the Record: (Summer 2004) - President Jimmy Carter talks about the setting for his book, The Hornet's Nest, the first-ever novel by a U.S. President.

Researching the Career of a Nineteenth-Century Physician (Summer 2004) - Using NARA records to fill out details of the life of a locally notable individual.

Fall

NARA Marks Twentieth Anniversary of Independence Legislation (Fall 2004) - Archivist John W. Carlin recalls an important chapter in this agency's history.

A Boy Who Would Be President: Harry Truman at School, 1892–1901 (Fall 2004) - A look at a young man's report cards and his interpretations of William Shakespeare.

See History As It Happened: The National Archives Experience Highlights America's Film Treasures (Fall 2004) - A new theater and a new exhibition will draw on the sights and sounds of NARA's film holdings.

Changing Channels: The Civil Rights Case That Transformed Television (Fall 2004) - A 1960s battle over a Mississippi TV license brought major changes on the screens and behind the cameras.

Documenting Democracy at State and Local Levels (Fall 2004) - For 40 years, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission has reached out to thousands of archives and records repositories across the country.

At the Federal Register, Tending to the Details of Democracy (Fall 2004) - How a NARA unit records all of our democracy's actions.

A Gold Mine of Naturalization Records in New England (Fall 2004) - A valuable set of naturalization records for five New England states.

Winter

The Public Vaults Offer An Exciting Journey through American Records (Winter 2004) - A new permanent exhibit in Washington, DC, lets you explore history through the public record.

The Flip Side of History (Winter 2004) - No treasure maps can be found, but the backsides of some famous documents still provide us with some interesting facts about American history.

By George, IT IS Washington's Birthday! (Winter 2004) - That Federal holiday in mid-February may be Presidents' Day to some people, but officially it still belongs to the man from Mount Vernon.

From Pearl Harbor to Elvis: Images That Endure (Winter 2004) - Some of the most requested photos from NARA depict the milestone events of World War II and a famous visitor to the White House.

Behind the Scenes with NARA's Exhibits Staff (Winter 2004) - Meet the people behind the Public Vaults and all the agency's other exhibits.

The Official Register of the United States, 1816–1959 (Winter 2004) - Explore the national directory of employees, agents, and officers of the federal government.

2003

Spring

Construction Projects Now Under Way Will Protect Records of the Past . . . And of the Future (Spring 2003) - The National Archives and Records Administration is upgrading its facilities to better preserve the records and serve our customers.

Harry Truman, Poker Player (Spring 2003) - The 33rd President often looked forward to a game of cards to relax and enjoy the company of friends or his staff— and even a visiting British legend.

"Incited by the Love of Liberty": The Amistad Captives and the Federal Courts (Spring 2003) - When enslaved Africans aboard a Spanish ship rebelled, their quest for freedom played out within the U.S. Federal court system.

Historic Murals Conservation at National Archives Building (Spring 2003) - Barry Faulkner's depiction of the presentations of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will light up the Rotunda after major restoration work.

Jefferson Buys Louisiana Territory, and the Nation Moves Westward (Spring 2003) - A surprise offer is quickly accepted, but the deal takes many documents and much time to complete. The "paper trail," however, is preserved at the National Archives.

AAD: A New Tool to Search NARA Databases (Spring 2003) - The Access to Archival Databases (AAD) tool allows researchers for the first time to search selected databases in NARA's holdings.

Honoring Our War Dead: The Evolution of the Government Policy on Headstones for Fallen Soldiers and Sailors (Spring 2003) - Learn when the government started providing headstones for military personnel and how to use the records in your genealogical research.

Summer

20 July 1969 (Summer 2003) - How Americans observed the day on Earth when man first landed on the Moon is recreated in this special preview of the National Archives Experience.

Sixty Years Later, the Story of PT-109 Still Captivates (Summer 2003) - His boat destroyed, John F. Kennedy eludes the Japanese and challenges the sea to lead his crew to safety and becomes a war hero.

Rotunda Reopening Launches New Era for National Archives (Summer 2003) - The Charters of Freedom return to public display, and the National Archives Experience gets ready to take off.

Safeguarding Hoover Dam during World War II (Summer 2003) - This huge dam is also a wartime target, but in the late 1930s and early 1940s, federal officials couldn't agree on how, or whether, to protect it.

Fort Archives: The National Archives Goes to War (Summer 2003) - In wartime Washington, a young agency proves its worth in the drive for victory and wins over skeptics who question its value.

NARA's Library Offers "The Light at the Beginning of the Tunnel" (Summer 2003) - The Archives Library Information Center (ALIC) offers researchers and archivists on-site and online resources.

Enhancing Your Family Tree with Civil War Maps (Summer 2003) - How to use an often-overlooked resource for filling out your Civil War research.

Fall

Cast Your Vote! Public to Choose Most Influential Documents in American History (Fall 2003) - Archivist John Carlin urges you to vote this fall on which documents have had the greatest influence on our country.

"Jitterbugs" and "Crack-pots" Letters to the FCC about the "War of the Worlds" Broadcast (Fall 2003) - Sixty-five years ago, a radio play alarmed the nation.

Renewing the Spirit of Independence (Fall 2003) - This fall we celebrate the return of the Charters of Freedom, the reopening of the Rotunda of the National Archives Building, and the first phase of the National Archvies Experience.

A New Era Begins for the Charters of Freedom (Fall 2003) - Conservators reveal details of their work on our founding documents.

The Stone Engraving: Icon of the Declaration
By Catherine Nicholson

NARA Conservators Meet the Challenge Every Day
By Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler

A Top-to-Bottom Renovation for the National Archives Building (Fall 2003) - The grand structure gets an upgrade after 68 years.

NARA's New Research Center Features Ease, Speed, Efficiency (Fall 2003) - The public gets improved access to our holdings.

A "Top Secret" Exhibit Previews the National Archives Experience (Fall 2003) - Our visitors will be able to open "secret" documents.

The EARS Have It: A Web Search Tool for Investigation Case Files from the Chinese Exclusion Era (Fall 2003) - An online database gives researchers greater access to case files at NARA's Pacific Region in San Bruno, CA.

Plans of Division: Describing the Enumeration Districts of the 1930 Census (Fall 2003) - The Census Bureau divides up the country into manageable pieces to conduct the 1930 census.

Winter

FDR, His Library, and the National Archives (Winter 2003) - The Roosevelt Library opens a new visitors center with the National Park Service.

Found at the Presidential Libraries: Dr. Seuss, Air Force One, and the San Diego Chicken (Winter 2003) - Amid White House documents and tapes, you'll find some unusual items that are now part of history.

Celebrating the Wright Brothers' First Flight: The International Civil Aeronautics Conference of 1928 (Winter 2003) - How an international aviation conference observed a quarter-century of aviation - when the age of flight was young.

American POWs on Japanese Ships Take a Voyage into Hell (Winter 2003) - The Access to Archival Databases (AAD) tool gives researchers online access to information about World War II prisoners.

The Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom Reopens at the National Archives (Winter 2003) - A historic homecoming for America's founding documents gets a Presidential touch and officially launches the National Archives Experience.

Reports from the Front (Winter 2003) - A National Archives Experience exhibit will bring you eyewitness of military engagements from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War.

Our Documents at Work in the Nation's Classrooms (Winter 2003) - Teachers use Our Documents to bring primary sources into the classroom.

De Smet, Dakota Territory, Little Town in the National Archives (Winter 2003) - Finding records of Laura Ingalls Wilder's family in the National Archives.

2002

Spring

A Time to Act: The Beginning of the Fritz Kolbe Story, 1900–1943 (Spring 2002) - Recounts how Kolbe, a mid-level official in the German Foreign Office, supplied the Allies with some of their most important intelligence of World War II.

Spoils of War Returned: U.S. Restitution of Nazi-Looted Cultural Treasures to the USSR, 1945–1959 (Spring 2002) - The story of how the United States undertook an unprecedented program of cultural restitution in an effort to restore displaced treasures to the countries from which the Nazis had confiscated them.

Preparing for the 1930 Federal Population Census (Spring 2002) - To most effectively use the census, it is important for researchers to know as much as possible about where a person lived in 1930.

Updating Harry Truman's Library: Interactive Features Enliven New Exhibits after Extensive Renovation (Spring 2002) - The library's new exhibits and educational space break new ground in its efforts to make Truman and his times come alive for new generations of Americans.

The WPA Census Soundexing Projects (Spring 2002) - The indexes to census schedules and immigration records developed by WPA workers have been a tremendous help to genealogists.

Summer

Developing a New National Archives Experience (Summer 2002) - Through a new interactive "National Archives Experience" visitors to the National Archives Building will learn about the past and how documents and records have shaped the nation and the lives of its citizens.

Race, Nationality, and Reality (Summer 2002) - America's immigration and nationality laws have been subject over the years to vague and varying interpretations by judges, lawmakers, the public.

Nazi Looted Art: The Holocaust Records Preservation Project (Summer 2002) - The Holocaust Records Project is providing greater access to the records that tell the story of artworks and artifacts damaged and looted during World War II.

Revisiting Korea: Exposing Myths of the Forgotten War (Summer 2002) - Korean War scholar James Matray exposes some of the myths of the war's beginnings, U.S. involvement, the conduct of the war, and its contribution to the Cold War.

Spotlight on NARA: The Freedmen's Bureau Preservation Project (Summer 2002) - Post–Civil War-era records that document the federal government's assistance to newly freed slaves are now being preserved on microfilm by the National Archives and Records Administration.

The 1930 Census in Perspective (Summer 2002) - The 1930 census reflected the emerging values of early twentieth-century America.

Fall

The Constitution of the United States: Document of the People (Fall 2002) - The Constitution laid the foundation for the Government of the United States of America, setting our fledging democracy on its way to becoming the great nation we live in today.

Spotlight on NARA: A Classroom Called NARA (Fall 2002) - The National Archives is more than a custodian of historic documents and vital records. We're also a vast resource for students and teachers to learn more about U.S. history— by visiting us either in person or via the Internet.

Forty Years Ago: The Cuban Missile Crisis (Fall 2002) - President John F. Kennedy mobilized the nation's armed forces during the hottest point in the long Cold War, when the United States and the Soviet Union stood just a few steps away from a nuclear exchange.

"Remember Me": Six Samplers in the National Archives (Fall 2002) - Not all records and documents in NARA's vast holdings are on parchment, paper, or computer disks. A few are actually needlework samplers that were considered official records by the U.S. Government.

Band of Angels: Sister Nurses in the Spanish-American War (Fall 2002) - Records in the National Archives document the service of a dedicated group of women religious who tended the sick and wounded during the Spanish-American War.

The Black Market in Postwar Berlin: Colonel Miller and an Army Scandal (Fall 2002) - An Army officer's testimony before a Senate special committee unleashed an avalanche of allegations of wrongdoings in the U.S. Office of Military Government in Germany after World War II.

An Overview of Records at the National Archives Relating to Military Service (Fall 2002) - A useful starting point for those researching individuals whose service records may be in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.

Winter

Join Us for "A Day in the Life" of NARA (Winter 2002) - September 17, 2002, was a typically busy day for NARA, starting with the President's announcement of a new civics initiative and continuing with day-to-day tasks and special Constitution Day activities.

Jefferson Looks Westward: President Secretly Sought Funds from Congress to Explore Louisiana Territory, Develop Trade (Winter 2002) - Before the Louisiana Purchase was accomplished, Jefferson planned a expedition to the west.

Letters from the Middle Kingdom: The Origins of America's China Policy (Winter 2002) - In 1834 John Shillaber, a would-be consul to China, writes his observations on the U.S. role in China.

Travels of the Charters of Freedom (Winter 2002) - Our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, had a long and sometimes perilous existence before being entrusted to the National Archives in 1952.

Guarding the Railroad, Taming the Cossacks (Winter 2002) - The U.S. Army on Russian soil? Just after World War I, American soldiers were on a special mission in Siberia, where the enemies were wily, unconventional— and dangerous.

"Our Documents" Captures America's Milestones (Winter 2002) - A White House initiative to boost civic literacy focuses on milestone documents in NARA's holdings—some very famous ones and some lesser-known ones that charted our nation's history.

"Blisters on My Heels, Corns on My Toes": Taking the 1930 Census of Population (Winter 2002) - The story of the people behind the taking of the 1930 population census. How did the Census Bureau gather that vast amount of data?

2001

Spring

Building NARA's "Archives of the Future" (Spring 2001) - NARA's plans for an Electronic Records Archives to preserve the growing volume of digital records.

LBJ Fights the White Backlash: The Racial Politics of the 1964 Presidential Campaign (Spring 2001) - Johnson and Goldwater confront the growing issue of race in the Presidential contest.

Mutual Admiration and a Few Jokes: The Correspondence of Harry Truman with Groucho and Harpo Marx (Spring 2001) - Letters in the Truman Library reveal the unlikely relationship between the President and two of the Marx Brothers.

Preserved in Full, for Future Generations (Spring 2001) - We have taken care to ensure that all the records of the 2000 decennial census are properly preserved until they are made public in 2072.

Return to Sender: U.S. Censorship of Enemy Alien Mail in World War II (Spring 2001) - An examination of censorship conducted at INS detention centers.

Researching African Americans in the U.S. Army, 1866–1890: Buffalo Soldiers and Black Infantrymen (Spring 2001) - How to find the military records of African American soldiers who served in the late 19th-century.

Summer

Creating the National Archives Experience (Summer 2001) - What the renovated and redesigned Rotunda will offer in 2003.

Roosevelt and His Library (Summer 2001) - FDR's personal involvement in creating the first Presidential library.

The Voyage of the "Coolie" Ship Kate Hooper, October 3, 1857–March 26, 1858 (Summer 2001) - Tells of an American ship that brought Chinese workers to Cuba, a journey that saw the death of its captain, several mutinies by the laborers, and ended with crew members in a Havana jail.

The Search for the Site of the Sand Creek Massacre (Summer 2001) - Using archival research, archaeological excavation, and tribal memory, the National Park Service explored the site of an 1864 massacre of a Cheyenne and Arapaho village.

"Two Japans": Japanese Expressions of Sympathy and Regret in the Wake of the Panay Incident (Summer 2001) - Recalls the great outpouring of sympathy from the Japanese public in 1937, 4 years before Pearl Harbor, after Japanese forces sank a U.S. Navy gunboat.

The Army Medal of Honor: The First Fifty-five Years (Summer 2001) - The Civil War origins of the Medal of Honor and guidance on how to find records of recipients.

Fall

Black Men in Navy Blue during the Civil War (Fall 2001) - A look at the black sailor's experience in the Union navy.

Defunct Strategy and Divergent Goals: The Role of the United States Navy along the Eastern Seaboard during the Civil War (Fall 2001) - Reflects how the war might have changed had the powerful Union fleet been used more effectively.

The Diplomats Who Sank a Fleet: The Confederacy's Undelivered European Fleet and the Union Consular Service (Fall 2001) - How a small group of dedicated governmentemployees in the State Department worked to prevent the Confederacy from acquiring all the ships it needed.

Eisenhower and the Red Menace (Fall 2001) - Eisenhower's strategy to combat Joseph McCarthy and his hunt for communists in the government.

Shedding Light on War Crimes (Fall 2001) - The work of the Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group (IWG).

The Rost Home Colony, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana (Fall 2001) - Finding family ties in the records of a Freedmen's Bureau experiment.

Winter

ARC: Archival Research Catalog (Winter 2001) - If you have come to depend on the NARA Archival Information Locator (NAIL), you will welcome ARC, the new online catalog for which NAIL was the prototype.

FDR's "Day of Infamy" Speech: Crafting a Call to Arms (Winter 2001) - The story of how FDR wrote one of the most famous speeches of the 20th century.

A New Look for NARA's Web Site: Friendlier, Easier, More Helpful (Winter 2001) - Plans forchanging the online face of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Semper Fidelis, CodeTalkers (Winter 2001) - The unbreakable code of the Navajo "code talkers" helped the U.S. Marine Corps battle across the Pacific from 1942 to 1945.

Researching Confederate Marines in the Civil War (Winter 2001) - Tips for researching an often overlooked group of Civil War servicemen.

2000

Spring

With Easter Monday You Get Egg Roll at the White House (Spring 2000) - A delightful history of the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

Electronic Records of Korean and Vietnam Conflict Casualties (Spring 2000) - Online resources: state casualty list extracts from the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.

Summer

The Hours Before Dallas: A Recollection by President Kennedy's Fort Worth Advance Man (Summer 2000) - A first-person account of JFK's last day.

Researching Service in the U.S. Army during the Philippine Insurrection (Summer 2000) - How to document an ancestor's military service in an often-overlooked conflict.

Fall

Grant, Babcock, and the Whiskey Ring (Fall 2000) - The first - and so far only - time an American President has testified voluntarily in a criminal trial.

Top Secret: Recovering and Breaking he U.S. Army and Army Air Force Order of Battle Codes, 1941–1945 (Fall 2000) - After 60 years, archvists and researchers can decipher the codes used to identify soldiers and units in World War II.

New Life for the Charters of Freedom: The Story So Far (Fall 2000) - The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights receive conservation treatment and new encasements.

By Way of Canada: U.S. Records of Immigration Across the U.S.-Canadian Border, 1895–1954 (St. Albans Lists) (Fall 2000) - A guide to using immigration records of the U.S.-Canadian border.

Winter

Abrupt Transition (Winter 2000) - How nine of our Presidents have ascended to the office under unusual circumstances, usually upon the death of their predecessors.

Garrison's Constitution: The Covenant with Death and How It Was Made (Winter 2000) - Examines the debates in the Constitutional Convention that touched on slavery in America.

Living with the Hydra: The Documentation of Slavery and the Slave Trade in Federal Records (Winter 2000) - An in-depth survey of relevant federal records from the founding of the republic through the Civil War.

Myths and Realities about the 1960 Census (Winter 2000) - Corrects the myth that substantial data from the 1960 census has been lost because the hardware to read the tapes is obsolete.

1999

Spring

Nazi Gold: The Merkers Mine Treasure (Spring 1999) - American troops discover gold and art in a German mine at the end of World War II.

Strategies for Reconstructing Careers of Foreign Service Officers, 1869–1887 (Spring 1999) - A guide through 19th-century political patronage in the U.S. foreign service.

Summer

Standing In for the President (Summer 1999) - A look at the role of the President's press secretary.

Will the Real Molly Pitcher Please Stand Up? (Summer 1999) - Searching through the records to find real-life candidates for the legendary figure.

World War I Gold Star Mothers Pilgrimages, Part I (Summer 1999) - Mothers and widows of U.S. soldiers who died overseas during World War I sailed to Europe to see the graves of their sons and husbands.

Fall

Civil War Cat-and-Mouse Game: Researching Blockade-Runners at the National Archives (Fall 1999) - Using the example of the Banshee, an archivist surveys federal records useful for tracking down Civil War blockade-runners.

A Notable Passage to China: Myth and Memory in FDR's Family History (Fall 1999) - Recounts the Delano family's clipper ship voyage to Hong Kong in 1862.

World War I Gold Star Mothers Pilgrimages, Part II (Fall 1999) - Mothers and widows of U.S. soldiers who died overseas during World War I sailed to Europe to see the graves of their sons and husbands.

Winter

Race Relations in the United States and American Cultural and Informational Programs in Ghana, 1957–1966 (Winter 1999) - The U.S.'s effort to improve America's image in Africa.

U.S. Marines in the Boxer Rebellion (Winter 1999) - Research the service of U.S. Marines who served in China in 1900.

1998

Spring

Documenting United States Naval Activities During the Spanish-American War (Spring 1998) - A look at archival sources on the 100th anniversary of the explosion of the USS Maine.

"I Am Entitled to the Medal of Honor and I Want It": Theodore Roosevelt and His Quest for Glory (Spring 1998) - Teddy Roosevelt's unsuccessful quest for a Medal of Honor after the Spanish-American War.

"New Glory to Its Already Gallant Record": The First Marine Battalion in the Spanish-American War (Spring 1998) - The Spanish-American War showed the Navy that the Marine Corps had a role in their future war plans.

Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines of the Spanish-American War: The Legacy of USS Maine (Spring 1998) - Locating service records of veterans of the Spanish-American War.

Summer

"Any woman who is now or may hereafter be married . . .": Women and Naturalization, ca. 1802–1940 (Summer 1998) - An examination of why women are not represented in early naturalization records.

Fall

American Film Propaganda in Revolutionary Russia (Fall 1998) - An examination of American propaganda efforts during World War I.

Winter

The Shady Side of the Family Tree: Civil War Union Court-Martial Case Files (Winter 1998) - Often, researching a family member's Civil War military service can be a double-edged sword.

1997

Spring

Riding the Rails Up Paper Mountain: Researching Railroad Records in the National Archives (Spring 1997) - The important role of railroads in American history is reflected in NARA's records.

Snakes & Scribes: The Dawes Commission and the Enrollment of the Creeks (Spring 1997) - A clash of cultures and tribal factionalism complicates the Dawes Commission's near-impossible task.

Summer

Institutions of Memory and the Documentation of African Americans in Federal Records (Summer 1997) - Historical background on the use of federal archives for African American research.

Preserving the Legacy of the United States Colored Troops (Summer 1997) - Discovering the records of the U.S. Colored Troops in the National Archives.

Freedmen's Bureau Records: An Overview (Summer 1997) - A look at an invaluable resource for African American history.

From Slave Women to Free Women: The National Archives and Black Women's History in the Civil War Era (Summer 1997) - NARA records help explore women's road from slavery to freedom.

Slave Emancipation Through the Prism of Archives Records (Summer 1997) - Using archival records to discover a people's quest for freedom and justice.

African Americans and the American Labor Movement (Summer 1997) - A brief guide to NARA record groups that document American labor history.

The Panama Canal: The African American Experience (Summer 1997) - Records of the Panama Canal document the inequalities and contradictions faced by black American employees of the Canal.

Black Domestics During the Depression: Workers, Organizers, Social Commentators (Summer 1997) - New Deal agencies record women's lives, livelihoods, and struggles.

Documenting the Struggle for Racial Equality in the Decade of the Sixties (Summer 1997) - An overview of NARA records relating to the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

An Archival Odyssey: The Search for Jackie Robinson (Summer 1997) - Uncovering the civil rights legacy of Jackie Robinson.

From Sophie's Alley to the White House: Rediscovering the Visions of Pioneering Black Government Photographers (Summer 1997) - A look at the success and obstacles encountered by black federal photographers.

The Lions' History: Researching World War II Images of African Americans (Summer 1997) - An archivist highlights primary resources for still picture documentation of African Americans in World War II.

The USIA Motion Picture Collection and African American History: A Reference Review (Summer 1997) - A review of the rich motion pictures resources in the National Archives.

A Guiding Light (Summer 1997) - The story of the making of the Black History: A Guide to Civilian Records in the National Archives.

Documenting African Americans in the Records of Military Agencies (Summer 1997) - Introducing a new reference information paper on military records relating to African Americans.

The Freedman's Savings and Trust Company and African American Genealogical Research (Summer 1997) - These files provide researchers with a rare opportunity to document the black family for the period immediately following the Civil War.

Fall

Racial Identity and the Case of Captain Michael Healy, USRCS (Fall 1997) - A Revenue Cutter Service captain's choice of identity.

The United States Armed Forces and the Mexican Punitive Expedition, Part 1 (Fall 1997) - Background on the expedition and guidance on doing genealogical research on the participants.

Winter

The Arctic Sketches of Russell W. Porter (Winter 1997) - A remarkable portfolio of an Arctic explorer's artwork in the National Archives.

The United States Armed Forces and the Mexican Punitive Expedition, Part 2 (Winter 1997) - Guidance on doing genealogical research on the participants in the Mexican Punitive Expedition.

1996

Spring

"First in the Path of the Firemen": The Fate of the 1890 Population Census (Spring 1996) - The story of the 1921 fire that destroyed most 1890 census schedules and its aftermath.

Summer

Irving Berlin: This Is the Army (Summer 1996) - The story of the creation of a classic World War II show.

1995

Spring

Untapped Resources: Private Claims and Private Legislation in the Records of the U.S. Congress (Spring 1995) - A guide to combing congressional records for private legislation.

Early Navy Personnel Records at the National Archives, 1776–1860 (Spring 1995) - Clues to searching for genealogical information in pre-Civil War navy records.

Summer

Civil War Records: An Introduction and Invitation (Summer 1995) - A marvelous primer to a fascinating part of the Archives holdings.

The Little Regiment: Civil War Units and Commands (Summer 1995) - Part 1 of Michael Musick's fascinating review of Civil War records at NARA.

Civil War and Later Navy Personnel Records at the National Archives, 1861–1924 (Summer 1995) - United States Navy personnel records for the period 1861–1924 are one of the best secrets in genealogical research.

Fall

Honorable Reports: Battles,Campaigns, and Skirmishes - Civil War Records and Research (Fall 1995) - Part 2 of this series on Civil War records at NARA looks at records of military clashes.

Which Henry Cook? A Methodology for Searching Confederate Ancestors (Fall 1995) - How to use NARA records to pin down the identity of a Confederate soldier.

Winter

War in an Age of Wonders: Civil War Arms and Equipment (Winter 1995) - Part 3 of the review of Civil War records at NARA looks at arms and equipment.

1994

Spring

The Surprising George Washington (Spring 1994) - A look at the man behind the myth.

Confederate Medical Personnel (Spring 1994) - How to find your Civil War-era ancestor, if he or she served the Confederate army in a medical capacity, in the War Department Collection of Confederate Records.

Fall

Electronic Records in the National Archives for World War II Research (Fall 1994) - A survey of World War II records created to be "machine readable."

Winter

Civil War Draft Records: Exemptions and Enrollments (Winter 1994) - Looking for men who did not serve in the Civil War.

1993

Spring

Women Soldiers of the Civil War (Spring 1993) - The long-forgotten story of women who secretly served in the Confederate and Union Armies.

Summer

The Emancipation Proclamation: An Act of Justice (Summer 1993) - Celebrating the 130th anniversary of the issuance of this landmark document.

Fall

Indian Bounty Land Applications (Fall 1993) - A source for the difficult task of tracing Indian ancestors back to the early nineteenth century.

1992

Genealogical Fallout from the War of 1812 (Spring 1992) - Discusses the wealth of information contained in Seamen's Protection Certificate Applications.

1991

Spring

Do We Have Any Records Relating to French Spoliation Claims? (Spring 1991) - Investigate claims presented by U.S. citizens against France, Spain, and Holland for vessels and cargo taken by privateers before September 30, 1800.

Winter

Genealogical Records of the War of 1812 (Winter 1991) - How to use military records to research a War of 1812 veteran.

1990

Esquire v. Walker: The Postmaster General and "The Magazine for Men" (Spring 1990) - Esquire magazine's fight against Post Office censorship in the 1940s.

The Stylistic Artistry of the Declaration of Independence (Spring 1990) - Shedding light on the Declaration as a work of literature and of persuasion.

1987

A Heavy Sea Running: The Formation of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, 1846–1878 (Winter 1987) - The fascinating story of the first federal service devoted to saving victims of shipwrecks.

1986

Income Tax Records of the Civil War Years (Winter 1986) - Discover valuable information in records of the first U.S. income tax.

1985

Thus Spoke Chief Seattle: The Story of an Undocumented Speech (Spring 1985) - An archivist searches for the documentary evidence of a widely quoted speech.

1984

Revolutionary War Pension Records and Patterns of American Mobility, 1780–1830 (Fall 1984) - Revolutionary War veterans and their families were a restless generation.

1975

The Civil War Era as a Crucible for Nationalizing the Lower Federal Courts (Fall 1975) - A study of legislative efforts to overhaul the federal courts in the Civil War and Reconstruction eras.

1973

Marriage Registers of Freedmen (Fall 1973) - Learn about an invaluable source for African American family history.

Articles published in Prologue do not necessarily represent the views of NARA or of any other agency of the United States Government.

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