ons Adlai Stevenson in a confidential memo to President Kennedy re: Cuba, 10/17/62 See the second page of Stevenson’s declassified letter here (source: jfklibrary.org) ” The National Archives’ latest exhibit: “To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis” covers the 13 days when the world teetered on the brink of thermonuclear war.

rs to catalog the many pieces of Soviet military equipment already on Cuba, including helicopters, transports, and missiles of varying size and range capabilities. (sources: jfklibrary.org, The Atlantic/Reuters) ” The National Archives’ latest exhibit: “To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis” covers the 13 days when the world teetered on the brink of thermonuclear war.

not do without each other. We as a group, want your friendship, won’t you accept?” Letter to President Dwight D. Eisenhower from Mrs. Floy J. Anderson Regarding Racial Disputes, 10/15/1957 ” In this letter, Mrs. Floy J. Anderson, who describes herself as Negro, writes about racial disputes including the recent Little Rock School Integration Crisis, being treated as a second class citizens and an incident where she was refused a ride on a Trans-contentintal Railway Bus.

e base was under construction near San Cristobal, Cuba, just 90 miles from the coast of Florida. The most dangerous encounter in the Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union had begun. The National Archives’ latest exhibit: “To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis” covers the 13 days when the world teetered on the brink of thermonuclear war.

d States—with missiles that could reach most major U.S. cities in less than five minutes. President Kennedy stated that the missiles would not be tolerated, and insisted on their removal. Khrushchev refused. Now, 50 years later, curators at the Kennedy Library and designers from the National Archives have created an exhibit where you can listen to secret real-time White House recordings from Kennedy’s meetings with his advisors during the 13 terrifying days in October 1962. Do you remember the Cuban Missile Crisis? Image: Medium Range Ballistic Missile Field Launch Site in San Cristobal, Cuba, taken October, 14, 1962. From the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Learn more about the JFK Library here: http://go.usa.gov/Y8f9 ”

e done by the ram. As detailed in the notes, Richmond was damaged but not sunk, and Manassas suffered in the attack as well, losing its smokestack and prow and temporarily lost power. “ Letter from Johnny Bartlett Regarding the Engagement Between the CSS Ram Manassas and the USS Richmond, 10/12/1861 ”

on behalf of their citizens. As the Constitution makes clear, the States elect the President and Vice-President, individuals don’t. The Electoral College is managed by the Federal Register, part of the National Archives. You can learn more by visiting our website and watching our new video that explains how the votes actually get counted. You can also like the Federal Register on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (@ElectoralCollge) for the latest updates. Image: Tally of the 1824 Electoral College Vote, 02/09/1825 (ARC 306207) ”

FOs back in the 1950s, it was also secretly trying to build its own supersonic flying saucer. ” “ A recently declassified document reveals that the Air Force, in 1956, contracted a Canadian company, Avro Aircraft Limited in Ontario to construct a circular craft that could take off and land vertically, as well as potentially reach a top speed of Mach 4 and fly as high as 100,000 feet over a range of 1,000 nautical miles. ” You can also read the original post on the NDC Blog. ”

the complete prohibition of alcoholic beverages. Supporters for prohibition did not always favor a complete ban on all liquors. Some supported prohibition of strong spirits, while allowing the consumption of beer and wine. “ Petition from Northern New York Utilities, Incorporated, to the Honorable David J. O’Connell, 10/08/1919 ”

cians considered the law an assault on their long-established way of life. Southern Democrats threatened to bolt as racial politics threatened to splinter the party and cost Johnson the election. It was during this tumultuous time that Lady Bird Johnson embarked on perhaps her most difficult assignment as First Lady. In a four-day, 1,628-mile trip aboard a train dubbed the Lady Bird Special, the First Lady traveled through eight southern states. This was the first time a First Lady campaigned on her own for her husband and she championed the new legislation that eliminated “Jim Crow” laws and guaranteed African Americans access to all public accommodations and the right to equal employment opportunities. Along the way, Mrs. Johnson was met with invective that no first lady has experienced since. But the ultimate success of the trip, as she defended the need for the Civil Rights Act, was a testament to Lady Bird’s spirit and stoicism. While she loved her role as First Lady, she wrote at the end of her tenure, “I wouldn’t trade anything for the experience. But not for anything would I pay for the price of admission again.” Images: “Please don’t forget to vote” Postcard, 1964 ; Lady Bird Johnson on her Whistle Stop Tour. 10/6/64. More - Lady Bird Johnson’s Centennial Celebration ”

ured it. As (a joke? a love token?), Van Liew sent the skin to his wife, Charity. She kept it for years but lost his original letter. In July 1900, Charity applied to the government for a widow’s pension. In these applications, the widow had to establish her relationship with the soldier, and in an era before consistent recording of marriages, the women often had to be creative. Charity had no marriage certificate, but she did have this mole skin. She sent the Pension Bureau four testimonials from friends who had seen Van Liew’s letter—addressed to “Dear Wife”—and the surprising enclosure. ” Just goes to show you never know what you will find in an archives. Happy American Archives Month! ”

t of paper in the military records alone. This picture shows the building under construction in 2011. The shelves that are being installed are 29 feet high. About 600 full-time staff work in St. Louis. In 2011, the NPRC received 1,093,522 written requests for records, about 3,000 requests per day. Read more about this incredible building and the work our NPRC staff do for veterans: http://go.usa.gov/YbeH ”

ansportation (Record Group 336) document the work done by two of these soldiers (the third is unidentified), privates Hernandez (at the piano) and Guzman (with guitar) playing music and recording the voices of soldiers “to the folks at home.” ¡Celebración de la Herencia Hispana! To pay tribute to the many generations of Hispanic Americans that have enriched our nation’s history, the National Archives at Riverside will be highlighting some of our holdings relating to Hispanic American history in our region (Southern California, Arizona, and Clark County, NV), including records relating to Private Land Claims, Immigration and Naturalization, military service and many more. For more information about Hispanic Heritage Month, see http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/ ”

t in order to extend the life of this document. This bound Treaty will be displayed open from June 15, 2012 through January 27, 2013. However, midway into the show a conservator will turn a page in the Treaty to reveal a new opening. This practice further reduces the risk of damage from light. Here you can see the pages of the Treaty currently on display. ”

1962, more than a year after he had initially applied to the university, the U.S. Fifth Circuit court handed down its decision. James Meredith was to be allowed to attend the University of Mississippi. Meredith’s legal victory was challenged. Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett proclaimed that the State of Mississippi would not conform to the federal court decision. The U.S. Government would not tolerate the defiance of the State of Mississippi. On September 30, 1962, the President of the United States issued an Executive Order stating that justice was not going to be obstructed by any person or state. In this speech, Kennedy reaffirmed the supremacy of the federal courts over the state courts in settling constitutional issues. “ University of Mississippi Radio and Television Speech September 30, 1962 ” Read more at Integrating Ole Miss from the John F. Kennedy Library

mbers of eyeballs on our content? What impact does online access have on onsite visits? Are our efforts around social media paying off? Are we finding the people where they are? And making it easy for them to discover our content? And what difference has having a Wikipedian-in-Residence had?! You be the judge. Percentage of online users visiting archives.gov via mobile device in FY11: 4.6 Percentage of online users visiting archives.gov via mobile device in FY12: 10.2 Number of visits to all NARA facilities in FY11: 3,048,906 Number of visits to all NARA facilities so far in FY 12: 2,807,685 Number of visits Archives.gov in FY 11: 18,372,040 (so far in FY 12: 23,138,185) Number of researcher visits to all NARA facilities in FY 11: 129,435 Number of written requests answered by all NARA offices in FY 11: 1,300,803 • Number of written requests (includes fax, letter, email) received by all NARA archival offices in FY 11: 207,281 (so far in FY 12: 114,538) • Number of written requests received by the St. Louis Military Personnel Records Center in FY11: 1,093,522 (so far in FY 12: 889,283) Number of visits to ARC/OPA in FY11: 830,288 (so far in FY 12: 1,453,516) Number of visits 1940 Census received since April 2012: 5,126,627 Number of views of NARA social media sites in FY 11: 22,240,389 (so far in FY 12: 34,044,797) Number of staff creating content on NARA’s social media channels in FY09: 11 Number of staff creating content on NARA’s social media channels in FY11: 1300 Number of views of NARA’s 13 external blogs in FY11: 600,000 (so far in FY 12: 635,569) *Number of followers of Today’s Document on Tumblr: 34,862 Number of downloads of Today’s Document mobile app (IOS and Droid): 60,000 Number of NARA digital copies on our Flickr account (June 2009 to date): 12,026 Number of user-contributed tags on our Flickr digital copies (June 2009 to date): 90,353 Estimated number of views of Wikipedia articles with NARA digital copies in FY12: 750,000,000 ”