The Office of the Historian is responsible, under law, for the preparation and publication of the official historical documentary record of U.S. foreign policy in the Foreign Relations of the United States series. It researches and writes historical studies on aspects of U.S. diplomacy for use by policymakers in the Department and in other agencies, as well for public information. The Office also makes recommendations to other Bureaus regarding the identification, maintenance, and long-term preservation of important historical diplomatic records. Its outreach activities include educational videos for middle school and high school students, scholarly conferences, counseling private scholars and journalists on historical research issues, and responding to government and public inquiries on diplomatic history questions.
In keeping with the Open Government Directive's principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration as the cornerstone of an open government, the Office of the Historian has begun preparing many of its publications in a raw data form that can be published through data.gov. This page serves as a gateway for Office activities related to the Open Government Directive. (See also the Open Government Initiative page on the Department of State's website.)
The Office of the Historian's current submissions to data.gov are as follows: