Research Guides: HIST 395: The Establishment (Allen): Primary Sources

Digital Primary Source Collections

Cold War International History Project
Includes historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War, and seeks to accelerate the process of integrating new sources, materials and perspectives from the former "Communist bloc" with the historiography of the Cold War which has been written over the past few decades largely by Western scholars reliant on Western archival sources. It also seeks to transcend barriers of language, geography, and regional specialization to create new links among scholars interested in Cold War history.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports, 1941 - 1996
Created by the U.S. intelligence community to benefit policy makers and analysts, FBIS Daily Reports offer foreign views and perspectives on historical events from thousands of monitored broadcasts and publications. Translated into English from more than 50 languages - from Arabic to Swahili - these comprehensive media reports from around the globe include news, interviews, speeches and editorial commentary.

Foreign Relations of the United State (FRUS), 1945-1980
Online 1945-1980 from Dept of State. Also available via HeinOnline, at http://www.heinonline.org.turing.library.northwestern.edu/HOL/Index?collection=forrel
Foreign Relations of the United States, 1861-1958/60
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Electronic Reading Room (CIA)

Joint Publications Research Service (JPRS) Reports
This database features English translations of foreign-language monographs, reports, serials, journal and newspaper articles, and radio and television broadcasts from regions throughout the world. With an emphasis on communist and third-world countries, this database contains a wealth of hard-to-find scientific, technical, and social science materials translated from many languages. Coverage from 1957 to 1994.
PAIS Index
Index focusing on public affairs, public and social policies and international relations. Provides references to journal articles, books, government documents, statistics, grey literature, research reports, conference papers, and more. Covers 1914 to present.
U.S. Declassified Documents (formerly DDRS)
Declassified Documents Reference System is a multi-disciplinary, comprehensive source whic covers the political, social, and economic development and forces in post-World War II America. This single source enables users to locate key information underpinning studies in international relations, American studies, United States foreign and domestic policy studies, journalism and more.

Vietnam Center and Archive
The Vietnam Center and Archive collects and preserves the documentary record of the Vietnam War, and supports and encourages research and education regarding all aspects of the American Vietnam Experience.

Yale UN Oral History Project
Provides transcripts of 171 oral history interviews with eminent personalities associated with the United Nations. The interviews were conducted between 1982 and 2002, shed light on the history of the founding of the Organization and its important role in conflict resolution since 1945.

Digital National Security Archive
This database includes more than 51 collections of the most important declassified documents regarding critical U.S. policy decisions. Dates vary by individual collection, with ranges beginning as early at the late 1940s and ending in the mid 2000s.

American Civil Liberties Union Papers, 1912-1990
This important collection of papers spans the majority of twentieth-century American social history and politics, focusing on civil rights, civil liberties, race, gender, and issues relating to the U.S. Supreme Court.
American Civil Liberties Union Papers, Part II: Southern Regional Office
This unique manuscript collection offers digital access to the papers of the Southern Regional Office of the American Civil Liberties Union, primarily in the period 1945 to 1990. The collection covers topics including school segregation; local challenges to busing; the suppression of voting rights; student anti-war protest; and legal cases relating to women, sexism, and overtime pay.
ProQuest History Vault - NAACP Papers
Northwestern University Library's subscription covers parts 1-6: Part 1: Board of Directors, Annual Conferences, Major Speeches, and National Staff Files; Part 2: The NAACP's Major Campaigns--Education, Voting, Housing, Employment, Armed Forces; Part 3: The NAACP's Major Campaigns--Scottsboro, Anti-Lynching, Criminal Justice, Peonage, Labor, and Segregation and Discrimination Complaints and Responses; Part 4: The NAACP's Major Campaigns--Legal Department Files; Part 5: Special Subjects; Part 6: Branch Department, Branch Files, and Youth Department Files.
ProQuest Congressional
Congressional publications on key American public policy issues including foreign affairs, crime, national security, science and technology, transportation, the economy, labor, commerce, public health, the environment, and education. Includes the full text of proposed legislation and its status in the legislative process and the full text of recently signed law. Provides information about current members of Congress and Congressional committees.

Locating Archives and Institutional Records

Institutional archives and other records can be found in many formats, and in many places. Papers, correspondence, administrative records, and official publications are most often housed within a given institution's archives, and the archives themselves are often housed at university libraries. These materials can be in print (either in the original paper version or in book form), microform, or in digital facsimile. With the exception of most digital facsimiles and printed books/magazines, this material must be consulted on-site. To determine where material is housed, consult the website of the institution you are researching, or ArchiveGrid, a guide to archives in the U.S. and abroad. Some digtial archives may be listed on ArchiveGrid, but not all; it is best to contact the library/archive directly.

Below are a few suggestions for getting started in finding such information, and some sample links. Also consult the library's research guide for oral history for more suggestions.

Columbia Center for Oral History
The Century Association
The CIA: early histories/oral history
Alumni magazines from Harvard and Yale: available on HathiTrust For tips on using this resource, consult the library's research guide for HathiTrust.
Harvard University Libraries
- Archives
- Digital Collections
The Harvard Society of Fellows
Yale University Library
- Yale University Archives
- Digital Collections
Georgetown University Libraries
Council on Foreign Relations
- See Columbia Center for Oral History
- Some materials can be found by searching the Harvard catalog
- Also consult the catalogs of Princeton University Library and the Hoover Institution