Diplomatic History Research Seminar

SELECT RESOURCES

 

 

KEY PRIMARY SOURCES:

 

Foreign Relations of the United States [FRUS]. Edited by U.S. Department of State.

The FRUS series is the essential starting point for research on U.S. foreign policy.  These compilations of declassified documents, mostly from the executive branch, are organized according to date and topic.  Browse tables of contents to see issues covered in each volume.  Also, be sure to read the preface for each volume: this summarizes the majors issues addressed in the documents contained in the collection. The documents are available in different formats:

 

List of all volumes in print:

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/c4035.htm

[FAU owns many, but not all, printed volumes. They are located in Government Documents, call number S1.1]

 

Select older volumes have been digitized by University of Wisconsin library and are online:

http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/FRUS/

[These are scanned images of the print volumes listed above]

 

Recently published volumes are online [mostly covering the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon presidencies]:

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/c1716.htm

 

 

The National Security Archive:

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/ 

The National Security Archive works to declassify and make available to the public documents relating to U.S. foreign policy.  All NSA documents are held at the archive itself, on the George Washington University campus.  But many NSA documents are available online or on microfiche.  Somewhat confusingly, the archive collections are contained in several different formats:

 

Electronic Briefing Books provide online access to critical declassified records on issues including U.S. national security, foreign policy, diplomatic and military history, intelligence policy, and more.  Updated frequently, the Electronic Briefing Books represent just a small sample of the documents available from the archive. Typically each Briefing Book posts 10-30 documents on a given topic, but only scratches the surface of available documentation.   To browse available electronic briefing books, see here: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/index.html

 

Microfiche Collections are collections of documents that you can order through Interlibrary Loan.  These are large collections of documents on 20 different topics.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/publications/sets.html

 

The Digital National Security Archive contains the most comprehensive set of declassified government documents available. The resource now includes 31 collections consisting of over 80,000 meticulously indexed documents, with more than 500,000 total pages.  To access the DNSA you must go to a library that subscribes to it. (You can access the archive at FIU’s library.)  For a list of collections included in the DNSA database, see: http://nsarchive.chadwyck.com/marketing/coll_dnsa.jsp.

 

Books by National Archive staff and fellows, many of which contain reprinted documents: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/publications/staff/staffpub.html

 

Cold War International History Project:

http://wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=topics.home

The CWIHP collects documents from the “other side” during the Cold War, documenting the policies and actions of Russia, China, the Eastern bloc countries, etc. The documents can be accessed in various formats:

 

Virtual Archive:

http://wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=va2.browse&sort=Collection

 

Documents and Working Papers:

http://wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=topics.documents&group_id=187963

 

Publications:

http://wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=topics.publications

 

Parallel History Project:

Similar to the CWIHP, this documents the foreign policies and activities of the former “Eastern Bloc.” For collections, see:

http://www.php.isn.ethz.ch/collections/index.cfm. Also see list of publications: http://www.php.isn.ethz.ch/publications/index.cfm.

 

Declassified Documents Reference System.

 

[Very comprehensive, searchable database of declassified documents on a wide variety of topics.  Collections of documents taken from US presidential libraries.  Almost any topic would benefit from a DDRS search.  This online database is available at the FIU library].

 

U.S. Department of State Bulletin.

Reprints major speeches, white papers, and public positions by each administration. States the “official” position.

 

Readers Guide to Periodical Literature:

[Database at FAU that facilitates research in periodicals by indexing articles across a range of popular publications.]

 

Lexis-Nexis Congressional:

Database at FAU that provides online access to hearings, reports, etc. by US Congress.

 

FAU Special Collections and Archives:

http://www.library.fau.edu/depts/spc/collist.htm

[You may wish to specifically inquire about the John O’Sullivan collection, relating to US foreign policy.]

 

Historical Los Angeles Times

Historical New York Times

Historical Wall Street Journal

[these plus other historic newspapers are available via FAU library]

 

Current Digest of the Soviet Press

[compilations of translated newspaper articles from former USSR]

 

Presidential Libraries.

Each president since Herbert Hoover has a presidential library that houses documents pertaining to his administration.  These libraries are archives, and are located across the country.  Many of archives now post online documents relating to each president.  While not a comprehensive source for any topic, you should check out the webpage of pertinent libraries to discover documents relating to your research.  For links to each presidential library, see (on the left): http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/visit/

 

 

WEBSITES:

 

U.S. Diplomatic History Resources Index: http://faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/sarantakes/stuff.html [very useful set of links to research, teaching, and grant resources pertaining to US foreign relations]

 

U.S. Foreign Policy – Academic Info (list of links), http://www.academicinfo.net/polisciforpol.html.

 

The Parallel History Project on NATO and the Warsaw Pact, http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/.

 

See also the searchable Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Rooms of government agencies, such as FBI, CIA, State Department, Defense Department, Department of Justice, and Department of Energy.  These pages post online documents that have been declassified under the Freedom of Information Act.  Useful to supplement your research, but are rarely comprehensive, so they should probably not comprise the sole source of your research.  

 

 

TEXTBOOKS/SURVEYS:

 

Jerald A. Combs, The History of American Foreign Policy, 2nd ed. (McGraw Hill, 1997). [each chapter includes useful historiographical discussion]

 

H.W. Brands, The United States and the World: A History of American Foreign Policy, 2 vols. (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994).

 

Bradford Perkins, The Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations, vol. I: The Creation of a Republican Empire, 1776-1865 (Cambridge University Press, 1993).

 

Walter LaFeber, The Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations, vol. II: The American Search for Opportunity, 1865-1913 (Cambridge University Press, 1993).

 

Akira Iriye, The Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations, vol. III: The Globalizing of America, 1913-1945 (Cambridge University Press, 1993).

 

Warren I. Cohen, The Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations, vol. IV: America in the Age of Soviet Power, 1945-1991 (Cambridge University Press, 1993).

 

Thomas G. Paterson, J. Garry Clifford, and Kenneth J. Hagan, American Foreign Relations: A History, 5th ed., 2 vols. (Houghton Mifflin, 2000).

 

Walter LaFeber, The American Age: U.S. Foreign Policy at Home and Abroad, 1750 to the Present, 2nd ed. (W.W. Norton & Company, 1994).

 

 

HISTORIOGRAPHY:

 

Michael J. Hogan, ed. America in the World: The Historiography of American Foreign Relations since 1941 (Cambridge University Press, 1995). [historiographical essays]

 

Michael J. Hogan, ed. Paths to Power: The Historiography of American Foreign Relations to 1941 (Cambridge University Press, 2000).  [historiographical essays]

 

Michael J. Hogan and Thomas G. Paterson, Explaining the History of American Foreign Relations.  (Cambridge University Press). [This useful volume contains essays that summarize major intellectual frameworks used to analyze US foreign relations.  Every student should at least peruse this volume.  Note that there are two editions, and each differs substantially.]

 

Robert L. Beisner, ed. American Foreign Relations since 1600: A Guide to the Literature, 2 vols. (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2003). [Very valuable resource that is easy to use. Short entries summarize major trends, books, and articles in the secondary literature. I have this in my office for anyone to consult.]

 

 

JOURNALS:

 

American Diplomacy

Armed Forces and Society

Cold War History

*Diplomatic History [the journal of record for the field and an essential resource]

Diplomacy and Statecraft

Foreign Affairs

Intelligence and National Security

International History Review

Journal of American History

Journal of Cold War Studies

Journal of Military History

Political Science Quarterly

Presidential Studies Quarterly

Rhetoric and Public Affairs

U.S. Foreign Policy

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