Treaty Between the United States and the Menominee Indians Signed at St. Louis, 3/30/1817
“The Parties being desirous of reestablishing Peace and Friendship between the United States and the said Tribe or Nation …”
The Menominee had been allied with the British during the War of 1812.
File Unit: Ratified Indian Treaty 86: Menominee - St. Louis, March 30, 1817, 1789 - 1869
Series: Indian Treaties, 1789 - 1869
Record Group 11: General Records of the United States Government, 1778 - 2006
Transcription:
Source: catalog.archives.gov
Letter from Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi to the President of the United States, April 22, 1861
Series: Notes from Japan Regarding the Treaty of Yedo, 1860 - 1862. Record Group 59: General Records of the Department of State, 1763 - 2002
Transcription of English translation:
“JAPAN:
Letter addressed to the President by the Shogun Tokugawa Iyemochi, dated Bunkyu First Year 3rd month 23rd day (about April 22, 1861). It recalls the fact that the Treaty of Yedo requires the ports of Hyogo and Niigata to be opened and foreign merchants to be admitted to Yedo and Nagasaki by 1863, but it states that certain circumstances make it impracticable for the Shogunate to carry out these provisions of the Treaty. The Shogun concludes by saving that Kuse and Ando, who will relate the circumstances, are his trusted servants and that full credence may be placed upon their statements.
(Translation English - Despatches-Japan, Volume 3, about the middle of the volume) In despatch #20, Yedo, May 8, 1961, from Townsend Harris. (Dutch translation filed with original)”
Image description: a letter written in Japanese on a long piece of paper. The paper is tan with a mottled gold pattern.
Source: catalog.archives.gov
The de Lôme Letter, 1898
Letter from Senor Don Enrique Dupuy de Lôme to Senor Don Jose Canelejas
Series: Notes from Foreign Missions, 1789 - 1906. Record Group 59: General Records of the Department of State, 1763 - 2002
This letter, written by the Spanish Ambassador to the United States, Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, criticized American President William McKinley by calling him weak and concerned only with gaining the favor of the crowd. Published in William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal on February 9, 1898, the letter helped generate public support for a war with Spain over the issue of independence for the Spanish colony of Cuba.
Treaty of Alliance, 2/6/1778
Series: Perfected Treaties, 1778 - 1945. Record Group 11: General Records of the United States Government, 1778 - 2006
The American Colonies and France signed this military treaty on February 6, 1778. Believing that they would benefit militarily by allying themselves with a powerful nation, the revolutionary colonies formed an alliance with France against Great Britain. According to this first military treaty of the new nation, the United States would provide for a defensive alliance to aid France should England attack, and neither France nor the United States would make peace with England until the independence of the United States was recognized.
Secretary of State William Rogers Signing the Vietnam Peace Agreements, 1/27/1973
Series: Nixon White House Photographs, 1/20/1969 - 8/9/1974. Collection: White House Photo Office Collection (Nixon Administration), 1/20/1969 - 8/9/1974 (Holdings of @richardnixonlibrary)
Signed on January 27, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords ended U.S. involvement in direct military combat in Vietnam.
Now open at the National Archives Museum:
Remembering Vietnam: Twelve Critical Episodes in the Vietnam War
Explore 12 critical episodes in the Vietnam War through National Archives records which trace the policies and decisions made by the architects of the conflict and help untangle why the United States became involved in Vietnam, why it went on so long, and why it was so divisive for American society.
Find more records, information, and resources on the Vietnam War from the @usnatarchives at the Vietnam War Research Portal.
Source: catalog.archives.gov
President Woodrow Wilson’s Message to Congress (14 Points), 1/8/1918
Series: Messages, Reports, and Communications Tabled or Read, 1875 - 1968. Record Group 46: Records of the U.S. Senate, 1789 - 2015
In this January 8, 1918, speech on War Aims and Peace Terms, President Wilson set down 14 points as a blueprint for world peace that was to be used for peace negotiations after World War I. The details of the speech were based on reports generated by “The Inquiry,” a group of about 150 political and social scientists organized by Wilson’s adviser and long-time friend, Col. Edward M House.
In the speech, Wilson directly addressed what he perceived as the causes for the world war by calling for the abolition of secret treaties, a reduction in armaments, an adjustment in colonial claims in the interests of both native peoples and colonists, and freedom of the seas. Wilson also made proposals that would ensure world peace in the future. For example, he proposed the removal of economic barriers between nations, the promise of “self-determination” for those oppressed minorities, and a world organization that would provide a system of collective security for all nations. Wilson’s 14 Points were designed to undermine the Central Powers’ will to continue and to inspire the Allies to victory. The 14 Points were broadcast throughout the world and were showered from rockets and shells behind the enemy’s lines.
When the Allies met in Versailles to formulate the treaty to end World War I with Germany and Austria-Hungary, most of Wilson’s 14 Points were scuttled by the leaders of England and France. To his dismay, Wilson discovered that England, France, and Italy were mostly interested in regaining what they had lost and gaining more by punishing Germany. Germany quickly found out that Wilson’s blueprint for world peace would not apply to them. However, Wilson’s capstone point calling for a world organization that would provide some system of collective security was incorporated into the Treaty of Versailles. This organization would later be known as the League of Nations. Though Wilson launched a tireless missionary campaign to overcome opposition in the U.S. Senate to the adoption of the treaty and membership in the League, the treaty was never adopted by the Senate, and the United States never joined the League of Nations. Wilson would later suggest that without American participation in the League, there would be another world war within a generation.
…The programme of the world’s peace, therefore, is our programme; and that programme, the only possible programme, as we see it, is this:
I. Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be no private international understandings of any kind but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view.
II. Absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas, outside territorial waters, alike in peace and in war, except as the seas may be closed in whole or in part by international action for the enforcement of international covenants.
III. The removal, so far as possible, of all economic barriers and the establishment of an equality of trade conditions among all the nations consenting to the peace and associating themselves for its maintenance.
IV. Adequate guarantees given and taken that national armaments will be reduced to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety.
V. A free, open-minded, and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims, based upon a strict observance of the principle that in determining all such questions of sovereignty the interests of the populations concerned must have equal weight with the equitable claims of the government whose title is to be determined.
VI. The evacuation of all Russian territory and such a settlement of all questions affecting Russia as will secure the best and freest cooperation of the other nations of the world in obtaining for her an unhampered and unembarrassed opportunity for the independent determination of her own political development and national policy and assure her of a sincere welcome into the society of free nations under institutions of her own choosing; and, more than a welcome, assistance also of every kind that she may need and may herself desire. The treatment accorded Russia by her sister nations in the months to come will be the acid test of their good will, of their comprehension of her needs as distinguished from their own interests, and of their intelligent and unselfish sympathy.
VII. Belgium, the whole world will agree, must be evacuated and restored, without any attempt to limit the sovereignty which she enjoys in common with all other free nations. No other single act will serve as this will serve to restore confidence among the nations in the laws which they have themselves set and determined for the government of their relations with one another. Without this healing act the whole structure and validity of international law is forever impaired.
VIII. All French territory should be freed and the invaded portions restored, and the wrong done to France by Prussia in 1871 in the matter of Alsace-Lorraine, which has unsettled the peace of the world for nearly fifty years, should be righted, in order that peace may once more be made secure in the interest of all.
IX. A readjustment of the frontiers of Italy should be effected along clearly recognizable lines of nationality.
X. The peoples of Austria-Hungary, whose place among the nations we wish to see safeguarded and assured, should be accorded the freest opportunity to autonomous development.
XI. Rumania, Serbia, and Montenegro should be evacuated; occupied territories restored; Serbia accorded free and secure access to the sea; and the relations of the several Balkan states to one another determined by friendly counsel along historically established lines of allegiance and nationality; and international guarantees of the political and economic independence and territorial integrity of the several Balkan states should be entered into.
XII. The turkish portion of the present Ottoman Empire should be assured a secure sovereignty, but the other nationalities which are now under Turkish rule should be assured an undoubted security of life and an absolutely unmolested opportunity of autonomous development, and the Dardanelles should be permanently opened as a free passage to the ships and commerce of all nations under international guarantees.
XIII. An independent Polish state should be erected which should include the territories inhabited by indisputably Polish populations, which should be assured a free and secure access to the sea, and whose political and economic independence and territorial integrity should be guaranteed by international covenant.
XIV. A general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike.
In regard to these essential rectifications of wrong and assertions of right we feel ourselves to be intimate partners of all the governments and peoples associated together against the Imperialists. We cannot be separated in interest or divided in purpose. We stand together until the end…
via OurDocuments
Source: catalog.archives.gov
“To further promote cultural ties and mutual understanding, a new Amerika Haus was opened today in Graz.” 11/24/1952
Series: Photographs of Information Center Service Activities in Foreign Countries, 1948 - 1954. Record Group 306: Records of the U.S. Information Agency, 1900 - 2003
Originally established following World War II in an effort by the U.S. Government to promote American culture and cross-cultural exchange, Amerika Haus consisted of a series of libraries and information centers established in cities across Germany and Austria.
More Amerika Haus photos in the @usnatarchives catalog.
Source: catalog.archives.gov
Lions, and Tigers, and Yeti? Oh My, 1959
An old wives’ tale, or something more? The American Embassy in Nepal wasn’t going to take any chances, issuing this dispatch to the Department of State in 1959 concerning how to handle the Yeti, should he be encountered. There were three stipulations from the Nepalese government for those who sought out the Yeti, including that Yeti-seekers must hold a Yeti expedition permit. Should an American come across the Yeti on his or her travels, photographs were acceptable but “it must not be killed or shot at except in an emergency arising out of self defense.” And of course one mustn’t forget that the creature is to be “surrendered to the Government of Nepal at the earliest time.”
See the “Yeti Memo” on exhibit at the National Archives Museum through November 29, 2017!
“Arias Bernal’s Trip to Washington”: a Mexican Cartoonist Joins the War Effort
Antonio Arias Bernal, an accomplished Mexican political cartoonist, came to Washington, D.C. in 1942 at the invitation of the U.S. government to create editorial cartoons to promote the Allied war effort. Prior to being invited, Bernal was known for artwork that ridiculed the Axis leaders which regularly appeared on the cover of the Mexican magazine Hoy. His trip to Washington was organized by the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (CIAA), a World War II era agency established to promote solidarity and cooperation among the countries of the Western Hemisphere. Primarily concerned with economic and commercial cooperation, the agency also worked to shore up political and cultural support through propaganda messages conveyed in radio, motion picture, and print outlets. Bernal’s contribution came in the form of posters.
Como un Solo Hombre (As One Man), NAID 44266052
Series: World War II Foreign Posters, 1942 - 1945
Record Group 44: Records of the Office of Government Reports, 1932 - 1947
As reported in The New York Times on October 2, 1942:
“Posters,” said Señor Bernal, “reach the thousands of our people who do not read but who can understand quickly a dramatic picture.”
Señor Bernal reported that in 1938 he perceived a certain trend to divide the Americas and began to devote his art to unification. At first, he said, he received many anonymous threatening letters, especially after any of his cartoons attacked Hitler. Gradually the number of these letters decreased as sentiment in Mexico became more nearly solidified against the Axis.
Now, he said, he receives none, but he believes that there is still need in Latin America for posters and cartoons showing graphically the issues at stake in this war. [1]
In the image above created by Bernal for the CIAA, a colossal sentry, armed with a rifle, literally emerges in equal parts from North and South America. Below him, the words in Spanish “Como un Solo Hombre” (As One Man), reinforce the meaning of the illustration: the Americas stand united against a common enemy.
CIAA posters generally conveyed the theme of American unity or Allied victory.[2] In the following additional examples created by Bernal, the leaders of the Axis countries are portrayed as bumbling cartoon characters when confronted with the united strength of the American republics.
At the National Archives in College Park, MD the records of the CIAA are found in Record Group 229, Records of the Office of Inter-American Affairs (OIAA – as CIAA was known after March 1945). However, in the case of Arias Bernal, more details about him and his trip are found in the series General Records, U.S. Embassy, Mexico, 1937-1963 (NAID 1676970) from Record Group 84, Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the Department of State. Here, in file “820.02 Propaganda Project: Arias Bernal’s Trip to Washington” the story of Bernal’s trip comes to light through correspondence between officials from the Department of State in Washington, the American Embassy in Mexico City, and the CIAA. The records in this file provide a picture of Bernal as he was viewed by American officials, details about his personal life, and information regarding preparations made for his trip and project. In addition, the file provides an opportunity to see the workings of American foreign policy at the time.
Read more about Arias Bernal’s visit, and see more examples of Bernal’s artwork at: “Arias Bernal’s Trip to Washington”: a Mexican Cartoonist Joins the War Effort | The Text Message
Source: text-message.blogs.archives.gov
“IMPERIAL JAPANESE MISSION TO U.S. VIEWS SCENIC WONDERS OF THE YOSEMITE.
This photo shows the members of the Imperial Japanese Mission to U.S. viewing some of the scenic wonders of the continent at Glacier Point on the Yosemite. Aug. 27, 1917.″
File Unit: Commissions - Japan, 1917 - 1918. Series: American Unofficial Collection of World War I Photographs, 1917 - 1918. Record Group 165: Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs, 1860 - 1952
Uncover more World War I Centennial Resources at the National Archives
Source: catalog.archives.gov
“It must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.”
Truman Doctrine, 3/12/1947
Series: Original House Documents, 1847 - 1972. Record Group 233: Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1789 - 2015
On March 12, 1947, President Harry S. Truman presented this address before a joint session of Congress. His message, known as the Truman Doctrine, asked Congress for $400 million in military and economic assistance for Turkey and Greece in the face of increased pressure from communist and Soviet interests.
Read more via Our Documents »
(via todaysdocument)
Source: research.archives.gov
Letter from Ambassador Walter Page to the Secretary of State: Original Decipher of the Zimmermann Telegram. 3/2/1917
File Unit: 862.20212 / 57 through 862.20212 / 311, 1910 - 1963. Series: Central Decimal Files, 1910 - 1963. Record Group 59: General Records of the Department of State, 1763 - 2002
Decoded in the days after it was intercepted by British Naval Intelligence, Germany’s Zimmermann Telegram was ultimately revealed to the initially incredulous American Embassy in late February 1917. In the telegram Germany proposed a military alliance with Mexico against the United States, promising in return the restoration of lost territories such as Arizona, Texas and New Mexico.
Shown here is a later confirmation decode made by Edward Bell of the American Embassy in London, and sent to the State Department on March 2, 1917, in order to prove that the contents of the telegram were true and that it was not a hoax sent by belligerents.
Telegram from Frank Polk to the American Embassy in Mexico City, 2/26/1917
File Unit: 862.20212 / 57 through 862.20212 / 311, 1910 - 1963. Series: Central Decimal Files, 1910 - 1963. Record Group 59: General Records of the Department of State, 1763 - 2002
Scope & Content:
This telegram informed the American Embassy in Mexico City of the Zimmermann Telegram. It instructs the recipient of the telegram to meet with Mexican President Venustiano Carranza and to inform him that the message will probably be made public and that it would be in Mexico’s best interest to make a statement.
Source: catalog.archives.gov
