Guides: U.S. Government Documents: State Department / Foreign Affairs

Selected State Department Documents and Publications

U.S. State Department
Department of State Dispatch and Bulletin
World Fact Book
U.S. Department of State publications cataloged in the Franklin Catalog
Not all, but most of the U.S. Department of State Publications, as listed in the Franklin Catalog.

Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS)

The Foreign Relations of the United States series presents the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. The series, which is produced by the State Department's Office of the Historian, began in 1861 and now comprises more than 450 individual volumes. Prior to 1870, the series was published under various names. From 1870 to 1947, the uniform title Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States was used. From 1947 to 1969, the name was changed to Foreign Relations of the United States.

Foreign Relations of the United States< - Department of State, Office of the Historian
Covers 1945-50 to latest volume available.
Foreign Relations of the United States - from HeinOnline
Choose Foreign Relations from the index. Complete holdings from 1861 to latest volume available.
Foriegn Relations of the United States - University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
1861-1958/1960 [375 vols.]

National Security Council

Chaired by the president, the NSC consists of statutory members (the vice president and the secretaries of state and defense), statutory advisers (the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of Central Intelligence), the assistant to the president for National Security Affairs, and professional staff members who are on temporary assignment from the armed forces, the CIA, and elsewhere in the government or who have been recruited from universities and think tanks. The statutory function of the NSC is to advise the president with respect to the integration of domestic, foreign, and military policies relating to national security

National Security Council documents available online from ProQuest History Vault

Includes these files:

Documents of the National Security Council, 1947-1977, Basic Set and Supplements 1-9
Minutes of Meetings of the National Security Council with Special Advisory Reports and Supplements 1-4, 1947-1960 and 1969-1979
War in Vietnam: Classified Histories by the National Security Council

National Security Files

National Security Files are a key resource for research on U.S. foreign policy and the presidency. They are arranged by administration and then geographically. The following collections are all available online. Some of them are also available on microfilm, as indicated below.

National Security Files collections available online through ProQuest History Vault

Lis of National Security Files Available on Microfilm

Declassified Document Collections

Digital National Security Archive
Access to important declassified documents regarding critical U.S. policy decisions. Over three dozen collections. Topics covered include: China, Chile, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Iran, Iraq, Berlin Crisis, South Africa, Japan, Terrorism, Kissinger, Nuclear History, Vietnam War, U.S. Intelligence.
Declassified Documents Reference System
Full-text, declassified documents from U.S. government agencies, including the CIA, FBI, White House, State Department. Include: correspondence, memoranda, minutes, technical studies, policy statements. Some text blacked out by the issuing agency for security reasons.

CIA FOIA Reading Room
Fulltext Central Intelligence Agency declassified documents on many topics. For an updated list, click Special Collections on the right side after connecting.
Parallel History Project
Collection of declassified and previously inaccessible documents, frequently translated, mostly relating to NATO, The Warsaw Pact, and the Cold War.
Cold War International History Project
The Cold War International History Project disseminates new information and perspectives on the history of the Cold War, in particular new findings from previously inaccessible sources on "the other side" -- the former Communist world.
U.S. Department of State Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Selected Other Department of State Records

Records of the Department of State Relating to Internal Affairs
Franklin Search, includes online collections and microforms sets.
Afghanistan and the U.S., 1945-1963: Records of the U.S. State Department Central Classified Files
Central Policy Files - 7/1/1973 ? - 12/31/1976
This series consists of telegrams, airgrams, memoranda, correspondence, reports, diplomatic notes, and related material. The materials relate to all aspects of American bilateral and multilateral foreign relations and routine administrative and operational activities of the Department of State and its Foreign Service posts.

Chinese Civil War and U.S.-China Relations: Records of the U.S. State Department's Office of Chinese Affairs, 1945-1955

Japan at War and Peace, 1930-1949: U.S. State Department Records on the Internal Affairs of Japan

Treaties

Treaties and Other International Act Series (TIAS) - From HeinOnline
Treaties in Forces - HeinOnline
Covers: 1932,41, 1955- (one year delay)
Annually published by the U.S. State Department, lists and abstracts all treaties and agreements considered to be in force for the U.S. as of 1 January for the respective year. TIF separately lists bilateral treaties arranged by country with subject subdivisions and multilateral treaties arranged by subject.
United States Treaties and Other International Agreements (UST)
1950-present (currently 1984).
U.S. treaties and executive agreements published in chronological order.
Guide to the United States Treaties in Force Kavass, Igor I. & Sprudzs, Adolf
1982-2014. Title varies.
Treaty Documents (Congress.gov)

ProQuest Congressional
For citations to Treaty Documents, Executive Messages, Executive Reports, Hearings, Legislative Histories, and Prints, search under the descriptor: "treaties and conventions" combined with other keyword(s). [Note: All United States treaties must be ratified by the Senate. Senate Treaty Documents are used to transmit the text of a treaty from the President to the Senate. Prior to 1981 Senate Treaty Documents were called Executive Documents. Executive Documents were first made available to depository libraries in 1977 and became part of the Serial Set beginning with the 96th Congress. Senate Treaty Documents are first published as pamphlets which are retained until they are reprinted as part of the Serial Set].