Archives Unbound:
British and European History
 
Archives Unbound: British and European History

This collection provides opportunities for an interdisciplinary examination of historical events in the United Kingdom and Europe. Included are US classified country reports, newspapers, pamphlets, propaganda, and many other primary sources that give insight on specific regional changes during and after the war.

United Kingdom

Army Quarterly and Defence Journal, 1920–1983 - The Army Quarterly and Defence Journal was a British journal established in 1920 by Guy Dawnay and Cuthbert Headlam, both former British Army officers, as The Army Quarterly. It was known colloquially as the "AQ". Its early contributors included T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), Hugh Trenchard, and Basil Liddell-Hart as well as junior officers, and later it acted as a conduit for the dissemination of British Army orthodoxy among the armies of the British Empire, and as a forum for the discussion and questioning of British defense policy among the military of former colonies. Discussion of the failures and successes of the First World War gave way to articles about guerrilla warfare and counterinsurgency after the Second World War and then to the concerns of the Cold War and nuclear age. Supplements were published titled The Army Quarterly Series and describing the defense forces of individual countries. It ceased publication in 1999.

British Foreign Office: United States Correspondence, 1930-1934 - This collection in The National Archives at Kew covers British foreign affairs concerning the United States. The General Political Correspondence for the United States of America, in F.O. 371, consists primarily of communications between the Foreign Office and various British embassies and consulates in North America. Governmental, political, military, economic, and cultural topics concerning Anglo-American relations are chronicled.

British Foreign Office: United States Correspondence, 1935-1937 - This collection in The National Archives at Kew covers British foreign affairs concerning the United States. The General Political Correspondence for the United States of America, in F.O. 371, consists primarily of communications between the Foreign Office and various British embassies and consulates in North America. Governmental, political, military, economic, and cultural topics concerning Anglo-American relations are chronicled.

British Foreign Office: United States Correspondence, 1938-1940 - This collection in The National Archives at Kew covers British foreign affairs concerning the United States. The General Political Correspondence for the United States of America, in F.O. 371, consists primarily of communications between the Foreign Office and various British embassies and consulates in North America. Governmental, political, military, economic, and cultural topics concerning Anglo-American relations are chronicled.

British Foreign Office: United States Correspondence, 1941-1943 - This collection in The National Archives at Kew covers British foreign affairs concerning the United States. The General Political Correspondence for the United States of America, in F.O. 371, consists primarily of communications between the Foreign Office and various British embassies and consulates in North America. Governmental, political, military, economic, and cultural topics concerning Anglo-American relations are chronicled.

British Foreign Office: United States Correspondence, 1944-1945 - This collection in The National Archives at Kew covers British foreign affairs concerning the United States. The General Political Correspondence for the United States of America, in F.O. 371, consists primarily of communications between the Foreign Office and various British embassies and consulates in North America. Governmental, political, military, economic, and cultural topics concerning Anglo-American relations are chronicled.

British Foreign Office: United States Correspondence, 1946-1948 - This collection in The National Archives at Kew covers British foreign affairs concerning the United States. The General Political Correspondence for the United States of America, in F.O. 371, consists primarily of communications between the Foreign Office and various British embassies and consulates in North America. Governmental, political, military, economic, and cultural topics concerning Anglo-American relations are chronicled.

British Political Opinion Polls and Social Surveys, 1960-1988 - Although widely quoted, opinion polls are rarely published in full or held by libraries. This collection offers the complete text of the polls and surveys of every major organization, along with the statistical results. The Tom Harrisson Mass-Observation experiment and Britain's war-time Home Intelligence Reports were two comparatively short-lived attempts at feeling the pulse of public opinion and collating the expressed views of a wide cross-section of the British Public in order to formulate action and legislation. A far more extensive operation was undertaken in the 28 years since 1960 by the joint members of the Association of Political Opinion Pollsters (APOP). Namely, MORI (Market and Opinion Research International), NOP (National Opinion Polls Market Research); HARRIS (The Harris Research Centre), MARPLAN and GALLUP. For the first time ever, the complete political and social opinion polls of these five major social survey organizations have been brought together and indexed. In consequence, political scientists, sociologists, and economic and social historians now have ready access to a formidable body of material providing data on political opinion, public tastes, major concerns and many individual issues.

Home Intelligence Reports, 1940–1944 - Between 1940 and 1944, the Ministry of Information in the United Kingdom conducted regular and detailed investigations into opinions, morale, and feelings of the British people on the home front. The strength of these reports—a key primary source—lies in the fact that they were compiled from a great diversity of independent sources, notably the 13 different regional headquarters of the ministry, as well as panels of civilians and officials. The subjects covered include reactions to the presentation of the war by politicians, the press, and the British Broadcasting Corporation, as well as opinions about evacuation, housing, rationing, and strikes. (PRO Class INF1, Boxes 264 and 292)

Industrial Mobilization in Britain and the Ministry of Munitions, 1915-1918 - The standard reference source on the unprecedented industrial mobilization of an entire economy to fight the war of 1914-1918, this 12 volume set has previously only been available in a few select libraries with which the British government deposited copies. It is essential for anyone who wants to study the economics behind World War I, the career of David Lloyd George, and the process of state intervention in industry. The history of the Ministry of Munitions is one of the most extraordinary and instructive episodes in modern British history. Within less than three years, David Lloyd George and his successors transformed the face of British industry and created the largest government department the county had ever seen.

Northern Ireland: A Divided Community, 1921-1972 Cabinet Papers of the Stormont Administration - Government documents of the British administration in Northern Ireland 1921-72 (CAB/4) offer what has been described as the best continuous record of government activity and decision-making in the world, and shows "how government actually worked". The papers contained in Northern Ireland: A Divided Community, 1921-1972 are a complete digital facsimile of the Cabinet Conclusion files of the Northern Ireland Government, filed as CAB/4 at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). These CAB/4 files contain a full record of every debate and transaction for the entire duration of the Stormont administration, the devolved government of Northern Ireland. Separate files exist for each Cabinet Meeting and include minutes and memoranda. The discussions and decisions reflect the wide range of problems and activities involved in making the new administration work. Topics debated and reported in just one sample year of the Troubles (1970) include: policing, arms and explosives, social need, prevention of incitement to religious hatred, army occupation of factories, road spiking, routing of Orange Day parades, dock strikes, law and order, riots, and the roles of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

The British Mandate in Palestine, Arab-Jewish Relations, and the U.S. Consulate at Jerusalem, 1920-1944 - This collection consists of correspondence and telegrams received and sent by the American consular post in Jerusalem. The topics covered by these records include the protection of interests of American citizens, foreign trade, shipping, and immigration. But there is more to these records than traditional consular activities – the Jerusalem post provides a unique look into the British Mandate in Palestine. Consular officials reported on the administration of the Mandate, Jewish immigration, terrorism, and Arab rebellion. There are unique materials on the relationship of Palestinians to other Arab countries, British policies, the Zionist movement in Palestine and abroad, Communist influence in Palestine, reports on Islamic conferences, racial and religious disturbances and riots, the “holy places question,” partition of Palestine and the Arab Entente, Jewish-Arab relations and impact on Palestine, and Jewish and Arab national aspirations.

The Papers of Joseph Chamberlain - Winston Churchill once wrote that Joseph Chamberlain "made the weather" in British politics. Through his radical ideals, he split both the main British parties, the Liberals by opposing Home Rule for Ireland and the Conservatives over tariff reform. The Papers of Joseph Chamberlain highlight his political career as Mayor of Birmingham to Secretary of State for the Colonies and the fight over tariff reforms with which he ended his career. This collection demonstrates the rapid change in politics, particularly the constant change in allegiances between politicians and Chamberlain’s development as a politician. Newspaper clippings of his early speeches, the only record still existing of them, can also be found in this collection, recording his political career from start to finish.

The Papers of Neville Chamberlain - Neville Chamberlain (1869-1940) remains the best-known of the Chamberlain family due to his controversial policy of "appeasement" towards Hitler. The Papers of Neville Chamberlain contain political papers documenting his policies as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister, but also highlight his correspondence with his family. These provide insight into the intentions behind his policies, his concerns at the development of the Second World War, as well as letters covering his life together with his wife Annie and his sisters, particularly Hilda and Ida. The correspondence of his wife with his biographer and the handling of his estates following his death can be found in this collection as well.

The Papers of Sir Austen Chamberlain - Sir Austen Chamberlain (1863-1937) was the ablest Foreign Secretary of the interwar period, earning the Nobel Peace Prize for the signing of the Locarno Treaties in 1925. As a career politician, he held a variety of government offices, and The Papers of Sir Austen Chamberlain contains political papers that variously document his policies as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Leader of the House of Commons. These provide insight into the intentions behind his policies, the development of foreign affairs for both the First and Second World Wars and his role in the wartime coalition government. The papers also include personal correspondence with his family, including his sister and wife, and highlight his close friendship with his stepmother, Mary Endicott.

War of 1812: Diplomacy on the High Seas - In the time of war the duties of the State Department have always been expanded. During the War of 1812, Congress authorized the Secretary of State to issue commissions of letters of marque and reprisal to private armed vessels permitting them to “cruise against the enemies of the United States.” Owners of merchant vessels filed applications for the commissions with the State Department or with collectors of customs. Many collectors were allowed to issue to privateers, commissions received in blank from the Department of State. The collectors often sent on to the Department the original applications and forwarded periodically abstracts of the commissions they had granted. During the war, the Department also issued permits for aliens to leave the U.S., and it received reports from U.S. marshals on aliens and prisoners of war in their districts, from collectors of customs and State Department agents on the impressment of seamen, and the Department's “Secret Agents” on the movements of the British in the Chesapeake Bay area. The Department also had responsibility for negotiating the treaty at the end of the war.