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World War II Document Sets at the Boston Public Library: State Department

This guide attempts to describe some of the document sets available on microfilm and microfiche at the Boston Public Library that deal with the Second World War.

Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files

The U.S. State Department Central Files are the definitive source of American diplomatic reporting on political, military, social, and economic developments throughout the world in the 20th century. The files contain wide range of materials from U.S. diplomats in foreign countries: special reports on political and military affairs; studies and statistics on socioeconomic matters; interviews and minutes of meetings with foreign government officials; court proceedings and other legal documents; full texts of important letters, instructions, and cables sent and received by U.S. diplomatic personnel; voluminous reports and translations from foreign journals and newspapers; and countless translations of high-level foreign government documents.

(excerpted and condensed from publisher’s description)

Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files

Confidential U.S. diplomatic post records: part 3: Soviet Union, 1934-1941

Similar in scope and content to the State Department Central Files, the State Department Post Records contain voluminous papers from American diplomats stationed in important foreign countries. This collection includes official reports filed by American diplomats based on eyewitness accounts, interviews with political leaders, and translated government reports.

Selected titles include: - Purging of Officials and other Prominent Persons (1937) - Outbreak of Fighting between Japan and the Soviet Union (1938) - The First Soviet Protocol, Signed by USSR, United Stated, and Great Britain, regarding the Supplying of Materials for the War Effort (1941) - Evacuation of the Government from Moscow (1941)

Accompanied by a printed guide.