Foreign Affairs

U.S. Foreign Affairs Research

The Department of State is designated as the agency to lead in the overall direction, coordination, and supervision of United States foreign policy and foreign relations, but records relating to various foreign policy issues are found among the files of other agencies, too. Since World War II, a "community" of agencies has evolved to deal specifically with certain specialized foreign policy issues. In addition, many other agencies have taken on important roles in American national security affairs. The subject and focus of your foreign relations research will determine the most appropriate records for you to use.

To help you get started, researchers are encouraged to read the first three sections before moving forward to explore those on the agencies and their records.

Getting Started

The Records

Other Web Pages

The web pages listed below link to sites that include information about records of interest to the foreign affairs researcher:

NARA Resources

Non-NARA Resources

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