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Historical Primary Sources: Slavic & East European

U.S. Diplomatic Records

The following are comprehensive lists of US State Department records from the National Archives holdings in Washington, DC. Titles held by MAIN and Bancroft are linked to the records in UC Library Search. Titles held by the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) are linked to records in that catalog, and these titles can be requested through Interlibrary Loan. In some cases, titles are linked to online sources the Library has purchased or sources made available by NARA's digitization partners. Where available, a link to the corresponding guide, or the call number and location of the guide has been added.

The State Department had different record-keeping systems between 1789-19061906-19101910-19631963-1973, and 1973-1979. In its organization of the files it received, the National Archives mantained the original divisions of years: 1789-1906, 1906-10, 1910-29, 1930-39, 1940-44, 1945-49, 1950-54, 1955-59, 1960-63, 1963-73, 1973-79. The microfilm publications of the records reflect these periodic divisions and the original arrangement of the records. Some of the records from 1973-1979 are accessible online at the NARA site. Records dating 1980 and later remain in the custody of the Department of State.

See U.S. Foreign Relations and the Department of State for more information about the records.

The lists below include different series of diplomatic documents. Not all of these are respresented in every country's list.
Diplomatic Instructions of the Department of State, 1801-1906 (M77) Includes multiple countries, so relevant reel numbers are included in each county's list.
Consular Instructions of the Department of State, 1801-1834 (M78) Letters sent to US officials assigned to consular service abroad. Letters are arranged chronologically, not geographically, so this set is not included in the lists below.
Despatches from U.S. Ministers to
Despatches from U.S. Consuls in: 
Notes to the Legation of:
Notes from the Legation of: 
Publications of the Decimal File Relating to Internal Affairs of States and Political Relations Between States, 1910-1963
(organized into three separate publications for each country or area):

  • Internal Affairs
  • Political relations between foreign states and the United States
  • Political relations between foreign states and other states

 

ARMENIA

Decimal File:

  • Internal Affairs:
    • 1910-29. T1192. 8 rolls. News/Micro MICROFILM 31206 Guide
  • Relations with Other States:
    • 1910-29. T1193. 2 rolls. News/Micro MICROFILM 31225 Guide

 

AZERBAIJAN

Decimal File:

 

BULGARIA

Diplomatic Instructions, 1801-1906. M77. Roll 17   Microfilm at CRL 
Consular Despatches:

  • Sofia, 1901-1904. T682. 1 roll.

Decimal File:

 

CZECHOSLOVAKIA

Consular Despatches:

Decimal File:

 

HUNGARY

Consular Despatches:

Decimal File:

 

POLAND

Consular Despatches:

Decimal File:

Property Claims of U.S. Citizens Against Poland 1930-1944. T461. 8 rolls

 

ROMANIA

Diplomatic Instructions, 1801-1906. M77. Roll 17  Microfilm at CRL  
Diplomatic Despatches, 1880-1906. T727. 5 rolls  Microfilm at CRL  Guide Online
Notes to the Romanian Legation, 1880-1906. M99. Roll 97  Microfilm at CRL 
Consular Despatches:

Decimal File:

 

RUSSIA AND THE SOVIET UNION

Diplomatic Instructions, 1801-1906. M77. Rolls 2-8, 136-140, 152, 154.    Microfilm at CRL 
Despatches from United States ministers to Russia, 1808-1906. M35. 66 rolls.  News/Micro MICROFILM 4046 J Guide
Notes to the Russian Legation, 1834-1906. M99. Rolls 82-84  Microfilm at CRL
Notes from the Russian Legation, 1809-1906. M39. 12 rolls  UCB has 1809-1826
Consular Despatches:

  • Amoor River, 1856-1874. T i l l . 2 rolls
  • Archangel, 1833-1861. M481. 1 roll  Microfilm at CRL
  • Batum, 1890-1906. M482. 1 roll
  • Moscow, 1857-1906. M456. 2 rolls  Microfilm at CRL
  • Novorossisk, 1883-1884. M458. 1 roll
  • Odessa, 1831-1906. M459. 7 rolls
  • Petropavlovsk, 1875-1878. T104. 1 roll  Microfilm at CRL
  • Reval, Estonia, 1859-1870. M484. 1 roll
  • Riga, Latvia, 1811-1872, 1890-1906. M485. 1 roll
  • St. Petersburg, 1803-1906. M81. 18 rolls.  News/Micro MICROFILM 4121 J Guide
  • Vladivostok, 1898-1906. M486. 1 roll  Microfilm at CRL

Decimal File:

Records of the U.S. Department of State Relating to Commercial Relations between the United States and Russia/the Soviet Union, 1910-1949. 22 rolls. Guide Doe Reference ; HF3105 .R40 1987
U.S. Claims Against Russia: 1910-1929. T640. 8 rolls  Microfilm at CRL (CRL has reels 1-3) 
Papers Relating to the Cession of Alaska, 1856-1867; Enclosures 2 and 3 to Despatch 115, Dated Dec. 2, 1936, From the U.S. Embassy in the Soviet Union. T495. 1 roll
The Alaska Treaty, by David Hunter Miller, Department of State. T1024. 1 roll
Records of the Russian-American Company, 1802-1867. M11. 77 rolls  Microfilm at CRL  (CRL has reels 2, 6, 19-25, 57-65) 

 

British diplomatic documents