Politico: The JFK Document Dump Could Be a Fiasco. “Within the next two weeks, the National Archives is legally obligated to release the last of thousands of secret documents from government files about the assassination, most of them from the CIA, FBI and the Justice Department. And there is every indication that the massive document dump—especially if any of it is blocked by President Donald Trump, the only person empowered under the law to stop the release of the files—will simply help fuel a new generation of conspiracy theories.”
primary sources
Library of Congress: Papers of Ulysses S. Grant Now Online
Library of Congress: Papers of Ulysses S. Grant Now Online. “The collection includes general and family correspondence, speeches, reports, messages, military records, financial and legal records, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, memorabilia and other papers. The collection relates to Grant’s service in the Mexican War and Civil War, his pre-Civil War career, and his postwar service as U.S. secretary of war ad interim under President Andrew Johnson, his 1868 presidential campaign and two-term presidency, his unsuccessful 1880 presidential bid, his extensive international travels and the financial difficulties late in life that spurred the writing of his memoir, which he completed just days before his death from tongue cancer in July 1885. “
Muckrock: The ultimate guide to searching CIA’s declassified archives
Muckrock: The ultimate guide to searching CIA’s declassified archives. “While the Agency deserves credit for compiling a basic guide to searching their FOIA reading room, it still omits information or leaves it spread out across the Agency’s website. In one egregious example, the CIA guide to searching the records lists only three content types that users can search for, a review of the metadata compiled by Data.World reveals an addition ninety content types. This guide will tell you everything you need to know to dive into CREST and start searching like a pro.”
New Online: James K. Polk Papers (Library of Congress)
Library of Congress: New Online: James K. Polk Papers. “‘Twelve months ago this day, a very important conversation took place in Cabinet between myself and Mr. Buchanan on the Oregon question. This conversation was of so important a character, that I deemed it proper on the same evening to reduce the substance of it to writing for the purpose of retaining it, more distinctly in my memory,’ President James K. Polk wrote on August 26, 1846. ‘It was this circumstance which first suggested to me the idea, if not the necessity of keeping a journal or diary, of events, and transactions which might occur during my Presidency.’ Polk fulfilled his pledge to keep a presidential diary, recording the significant or noteworthy events in his life from August 26, 1845, to June 2, 1849. Consisting of 25 volumes, Polk’s diary is part of the James K. Polk Papers at the Library of Congress, now available online.”
University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Whitman Archive continues publishing literary giant’s letters
University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Whitman Archive continues publishing literary giant’s letters. “The letters, both mundane and fascinating, are continuously being added to the Walt Whitman Archive. Another group of 252 letters was added in September. The latest batch comes from the few years preceding Whitman’s death in 1892, and chronicles his failing health, impending death and the publication of his final volumes of ‘Leaves of Grass.'”
Columbia Journalism Review: Dating app Tinder can be a tool for journalists
Columbia Journalism Review: Dating app Tinder can be a tool for journalists. “My Tinder profile included a professional photo and read: ‘I am a journalist, can I ask you a few questions?’ I swiped right on several profiles, matched with a few, and simply started talking. Granted, some folks I chatted with later admitted they thought the ‘journalist’ thing was a pickup line. But I started each conversation explaining my intentions and confirming that they were comfortable going on record. In an hour, I had a few new friends and a general idea about the island’s concerns.”
US Department of State: Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs Release of Foreign Relations Volumes
US Department of State: Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs Release of Foreign Relations Volumes . “The Department of State today announces the release of newly digitized versions of thirty-two volumes from the Foreign Relations of the United States series, the official documentary record of U.S. foreign relations. These volumes cover events that took place between 1920 and 1941 and were originally published in print between 1935 and 1943….”
