This is
the homepage for records of the United
States Department of State relating to Nicaragua
from the 1910s to the 1940s, which is
mostly Record Groups 59 and 84, but also others,
housed mostly in Archives II
in College Park, MD. There's a mountain of
State Dept and related material on Nicaragua in
these years, only part of which is inventoried
online (63% at present, according to their
website,
here). But
it's still worth searching (right: Lebanon
Valley College student researchers Missy Zellner, Nick
Quadrini, and Katrina Wells hard at work on the
5th floor of Archives II, January 2011).
To begin your Archives II online adventure,
go to the Archives II homepage at
www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/. Click "Research
Our Records" and select "Archival
Research Catalog." Try typing "Department
of State Nicaragua" in the search box.
You'll get 100 hits (unless you "Limit Results"
to 2,000, in which case you'll get 2,000 hits).
Scroll through and click on one. This
takes you to a card-catalog looking page.
Now you can search by Record Group.
Play with it. There's a lot inventoried
here, but not everything is
inventoried. You'll need to actually go
the Archives II building & register & get through security
& consult with an archivist & submit a request &
work through the boxes to see what's actually
there except for the collections that have
been microfilmed, which is a fair lot for
Nicaragua even though microfilm can be a pain to
use. But so too is shlepping a laptop &
scanner & camera in & out of the National
Archives, with its
layers of security at every turn, but, where all
things considered, the staff does a
terrific job helping researchers & enforcing the
rules fairly (most recently the
locking-zippered-green-bag policy, out of
which the staff currently is ironing out a few
small remaining bugs).
The most useful
records for my purposes are the following
(these can be devilishly hard webpages to find):
Record Group 59:
General Records of the Department of State
(external link
HERE)
Record Group 84:
Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the
Department of State
(external link
HERE)
Under Record Group 59
we have the following, according to the official
description:
"Central
File (Record Group 59). The
central file is the largest and most important
category of State Department records. All State
Department correspondence with U.S. diplomatic
and consular offices in foreign countries, with
foreign diplomatic and consular offices in the
United States, and almost all other State
Department correspondence and memorandums, are
in the central file."
"Office or Lot
Files (Record Group 59). This
category is for all of the records originally
filed at the State Department, but not in the
central file. This includes records of
organizational units, records relating to
certain functions, special subjects, events or
individuals. Some documents duplicate items in
the central file; most do not."
Under Record Group 84,
by the official language, we have the:
"Foreign Service Post Files (Record
Group 84). U.S.
Embassies, U.S. Legations, and U.S. Consulates.
The third main category of records, Foreign
Service Post Files, are all of the records
originally filed at American embassies and
legations (arranged by country) and consulates
(arranged by city). Correspondence between
posts and the State Department duplicates the
records in the Central Files in RG 59.
Post records include other types of documents
and correspondence with local officials and
other posts."
For Record Group 84 there is a
prominently featured Finding Aid titled "Filing Manual,
1912-48" with a 4.54 MB download size PDF file.
This file is totally useless and is not included
here.
On the other hand, for Record Group 59
there is a very useful little pamplet that a
very kind archivist mailed to me some time ago
a relic, really, included as a series of JPEG
files below titled "National Archives Microfilm
Publications, Pamphlet Accompanying
Microcopy No. 632,
Records of the Department of State
Relating to Internal Affairs of Nicaragua,
1910-1929," published by the
General Services Administration in 1967 (this is
for "Microfilm 632" or
M632).
It is a gem of a pamphlet, written by James
E. Primas, a real go-getter from the looks of it. Here we see how
Decimal File 817 on Nicaragua is organized.
The official classification for the originals of
these records in the Archives II building today is
Record Group 59, Stack Area 250, Row 24,
Compartment 15, Shelf 15, with the box numbers
running from around 7,950 to 8,200 or
thereabouts. Ask an archivist!
(Above: inside the reading room of the
2nd floor of Archives II, where the winter sun
comes streaming through the southeast-facing windows, making photographing
documents challenging at times, such as mornings
and afternoons... )
Here's the pamphlet:
What about the records after 1929? Those
are under a different microfilm number & the
originals probably located in a whole different
Stack Area! These have been designated
Microfilm 1273
(M1273),
Records of the Department of State Relating to
Internal Affairs of Nicaragua, 1930-1944
(published 1983). Then in
the Decimal File Series of Record Group 59
there's the
Records of the Department of State Relating to
Political Relations between the United States
and Nicaragua, 1910-1929, among
others. Going back to Record Group 84 for
a moment, there's the
Confidential U.S.
Diplomatic Post Records, Central America,
Nicaragua, 1930-1945,
and other collections. It gets a
little complicated.
Here's a list made by copying &
pasting the most relevant-looking records listed
online. There's a lot here, and not all of
it from the State Department, and not all from
Archives II (though most is). There
doesn't seem to be any chronological or thematic
order to any of it:
Regional Files,
compiled 1922-1944,
documenting the
period 1920-1944. ARC Identifier
1560885 / MLR Number NM84 77. Maps and
Charts, Photographs and other Graphic
Materials and Textual Records from the War
Department. Military Intelligence
Division. Military Intelligence
Service. (03/1942-1947).
Archives II Reference Section (Military),
Textual Archives Services Division, College
Park, MD. Series from Record Group
165: Records of the War Department
General and Special Staffs, 1860-1952.
Photographs
and Illustrations Used in the 1899 "Report
of the Nicaragua Canal Commission",
compiled 1898-1898. ARC Identifier
535449 / Local Identifier 185-NC.
Architectural and Engineering Drawings and
Photographs and other Graphic Materials from
the Nicaragua Canal Commission. (07/29/1897
- 03/1899). Still Picture Records
Section, Special Media Archives Services
Division, College Park, MD.
Series from Record Group 185: Records
of the Panama Canal, 1848-1999.
Robert E. Peary
Family Collection: Photographs
Relating to the Nicaragua Canal Surveys,
compiled 1884-1888. ARC Identifier
542471 / Local Identifier 401-XPN.
Photographs and other Graphic Materials from
Peary, Robert E. (Robert Edwin), 1856-1920.
Still Picture Records Section, Special Media
Archives Services Division, College Park,
MD. Series from Record Group 401:
National Archives Gift Collection of
Materials Relating to Polar Regions,
1949-1978.
Summary of the
Proceedings, compiled 1918-1918.
ARC Identifier 1488871 / MLR Number NC 155
110.
Textual Records from the Honduras-Nicaragua
Boundary Arbitration. (1918-1918).
Archives II Reference Section (Civilian),
Textual Archives Services Division, College
Park, MD. Series from Record Group 76:
Records of Boundary and Claims Commissions
and Arbitrations, 1716-1994.
United States
Consular Records for Bluefields, Nicaragua,
compiled 1873-1932. ARC Identifier 980099
/ MLR Number UD 164. Textual Records from
the Department of State. U.S. Consulate,
Bluefields, Nicaragua. (1873-1933).
Archives II Reference Section (Civilian),
Textual Archives Services Division, College
Park, MD. Series from Record Group 84:
Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the
Department of State.
United States
Consular Records for Puerto Cabezas,
Nicaragua,
compiled 1931-1939. ARC Identifier 1150676
/ MLR Number UD 705. Textual Records from
the Department of State. U.S. Consulate,
Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. (1931-1939).
Archives II Reference Section (Civilian),
Textual Archives Services Division, College
Park, MD. Series from Record Group 84:
Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the
Department of State.
United States
Consular Records for Managua, Nicaragua,
compiled 1884-1935. ARC Identifier 1135628
/ MLR Number UD 547. Textual Records from
the Department of State. U.S. Consulate,
Managua, Nicaragua. (ca. 07/21/1884-1939).
Archives II Reference Section (Civilian),
Textual Archives Services Division, College
Park, MD. Series from Record Group 84:
Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the
Department of State.
Aerial
Photography of Nicaragua, compiled
1943-1947. ARC Identifier 305445 /
Local Identifier 30-NICARAGUA.
Photographs and other Graphic Materials from
the Federal Works Agency. Public Roads
Administration. Office of Engineering.
(07/01/1939 - 06/30/1949).
Cartographic and Architectural Records
Section, Special Media Archives Services
Division, College Park, MD. Series
from Record Group 30: Records of the Bureau
of Public Roads, 1892-1972.
Photographic
Prints and Negatives of U.S. Marine
Activities in Nicaragua, compiled
ca. 1976-ca. 1976, documenting the period
1912-1931. ARC Identifier 532594 /
Local Identifier 127-NP. Photographs
and other Graphic Materials from the
Department of Defense. Department of
the Navy. U.S. Marine Corps.
History and Museums Division. (ca. 1947 - ).
Still Picture Records Section, Special Media
Archives Services Division, College Park,
MD. Series from Record Group 127:
Records of the U.S. Marine Corps.
(These are the photographs, nearly 1,000 in
all, in the
USNA2 Photo-Docs
pages.)
Fleet Ho, 1930. ARC Identifier 2767362 / Local Identifier
428-NPC-44523. Moving Images from the
Department of Defense. Department of
the Navy. Naval Photographic Center.
(09/18/1947 - ?). Motion Picture,
Sound, and Video Records Section, Special
Media Archives Services Division, College
Park, MD. Item from Record Group
428: General Records of the Department
of the Navy, 1941-2004.
SURVEY OF ROUTE
FOR NICARAGUAN CANAL, 1929-1930,
1936. ARC Identifier 24698 / Local
Identifier 111-H-1193. Moving Images
from the Department of Defense.
Department of the Army. Office of the
Chief Signal Officer. (09/18/1947 -
02/28/1964). Motion Picture, Sound,
and Video Records Section, Special Media
Archives Services Division, College Park,
MD. Item from Record Group 111:
Records of the Office of the Chief Signal
Officer, 1860-1985.
[Nicaragua -
Puerto Cabezas - Consulate]
Consulars Reporting of Interest to the
apartments and independent establishments of the
governments, 1931-1931. ARC Identifier
1403350 / MLR Number UD 705. Textual
Records from the Department of State. U.S.
Consulate, Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua.
(1931-1939). Archives II Reference Section
(Civilian), Textual Archives Services Division,
College Park, MD. File Unit from Record
Group 84: Records of the Foreign Service
Posts of the Department of State.
[Nicaragua -
Puerto Cabezas - Consulate]
Misc Record Book,
1931-1933. ARC Identifier 1403317 / MLR
Number UD 705. Textual Records from the
Department of State. U.S. Consulate,
Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. (1931-1939).
Archives II Reference Section (Civilian),
Textual Archives Services Division, College
Park, MD. File Unit from Record Group 84:
Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the
Department of State.
[Nicaragua
- Bluefields - Consulate]
Correspondence 600, 1926 - 1926. ARC
Identifier 1355180 / MLR Number UD 164.
Textual Records from the Department of
State. U.S. Consulate, Bluefields,
Nicaragua. (1873-1933).
Archives II Reference Section (Civilian),
Textual Archives Services Division, College
Park, MD. File Unit from Record
Group 84: Records of the Foreign Service
Posts of the Department of State.
[Nicaragua -
Bluefields - Consulate]
Correspondence
868.1-892.43, 1929-1929. ARC Identifier
1355198 / MLR Number UD 164. Textual
Records from the Department of State. U.S.
Consulate, Bluefields, Nicaragua.
(1873-1933). Archives II Reference Section
(Civilian), Textual Archives Services Division,
College Park, MD. File Unit from Record
Group 84: Records of the Foreign Service
Posts of the Department of State.
[Nicaragua -
Bluefields - Consulate]
Correspondence
610-704, 1930-1930. ARC Identifier
1355201 / MLR Number UD 164. Textual
Records from the Department of State. U.S.
Consulate, Bluefields, Nicaragua.
(1873-1933). Archives II Reference
Section (Civilian), Textual Archives
Services Division, College Park, MD. File
Unit from Record Group 84: Records of the
Foreign Service Posts of the Department of
State.
[Nicaragua -
Bluefields - Consulate]
Ships Daily Journal,
1920-1928. ARC Identifier 1355244 / MLR
Number UD 164. Textual Records from the
Department of State. U.S. Consulate, Bluefields,
Nicaragua. (1873-1933). Archives II
Reference Section (Civilian), Textual Archives
Services Division, College Park, MD. File
Unit from Record Group 84: Records of the
Foreign Service Posts of the Department of
State.
[Nicaragua -
Bluefields - Consulate]
Marine Extended Protest, 1928-1928. ARC
Identifier 1355255 / MLR Number UD 164.
Textual Records from the Department of State.
U.S. Consulate, Bluefields, Nicaragua.
(1873-1933). Archives II Reference Section
(Civilian), Textual Archives Services Division,
College Park, MD. File Unit from Record
Group 84: Records of the Foreign Service
Posts of the Department of State.
Record Book,
compiled 1933-1962.
ARC Identifier 1697331 / MLR Number UD 3047.
Textual Records from the Department of State.
U.S. Embassy, Nicaragua. (ca. 03/27/1943 - ).
Archives II Reference Section (Civilian),
Textual Archives Services Division, College
Park, MD. Series from Record Group 84:
Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the
Department of State.
[Nicaragua -
Managua - Consulate]
Correspondence Classes
866.32-892.8, 1934-1934. ARC Identifier
1391769 / MLR Number UD 547. Textual
Records from the Department of State. U.S.
Consulate, Managua, Nicaragua. (ca.
07/21/1884-1939). Archives II Reference
Section (Civilian), Textual Archives Services
Division, College Park, MD. File Unit from
Record Group 84: Records of the Foreign
Service Posts of the Department of State.
[Nicaragua -
Managua - Consulate]
Correspondence Classes 600-892.8, 1933-1933.
ARC Identifier 1391764 / MLR Number UD 547.
Textual Records from the Department of State.
U.S. Consulate, Managua, Nicaragua. (ca.
07/21/1884-1939). Archives II Reference
Section (Civilian), Textual Archives Services
Division, College Park, MD. File Unit from
Record Group 84: Records of the Foreign
Service Posts of the Department of State.
[Nicaragua -
Managua - Consulate] Confidential
File, 1933-1933. ARC Identifier
1391778 / MLR Number UD 547. Textual
Records from the Department of State. U.S.
Consulate, Managua, Nicaragua. (ca.
07/21/1884-1939). Archives II
Reference Section (Civilian), Textual Archives
Services Division, College Park, MD. File
Unit from Record Group 84: Records of the
Foreign Service Posts of the Department of
State.
Classified
Telegrams Received,
compiled 1932-1947. ARC Identifier 1729312
/ MLR Number UD 3082. Textual Records from
the Department of State. U.S. Embassy, Panama.
(ca. 03/23/1939 - 01/10/1964). Archives II
Reference Section (Civilian), Textual Archives
Services Division, College Park, MD.
Series from Record Group 84: Records of
the Foreign Service Posts of the Department of
State.
Lists, Reports,
and Other Records,
compiled
1927-1928. ARC Identifier 1957865 /
MLR Number I-2 226. Textual Records
from the Department of the Navy. U.S. Marine
Corps. 5th Marine Regiment.
(06/08/1917 - 09/18/1947). Archives I
Reference Section, Textual Archives Services
Division, Washington, DC. Series from
Record Group 127: Records of the U.S. Marine
Corps [Digital Copy
Available]
Chinandega,
Nicaragua.
Marines and Bluejackets who returned with ballot
box from Somotillo, 1928. ARC Identifier
532591 / Local Identifier 127-N-527091.
Photographs and other Graphic Materials from the
Department of Defense. Department of the Navy.
U.S. Marine Corps. (09/18/1947 - ). Still
Picture Records Section, Special Media Archives
Services Division, College Park, MD. Item
from Record Group 127: Records of the U.S.
Marine Corps.
United States
Consular Records for Corinto, Nicaragua,
compiled ca. 1867-1934. ARC Identifier
1137820 / MLR Number UD 290. Textual
Records from the Department of State. U.S.
Consulate, Corinto, Nicaragua. (1867-1937).
Archives II Reference Section (Civilian),
Textual Archives Services Division, College
Park, MD. Series from Record Group 84:
Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the
Department of State.
Intelligence
Reports of the District of Leon,
compiled 1928-1928. ARC Identifier 1948901
/ MLR Number I-2 195. Textual Records from
the Nicaragua. Guardia Nacional. Archives
I Reference Section, Textual Archives Services
Division, Washington, DC. Series from
Record Group 127: Records of the U.S.
Marine Corps.
Selected
Correspondence of the Intelligence
Department,
compiled 1928-1932. ARC Identifier 1948958
/ MLR Number I-2 200. Textual Records from
the Department of the Navy. U.S. Marine
Corps. (1834-09/18/1947). Archives I
Reference Section, Textual Archives Services
Division, Washington, DC. Series from
Record Group 127: Records of the U.S.
Marine Corps.
Reports, Lists,
and Other Records,
compiled 1930-1932. ARC Identifier 1956157
/ MLR Number I-2 224. Textual Records from
the Department of the Navy. U.S. Marine Corps.
2nd Brigade. Office of the Quartermaster.
(1927-1933). Archives I Reference Section,
Textual Archives Services Division, Washington,
DC. Series from Record Group 127:
Records of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Correspondence
Relating to the Election,
compiled 1928-1928. ARC Identifier 1949014
/ MLR Number I-2 207. Textual Records from
the Department of the Navy. U.S. Marine
Corps. 2nd Brigade. (1927-1933).
Archives I Reference Section, Textual Archives
Services Division, Washington, DC. Series
from Record Group 127: Records of the U.S.
Marine Corps.
Correspondence
Relating to Civilian Complaints in the
District of Matagalpa
at Jinotega, compiled 1928-1928. ARC
Identifier 1943630 / MLR Number I-2 191.
Textual Records from the Nicaragua.
Guardia Nacional. Archives I Reference
Section, Textual Archives Services Division,
Washington, DC. Series from Record Group
127: Records of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Selected
Correspondence of the Intelligence
Department,
compiled 1928-1932. ARC Identifier 1948958
/ MLR Number I-2 200. Textual Records from
the Department of the Navy. U.S. Marine
Corps. (1834-09/18/1947). Archives I
Reference Section, Textual Archives Services
Division, Washington, DC. Series from
Record Group 127: Records of the U.S.
Marine Corps.
Record Book,
compiled 1899-1950.
ARC Identifier 4477130 / MLR Number P 539.
Textual Records from the Department of State.
U.S. Consulate, Matagalpa, Nicaragua.
(1899-1950). Archives II Reference Section
(Civilian), Textual Archives Services Division,
College Park, MD. Series from Record Group
84: Records of the Foreign Service Posts
of the Department of State.
What about microfilmed materials?
If you go to the National Archives homepage and
enter "microfilm Nicaragua" in the upper-right
search box, you'll get 46 mostly worthless hits.
But if you put "order
online" in the search box, the first item
that appears
("Order
Online") will take you to a page with
a blue button screaming out
PROCEED TO ORDER ONLINE!
If you click on that (or on the
screaming button here) and then click "Microfilm"
and in the search box put "Nicaragua"
the following ten records should appear,
all of which can be requested via inter-library
loan, if you ask for 3-4 reels at a time (M632
among them, the biggest of the bunch and the
richest on topics of interest here):
Publication
number
|
Publication
Title
|
Record Group
|
Record Group
Title
|
Number of
Rolls/Fiche
|
C85
|
Records of the U.S.
Department of State Relating to Internal
Affairs of Nicaragua, 1960-1963
|
59
|
General Records of
the Department of State
|
4
|
M1273
|
Records of the
Department of State Relating to Internal
Affairs of Nicaragua, 1930-1944
|
59
|
General Records of
the Department of State
|
53
|
M632
|
Records of the
Department of State Relating to Internal
Affairs of Nicaragua, 1910-1929
|
59
|
General Records of
the Department of State
|
106
|
M633
|
Records of the
Department of State Relating to
Political Relations Between the United
States and Nicaragua, 1910-1929
|
59
|
General Records of
the Department of State
|
2
|
M634
|
Records of the
Department of State Relating to
Political Relations Between Nicaragua
and Other States, 1910-1929
|
59
|
General Records of
the Department of State
|
3
|
T152
|
Despatches From U.S.
Consuls in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua,
1847-1881.
|
59
|
General Records of
the Department of State
|
4
|
T348
|
Despatches From U.S.
Consuls in San Juan del Norte,
Nicaragua, 1851-1906.
|
59
|
General Records of
the Department of State
|
21
|
T538
|
Despatches From U.S.
Consuls to Cape Gracias a Dios,
Nicaragua, 1903-1906
|
59
|
General Records of
the Department of State
|
1
|
T634
|
Despatches From U.S.
Consuls in Managua, Nicaragua, 1884-1906
|
59
|
General Records of
the Department of State
|
5
|
T797
|
Notes
from the Nicaraguan Legation in the
United States to the Department of
State, 1862-1906.
|
84
|
Records of the
Foreign Service Posts of the Department
of State
|
4
|
That's a whole lot of records, and a pretty confusing
filing system. It's also far from
comprehensive. So instead of
retaining the arcane filing systems of the US
Department of State, this website simplifies
things by collapsing Record Groups 59
and 84 together (the distinction seems pretty
arbitrary anyway) and inventorying all State
Department documents chronologically, with
thematic tags to facilitate searching. Any
remaining material in Archives II that doesn't
derive from the records of the Department of
State (such as the General Correspondence of the
Secretary of the Navy, the Regional Files of the
Military Intelligence Division, 1922-1944, and
so on) is slotted into other categories,
especially
M-Docs, Guardia, USMC-Docs, Photo-Docs, in ways that seem to make the most sense. (Above: Lebanon
Valley College student researchers Nick Quadrini, Missy
Zellner & Katrina Wells still going strong on
the 5th floor!)
Hence this navigation box,
which appears at the top & bottom of all USDS-Docs pages (none of
these pages are created yet but will be soon).
U S D S - D O C S
R E C O R D
G R O U P S 5 9
& 8 4 |
thru 1927 |
1928 |
1929 |
1930 |
1931 |
1932 |
1933 + |
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
And thus concludes our
introductory excursion into the relevant records of the
United States Department of State!
.jpg)
Archives II, College Park, MD (test2)
TOP OF PAGE
U S D S - D O C S
R E C O R D
G R O U P S 5 9
& 8 4 |
thru 1927 |
1928 |
1929 |
1930 |
1931 |
1932 |
1933 + |
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
|