Conclusion Post

I guess this is goodbye for LIBS 101 … I’ve really enjoyed the course, particularly because of my interest in library science. The last two classes were probably my favorites, since I do want to pursue a master’s in library science and digital libraries are what interest me the most (along with archives). The course was great, though, not only because of the professional aspect, but because it also helped to reinforce what I had learned about the research process while adding new strategies and information. I only wish I had taken the class when I first came to UMW! Overall, I think the blog worked really well – it was a great way to see what I needed to do each week, and it functioned as a simple way to post most of the assignments. My only worry each week was the comments assignments, since you could never be quite sure the person whose blog you were commenting on would actually approve the comment and show that you’d done the work.

Well, good luck to everyone with the end of finals week, and thanks to Professor Bryan for teaching the class!

WWW Resource #4

Mudd Manuscript Library. “Allen W. Dulles Papers: Digital Files Series, 1939-1977: Finding Aid.” Princeton University Library. http://diglib.princeton.edu/ead/getEad?i… (accessed April 21, 2009).

Google searched for “intelligence” AND “world war II” AND “digital collection”

I actually reached the final website through a blog that recommended it – the Mudd Manuscript Library is holding a series of Allen W. Dulles’ papers (he was largely in charge of OSS infiltration of Germany) and many have been made accessible online, which could be useful as primary sources.

WWW Resource #3

Office of Strategic Services Society. “Office of Strategic Services Society.” http://www.osssociety.org/index.html (accessed April 21, 2009).

Google Advance searched for “office of strategic services” within .org domains.

Obviously this source, the Office of Strategic Services Society, needs to be treated with discernment since it will be biased, but the site does have an archive of newsletters which could prove useful.

WWW Resource #2

Central Intelligence Agency Library. https://www.cia.gov/library/index.html (accessed April 21, 2009).

Google searched for “office of strategic services” AND “documents”.

The CIA site seemed a logical choice, since it is the successor of the OSS. The Library is a great source of information, with both the Center for the Study of Intelligence and the Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room, which grant access to primary documents relevant to my topic.

WWW Resource #1

National Archives and Records Administration. “Records of the Office of Strategic Services 1940-1946 (Record Group 226).” Archives.gov. http://www.archives.gov/iwg/declassified… (accessed April 21, 2009).

Google searched for “office of strategic services” AND “archives”.

This site was particularly helpful in providing a list of the primary sources on the OSS available in the National Archives, though most are not accessible in a digital format. The page gave a breakdown of the stored materials and where each was located.

Periodical Post #5

Kelly, Matthew A. “Communists in German Labor Organizations.” The Journal of Political Economy 57, no. 3 (Jun. 1949): 213-226, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1826127 (accessed January 21, 2009).

I found this article on JSTOR, using the advanced search in the full-text with the terms: “communis*” AND “germany” AND world war II

It helps for a research topic to get a little information on what happened before and after the period of your topic, so I looked at how Communism was developing in post-war Germany, particularly within the labor unions. This article is from a peer-reviewed journal.

Periodical Post #4

Barnes, Trevor. “The Secret Cold War: The C.I.A. and American Foreign Policy in Europe, 1946-1956. Part I.” The Historical Journal 24, no. 2 (Jun. 1981): 399-415, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2638793 (accessed January 21, 2009).

I found this article through JSTOR, using the advanced search in the full-text with the terms: “germany” AND “office of strategic services” AND world war II

The article is relevant in offering some understanding of the immediate aftermath of the war in Germany and how American intelligence adapted to gathering information on Communism. The article is from a peer-reviewed journal.

Periodical Post #3

Schellenger, Kent H., Jr. “The German Social Democratic Party After World War II: The Conservatism of Power.” The Western Political Quarterly 19, no. 2 (Jun. 1966): 251-265, http://www.jstor.org/stable/445190 (accessed January 21, 2009).

I found this article on JSTOR as well, using the advanced search in the full-text with the terms: “social democrat*” AND “germany” AND world war II

The Social Democrats were strongly connected to the trade unions in Germany, so it has helped to broaden my topic to include leftist political organizations and their role both after and before the war. This article is from a peer-reviewed journal.

Periodical Post #2

Baranowski, Shelley. “Nazism and Polarization: The Left and the Third Reich,” The Historical Journal, Vol. 43, No. 4 (Dec., 2000), pp. 1160, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3020886 (accessed March 29, 2009).

I also found this on JSTOR, with an advanced search in the full-text with the terms: “socialist democrat*” AND “germany” AND world war II

I wanted to get an understanding of who the main powerbase of the Nazis were – and why certain elements of the Left, including trade unionists, were not attracted to the Nazis, but resisted instead. The article is from a peer-reviewed journal.

Periodical Post #1

Landauer, Carl. “United States Economic Policy Toward Germany.” The Journal of Modern History 19, no. 3 (Sept. 1947): 239-253, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1876401 (accessed January 21, 2009).

I found this on JSTOR, which is where I usually search for history-related articles. I used an advanced search with the terms: “germany” AND “economy” AND “world war II” AND “labor”

This article is relevant to my topic as I’ve been focused on labor intelligence and I was hoping to see how the United States interacted with laborers and trade unions in the wake of the war. The article itself is from  a peer-reviewed journal, as I believe most on JSTOR are.