Research Guides: HIST 3387: World War II: Find Primary Sources: General

Librarian

Kristina Claunch

Contact:

936-294-1520
kclaunch@shsu.edu
Library (NGL) Room 223G

Primary Sources in Library Databases

The Times Digital Archive, 1785 to 2014 This link opens in a new window "World's newspaper of record." Covers all major international historical events. Every page of every issue, from 1785 to 2014.
Illustrated London News Historical Archive, 1842-2003 This link opens in a new window Complete, full-color run of the worlds most iconic illustrated newspaper. Covers topics such as news, wars, royal events, scientific invention, exploration, fashion, and more.
New York Times Historical, 1851 to 3 years ago This link opens in a new window Every page of every issue of the New York Times, from 1851 until approximately 3 years ago.
Washington Post Historical, 1877-2003 This link opens in a new window
New content is added each year. Consult the resource itself for the most recent content available.
Every page of every issue of the Washington Post, 1877-2003.
Wall Street Journal Historical, 1889-2002 This link opens in a new window
New content is added each year. Consult the resource itself for the most recent content available.
Every page of every issue of the Wall Street Journal, 1889-2002.
Economist Historical Archive, 1843-2015 This link opens in a new window
New content is added each year. Consult the resource itself for the most recent content available.
Every issue of The Economist from 1843 to 2015, including full-color images, multiple search indexes, and browsing facilities. Timely reporting, concise commentary, and comprehensive analysis of global news, including political, business, scientific, technological, and cultural developments and the connections between them.
National Geographic Magazine Archive, 1888-1994 This link opens in a new window Every page and every photograph of the official journal of the National Geographic Society, from the first issue to the mid-1990s.
Austin American Statesman Historical, 1871-1980 This link opens in a new window
New content is added each year. Consult the resource itself for the most recent content available.
Every issue of the Austin American Statesman / Austin Statesman, 1871-1980.
America's Historical Newspapers 1690-1998 This link opens in a new window American and U.S. local newspapers from all 50 states, ranging from 1690 to 1998.

Historical Newsreels

Japanese Newsreels in Video, 1940-1948 This link opens in a new window
Broadcasts from Nippon News, Japans only newsreel during WWII which was driven by close collaboration between the government and the media. 36 hours of original Japanese newsreels from 1940 to 1948 with English transcripts.
American Newsreels in Video, 1929-1946 This link opens in a new window
United Newsreel: 35+ hours of the American weekly newsreel produced by the U.S. Office of War Information from 1942 to 1946, complete with transcripts. Universal Newsreel: 200+ hours of content with full transcripts from Universal Studios biweekly series, 1929 to 1946.
French Newsreels in Video, 1940-1946 This link opens in a new window
75 hours of fully translated and transcribed French newsreels spanning the period of the Second World War, from 1940 to 1946.

World War II: Primary Source Collections Online

The Civilian Public Service Story: Living Peace in a Time of War The Civilian Public Service was an alternative service option for conscientious objectors during WWII. This website's database provides details on all 12,000 men who served in CPS and info on more than 150 CPS camps in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Secondary-source essays provide background to rosters, photographs, etc. Site also provides many recommendations for further reading. (Mennonite Central Committee and the Center on Conscience and War)
FBI WWII Files FBI documents on WWII topics, including Tokyo Rose, General MacArthur, Wernher VonBraun, detention, and more. (Note: Dates in the list of topics/files indicate when documents were put online, not when the content was originally created.) (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
Footnote.com Historical Documents
Historical military photos, news accounts, case files about war crimes, accounts of air battles, and more. (Footnote.com)
Hawaii War Records Depository Photos
Photos of life in Hawaii during World War II. (Univ. of Hawaii)
Homefront Photos
(National Archives, via Flickr)
International Research Portal for Records Related to Nazi-Era Cultural Property Links researchers to archival materials consisting of descriptions and often images of records related to cultural property that was stolen, looted, seized, forcibly sold, or otherwise lost during the Nazi era. Covers a broad range of cultural property from artworks to books and libraries, religious objects, antiquities, archival documents, carvings, silver and more. (U.S. National Archives and various international organizations)
Latest Films of the War in Italy, 1943 Video (Office of War Information)
(National Archives and Records Administration)
Military Situation Maps, 1944-45
(Library of Congress)
Nuremberg Trials Project Project (still in progress) to digitize Harvard Law School's extensive collection of trial transcripts, briefs, document books, evidence files, and other papers related to the trial of military and political leaders of Nazi Germany before the International Military Tribunal (IMT) and to the twelve trials of other accused war criminals before the United States Nuremberg Military Tribunals (NMT). (Harvard Law School)
Oral History Collection
Men and women participating in all theaters of operations. Experiences recounted include German and Japanese POW camps, Japanese-American relocation centers, Pearl Harbor attack, Bataan Death March, and more. (Univ. of Florida)
Posters
(Univ. of North Texas)
Prisoners of War: German Prison Camp Stalag Luft I
Comprehensive record of what life was like at the German prison camp. Includes POW's stories, photos, poetry, art, roommates, newspaper, accounts of the evacuation, as well as links on the guards and interrogators. Also provides the six extant issues of the POW newspaper POW WOW, Prisoners of War - Waiting on Winning, which was intended to be destroyed after reading.
The Public Health Film Goes to War
Eighteen rare public health films from the WWII era, covering topics such as personal cleanliness, sexually transmitted diseases, tropical diseases, and the stress of war. All films include searchable transcripts and commentaries. All films are in the public domain and may thus be used without concerns for copyright infringement. (National Library of Medicine)
Ration Coupons on the Homefront, 1942-1945
(Duke Univ. Libraries)
The Real Rosie the Riveter Project: Oral Histories of Women Laborers during WWII
(New York Univ.)
Veterans History Project The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. (Library of Congress)
Video Footage (Various), From Pearl Harbor to D-Day
(National Archives and Records Administration)
War Comes to America Video (Army's Office of the Chief Signal Officer)
(National Archives and Records Administration)
Wartime Press - Digital Archive of WWII Publications
Original books, booklets, magazines, manuals, newspapers, and documents relating to WWII, from many sides of the conflict. Includes US, British, Polish, German, Czech, Italian, Japanese, and Russian documents.
Women's Bureau Photographs
(National Archives, via Flickr)
Women Airforce Service Pilots Digital Archive
Digital collection of materials from the official Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) archive at TWU in Denton, TX. (Texas Women's Univ.)
WWI and WWII Propaganda Posters
520 posters from 1914-1945, the start of World War I to the end of World War II. (Washington State Univ.)
WWII Field Manuals
Archival copies of WWII field manuals in PDF format.
WWII Operational Documents
Operations orders, after action reports, intelligence analyses, logistics appraisals, and similar documents. Primary focus is on documenting operations at the tactical and operational levels of warfare. (Combined Arms Research Library, CARL)
World War II: Video from the AP Archive

What is a Primary Source?

Primary vs. Secondary Sources: A Guide to Understanding

Primary Sources in Print

Often a variety of primary documents are collected together into a book (usually related to a time period, topic, or theme).

Below are just a few broad collections in the Library; each book contains many original documents.

(Note: many of these books will contain both primary and secondary content, so use your judgement or ask a librarian for help in distinguishing the two).

My Dear Mr. Stalin: The complete correspondence between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph V. Stalin
Call Number: E807 .A4 2005 - 4th floor
First publication that contains the complete correspondence between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph V. Stalin, more than three hundred hot-war messages.
Reports of General MacArthur
Call Number: D735 .S8, volumes 1-2 (each in 2 parts)
v. 1. The campaigns of MacArthur in the Pacific.--v. 1. suppl. MacArthur in Japan: the occupation, military phase.--v. 2. Japanese operations in the southwest Pacific area, compiled from Japanese Demobilization Bureau records.
Voices of World War II: Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life
Call Number: Ebook, Read Online - Or print is available: D811 .A2 V587 2012 (4th floor)
Wide variety of primary source documents from across the United States, Europe, and Asia.
World War II: A history in documents
Call Number: D735 .M336 2010 - 4th floor
Documents on the major themes and issues of World War II, including major causes, course, and consequences of the war.
The World in Flames: A World War II Sourcebook
Call Number: REF D735 .W59 2011
An edited volume of primary sources from the Second World War. Drawing examples from a wide range of documents, the text also includes visual sources: propaganda posters, photos, and cartoons.
The Occupation-Era Correspondence of Kichisaburo Nomura
Call Number: DS890 .N6 A4 2010 - 4th floor
Based on the recent discovery of the personal papers of Kichisaburo Nomura -- Japanese admiral, one-time foreign minister, pre-Pearl Harbor ambassador to the United States, and "spiritual godfather" of postwar Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force -- this volume reproduces Nomura's occupation-era correspondence with his American friends and associates.
Soviet war documents: addresses, notes, orders of the day, statements
Call Number: D735 .R9 1943 (Thomason Room, 4th floor)
War and peace aims of the United Nations
Call Number: D741.H58 - 4th floor
[v. 1] September 1, 1939-December 31, 1942. Introd. by Hajo Holborn.--v. 2. From Casablanca to Tokio Bay, January 1, 1943-September, 1945. Introd. by Sidney B. Fay.
The public papers and addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1928-1936 and 1941-1945
Call Number: E806 .R749 1938, volumes 1-5 and 10-13
[missing volumes 6-9, 1936-1941]
Japan's Decision for War: Records of the 1941 Policy Conferences
Call Number: D754.J3I4, 4th floor
Records from 57 Liaison Conferences between the Cabinet, Army, and Navy representatives, and records from 5 Imperial Conferences, in which the Emperor ratified the Liaison Conference decisions.
The Pacific War Papers: Japanese Documents of World War II
Call Number: D777 .P33 2004, 4th floor
Includes documents on the Japanese navy before the Pacific War, pre-war Japanese diplomacy, and post-Pearl Harbor Japan.