LibGuides Home: History Day: Intelligence

Intelligence and the Military

See also previous topics guide for resources on Cryptography, Alan Turing, Julia Child, Nathan Hale.

U.S. State Department handles international relations, so be sure to look at beyond military.

Military Intel: Behind the Scenes
Veterans History Project (VHP)

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VHP: "Home front intelligence workers may not have played the dashing roles of their overseas counterparts, but their ability to interrogate, interpret, and decode made them more than ordinary office workers. There were undercover assignments as well as long hours at a desk, trying to make sense of intercepted, coded enemy messages. And for some a taste of wartime intelligence work led to a career in the field as a civilian.:
Military Intel: The Inside Story (VHP)
Veterans History Project (VHP)

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VHP: "Here are stories of Military Intelligence (or "Intel," as insiders call it), the secret weapon of any country's war effort. Every veteran has his or her own war, and each is custodian of a unique story and memories. At the Veterans History Project, we treasure the personal narratives sent to us by veterans from all wars. Vivid as if they happened yesterday, these heartfelt accounts make us laugh, cry and remember.The stories are not a formal history of war, but a treasure trove of individual feelings and personal recollections. Please join our effort by sending us your own recollections and memories. Each contribution makes this project all the more priceless."

Books, Documents, etc.

Reporting of Counterintelligence and Criminal Violations
Call Number: Federal Documents D 1.6/13:5240.4 - 1992 Update online
Publication Date: [1987] 1992 for linked item
1987 in CSL print collection.
1992 update PDF link from Homeland Security Digital Library: "This Instruction reissues DoD Instruction 5240.4, June 22, 1987 to clarify the definition of significant incidents, provides procedures, and assigns responsibilities." https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=458098
Foreign Relations of the United States, 1945-1950 : Emergence of the Intelligence Establishment Online access through our library catalog. LibGuides: "State Department Publication 10316. Edited by C. Thomas Thorne, et al. General Editor: Glenn W. LaFantasie. One of a series of volumes on the foreign policy of the Truman administration. Also advertised with the subtitle: Intelligence and Foreign Policy. Includes high-level governmental plans, discussions, administrative decisions, and managerial actions that established institutions and procedures for the central coordination of intelligence collection and analysis and covert action. Documentsthe advice, actions, and initiatives of principals and groups in other departments and agencies, who helped to lay the foundations for the centralized intelligence bureaucracy."
Call Number: Online and Federal Documents S 1.1:945-50
ISBN: 9780160452086
Publication Date: 1996
Code Talkers : Hearing Before The Committee On Indian Affairs, United States Senate...
Call Number: Online and Y 4.IN 2/11:S.HRG.108-693
Publication Date: 2004
Online access through our library catalog.
Full title: "Code Talkers : Hearing Before The Committee On Indian Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Eighth Congress, Second Session, On Contributions Of Native American Code Talkers In American Military History, September 22, 2004, Washington, DC."
Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-420, 122 Stat. 4774)
Call Number: Online and Law collection
Publication Date: 2008
Online Access through our library catalog.
Act to Require the Issuance of Medals to Recognize the Dedication and Valor of Native American Code Talkers
Solving The Enigma History Of The Cryptanalytic Bombe
Call Number: Federal Documents Microfiche D 1.2:EN 4
Publication Date: [2001]
Revised edition online, listed separately
Solving The Enigma History Of The Cryptanalytic Bombe (Revised 2006)
Call Number: Online
Publication Date: 2006
Older edition at Federal Documents Microfiche D 1.2:EN 4
The Cryptographic Mathematics Of Enigma
Call Number: Federal Documents Microfiche D 1.2:EN 4/2
Publication Date: [2001]
Revised edition online
The Cryptographic Mathematics Of Enigma (revised)
Call Number: Online
Publication Date: 2019
Revised edition 2019
Breaking Codes, Breaking Barriers : the WACs of he Signal Security Agency, World War II
Call Number: Online and Federal Documents D 101.2:C 64
Publication Date: [2001?]
Online in Internet Archive
The Start of the Digital Revolution, SIGSALY Secure Digital Voice Communications in World War II
Call Number: Online and Federal Documents Microfiche D 1.2:D 56
Publication Date: 2000
Online access through our library catalog, Primo.
Sharing the Burden : Women In Cryptology During World War II
Call Number: Online
Publication Date: reprinted 2013
Online through our library catalog
A History of U.S. Communications Intelligence During World War II Policy and Administration
Call Number: Online and Federal Documents Microfiche D 1.2:H 62/15
Publication Date: 1997
Online access through our library catalog
The Quiet Heroes of the Southwest Pacific Theater : an Oral History of the Men and Women of CBB and FRUME
Call Number: Online - and 1996 edition at Federal Documents Microfiche D 1.2:H 43
Publication Date: reprinted 2007
Covert Legions : U.S. Army Intelligence in Germany, 1944-1949
Call Number: Online and Federal Documents D 114.7/8:IN 8
Publication Date: 2022
Series: CMH pub ; 45-5. CSL catalog: "Covert Legions is the history of the U.S. Army's intelligence organization in Germany from the Allies' arrival in late 1944 to the end of the military government in 1949. It covers Army intelligence operations during this period, including denazification and democratization, the capture of German scientists and scientific technology, and espionage and counterespionage activity against local communist organizations and the Soviet occupation forces"

Other Institutions

CIA - Central Intelligence Agency

News & Stories - CIA
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) portal to podcasts, videos, "stories"
CIA Resources page
From Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): "We release millions of pages of documents to the public each year. These resources range from declassified publications and reports to basic references, intelligence studies, and world maps."

U.S. Department of State

429. National Security Council Intelligence Directive No. 10
From U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian

Additional

The KGB vs. The CIA: The Secret Struggle
PBS article
Red Files (PBS)
PBS landing page for their series. Links to more resources.
Experts' Corner On Espionage (The Cold War Era) - NATO
From North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): "The Experts' Corner provides a deeper look at NATO in history. Here you will find a selection of primary sources related to NATO, espionage and security during the Cold War."
Female Spies in World War I: Topics in Chronicling America (LOC)
Library of Congress (LOC) research guide for Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.
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Library of Congress (LOC) research guide: "Early 20th century newspapers reported a rise in women engaging in espionage during World War One. This guide provides access to material related to "Female Spies in World War I" in the Chronicling America digital collection of historic newspapers."
Crypto Museum
Site: "The main goal of Crypto Museum is to preserve history. This is done by collecting, restoring and describing historical cipher machines – such as the well-known Enigma machine – spy radio sets, intercept receivers and and other spy-related stuff. For a detailed explanation of why we do this, please read our mission statement. Many of the items described on this website are part of the Crypto Museum collection, but some have only crossed our path briefly, or are impossible to obtain. Whenever possible, we have tried to describe the equipment to the best of our abilities."
National Cryptologic Museum
Site: "The National Cryptologic Museum is NSA’s gateway to the public and educates visitors about the role of cryptology in shaping history. The NCM collects, preserves, and showcases unique cryptologic artifacts and shares the stories of the people, technology, and methods that have defined cryptologic history."

Women

These are only a few examples. See also Julia Child on Previous Topics Guide.

History Day Previous Topics
by Jenny Groome Last Updated Mar 21, 2023 392 views this year

The Petticoat Panel : A 1953 Study of the Role of Women in the CIA's Career Service
Call Number: Online
Publication Date: 2003

The Petticoat Panel: CIA's First Study -- in 1953 -- on the Role of Women in Intelligence (CIA)
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) March 8, 2021 blog post on the Petticoat Panel.
From Typist to Trailblazer: The Evolving View of Women in the CIA's Workforce (CIA)
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) historical collection.
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Site: "The document collection "From Typist to Trailblazer: The Evolving View of Women in the CIA's Workforce" consists of some 120 declassified documents, the majority of which are being released for the first time. The collection includes more than 1,200 pages from various studies, memos, letters, and other official records documenting the CIA's efforts to examine, address, and improve the status of women employees from 1947 to today. Key documents include the 1953 Panel on Career Service for Women (dubbed the "Petticoat Panel"); a 1976 letter written by DCI George H.W. Bush nominating three female officers for the Federal Woman's Award: a poignant 1984 memo on career opportunities for women; a 1992 summary of he CIA's Glass Ceiling Study; the 2013 Director's Advisory Group Report on Women in Leadership; and a transcript of four SIS women speaking candidly about the course of their careers."