Finding Primary Sources - HIS 4379 - The Cold War

Newspapers & Primary Source Databases by Country/Region

So much information! But this isn't every possibility. I've selected, which means I've left some things out. Two points:

If you have become frustrated in your search OR
If you are interested in an aspect I haven't included (the arts, labor unions, anything)

Please use the contact information in my profile box to contact me and let's get together. I am very good at finding sources.

News Sources

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) daily reports 1974-1996 This link opens in a new window
This is a United States government agency which translates the text of daily radio and television broadcasts, newspapers and periodicals, government statements, books, and other sources of unrestricted information such as databases and gray literature from non-English sources around the world. Reports with translations are issued for eight world regions daily and cover such topics as military affairs, politics, the environment, societal issues, economics, and science and technology. Reports are available from 1974-1996, part 1 (Middle East, Africa, Near East and South Asia (MEA, NES).This guide details the various collections available at Baylor.
ProQuest historical newspapers. The New York times This link opens in a new window
Provides searching and digital access to the New York Times newspaper from its beginnings in 1851 to three years short of the current year. Basic and advanced searching features, limiters include date and document type (articles, birth notices, obituaries, display ads, real estate, etc.). Primary Source. ProQuest.;This database offers full-page-images and article images from the New York Times dating back to 1851 (called New York daily times, 1851-1857). Digital reproductions of every page from every issue, cover to cover, in downloadable PDF files. It provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
Times digital archive 1785-1985 This link opens in a new window
Provides indexing and full-text access to the Times (London) newspaper from its inception to 1985. Search by keyword with limits available by newspaper section (stock tables, editorials, articles, illustrations/pictures, etc.). Primary Source. Gale Cengage.

Collections of Primary Sources

Many of these collections are broad, deep, and may be organized by the (unhelpful) name of the collection. Please ask Eileen for help (use the links in her profile box to email her or make an appointment), if you have trouble locating information.

Confidential print. Africa 1834-1966 This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text access to British archival documents on the colonization of Africa by the European powers through the independence movement of the mid-twentieth century. Includes a section on tropical diseases and health issues unique to the continent. Keyword search with limits by date and region. Documents consist of reports, dispatches, correspondence, descriptions of leading personalities, political summaries, and economic analyses. Supplemented by essays, maps, and a chronology to provide context for the collection. Primary source. Adam Matthew.
Empire online This link opens in a new window
Provides access to primary source documents from libraries and archives around the world on the building of modern empires from the 15th to the 20th century. Provides simple keyword search which may be limited to a specific century, or browse by topic, name, or place. The collection of primary documents is divided into 5 sections: Cultural Contacts, The Visible Empire, The Literature of Empire, Religion & Empire, and Race, Class, Imperialism & Colonialism. Each section has a corresponding, scholarly essay(s) outlining and discussing the major trends, issues, and movements of the time and how the scholarly perspective on these has changed over time. A separate tab lists the biographies of individuals named in the source documents, another tab contains a chronology, and there is a tab for teaching faculty on how to incorporate documents into courseware such as Blackboard. Primary Sources. Adam Matthew Digital.

News Sources

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chinese Newspapers Collection This link opens in a new window
Covers Chinese political and social life during the turbulent 120 year period from 1832 to 1953 with 12 English-language Chinese historical newspapers

Collections of Primary Sources

Area Studies: China and Southeast Asia This link opens in a new window
Provides access to records of traders, travelers, missionaries and diplomats, from the mid-seventeenth century to the late twentieth century, offering Western perspectives on all aspects of Chinese culture and society. Includes: British government records covering economic development in China and its neighbors, 1950-1980; correspondence from the Macartney Embassy, the first British diplomatic mission to China, 1892-94; the diaries, notebooks and published writings of Rewi Alley (1897-1987), New Zealand educator and industrial organizer in communist China. Adam Matthew
Foreign Office files for China 1919-1980 This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text access to all the British Foreign Office records on China for 1919-1980. Types of materials include, diplomatic dispatches, letters, newspaper cuttings, maps, reports of court cases, biographies of leading personalities, summaries of events, maps, as well as a chronology and contextual essays. Search by keyword or browse topic list, limit by date or document type. Primary source. Adam Matthew Digital.
Area Studies: Japan This link opens in a new window
Provides access to sources by writers, diplomats, tourists, businessmen, missionaries and others, documenting the political, cultural and social history of Japan from 1400 to the 20th century, including: medieval manuscripts relating to Japan, including an account by Marco Polo; the logbook of William Adams (1564-1620), alias Miura Anjin, the first Englishman known to have visited Japan; and the journals, printed articles and other papers of William Elliot Griffis, American author, teacher and educational reformer in Japan. Adam Matthew
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chinese Newspapers Collection This link opens in a new window
Provides critical perspectives on the ending of more than 2,000 years of imperial rule in China, the Taiping Rebellion, the Opium Wars with Great Britain, the Boxer Rebellion and the events leading up to the1911 Xinhai Revolution, and the subsequent founding of the Republic of China. In addition to the article content, searchable content includes: advertisements, editorials, cartoons, and classified ads that illuminate history. ProQuest

News Sources

Times digital archive 1785-1985 This link opens in a new window
Provides indexing and full-text access to the Times (London) newspaper from its inception to 1985. Search by keyword with limits available by newspaper section (stock tables, editorials, articles, illustrations/pictures, etc.). Primary Source. Gale Cengage.
Listener historical archive 1929-1991 This link opens in a new window
Developed as the medium for reproducing broadcasts, The Listener (1929-1991) was the weekly newspaper published by the BBC. The complete archive of this landmark publication is an essential witness to the intellectual and cultural history of the twentieth century, and also to the golden years of radio and television.
British Library Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Contains PDF images of newspapers from Britain, Scotland, Ireland and Wales from 1721 - 1950 (formerly 19th Century British Library Newspapers). Coverage of urban, provincial, and small town newspapers in these areas. Search all 5 collections of over 170 newspaper titles simultaneously, in any combination, or a single collection. Collections I & II cover the 19th century and include representative titles from all regions of England, Scotland, and Wales. Parts III-V extend the time period (1721 - 1950), and increase representation of titles from the central and northern counties of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Topics covered include news, politics, religion, literature, crime, and business. Coverage excludes the Times (London) which is available in the "Times Digital Archive" database. Keyword and advanced search features with limits to specific collection(s), date/date range, place of publication, publication section, and language (English/Welsh). Gale.
Proquest historical newspapers. Communist historical newspaper collection This link opens in a new window
Contains full text coverage of eight communist newspapers from the United States and Britain.
Telegraph historical archive 1855-2000 This link opens in a new window
One of the most important newspapers in England during the late Victorian era and into the 20th century, The Telegraph reached educated, mostly conservative readers in Great Britain. Know for a number of "firsts" in journalism (the first female war correspondent, Clare Hollingworth, the first crossword puzzle, the first television column, and the first British paper to launch a website). Keyword and advanced search options, limits to article type, newspaper section, and illustration. Simple term frequency searches also available.

Collections of Primary Sources

Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975 & 1950-1975 Section II This link opens in a new window
Provides primary sources that enable researchers to examine key issues and events of the period, including: changing lifestyles; youth culture; student protests across Europe and the US; Mai ‘68; popular culture, TV, music, and movies; book, magazine and film Censorship; civil rights; women’s liberation; minority groups; the Space Race; consumerism; credit cards; computers; the Vietnam conflict; nuclear disarmament. Adam Matthew
Chatham House online archive This link opens in a new window
Full text of the reports, analysis, and debates prepared by England's Royal Institute for International Affairs, housed at Chatham House, from 1920 - 2008. Chatham House's mission is to "help build a sustainably secure, prosperous and just world." Topics include diplomacy, security, economics and trade, politics, energy, environment, development, and global health on all continents/countries. Keyword, author, or title search with further limits once initial search is run. Limits by date/date range, region/country, speaker nationality, language, subject, publication or illustration type. Gale.

News Sources

ProQuest historical newspapers. The New York times This link opens in a new window
Provides searching and digital access to the New York Times newspaper from its beginnings in 1851 to three years short of the current year. Basic and advanced searching features, limiters include date and document type (articles, birth notices, obituaries, display ads, real estate, etc.). Primary Source. ProQuest.;This database offers full-page-images and article images from the New York Times dating back to 1851 (called New York daily times, 1851-1857). Digital reproductions of every page from every issue, cover to cover, in downloadable PDF files. It provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
Times digital archive 1785-1985 This link opens in a new window
Provides indexing and full-text access to the Times (London) newspaper from its inception to 1985. Search by keyword with limits available by newspaper section (stock tables, editorials, articles, illustrations/pictures, etc.). Primary Source. Gale Cengage.

Collections of Primary Sources

Digital national security archive This link opens in a new window
Provides digital access to 35 collections of declassified government documents from World War II to 2010. This resource's more than 80 000 documents form a collection of government sources unsurpassed in providing primary source information concerning world events, countries, and U.S. policy decisions. In addition to the documents the database includes overviews, bibliographies, chronologies, glossaries, and photographs. The database is searchable by keyword, names and organizations, subjects, titles, parties involved, document type, date, and classification (secret, declassified, restricted, confidential, etc).
ProQuest history vault This link opens in a new window
Contains the full-text of various U.S. diplomatic and intelligence files, and Department of State files. Collections may be searched collectively or individually and represent diplomatic and intelligence reporting on a range of 20th century history. Primary source. ProQuest.

News Sources

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) daily reports 1974-1996 This link opens in a new window
This is a United States government agency which translates the text of daily radio and television broadcasts, newspapers and periodicals, government statements, books, and other sources of unrestricted information such as databases and gray literature from non-English sources around the world. Reports with translations are issued for eight world regions daily and cover such topics as military affairs, politics, the environment, societal issues, economics, and science and technology. Reports are available from 1974-1996, part 1 (Middle East, Africa, Near East and South Asia (MEA, NES).This guide details the various collections available at Baylor.
ProQuest historical newspapers. The New York times This link opens in a new window
Provides searching and digital access to the New York Times newspaper from its beginnings in 1851 to three years short of the current year. Basic and advanced searching features, limiters include date and document type (articles, birth notices, obituaries, display ads, real estate, etc.). Primary Source. ProQuest.;This database offers full-page-images and article images from the New York Times dating back to 1851 (called New York daily times, 1851-1857). Digital reproductions of every page from every issue, cover to cover, in downloadable PDF files. It provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
Times digital archive 1785-1985 This link opens in a new window
Provides indexing and full-text access to the Times (London) newspaper from its inception to 1985. Search by keyword with limits available by newspaper section (stock tables, editorials, articles, illustrations/pictures, etc.). Primary Source. Gale Cengage.

Collections of Primary Sources

Digital national security archive This link opens in a new window
Provides digital access to 35 collections of declassified government documents from World War II to 2010. This resource's more than 80 000 documents form a collection of government sources unsurpassed in providing primary source information concerning world events, countries, and U.S. policy decisions. In addition to the documents the database includes overviews, bibliographies, chronologies, glossaries, and photographs. The database is searchable by keyword, names and organizations, subjects, titles, parties involved, document type, date, and classification (secret, declassified, restricted, confidential, etc).
ProQuest history vault This link opens in a new window
Contains the full-text of various U.S. diplomatic and intelligence files, and Department of State files. Collections may be searched collectively or individually and represent diplomatic and intelligence reporting on a range of 20th century history. Primary source. ProQuest.
Confidential print. Middle East 1839-1969 This link opens in a new window
Access primary source documents from the British Foreign Office and the British Colonial Office from 1830-1969 on political, social, and economic issues for the Levant and the Arabian peninsula, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Sudan. Keyword search with limits by date and region. Documents consist of reports, dispatches, correspondence, descriptions of leading personalities, political summaries, and economic analyses. Supplemented by essays and a chronology to provide context for the collection. Primary source. Adam Matthew.

News Sources

Current Digest of Post-Soviet Press This link opens in a new window
New York Times Online This link opens in a new window
Provides access to the digital New York Times (nytimes.com), covering a variety of topics with quality and depth including breaking news articles; NYT Newsletters; NYT Podcasts such as the Daily; NYT Video content; the New York Times in Education website; and augmented and virtual reality content. Users can search and read content from 1851 to present, as well as share content on social networks, save articles of interest, subscribe to email newsletters, and set up personalized alerts. Note: During the initial login, users will be asked to activate a personal academic pass. Faculty and staff will need to renew the pass annually, and students' access will expire with the graduation date they provide. Use this link for your initial set up.
Times digital archive 1785-1985 This link opens in a new window
Provides indexing and full-text access to the Times (London) newspaper from its inception to 1985. Search by keyword with limits available by newspaper section (stock tables, editorials, articles, illustrations/pictures, etc.). Primary Source. Gale Cengage.

Collections of Primary Sources

ProQuest history vault This link opens in a new window
Contains the full-text of various U.S. diplomatic and intelligence files, and Department of State files. Collections may be searched collectively or individually and represent diplomatic and intelligence reporting on a range of 20th century history. Primary source. ProQuest.
Digital national security archive This link opens in a new window
Provides digital access to 35 collections of declassified government documents from World War II to 2010. This resource's more than 80 000 documents form a collection of government sources unsurpassed in providing primary source information concerning world events, countries, and U.S. policy decisions. In addition to the documents the database includes overviews, bibliographies, chronologies, glossaries, and photographs. The database is searchable by keyword, names and organizations, subjects, titles, parties involved, document type, date, and classification (secret, declassified, restricted, confidential, etc).

News Sources

Far too many to list all so just the major ones are included.

ProQuest historical newspapers. The New York times This link opens in a new window
Provides searching and digital access to the New York Times newspaper from its beginnings in 1851 to three years short of the current year. Basic and advanced searching features, limiters include date and document type (articles, birth notices, obituaries, display ads, real estate, etc.). Primary Source. ProQuest.;This database offers full-page-images and article images from the New York Times dating back to 1851 (called New York daily times, 1851-1857). Digital reproductions of every page from every issue, cover to cover, in downloadable PDF files. It provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
ProQuest historical newspapers. Black newspapers collection This link opens in a new window
Search the full-text of nine major African American newspapers - Chicago Defender, The Baltimore Afro-American, New York Amsterdam News, Pittsburgh Courier, Los Angeles Sentinel, Atlanta Daily World, The Norfolk Journal and Guide, The Philadelphia Tribune, and Cleveland Call and Post. Dates available vary for each newspaper based on their individual histories but collectively cover from 1893 - 2005. Track local, regional, national, and international events, arts, history, military issues, civil rights, social news, popular culture and more. Search by keyword (including personal names and titles of works or groups and movements), words in title or full-text. Limit search by dates of publication, article type (including ads), and specific newspaper within the collection. Primary Source. ProQuest.
Proquest historical newspapers. Communist historical newspaper collection This link opens in a new window
Contains full text coverage of eight communist newspapers from the United States and Britain.

Collections of Primary Sources

Selected collections only. Go to the A-Z Database List and in the Search for Databases box search for CQ or legislative to discover primary sources for U.S. government and legislative primary sources.

Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975 & 1950-1975 Section II This link opens in a new window
Provides primary sources that enable researchers to examine key issues and events of the period, including: changing lifestyles; youth culture; student protests across Europe and the US; Mai ‘68; popular culture, TV, music, and movies; book, magazine and film Censorship; civil rights; women’s liberation; minority groups; the Space Race; consumerism; credit cards; computers; the Vietnam conflict; nuclear disarmament. Adam Matthew

National Archives and Records Administration (U.S.) - Online Catalogue
Search for available digital copies of files related to your topic by going to Advanced Search and checking the box for "Archival Materials Online."
Library of Congress
Trust me. Search EVERYTHING (from the search bar on the home page). You can limit to "Available Online." Search results for "cold war" returned over 10,800 online results, including interesting items like the archived website for the Cold War Museum, art work and prints, exhibits (like Churchill and the Cold War), and other fascinating things.
Presidential Libraries
There are 14, starting with President Herbert Hoover. Availability of online documents varies from president to president. Examples from Eisenhower's Library include the Rosenbergs, Sputnik, Mccarthyism and the Red Scare, and Atoms for Peace. Visit (in person/online). Explore. Discover. Use & Cite.

HIS 4379 - The Cold War: Finding Primary Sources

Newspapers & Primary Source Databases by Country/Region

So much information! But this isn't every possibility. I've selected, which means I've left some things out. Two points:

If you have become frustrated in your search OR

If you are interested in an aspect I haven't included (the arts, labor unions, anything)

Please use the contact information in my profile box to contact me and let's get together. I am very good at finding sources.

News Sources

Collections of Primary Sources

News Sources

Collections of Primary Sources

News Sources

Collections of Primary Sources

News Sources

Collections of Primary Sources

News Sources

Collections of Primary Sources

News Sources

Collections of Primary Sources

News Sources

Collections of Primary Sources

University Libraries