The Office of the Historian is responsible, under law, for the preparation and publication of the official documentary history of U.S. foreign policy in the Foreign Relations of the United States series.
The Office maintains a public website at history.state.gov, which provides in-depth information to the public on the history of U.S. foreign policy. In addition to a full text archive of the Foreign Relations series, the website includes valuable encyclopedic content on the history of U.S. relations with states around the world, a database of the Department’s principal officers and chiefs of mission, and special tools and resources for students and teachers.
In keeping with the Open Government Directive’s principle of transparency, participation, and collaboration as the cornerstone of an open government, the Office of the Historian has begun preparing many of its rich historical publications in a raw data format that can be accessed through data.gov. Please visit our Open Government page to learn more about these resources.
Check out short descriptions of major milestones from the Cold War era from the Office of the Historian.