LibGuides: Primary Sources: Asia

Asia

19th Century English Language Journals of the Far East This link opens in a new window A collection of six English language journals, founded by Western missionaries or scholars in China and other parts of Asia in the 19th century. These journals cover a wide range of topics such as East-West communication, Christianity in China and other parts of Asia, and China’s political, economic, and cultural landscape.
Area Studies: China and Southeast Asia This link opens in a new window A varied array of records of traders, travellers, missionaries and diplomats, from the mid-seventeenth century to the late twentieth century, offering Western perspectives on all aspects of Chinese culture and society.
Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange - Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window Full text manuscript collections, mainly of British Foreign Office and United States consular and diplomatic records. The British records cover Japan only, whilst the US records cover China, Japan and several other countries. Also includes missionary correspondence and journals, plus socio-economic journals focusing on the region. Date coverage is C19 to early C20
China, America and the Pacific - Trade and Cultural Exchange This link opens in a new window Exploring the cultural and trading relationships that emerged between America, China and the Pacific region from the early 18th to 20th centuries. The collections includes manuscripts, rare printed texts, visual images, objects and maps.
China: Culture and Society This link opens in a new window China: Culture and Society provides access to the Wason Pamphlet collection in its entirety. Mostly in English and published between c.1750 and 1929, these rare pamphlets make up one of the most extensive collections of literature on China and the Chinese in the Western world.
China: Trade, Politics & Culture This link opens in a new window English-language primary sources relating to China and the West, providing insight into the changes in China from the earliest English embassy to the birth and early years of the Peoples Republic (1795 to 1980). Includes manuscripts, letters, diaries, photographs, missionary periodicals, colour paintings, maps and drawings.
China and the Modern World This link opens in a new window Series of digital archive collections sourced from libraries and archives across the world, covering the C19 and C20. Consists of monographs, manuscripts, periodicals, correspondence and letters, historical photos, ephemera, and other kinds of historical documents. Our access includes coverage of Anglo-Chinese internal politics and relations as well as covering the security concerns of British India in relation to China.
We have access to three collections:
- Diplomacy and Political Secrets, 1869-1950
- Imperial China and the West part 1, 1815-1881
- Imperial China and the West part 2, 1865-1905
Chinese Maritime Customs Service: The Customs Gazette, 1869-1913 This link opens in a new window Issues from the Customs Gazette, a publication from the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, which published quarterly reports of trade prepared and submitted by the customs houses based across China (1869-1913).
Chinese Maritime Customs Service Publications This link opens in a new window Publications produced by the Maritime Customs Service of China from 1860-1949. Useful data for the study of Chinese trade and economy.
Chinese Newspapers Collection This link opens in a new window Full text searchable archive of Chinese newspapers. English language. Digitised scans of individual articles and full newspaper pages. Date coverage: 1832-1953
Chinese Recorder and the Protestant Missionary Community in China , 1867-1941 This link opens in a new window Covering 1867-1941, this is the archive of the Chinese Recorder journal, intended for U.S. missionaries to China.
Diaolong Full-text Database of Chinese & Japanese Ancient Books This link opens in a new window Full text collection of Chinese and Japanese ancient books from the Si Ku Quan Shu and Qing Dynasty archives covering historical, political, economic, religious, philosophic, literary, ethnic, geographic and medicine documents (Chinese language).
Earl George Macartney Collection This link opens in a new window Letters, journals, logbooks, watercolours, engravings, and books produced by Earl George Macartney and those who accompanied him on the historic mission to China between 1792 and 1794.
Minutes of the Shanghai Municipal Council, The This link opens in a new window Minutes of meetings held by the Board of Directors of the Shanghai Municipal Council from July 1854 to December 1943. Topics discussed include sanitation, transportation, telecommunication and postal service, taxation, urban planning, gas supply, street lighting, rickshaw operator management, animal protection, and police system by British, U.S. and French board members.
Papers of British Consulates and Legation in China (1727-1951) This link opens in a new window Contains miscellaneous papers and reports from the British legation and consulates in China. Specifically, it comprises a catalogue of embassy archives, 1727 to 1859; trade and intelligence reports; records of legal proceedings; miscellaneous papers, some in Chinese, of the Chinese Secretary's Office; an entry book of papers relating to the East India Company in China; claims arising from Sino-Japanese hostilities, 1927 to 1940; accounts and circulars.
Papers of Old Shanghai: Business, Banking, and Insurance This link opens in a new window Vast variety of documents, pamphlets ad books from 1890-1942 from trade, commerce and banking companies and organisations. These publications support an understanding of the business and trade scene of Shanghai during the period covered.
Papers of Old Shanghai: Miscellanies This link opens in a new window This is a collection of miscellaneous publications covering various aspects of old Shanghai, ranging from literature and art, wars and conflicts, and scientific investigations and applications to local history and language, laws and regulations, and festive celebrations
Papers of Old Shanghai: Press, Education, Healthcare, and Charity This link opens in a new window Varied publications across 1863-1948 covering press and publishing, school and college education, as well as public health and charity organizations and systems.
Papers of Old Shanghai: Societies and Clubs This link opens in a new window Reports, yearbooks, handbooks, membership lists and rules, meeting minutes, correspondence, and other publications produced by the British Shanghai Club plus other nation specific clubs and social organisations.
Shanghai International Settlement: Shanghai Municipal Council Reports, Minutes of Ratepayers Meetings, and Shanghai Volunteer Corps This link opens in a new window Shanghai Muncipal Council (SMC) annual reports and budgets compiled between 1867 and 1941; reports and documents produced by SMC departments such as fire control, police, public works, and public health; minutes of Shanghai land renters and ratepayers meetings held from 1868 to 1893.
Shanghai International Settlement: Urban Planning and Development, 1845-1948 This link opens in a new window Documents relating to land use and development in Shanghai International Settlement, including land assessment schedules (1869–1933), land lists (1871–1937), land regulations and byelaws (1845–1930), as well as a number of documents recording the rules and reports on the running and management of various public works entities in Shanghai.

20th Century

China: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1930-1939: Part 1 This link opens in a new window One of two collections based on records from the U.S. government archive relating to China. The documents are primarily instructions to and dispatches from U.S. diplomatic and consular staff. Subjects include political and governmental affairs; records on Bolshevism, fascism, Nazism, and socialism; issues relating to public order; and military and naval affairs.
China: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1930-1939: Part 2 This link opens in a new window One of two collections based on records from the U.S. government archive relating to China. The documents are primarily instructions to and dispatches from U.S. diplomatic and consular staff. Subjects include social issues, education, entertainment, communications, the public press, economy and industry, and other topics.
China: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1945-1949 This link opens in a new window Records from the U.S. government archive relating to China. The documents are primarily instructions to and dispatches from U.S. diplomatic and consular staff. Subjects include politics, military affairs, economy, and society, with separate files on provinces such as Manchuria, Yunnan, and Tibet. Folders on narcotics, entertainment, motion pictures, and other topics are also featured.
Chinese Civil War and U.S.-China Relations: Records of the U.S. State Departments Office of Chinese Affairs, 1945-1955 This link opens in a new window Records of the U.S. State Department's Office of Chinese Affairs covering 1945-1955. Covers domestic issues in Communist and Nationalist China, U.S. containment policy as it was extended to Asia, and Sino-American relations during the post-war period.
Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files, Asia, 1960-1969 This link opens in a new window Content includes interviews and minutes of U.S. diplomatic meetings with foreign government officials; court proceedings and other legal documents; letters, instructions, and cables; journal and newspaper articles ; and translations of high-level foreign government documents. Includes coverage of China, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos.
Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files, Asia, 1960-1969 This link opens in a new window Content includes interviews and minutes of U.S. diplomatic meetings with foreign government officials; court proceedings and other legal documents; letters, instructions, and cables; journal and newspaper articles ; and translations of high-level foreign government documents. Includes coverage of China, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos.
Country Intelligence Reports/State Departments Bureau of Intelligence and Research Reports: China This link opens in a new window Research and intelligence reports on China by the U.S. government, prepared during 1941-1947. The reports vary from short memorandums to detailed, documented studies and topics range from individual commodities or countries to the economic and political characteristics of whole regions.
Economic Cooperation Administration's Relief Mission in Post-War China (1946-1948) This link opens in a new window This collection demonstrates how officials of the Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) looked for economic and cultural opportunities to promote U.S.-China relations, despite the prevailing Cold War suspicions of any and all communists in the early Cold War era. Documents include records of Donald S. Gilpatric, foreign service officer; regional offices correspondences; chronological files and cables; interoffice memos; subject files of the office of the director; among other records.
FBI File: Owen Lattimore This link opens in a new window FBI file on Owen Lattimore, an American college professor and scholar of China and Central Asia who was accused of being a Soviet espionage agent by Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1950. The file covers the period 1941-1950.
Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980 This link opens in a new window This collection make available all British Foreign Office files dealing with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan between 1919 and 1980.
General George C. Marshall's Mission to China, 1945-1947 This link opens in a new window Complete records of U.S. Special Envoy General George C. Marshall’s mission to China to negotiate a cease-fire between China's Nationalist troops and Communist forces between 1945-1947. Reports, minutes and memoranda provide insight into the Chinese political and military situation post-World War II, and U.S. policy in China.
German Foreign Relations and Military Activities in China, 1919-1935 This link opens in a new window Documentation on Germany's relations with China during the interwar period, including materials relating to Germany's industrial and military aid to the Republic of China prior to the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Norman Bethune Papers This link opens in a new window Covering 1911-2000, these papers by and about Dr. Norman Bethune detail his life and impact. Celebrated in China particularly, he was a Canadian surgeon and dedicated Communist, helping the Loyalists in the Spanish Civil War and later the Red Army in China. Includes correspondence, newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, pamphlets, and other research materials.
Papers of Old Shanghai: Social Shanghai This link opens in a new window Social Shangai magazine archive 1906-1912
Political Relations and Conflict between Republican China and Imperial Japan, 1930-1939: Records of the U.S. State Department This link opens in a new window Records from the U.S. covering political relations between China and Japan for the period 1930 -1939. Includes mainly instructions to and despatches from diplomatic and consular officials. Also contains other diplomatic notes and memoranda.
Political Relations Between China, the U.S. and Other Countries, 1910-1929 This link opens in a new window Contains the U.S. Department of State records for 1910-1929 relating to the political relations between the U.S. and China and relations between China and other states. Includes mainly instructions to and despatches from diplomatic and consular officials. Also includes correspondence, reports, journals, notes and other memoranda.
Records of the National Council for United States-China Trade, 1973-1983 This link opens in a new window Documents the formation of the Council and its role in the development of US-China trade, plus the Councils library holdings relating to China's trade and economy.
Records of the U.S. Information Service in China: Chinese Press Reviews and Summaries, 1944-1950 This link opens in a new window Covering the end of the Civil War period in China, this collection contains US Information Service reports on the Chinese press.
Records of US State Departments Division of Chinese Affairs This link opens in a new window Covering 1944-1961, this collection consists of inter and intradepartmental memorandums, reports, position papers, summaries, maps, photographs, and despatches (from US Foreign Service officers and military personnel) relating to the internal political affairs of China and United States foreign policy toward China.
Service Lists and Reports of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service and Whangpoo Conservancy Board This link opens in a new window This collection consists of the service lists (1887–1919) and the Woosung Bar Dredging Operations Progress Report (1890) of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, as well as reports produced by a related institution, the Whangpoo Conservancy Board.
Shanghai Municipal Council: The Municipal Gazette, 1908-1940 This link opens in a new window The Shanghai Municipal Council (SMC) was founded on 11 July 1854 by a group of Western businessmen to govern the daily operation and infrastructure of the Shanghai International Settlement. The Municipal Gazette was the official publication of the SMC - the full run is available here.
Subject Files of US State Departments Office of the Republic of China Affairs (1951-1978) This link opens in a new window This collection consists of briefing books, correspondence, memoranda, policy papers, reports, statistics, and other miscellaneous records from the USA's Office of the Country Director for the Republic of China.
World Communism: Pamphlets from McMaster University This link opens in a new window Contains un-catalogued pamphlets pertaining to communism, socialism, and class struggle. The pamphlets are global in scope, although mostly in English and cover 1901-1969. The bulk of the collection originates from China and Soviet Russia during the post-WWII period, although Cuba and Britain are strongly represented as well.

Administrative Histories of U.S. Civilian Agencies: Korean War This link opens in a new window This collection consists of 178 titles from 21 agencies involved in administering the mobilization and managing the economy during the Korean War (1950 – 1953), established under the Federal Defense History Program. 
Country Intelligence Reports/State Departments Bureau of Intelligence and Research Reports: Korea This link opens in a new window Research and intelligence reports on Korea by the U.S. government, prepared during 1941-1947. The reports vary from short memorandums to detailed, documented studies and topics range from individual commodities or countries to the economic and political characteristics of whole regions.
Evangelism in Korea: Correspondence of the Board of Foreign Mission, 1884-1911 This link opens in a new window Correspondence to and from the Board of Foreign Missions (BFM) of the American Presbyterian church in Korea, documenting the BFM's evangelistic, educational and medical work.
Japan and Korea: Summation of Nonmilitary Activities, 1945-1948 This link opens in a new window U.S. reports on the rebuilding of postwar Japan and Southern Korea by Allied occupation forces. The reports cover military, non-military and interim government activities.
Korea: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1930-1963 This link opens in a new window This archive documents Korea under Japanese occupation through the postwar period. 
Korea Times‎ This link opens in a new window Fully searchable archive of the Korea Times archive, a daily newspaper published in Seoul, South Korea, and one of the oldest English language‎‎ newspapers in the country. Digitised page scans. Date coverage: 1956-2016
Records of the U.S. State Department: Korea; Political and Governmental Affairs, February 1963-1966 This link opens in a new window This collection provides researchers with a unique opportunity to review the development of the Korean peninsula under a reactionary communist regime in the north and a quasi-democratic government in the South. 
U.S. Army Center of Military History Historical Manuscripts Collection: The Korean War This link opens in a new window Collection of documents from the Military History Section of the Far East Command, relating to U.S. participation in the war, plus U.S. relations with Korea immediately before and after. Hundreds of documents created on the scene or shortly thereafter are included, such as after-action interviews and reports, orders, narratives, analyses, charts, maps, and photographs.

Ambassador Graham Martin and the Saigon Embassy's Back Channel Communication Files, 1963-1975 This link opens in a new window U.S. State Department telegrams and White House 'backchannel' messages between U.S. ambassadors in Saigon and White House national security advisers, talking points for meetings with South Vietnamese officials, intelligence reports, drafts of peace agreements, and military status reports. Subjects include the Diem coup, the Paris peace negotiations, the fall of South Vietnam, and other U.S./South Vietnam relations topics, 1963 to 1975.
Area Studies: India This link opens in a new window A vital resource for the study of the British Indian Empire and the history, culture and literature of the Indian subcontinent from 1712 to 1942.
British Raj: Resistance and Reform in India, 1879-1910 This link opens in a new window Covers the Viceroys of both Lord Curzon and Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound in the British Raj between the period of 1899 and 1910. Contains departmental papers from both men’s ascendency, covering infrastructure, the military, commerce and industry, foreign affairs, health, and internal security and governance in the British Raj.
Cambodia: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1960-1963 This link opens in a new window Files from the U.S. government covering a wide range of internal political affairs relating to Cambodia in the years 1960-1963. A useful resource for the study of Southeast Asian history and the U.S. role in the war in Vietnam.
East India Company This link opens in a new window Digitised primary source archive covering all aspects of British trade with, and government of, India from 1595 to 1947, under the East India Company itself and under the British Crown.
East India Company: Corrupt Governance and Cruelty in India, 1806-1814 This link opens in a new window Contains the East India Company papers of the First Earl of Minto, Sir Gilbert Elliot Murray Kynynmound, who served as Governor-General of India from 1806-1813. The collection is drawn from his personal papers during his time as premier of the East India Company (EIC), including correspondence with other officials, papers from the political department, papers from the secret department, and files pertaining to his time as President of the Board of Control.
East India Company: Laying the Foundations for British Colonial Domination of India, 1752-1774 This link opens in a new window Contains personal and professional papers of two East India Company employees, Colonel Robert Clive and Brigadier-General John Carnac. Clive was a British military commander and eventual Governor of Bengal whilst Carnac served as Commander-in-Chief of the East India Company in India between 1760-1761. Includes military records, correspondence and financial records from the East India Company.
Evangelism in India: Correspondence of the Board of Foreign Missions, 1833-1910 This link opens in a new window Records from the Board of Foreign Missions (BFM) of the American Presbyterian church, in India, documenting the BFM's evangelistic, educational and medical work. Documented in the collection are reactions to foreigners generally and Protestant missionaries specifically, discontent with British rule and the development of the Independence movement, and racial and religious warfare between Hindu and Muslim populations.
Foreign Office Files for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, 1947-1980 This link opens in a new window This collection of files from the Foreign Office (later the Foreign and Commonwealth Office) and Dominions Office focuses on the political and social history of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Hindi Cinema: Histories of Film-making This link opens in a new window Hindi Cinema features full interview rushes and actuality footage with leading personalities from the Hindi film industry, sourced from the private collection of Nasreen Munni Kabir. Also includes other documentary footage, photographs and posters. Covers 1950-2010 and covers Hindi cinema produced in Mumbai, popularly known as Bollywood.
Hindu Conspiracy Cases: Activities of the Indian Independence Movement in the U.S., 1908-1933 This link opens in a new window Covering 1908-1933, this covers the activities of Indian nationalists in the U.S. Included here are records covering U.S. government's prosecution of these nationalists in the Hindu Conspiracy Case for violations of the Espionage Act and immigration records detailing efforts to revoke the citizenship of certain Indians and exclude others.
India-Pakistan Conflict: Records of the U.S. State Department, February 1963-1966 This link opens in a new window U.S. State Department files on India and Pakistan and their political relationship with one another.
India from Crown Rule to Republic, 1945-1949: Records of the U.S. State Department This link opens in a new window Files relating to the internal affairs of India and U.S. relations with India. Records include translations of Indian government documents, speeches, memoranda, official reports, journals and newspapers, and transcripts of political meetings and assemblies.
Indian and Sri Lankan records from colonial missionaries, 1770-1931 This link opens in a new window Includes letters and supplementary material compiled by the Indian and Sri Lankan branches of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (now the United Society Partners in Gospel ) during the period 1770-1952.
Indian Communists and Trade Unionists on Trial: the Meerut Conspiracy, 1929-1933 This link opens in a new window Contains papers and documents surrounding the Meerut Conspiracy Case - a controversial court case initiated in British India in 1929. It began with the arrest and subsequent trial of twenty-nine trade unionists, including three Englishmen. These men were collectively charged under Section 121A of the Indian Penal Code, it was alleged that they had attempted ‘to deprive the King Emperor of the sovereignty of British India… ordained by the Communist International’.
India Raj and Empire This link opens in a new window Explore the history of South Asia between the foundation of the East India Company in 1615 and the granting of independence to India and Pakistan in 1947.
Pakistan from Crown Rule to Republic: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1945-1949 This link opens in a new window A companion archive to India from Crown Rule to Republic, 1945-1949, this collection traces the end of British India and the emergence of modern Pakistan. Contains a variety of documents on political and economic topics, all sourced from the Central Files of the General Records of the U.S. Department of State.
South Asia Commons This link opens in a new window Indian Sub-Continent archive covering the colonial and post-colonial periods of South Asia (18th Century to Mid 20th Century). Source materials include journals, maps, reports, and books,.
South Asian Newspapers This link opens in a new window Searchable 19th and 20th century newspapers from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The newspapers are mostly English language titles with some Bengali and Gujarati content also available. Digitised page scans. Date coverage: 1864-1909
Times of India This link opens in a new window Full text searchable archive of The Times of India, an English language newspaper published in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), Maharashtra. Digitised article and full page scans. Date coverage: 1838 – 2007
World News in Indian Newspapers, 1782-1908 This link opens in a new window Collection of three English language newspaper titles: The India Gazette, The Bengal Hurkaru and Chronicle, and The Bengal Times. These newspapers were published in India with a target audience of colonial businessmen, merchants, and administrators with an interest in regional and international trade. Digitised full page scans. Date coverage: 1782-1908

Area Studies: Japan This link opens in a new window A wide range of sources, by writers, diplomats, tourists, businessmen, missionaries and others, documenting the political, cultural and social history of Japan from 1400 to the 20th century.
Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange - Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window Full text manuscript collections, mainly of British Foreign Office and United States consular and diplomatic records. The British records cover Japan only, whilst the US records cover China, Japan and several other countries. Also includes missionary correspondence and journals, plus socio-economic journals focusing on the region. Date coverage is C19 to early C20
Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files, Asia, 1960-1969 This link opens in a new window Content includes interviews and minutes of U.S. diplomatic meetings with foreign government officials; court proceedings and other legal documents; letters, instructions, and cables; journal and newspaper articles ; and translations of high-level foreign government documents. Includes coverage of China, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos.
Country Intelligence Reports/State Departments Bureau of Intelligence and Research Reports: Japan This link opens in a new window Research and intelligence reports on Japan by the U.S. government, prepared during 1941-1947. The reports vary from short memorandums to detailed, documented studies and topics range from individual commodities or countries to the economic and political characteristics of whole regions.
Digital National Security Archive This link opens in a new window Access to selected government documents covering US policy towards world events from 1945 to present. Collections on Japan, China and specific elements of U.S. diplomacy.
Access to the following collections:
- China and the United States: From Hostility to Engagement, 1960-1998
- CIA Covert Operations, Part III: From Kennedy to Nixon, 1961-1974
- CIA Family Jewels Indexed
- Cuban Missile Crisis: 50th Anniversary Update
- Japan and the United States: Diplomatic, Security, and Economic Relations, 1977–1992 (Japan and the U.S., 1977-1992)
- Japan and the United States: Diplomatic, Security, and Economic Relations, Part III, 1961-2000 (Japan and the U.S., 1961-2000)
- Kissinger Conversations Supplements I & II: A Verbatim Record of U.S. Diplomacy, 1969-1977
- Kissinger Telephone Conversations: A Verbatim Record of U.S. Diplomacy, 1969-1977
- Kissinger Transcripts: A Verbatim Record of U.S. Diplomacy, 1969-1977
- Presidential Directives on National Security, Part I: From Truman to Clinton (Presidential Directives)
- Presidential Directives on National Security, Part II: From Truman to George W. Bush (Presidential Directives, Part II)
- President's Daily Brief: Nixon, Ford and the CIA, 1969-1977
- U.S. Intelligence and China: Collection, Analysis and Covert Action
European Colonialism in the Early 20th Century: German Colonies in Asia and the Pacific: From Colonialism to Japanese Mandates, 1910-1929 This link opens in a new window Documents from U.S. consulates in Asia and the Pacific reporting on the activities of the German colonial government, and later the Japanese mandate authorities (after the First World War the Treaty of Versailles mandated former German colonies in Asia to Japan) and the activities of the native peoples. The collection includes correspondence, studies, reports, cables and maps.
Evangelism in Japan: Correspondence of the Board of Foreign Mission, 1859-1911 This link opens in a new window Correspondence to and from the Board of Foreign Missions (BFM) of the American Presbyterian church in Japan, documenting the BFM's evangelistic, educational and medical work.
Foreign Office Files for Japan, 1919-1952 This link opens in a new window This collection makes available extensive coverage of British Foreign Office files dealing with Japan between 1919 and 1952.
Japan - U.S. Economic Relations Group Records, 1979-1981 This link opens in a new window Recommendations for maintaining a healthy bilateral economic relationship between the United States and Japan, submitted to U.S President Carter and Japan's Prime Minister Ohira.
Japan: Records of the U.S. Department of State Relating to Commercial Relations, 1910-1949 This link opens in a new window Documents tracing the commercial relations between the United States and Japan. Including instructions, dispatches and correspondence between U.S government officials, foreign diplomats and officials of other government departments, and covering all aspects of trade between Japan and the U.S.
Japan: Records of the U.S. Department of State Relating to Commercial Relations, 1950-1963 This link opens in a new window Documents tracing the commercial relations between the United States and Japan. Including instructions, dispatches and correspondence between U.S government officials, foreign diplomats and officials of other government departments, and covering all aspects of trade between Japan and the U.S.
Japan: Records of the U.S. Department of State Relating to Internal Affairs, 1950-1954 This link opens in a new window Correspondence between the U.S. State department, other U.S. government departments, foreign governments, private firms and individuals, on the political, economic, military, social, and other internal conditions in Japan in the early 1950's.
Japan: Records of the U.S. Department of State Relating to Internal Affairs, 1955-1959 This link opens in a new window Correspondence between the U.S. State department, other U.S. government departments, foreign governments, private firms and individuals, on the political, economic, military, social, and other internal conditions in Japan during the late 1950's.
Japan: Records of the U.S. Department of State Relating to Political Relations, 1930-1939 This link opens in a new window U.S Department of State archive charting a key decade in Japan's modern history, and U.S.- Japan relations.
Japan: Records of the U.S. Department of State Relating to Political Relations, 1940-1944 This link opens in a new window This archive traces the outbreak of the U.S. war with Japan in December 1941 through 1944.
Japan: Records of the U.S. Department of State Relating to Political Relations, 1945-1949 This link opens in a new window U.S records of Japan's political and social reform, under Allied Occupation, after World War 2.
Japan: U.S. Naval Technical Mission, 1945-1946 This link opens in a new window Reports of the U.S. intelligence organisation created to survey Japanese scientific, technological, industrial and naval developments of interest to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in the Japanese islands, China; and parts of Korea.
Japan and Korea: Summation of Nonmilitary Activities, 1945-1948 This link opens in a new window U.S. reports on the rebuilding of postwar Japan and Southern Korea by Allied occupation forces. The reports cover military, non-military and interim government activities.
Meiji Japan This link opens in a new window Manuscripts for the study of Meiji society, culture, ethnology and education from the papers of Edward Sylvester Morse (1838-1925).
Political Relations and Conflict between Republican China and Imperial Japan, 1930-1939: Records of the U.S. State Department This link opens in a new window Records from the U.S. covering political relations between China and Japan for the period 1930 -1939. Includes mainly instructions to and despatches from diplomatic and consular officials. Also contains other diplomatic notes and memoranda.
Records of the Far Eastern Commission, 1945-1952 This link opens in a new window Records of the multinational Far Eastern Commission, which oversaw the postwar governing and reconstruction of Japan. Contains a variety of material related to the anticipated economic and political reconstruction of Japan.

Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange - Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window Full text manuscript collections, mainly of British Foreign Office and United States consular and diplomatic records. The British records cover Japan only, whilst the US records cover China, Japan and several other countries. Also includes missionary correspondence and journals, plus socio-economic journals focusing on the region. Date coverage is C19 to early C20
Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files, Asia, 1960-1969 This link opens in a new window Content includes interviews and minutes of U.S. diplomatic meetings with foreign government officials; court proceedings and other legal documents; letters, instructions, and cables; journal and newspaper articles ; and translations of high-level foreign government documents. Includes coverage of China, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos.
Conflict in Indochina: Foreign Office Files for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, 1959-1979 This link opens in a new window Contains Files of the British Foreign Office (FO 371) and from the Southeast Asian Department (FCO 15), including correspondence, maps, photographs and memoranda, covering key themes such as trade, economic development and increasing political instability. Also includes diplomatic records between the US and the UK covering the region.
Indochina, France, and the Viet Minh War, 1945-1954: Records of the U.S. State Department, Part 1: 1945-1949 This link opens in a new window U.S. State Department files on the internal affairs of Indochina, including correspondence with other federal departments/agencies, Congress, and private individuals and organizations.
Intelligence Reports from the National Security Council's Vietnam Information Group, 1967-1975 This link opens in a new window Department of State and CIA intelligence cables concerning South and North Vietnam. Topics include the Vietnam War, U.S.-South Vietnam relations, South Vietnams political climate, opposition groups, religious sects, ethnic groups, labour unions, corruption, press censorship, the North Vietnams military and economy, peace negotiations, and events in Cambodia and Laos.
Laos: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1963-1966 This link opens in a new window Archive covering South East Asian history and the U.S. role in the war in Vietnam. It includes U.S. special reports on political and military affairs; socioeconomic matters; interviews, meetings with foreign government officials; conferences, legal documents; U.S. diplomatic personnel cables; translations from foreign journals and newspapers; translations of foreign government speeches; and memoranda, official reports, and meeting transcripts.
South Vietnam: Records of the Office of the Defense Attaché, 1973-1975 This link opens in a new window The Defense Attaché Office (DAO) Saigon managed American military affairs in Vietnam after the cease-fire. It also reported on operational matters and produced intelligence information. The DAO was evacuated from South Vietnam during the fall of Saigon on April 29, 1975. Included are serial reports, programme memoranda and correspondence, operational and planning historical reports, intelligence summaries, briefing papers, press releases, and documents on the ceasefire.
Sukarno and the Army-PKI Rivalry in the Years of Living Dangerously, 1960-1963 This link opens in a new window US records on Indonesia, including essential memoranda, correspondence, telegrams, memoranda of conversations, reports, and news articles. They cover all aspects of U.S. relations with Indonesia, Indonesian internal affairs, and Indonesia's relations with its neighbours.
Thailand: Records of the U.S. Department of State Relating to Internal Affairs, 1945-1954 This link opens in a new window Materials from U.S. diplomats covering 1945-1954, including special reports on political and military affairs; studies and statistics on socioeconomic matters; interviews and minutes of meetings with foreign government officials; letters, instructions, and cables sent and received; reports and translations from foreign journals and newspapers; translations of high-level foreign government documents, including speeches, memoranda, official reports; and transcripts of political meetings.
Thailand: Records of the U.S. Department of State Relating to Internal Affairs, 1955-1963 This link opens in a new window Materials from U.S. diplomats covering 1955-1963. Includes special reports on political and military affairs; studies and statistics on socioeconomic matters; interviews and minutes of meetings with foreign government officials; letters, instructions, and cables sent and received; reports and translations from foreign journals and newspapers; translations of high-level foreign government documents, including speeches, memoranda, official reports, and transcripts of political meetings.
United States-Vietnam Relations; 1945-1967: Study Prepared by the Department of Defense (The Pentagon Papers) This link opens in a new window 12 volume set prepared by the Department of Defense for the House Committee on the Armed Services recording how the U.S. was drawn into the war and gives accounts of crucial policy meetings and why decisions were made.  Also known as the Hebert edition.
Western Books on Southeast Asia This link opens in a new window A collection of 318 rare Western-language publications selected from the John M. Echols collection on Southeast Asia at Cornell University. Publications date from C17-C19 and consist of travel writing by Europeans visiting Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia), Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Java and Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Records of the U.S. State Department: Briefing Books Relating to the Situation in Vietnam, 1961-1966; From the Records of the Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs This link opens in a new window This collection documents the development of America's Vietnam policy, between the Taylor Mission in 1961 and the first assessment of the situation in Vietnam since the introduction of combat troops in 1966.