Afghanistan in 1919: The Third Anglo-Afghan War - This collection presents the complete files of the Political Warfare Executive (PWE) kept at the U.K. National Archives as FO 898 from its instigation to closure in 1946, along with the secret minutes of the special 1944 War Cabinet Committee "Breaking the German Will to Resist."

British Campaign in Mesopotamia, 1914-1918 - The Mesopotamian Campaign deserves to be far better known than it is—both in terms of its impact on the war and the subsequent course of the history of the Middle East. This new collection provides the opportunity to review the telegrams, correspondence, minutes, memoranda, and confidential prints gathered together in the India Office Military Department on Mesopotamia. In 1914 the British/Indian Army expedition to Mesopotamia set out with the modest ambition of protecting the oil concession in Southern Persia but, after numerous misfortunes, ended up capturing Baghdad and Northern Towns in Iraq. Initially, the mission was successful in seizing Basra but the British/Indian forces found themselves drawn North, becoming besieged by Turkish forces at Kut. After various failed relief attempts the British surrendered and the prisoners suffered appalling indignities and hardship, culminating in a death march to Turkey. In 1917, a new Commander-in-Chief was appointed but, as usual in Iraq, military policy kept changing. Hopes that the Russians would come into the war were dashed by the Revolution. Operations were further frustrated by the hottest of summers. Fighting against Turkish forces continued right up to the Armistice. The conduct of the Campaign was subject to a Commission of Inquiry which was highly critical of numerous individuals and the administrative arrangements.

George H. W. Bush and Foreign Affairs: The Middle East Peace Conference in Madrid - This collection comprises materials related to the planning and organization of the October 1991 Middle East Peace Conference in Madrid. It consists of correspondence, memoranda, cables, diplomatic dispatches, reports, studies, maps, and printed material that document all aspects of staging the conference as well as the conference itself. The materials detail the role of the United States in convening the peace conference and the interactions and positions of the various parties involved. Subjects include the Persian Gulf War; Operation Desert Shield; Oil; public opinion; Intifada; U.N. Security Council Resolutions; Land for Peace concept; Palestinians; Palestine Liberation Organization; among other topics.

Records of the Persian Gulf War - This collection contains materials related to the diplomatic and military response by the United States (as part of a multi-national force) to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990.

The Cyprus Crisis in 1967 - The State Department’s Executive Secretariat was responsible for creating a documentary record on various International crises during the 1960s. The documents in The Cyprus Crisis, 1967 were collected and collated from a variety of State Department sources and represent an administrative history of the crisis from the perspective of the U.S. government and its foreign policy.

U.S. Middle East Peace Policy and America's Role in the Middle East Peace Process, 1991-1992 - This collection contains Bush Presidential Records from a variety of White House offices. These files consist of letters of correspondence, memoranda, cover sheets, notes, distribution lists, newspaper articles, informational papers, published articles, and reports from the public, the Congress, Bush administration officials, and other various federal agencies primarily regarding the American Middle East peace policy and the United States’ role in the many facets of the Middle East peace process.

Aden: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1880-1906 - Aden's strategic location long made it a strategic asset. The British captured Aden in 1839, and it served as a key port on the route from the Mediterranean to India via the Suez Canal. The documents in this collection are sourced from the Central Files of the General Records of the Department of State. The records are under the jurisdiction of the Legislative and Diplomatic Branch of the Civil Archives, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.

Iran (Persia): Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1883-1959 - The documents in this collection on Iran are sourced from the Central Files of the General Records of the Department of State. The records are under the jurisdiction of the Legislative and Diplomatic Branch of the Civil Archives, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. 

Iraq: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1888-1944 - Iraq, from Ottoman rule through British colonial occupation and independence, is treated here from the perspective of the United States. The documents are sourced from the Central Files of the General Records of the Department of State. The records are under the jurisdiction of the Legislative and Diplomatic Branch of the Civil Archives, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.

Saudi Arabia: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1930-1959 - This archive divides into two distinct parts. The first part, 1930-1944, documents a critical period in the formation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; the second part, 1955-1959, illustrates the day-to-day workings of the oil-rich state. Saudi Arabia, which extends over most of the Arabian peninsula, absorbed several tribal groups that had previously been dependent on the Ottoman empire. The creation of a centralized state expressed the interests of all classes, including the nobility, the merchant class, and most of the population, ensuring security and putting an end to tribal feuds. Although fixing the boundaries of the country remained a problem, by 1930 most of the frontiers with Iraq, Jordan, and Kuwait had been established. In 1932 Hijaz (the western portion of the country containing the holy cities of Mecca and Medina), Najd, and other districts under the control of Ibn Saud were united to form the modern kingdom. In the late 1930s, Saudi Arabia became rich in oil and was courted both by allied and axis powers in the years leading up to the Second World War. Export of oil began in 1938 and within one year 500,000 barrels of oil had been produced. In the 1940s exploitation of oil brought great prosperity and transformed the social fabric of the country. To reciprocate the warm reception in Washington, D.C., in 1957, King Saud endorsed the Eisenhower Doctrine and renewed a deal giving the United States airbase rights in his country. The records in the second portion of the archive detail internal political and national defense affairs; economic, financial, industrial, and social affairs; among other topics.

The Middle East Online: Iraq, 1914-1974 - Iraq 1914-1974 offers the widest range of source material from the Foreign Office, Colonial Office, War Office, and Cabinet Papers from the Anglo-Indian landing in Basra in 1914 through the British Mandate in Iraq of 1920-32 to the rise of Saddam Hussein in 1974. Here major policy statements are set out in their fullest context, the minor documents and marginalia revealing the workings of the mandate administration, diplomacy, treaties, oil, and arms dealing. Topics covered include The Siege of Kut-al-Amara, The War in Mesopotamia and the capture of Baghdad in 1917, Introduction of the British Mandate, and the installation of King Faisal in 1921, The British administration in Baghdad, Gertrude Bell, advisor to the British administration, in both reports and memos, The Arab Uprising of 1920, Independence, and Iraq’s membership of the League of Nations in 1932, Coups d’etat in the 1930s and 1940s, The Baghdad Pact of 1955 and the military coup of 1958 leading to the establishment of a republic, The Cold War and Soviet intervention in Iraq, Kurdish unrest and the war in Kurdistan, Oil concessions and oil exploration, The Rise of Ba’athism and Saddam Hussein, The USSR-Iraq Treaty of Friendship in 1972, Iran-Iraq relations.

U.S. Operations Mission in Iran, 1950-1961 - This collection is a record of the U.S. Operations Mission's experiences in Iran. In it are outlined the programs that were initiated, the problems encountered, and the results of the 11-year effort. The program of technical cooperation in Iran was frequently cited as an example of the ideal Point Four program. The overthrow of the established government led naturally to questions concerning the "failure" of American technical assistance in that country. Three kinds of aid were provided: United States technicians advised or worked with the Iranian Government; supplies and equipment were provided for demonstration purposes; and Iranian personnel were sent to the United States or third countries for observation or training programs. The bulk of assistance was directed towards improving agricultural methods, but much also was achieved in such areas as preventive medicine, education, and administrative improvement.

U.S. Operations Mission to Saudi Arabia, 1950–1955: Correspondence and Subject Files of the Office of the Director - This collection is a record of the U.S. Operations Mission's experiences in Saudi Arabia. In it are outlined the programs that were initiated, the problems encountered, and the results of the five-year effort in the Point Four program. In Saudi Arabia, two chief aims guided the International Cooperation Administration (ICA) effort and the Point Four Program. The first was to promote the acceptance and support of ICA by cooperating and integrating the efforts of local and regional governments and bureaucrats. The second was to initiate projects that would reach as many people as possible, especially the common people who desperately needed opportunities and help. Three kinds of aid were provided: United States technicians advised or worked with the Saudi Government; supplies and equipment were provided for demonstration purposes; and Saudi personnel were sent to the U.S. or third countries for observation or training programs. Much was achieved in public health, education, public administration, community development, and transportation. The Point Four program aimed to promote the combined growth of economic and social improvement and political freedom.

Afghanistan and the U.S., 1945-1963: Records of the U.S. State Department Central Classified Files - Afghanistan’s history, internal political development, foreign relations, and very existence as an independent state have largely been determined by its geographic location at the crossroads of Central, West, and South Asia. Over the centuries, waves of migrating peoples passed through the region—described as a "roundabout of the ancient world," by historian Arnold Toynbee—leaving behind a mosaic of ethnic and linguistic groups. This collection provides an opportunity to peer into the mountains, valleys, villages, and cities that is called Afghanistan.

Evangelism and the Syria-Lebanon Mission: Correspondence of the Board of Foreign Missions, 1869-1910 - The collection documents the evangelistic, educational, and medical mission of the BFM in Syria-Lebanon. It provides a unique view into the turbulent political forces that dominated Syria and Lebanon's history during the 19th century and illustrates the difficulty of conducting mission work under the conditions of internecine religious warfare.

Evangelism in Iran: Correspondence of the Board of Foreign Missions, 1847-1911 - The American Presbyterian Church was committed at its inception to the belief that it is a missionary church and that every member is a missionary. The establishment in 1837 of the Presbyterian Church’s Board of Foreign Missions signaled the beginning of a worldwide missionary operation destined to embrace some fifteen countries in four different continents The records offered here provide invaluable information on social conditions in Persia (renamed Iran in 1935) and on efforts to spread the gospel during the nineteenth century. Documenting the church’s educational, evangelical, and medical work, these are records mainly of incoming correspondence from the mission field and outgoing correspondence from the Board headquarters.

Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Trans-Jordan: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1836-1944 - The Presidential Correspondence with Foreign Leaders, 1974-1977, includes material prepared for and by the National Security Adviser and the National Security Council staff. The collection chronicles the practice of diplomacy and presidential decision-making at the highest level. There are more than one thousand memoranda of conversations addressing U.S. foreign policy and national security issues during the latter part of the Nixon administration through the entire Ford administration. 

Palestine and Israel: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1945-1959 - This archive traces the vitally important period that saw the end of the British mandate in Palestine. Documents address the role of the Security Council and General Assembly of the United Nations and that of the United States in the creation of the state of Israel. Included here are the Palestine Reference files of Dean Rusk and Robert McClintock, as well as documents from the Mission of the United States in Tel-Aviv.

The British Mandate in Palestine, Arab-Jewish Relations, and the U.S. Consulate at Jerusalem, 1920-1944 - This collection consists of correspondence and telegrams received and sent by the American consular post in Jerusalem. The topics covered by these records include the protection of interests of American citizens, foreign trade, shipping, and immigration. But there is more to these records than traditional consular activities – the Jerusalem post provides a unique look into the British Mandate in Palestine. Consular officials reported on the administration of the Mandate, Jewish immigration, terrorism, and Arab rebellion. There are unique materials on the relationship of Palestinians to other Arab countries, British policies, the Zionist movement in Palestine and abroad, Communist influence in Palestine, reports on Islamic conferences, racial and religious disturbances and riots, the “holy places question,” partition of Palestine and the Arab Entente, Jewish-Arab relations and impact on Palestine, and Jewish and Arab national aspirations.

The French Mandate in The Lebanon, Christian-Muslim Relations, and the U.S. Consulate at Beirut, 1920-1941 - This collection consists of correspondence and telegrams received and sent by the American consular post in Beirut. The topics covered by these records include the protection of interests of American citizens, foreign trade, shipping, and immigration. But there is more to these records than traditional consular activities – the Beirut post provides a unique look into the French Mandate in Syria-Lebanon. Consular officials reported on the administration of the Mandate, its problems, French repression, and Arab rebellion. There are unique materials on the Druse Rebellion of 1925, religious conflicts between Christian, Maronite, and Muslim communities, repression by French military forces, French efforts to settle Bedouin tribes in Syria, nationalist organizations and rebellion, anti-Zionism activities, riots, and civil disturbances in the cities, villages and rural areas, failure of the Franco-Lebanese Treaty of 1936, creation of a new mandate administration in Syria in 1939, the war clouds in Europe, and Palestinian views on Syrian independence.

The Middle East Online: Arab-Israeli Relations, 1917-1970 - Arab-Israeli Relations 1917-1970—offers the widest range of source material from the British Foreign Office, Colonial Office, War Office, and Cabinet Papers from the 1917 Balfour Declaration through to the Black September war of 1970-1. Here major policy statements are set out in their fullest context, the minor documents and marginalia revealing the workings of colonial administration and, following the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, British diplomacy towards Israel and the Arab states. Additional value has been by the expansion from the original 562 National Archives records to over 17,000, thus substantially improving access to over 138,000 pages documenting the politics, administration, wars, and diplomacy of the Palestine Mandate, the Independence of Israel, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Some of the topics covered include the British capture of Jerusalem, the milestones in the Palestine-Zionist tension and their impact on British policy leading to the Partition of 1948, Jewish terror groups, the background to the establishment of the State of Israel as a Jewish national home, the Border Wars of the 1950s, formation of the United Arab Republic, the Cold War in the Middle East and Black September.

The Persian Gulf States and Yemen, 1950-1959 - These documents highlight the structure and activities of the Persian Gulf States and Yemen’s political system, government, judiciary, laws, military, customs, economy, finance, agriculture, natural resources, industry, communications, and media. Because of the broad scope of these records, they both supplement and complement the coverage offered by the State Department’s Foreign Relations of the United States series.

U.S. and Iraqi Relations: U.S. Technical Aid, 1950-1958 - The program of technical cooperation in Iraq, before the Revolution of 1958, was frequently cited as an example of the ideal Point Four program. The overthrow of the established government led naturally to questions concerning the "failure" of American technical assistance in that country.