Hist 922--Research Seminar in American Diplomatic History:

The Cold War

 

7:00PM-9:50PM, Mondays and Thursdays, June 9-July 31, 2008

 

Professor David Stone                                 Office: Eisenhower 318

email: stone@ksu.edu                                  Phone: (785) 532-2978

 

This course is intended to be quite different from most courses you take in graduate school.  It is intended as a hands-on course in doing primary source research and producing a publishable article.  The goal that I intend you all to shoot for is to complete a journal-quality article on some aspect of the Cold War-era history of American foreign policy.  I did just that in the version of this course that I took in graduate school; my student in a previous iteration of this course did the same (and won a prize). There is no reason why you cannot do the same.  A relatively small proportion of our time will be spent in class discussion of secondary literature; you should expect to spend much more time in concrete research with primary sources. We will be doing some traditional reading and discussion of secondary works as background, but this will be quite limited in comparison to most graduate courses, and is intended to give you jumping off points for further work.

 

To a certain degree, research is a sink-or-swim process, but I do not intend to merely throw you in the deep end.  It's my goal to lead you step-by-step through the process of finding a topic, gathering materials, and writing the finished product.

 

Very early on in this class you will need to choose a topic relating to some aspect of American foreign relations during the Truman and Eisenhower years, since those are the two easily accessible presidential libraries.  The nature of the sources and of the course require that your paper topic be substantially related to US foreign policy.  You may shift the emphasis to some degree towards your particular interests in domestic policy, but you need to have an element of foreign policy involved, and convince me that you can find sufficient primary sources to write a workable paper.

 

You should expect to spend a number of days doing independent research in the archival materials of the relevant presidential library.  If you can make a case that you will have access to a substantial number of primary sources from another administration, you're welcome to do that.  Our first week will be devoted to how to best find and settle on a topic.

 

There are three required books, all readily available from your supplier of choice:

                       

John Lewis Gaddis, Strategies of Containment.  Ideally, you should get the revised and expanded edition (ISBN # 0-19-517447-X), but if you can only get or already have an earlier edition, that's fine.

Walter LaFeber, America, Russia, and the Cold War, 1945-2006.  As with Gaddis, you should ideally get the latest (10th) edition (ISBN 0-07-353466-8).  If you already have an earlier edition, that's fine.

Vladislav M. Zubok, A Failed Empire: The Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev (ISBN 0-8078-3098-7)

 

Course requirements: Your grade will be based on participation in class discussions (approx. 40%), presentations on ongoing research throughout the summer (approx. 20%) and a final research paper (approx. 40%) based on primary source research of around 25 pages (6000-7000 words).

 

Calendar:

 

June 9: Intro to class.  Choosing a topic.  Assignment: David R. Stone, "The Balkan Pact and American Policy," East European Quarterly 28.3 (1994), pp. 393-407.  I am assigning my article NOT because I think it as a superlative piece of history, though it's fine for what it is, but because I wrote it in my second year of graduate school and intend it to serve as a model of what I expect you to produce over the course of this class.  Read it very carefully, paying close attention to the points I make and to the evidence I use.  Before coming to class, read the article and make a detailed outline of my argument.

 

June 12: Origins of the Cold War to 1948.  Assignment: LaFeber, Intro and Chaps. 1-3; Gaddis, Intro and Chaps. 1-3; Zubok, Preface and Chaps. 1-2.  In addition, read George Kennan's "Long Telegram" and his X article "The Sources of Soviet Conduct," both easily available online. 

 

Here and in the rest of the semester, use LaFeber as basic factual narrative.  Pay particular attention to the broader arguments and conclusions drawn by Gaddis and Zubok against this factual background.

 

June 16: Published document collections.  Assignment: find, read, and be ready to report on an issue of your choice from Foreign Relations of the United States. I will need to know your tentative topic by this day.

 

June 19: 1948 through Korea.  Assignment: LaFeber, Chaps. 4-6; Gaddis, Chap. 4; Zubok, Chap. 3.  In addition, read NSC-68 (easily available online)

 

June 23: The Eisenhower Years.  Reading: Lafeber, Chaps. 7-8 and Chap. 9 through 1960; Gaddis, Chaps. 5-6; Zubok, Chaps. 4-5 to p. 138. 

 

June 26: Research day.  There's a lot of legwork to be done for the next class meeting, so don't put off some serious digging in your source material.

 

June 30 & July 3: No class for 4th of July holiday.

 

July 7: Microfilm, online, and mass media sources.  Review at least one of the microfilm collections below related to your topic.  Search the website of the National Security Archive and Cold War International History Project for relevant materials. Review the New York Times index and relevant issues relating to your topic, along with at least one other mass media source in relation to your topic. Be prepared to report in some detail on your findings.

 

July 10: Kennedy and Johnson. Reading: LaFeber, Chaps. 9-10; Gaddis, Chaps. 7-8; Zubok, Chap. 5 from p. 138 through Chap. 7, p. 209.

 

July 14: Archival documents and the process of writing and presenting.  Assignment: By some time before the class meets, visit the Eisenhower or Truman Library to discuss your project with an archivist and begin work on reviewing available collections.  Be prepared to report on your findings.  In addition, read and be prepared to discuss the distributed packet readings on writing and presenting.

 

July 17:  Détente.  Reading: LaFeber, Chap. 11, Gaddis, Chaps. 9-10; Zubok, Chap. 7 from p. 209 through end of Chap. 8.

 

I need a draft including an intro paragraph and at least five pages of text by the beginning of class on July 17.

 

July 21-24: Research and writing week.

 

July 28: Renewed Cold War. Reading: LaFeber, Chaps. 12-13; Gaddis, Chap. 11; Zubok, Chaps. 9-10.

 

July 31: Research presentations. Present the results of your research in typical conference format (i.e., a 20-minute presentation).

 

 

 

SOURCES:

 

I've enclosed below a list of useful sources of primary documents, along with call numbers where available for the K-State, KU and CARL libraries.  Be prepared to travel a bit and do some xeroxing.  Get your interlibrary loan requests in early.

 

Foreign Relations of the United States

            list of volumes published to date: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/c4035.htm

            list of volumes available online:

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/c1716.htm

            KU: Anschutz Library (Documents) Call Number:  S 1.1: [PAPER]

            CARL: 327.73 U566f

            KSU: bound volumes: gov pubs S 1.1; microfiche volumes: S 1.1  NOTE!  K-State's run is NOT complete, though the missing volumes are scheduled for purchase.

 

Documents on British Policy Overseas.

            KU: Anschutz Library (Documents) Call Number:  GB-EW FC 1.23:

 

Akten zur auswärtigen Politik der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (limited in scope)

            KU: (periodical)  JZ1592 .A22; (book) DD258.8 .A38 1989

 

Declassified Documents Reference System:

            KU: Anschutz Microforms Call Number:  J83 .D43; Anschutz Reference (Documents) Call Number:  Z1223.Z9 D4 (1975-1985);  Z1223 .Z9 D4 (1985-present); Anschutz Library-Reference Z1223.Z7 D36 (retrospective)

            CARL: CD-ROM 1998-2002; microfiche 1ST FLOOR AV ROOM: E002796 1975

            KSU: 1976-1980 only:  Gov Pubs reference Z1223.Z9 D4

 

Cold War International History Project Bulletin (periodical containing translations of Communist-bloc documents):

            KU: Anschutz Library (Documents) Call Number:  SI 1.3/2:

            KSU: available electronically through Hale Library; Stone has personal hard copies.  Available online at http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=topics.publications&group_id=11900

 

CIA Research Reports (microfilm):

Africa, 1946–1976. KU Watson microfilm DT30 .A344 1982; CARL D000578 1983

China, 1946–1976. KU Watson microfilm DS777.547 .U65; CARL D000584 1982

Europe, 1946–1976. KU Watson microfilm D1051 .E865 1982; CARL D000590 1982

Japan, Korea, and the Security of Asia, 1946–1976. KU Watson microfilm DS518.1 .J36; CARL  D000585 1983

Latin America, 1946–1976  KU Watson microfilm F1414.2 .L3274, CARL D000744 1982 1982;

The Middle East, 1946–1976.  KU Watson microfilm DS63.1 .M48415 1982, CARL D000577 1982

The Soviet Union, 1946–1976.  KU Watson microfilm DK267 .S639 1982, KSU gov't doc: PR 33.62:R 32 x, CARL  D000582    1982

Vietnam and Southeast Asia, 1946–1976.  KU Watson microfilm DS557.4 .V53 1982; CARL D000583 1982

Vietnam and Southeast Asia, Supplement

 

Documents of the National Security Council: KSU Gov't Pubs microfilm Y 3:N 21/17:2 D 65x; KU Watson microfilms UA23 .N2492; CARL D000568 1980

            First Supplement: KU Watson UA10.5 .N37 1981; CARL D000581 1981

Second Supplement: KU Watson UA10.5 .N38 1983; CARL D000748 1983

Third Supplement: CARL D000749 1985

Fourth Supplement: CARL D000761 1987

            Fifth Supplement: CARL D000842 1989

            Sixth Supplement: CARL D000933 1993

            Seventh Supplement: CARL D001103 1995

 

Johnson National Security Files:

            Africa, 1963-1969: CARL D000952 1993

            Asia and the Pacific, 1963-1969: CARL D000944 1993

            Committee file, 1963-1969 [includes nuclear proliferation and trade with Eastern Europe]: CARL D000943 1993

            Crises in Panama and the Dominican Republic: KU Watson folio F1566.4.U6 C75 1982

            Name and Speech Files, 1963-1969: CARL D000942 1993

Latin America, 1963-1969: CARL D000946 1992

            Middle East, 1963-1969: CARL D000945 1987

 

Minutes of National Security Council

            Supplements [Truman and Eisenhower]: CARL D000841 1988

 

National Security Archive collections:

            Cuban Missile Crisis: CARL E002754 1990

 

National Security Council Histories

            Vietnam: CARL D000539 1981

 

Records of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (microfilm):

Part 2, 1946–1953

            Europe and NATO.  CARL  D000523 1980

            The Far East.  KU Watson microfilm DS518.8 .U57; CARL D000126        1979

            Meetings of the JCS.  CARL D000525 1980

            The Middle East.  CARL  D000128 1979

            The Soviet Union.  CARL  D000524 1979

            Strategic Issues, Section 1.  CARL D000624 1981

            Strategic Issues, Section 2.  CARL D000625 1981

            The United States.  CARL D000127 1980

Part 3, 1954-1960

            The Far East.

 

 

Useful websites with multiple primary sources:

 

National Security Archive:  http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/

 

Cold War International History Project http://wwics.si.edu/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=topics.home

 

Parallel History Project: http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/

 

Presidential Archives:

 

Truman: http://www.trumanlibrary.org/library.htm

Eisenhower: http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/manu.htm

Kennedy: http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical%20Resources/Archives/

Johnson:

http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/archives-main.shtm