We want to know about your experience with the Catalog, including suggestions for improvements. Please consider filling out our survey(the link can also be found on https://catalog.archives.gov/).
If you are experiencing an error in the Catalog or have a question about the Citizen Archivist program, please do not use this survey. Instead, please contact the Catalog staff at catalog@nara.gov.
75 Years of Alliance
Seventy-five years ago on April 4, 1949, foreign ministers from the United States and 11 countries (Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom) gathered in Washington, DC to sign the Washington Treaty. Also known as the North Atlantic Treaty, the treaty derives its authority from Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. Article 51 affirms the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense.
Signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, April 4, 1949, National Archives Identifier 348262809
The treaty and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s purpose was to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through military and political cooperation.
North Atlantic Treaty, April 4, 1949 (page 2), National Archives Identifier 348806325
Truman arriving for signing of North Atlantic Treaty, April 4, 1949, National Archives Identifier 350286841
After the signing of the Washington Treaty (North Atlantic Treaty), all member nations needed to ratify the agreement. The United States Senate debated the ratification from July 5th to July 8th and eventually approved the Treaty on July 21, 1949 by a vote of 83 to 13. The treaty came into effect on October 24, 1949.
Seventy-five years later, NATO now has 32 member countries.
Left: Truman Signing North Atlantic Treaty Proclamation, July 25, 1949, National Archives Identifier 338957530
Right: Truman signing North Atlantic Treaty document, July 25, 1949, National Archives Identifier 348451106
The NATO Archives are held in the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, but you can find many records relating to NATO in the National Archives. NATO related records can be found in military, diplomatic, and legislative record groups as well as presidential records beginning with President Truman.
Top left: President Nixon addresses the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), February 24, 1969, National Archives Identifier 194607Top right: President George W. Bush Delivers Remarks at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Signing Ceremony, October 24, 2008, National Archives Identifier 176892010
Bottom left: Combat-ready Marines of the 4th Marine Amphibious Brigade charge out of LVTP-7 tracked landing vehicles on Red Beach during the NATO exercise Northern Wedding, September 1, 1978, National Archives Identifier 6348962Bottom right: President Barack Obama Greeting NATO Allies, July 8, 2016, National Archives Identifier 241338186
Thanks to feedback from our Catalog users we’ve added a new feature to the Citizen Archivist contribution panel. The contribution panel is now undocked. This means Citizen Archivists can resize and move the panel around the screen. Please see Get Started Transcribing in our Resourceslink for step by step instructions.
Looking for information about updates to the Catalog?
New features of the Catalog are included on the Catalog Helppage (the link is found at the top of every Catalog page) and where appropriate, on the Get Started Transcribingpage (found under the Resources link).
Important announcements, such as Catalog maintenance, will be announced as a banner on the homepage of the Catalog.
Are you researching the history of NATO? Be sure to visit the History Hub and the links below for information on records relating to U.S. military and diplomatic cooperation in post-WWII Europe.
Make History Hub your first stop! You can ask—or answer—questions on History Hub, or see if your question has already been answered! Check out our featured edition for more details, information, and instructions about using History Hub for your research.
