This week, we’ll be taking a look at Project Blue Book, via the National Archives' film holdings. Project Blue Book was not the United States Air Force’s first investigation into the reports of unidentified flying objects. It wasn't even the second. Project Blue Book was actually the third formal analysis of UFO sightings, coming after … Continue reading Project Blue Book: Spotting UFOs in the Film Record
Month: September 2013
Images of the Week: Washington, DC Roads
This week I'm posting photographs from the Bureau of Public Roads and its successor the Federal Highway Administration. These images relate to the Washington, D.C. area and are just a few examples of what can be found in the series Historical Photograph Files, 1896-1963 (30-N) and General Photograph Files, 1954-1984 (406-G), which both contain photos … Continue reading Images of the Week: Washington, DC Roads
The Sailor and the Seagull: FMPU Veterans Animate Re-Enlistment Efforts
For the last two weeks, we have been sharing films of the First Motion Picture Unit. This week, we’ll take a look at an animated film produced for the Navy by former members of the FMPU. This post was written with Criss Kovac, supervisor of the Motion Picture Preservation Lab at the National Archives. Like … Continue reading The Sailor and the Seagull: FMPU Veterans Animate Re-Enlistment Efforts
Images of the Week: Historic Golf Courses
The two photographs posted this week come from the series "Photographic File of the Paris Bureau of the New York Times, ca. 1900 - ca. 1950" (306-NT). I guess you can say the theme this week is historic golf courses. Local Identifier: 306-NT-804-P-5 "Augusta, GA - "The Perfect Course" which has only 22 traps, known … Continue reading Images of the Week: Historic Golf Courses
A WWII Training Film in Action: Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter
As a follow-up to last week’s post on the Army Air Force’s First Motion Picture Unit (FMPU), this week I am focusing on a title that is arguably the most significant training film produced by the unit. Considered as a federal record, Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter (1943) is an important historical document of the training … Continue reading A WWII Training Film in Action: Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter
Images of the Week: Airscapes
Photographs posted this week come from one of my favorite series, "Airscapes" of American and Foreign Areas, 1917 - 1964" (18-AA). Click on the images below to view higher resolution versions. Local Identifier: 18-AA-138-5. Washington, D.C. - Keystone Bombardment airplanes of 2nd Bombardment Group. April 23, 1931. Local Identifier: 18-AA-139-2. Washington, D.C. - Griffith Stadium. … Continue reading Images of the Week: Airscapes
The U.S. Military Goes Hollywood: Behind the Scenes with the First Motion Picture Unit
I will admit, I didn’t know about the U.S. Army Air Forces First Motion Picture Unit until 2007, when the Motion Picture Preservation Lab was tasked with making theater prints for a special program at the Pacific Film Archive. I may not have heard of the unit, but I certainly recognized its stars: “Hey, is … Continue reading The U.S. Military Goes Hollywood: Behind the Scenes with the First Motion Picture Unit
From Top Secret Vault to Open Stacks: Declassification of Moving Images
Have you ever wondered how moving images and sound recordings get declassified? The process isn’t as simple as you might think. Because our records are media based - film, video or audio - the review process takes a few extra steps. Agencies transfer classified moving images and sound recordings to NARA according to Records Control … Continue reading From Top Secret Vault to Open Stacks: Declassification of Moving Images