In an effort to provide information on recently declassified motion pictures and sound recordings the Motion Picture, Sound and Video Branch will publish a quarterly list of newly declassified records.
This quarter’s list includes two films documenting post-WWII Europe. Die Erste Schritte [The First Steps] shows the buildup of West German armed forces and the creation of the Bundeswehr.
Die Erste Schritte [The First Steps] (Local Identifier: 319-GENERAL-1 / National Archives Identifier: 61134)
The second film documents the show of power by the Soviet Union through a Cold War military parade in Poland in 1956.
Poland (Local Identifier: 319-GENERAL-3 / National Archives Identifier: 61136)
Both films (319-GENERAL-1, 319-GENERAL-3) are in foreign languages, so we are asking for your help translating them! They are available on NARA’s Amara page if you are interested in helping.
From October 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 the following records were declassified.
Motion Pictures:
Local Identifier Title
| 111-MPF-205 | 4th Anniversary Cuban Revolution Parade |
| 156-GENERAL-12 | M-103 Fuse in 24 |
| 156-GENERAL-13 | AN-M103 Bomb Fuses |
| 319-GENERAL-1 | Die Erste Schritte [The First Steps] |
| 319-GENERAL-3 | Poland |
| 342-SFP-387 | Operation of System 119-L |
| 342-TF-6133 | SAC [Strategic Air Command] Bombing Procedures |
| 342-USAF-26819 | Taiwan Alert, September 1958 |
| 342-USAF-33164 | The Power of Skybolt |
Sound Recordings:
Local Identifier Title
No sound recordings were declassified during this quarter.
Descriptive information for declassified records can be accessed by searching for the item number, ex. “341-IR-38-56”, in NARA’s Catalog . You may also search on the Declassification Project Number (NND), if you know one. For example, searching on the declassification number “NND 64803” returns entries that are part of Declassification Project 64803. A list of declassified textual records can be found on the National Declassification Center’s web page.
Check out the post “From Top Secret Vault to Open Stacks: Declassification of Moving Images” to learn more about the declassification process. Lists of other recently declassified moving images and sound recordings can be located by clicking on the Declassification Quarterly Reports category on the left side of the blog.