Guide to Federal Records

Records of the Agency for International Development [AID]

(Record Group 286)
1935-89

Overview of Records Locations

Table of Contents

  • 286.1 Administrative History
  • 286.2 Records of AID Predecessor Agencies 1950, 1955
    • 286.2.1 Records of the Economic Cooperation Administration
  • 286.3 Records of the Office of Public Safety, AID 1955-74
    • 286.3.1 Records of the Office of the Director
    • 286.3.2 Records of the Operations Division
    • 286.3.3 Records of the Vietnam Division
    • 286.3.4 Records of the Training Division
    • 286.3.5 Records of the Technical Services Division
  • 286.4 Records of the Office of International Training, AID 1956-67
  • 286.5 Records of other AID Organizations 1962-87
    • 286.5.1 Records of the Mission to the Sudan
    • 286.5.2 Records of the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance
    • 286.5.3 Records of the Bureau for Africa
    • 286.5.4 Records of the Bureau for Asia and the Near East
  • 286.6 Records of the Commission on Security and Economic Assistance 1983
  • 286.7 Motion Pictures (General) 1935-89
  • 286.8 Video Recordings (General) 1975-89
  • 286.9 Sound Recordings (General) 1954-73
  • 286.10 Machine-Readable Records (General) 1960-71, 1975-89
  • 286.11 Still Pictures (General) 1947-67

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286.1 Administrative History

Established: In the Department of State by Department Delegation of Authority No. 104, November 3, 1961.

Predecessor Agencies:
  • Economic Cooperation Administration (1948-51)
  • Mutual Security Agency (1951-53)
  • Foreign Operations Administration (1953-55)
  • International Cooperation Administration (1955-61)

Transfers: To newly established U.S. International Development Cooperation Agency by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1979, effective October 1, 1979.

Functions: Administers nonmilitary U.S. foreign assistance programs and supervises programs under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (75 Stat. 424), September 4, 1961.

Finding Aids: Preliminary Inventory in National Archives microfiche edition of preliminary inventories.

Security-Classified Records: This record group may include material that is security-classified.

Related Records: Record copies of publications of the Agency for International Development in RG 287, Publications of the U.S. Government. Records of U.S. Foreign Assistance Agencies, 1948-1961, RG 469.

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286.2 Records of AID Predecessor Agencies
1950, 1955

History: For administrative histories of AID predecessor agencies, see RG 469.

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286.2.1 Records of the Economic Cooperation Administration

Textual Records (in Truman Library): Office files of Special Assistant to the President Gordon Gray, 1950, relating to preparation of his "Report to the President on Foreign Economic Policies," submitted November 10, 1950.

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286.3 Records of the Office of Public Safety, AID
1955-74

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286.3.1 Records of the Office of the Director

Textual Records: Security-classified subject file, 1957-74, and subject-numeric file, 1956-74. Program surveys and evaluations, by country, 1959-74. Regional briefing and fact books, 1965-73.

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286.3.2 Records of the Operations Division

Textual Records: Security-classified and unclassified country files of the Latin America Branch, 1955-74. Security-classified country files of the Africa/Near East and South Asia Branch, 1956-72; and the East Asia Branch, 1955-73.

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286.3.3 Records of the Vietnam Division

Textual Records: Security-classified subject file, 1955-72.

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286.3.4 Records of the Training Division

Textual Records: Subject file, 1963-72. Records of the Inter-American Police Academy, consisting of general correspondence, 1962-64; a subject file, 1956-64; and records concerning the International Association of Chiefs of Police, 1954-64.

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286.3.5 Records of the Technical Services Division

Textual Records: Security-classified general correspondence, 1966-68. Security-classified country file, 1961-70. Security-classified and unclassified correspondence relating to geographic areas, 1965-71.

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286.4 Records of the Office of International Training, AID
1956-67

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286.4.1 General records

Textual Records: Training authorizations, 1964-67. Language training records, 1958-64. Third country training records, 1956-64. Records of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation, consisting of training newsletters, 1960-62; and an inventory of training possibilities in Europe, 1965.

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286.4.2 Records of the Africa Branch

Textual Records: Reading file, 1963-65. Correspondence with the African-American Institute, 1963-66. Correspondence concerning the African graduate fellowship program, 1963-66. Records relating to the African scholarship program of American universities ("ASPAU Program"), consisting of correspondence, 1961-66; and progress reports of African students participating in the program, 1965-66. Records pertaining to an Ethiopian student, 1965-66.

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286.5 Records of Other AID Organizations
1962-87

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286.5.1 Records of the Mission to the Sudan

Textual Records: Participant training subject files, 1963-67. Miscellaneous training records, 1962-67.

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286.5.2 Records of the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance

Machine-Readable Records: Assistance provided by the U.S. Government in response to foreign disasters between 1900 and 1978 ("Disaster Assistance System Historical Analysis Master Files, 1920- "), 1979, with supporting documentation (1 data set). See also 286.10.

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286.5.3 Records of the Bureau for Africa

Textual Records: Microfiche copy of development project files, 1973-87 (2,568 fiche).

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286.5.4 Records of the Bureau for Asia and the Near East

Textual Records: Microfiche copy of development project files, 1972-87 (1,161 fiche).

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286.6 Records of the Commission on Security and Economic
Assistance
1983

Textual Records: Transcripts of commission meetings and public hearings, 1983. Reports and briefing materials prepared for commission members, 1983. Commission final report, November 1983.

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286.7 Motion Pictures (General)
1935-89

Training and public information films, collected or produced by AID and its predecessors, documenting agency activities and projects, 1935-89 (374 reels).

See under 286.2.2.

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286.8 Video Recordings (General)
1975-89

Training and public information video recordings, collected or produced by AID, documenting agency programs and activities, 1975-89 (77 items).

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286.9 Sound Recordings (General)
1954-73

Recordings of Foreign Operations Administration Director Harold Stassen, International Cooperation Administration (ICA) Administrator John Hollister, and Acting ICA Director Leonard Saccio; and interviews, discussions, and reports by officials on foreign economic programs, 1954-61 (30 items). Speeches, interviews, and radio recordings of AID Administrator David E. Bell, AID officials, and others; and interviews, discussions, and reports by AID officials on foreign economic programs, 1961-66 (72 items). Weekly broadcasts of AID public affairs educational radio series, "Overseas Mission," 1971-73 (273 items).

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286.10 Machine-Readable Records (General)
1960-71, 1975-89

Development Information System, 1976-89 (2 data sets), with supporting documentation. Computerized Index to AID Project Document Microfiche System, 1975-87 (2 data sets), with supporting documentation. Survey data from Demographic and Health Surveys Program, 1986-89 (77 data sets), with supporting documentation (167 data sets). Economic and social indicators for eighteen Latin American nations, 1960-71 (1 data set).

See under 286.5.2.

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286.11 Still Pictures (General)
1947-67

Photographs: Taken by AID and its predecessors to document economic recovery programs in Europe under the Marshall Plan, including pictures of agricultural, educational, medical, technical, industrial, and military assistance programs, 1948-67 (MP, 31,000 images). Marshall Plan activities in Europe and Africa, 1948-55 (ME, 169 images). Photographic prints of foreign assistance activities, 1947-67 (2,000 images). Photographic prints and negatives of AID activities in Cambodia, 1956-63 (8,500 images).

Finding Aids: Shelflist to series MP.


Bibliographic note: Web version based on Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States. Compiled by Robert B. Matchette et al. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1995.
3 volumes, 2428 pages.

Ordering information

This Web version is updated from time to time to include records processed since 1995.


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