Research our Executive Branch Holdings

Only a small percentage of the documents in our holding are available online. In some cases, documents may still be located at the government institution that created them.

Where to Start

There are several ways you may begin to explore documents of components of the Executive branch:

• Search our National Archives Catalog for government historical documents created by Federal agencies during their course of business.
   
• Browse museum exhibits to see images of historical documents.
   
• Learn about Presidential papers and collections by visiting our Presidential Libraries and Museums online.

What to Know

To determine if the documents may be in our holdings, you should find:

1. the approximate date.
2. where, among our facilities nationwide, the documents are housed.
3. how they are organized (arranged) in the archives.

Guides

General descriptions of the documents are available in our:

• Documents Arranged by Federal Government Organization
   
• Guide to Federal Records in the Archives of the United States of America
   
• National Archives Catalog
   
• Presidential Materials
  • Presidential Documents Guide — where to locate documents that are created during a President's administration.
     
  • Presidential Papers Guide — the official publication of United States Presidents' public writings, addresses, and remarks.
     
  • Documents Arranged by Type of Presidential Material
• Publications and Guides
   

View or Copy Our Executive Branch Documents

Explore documents created or used by Federal agencies in their course of business. There are a limited number of documents available online. You can search for:

• Electronic documents in our Access to Archival Databases system (AAD)
• Copies of documents in our National Archives Catalog
   

If the documents you want to view are not available online, your options are:

1. Visit the National Archives facility that holds the documents.
2. Hire an independent researcher to explore the documents for you.
3. Order a reproduction (unofficial copy) of the documents.