hist492h

U.S. Government Documents on Iraq: A Quick Research Guide for HIST492H-Readings in Historical Topics Modern Iraq

The U.S. Governemnt is the world's largest publisher producing information on every topic from accounting to zoology. As a federal depository library, Purdue has extensive collections of government information resources including those on Iraq. Print versions of U.S. Government documents on Iraq will be in the first floor of the HSSE Library periodical stacks or in the 2nd floor microforms area.

Sample Libraries catalog subject searches you can use to look for U.S. Government documents on Iraq include:

United States Foreign Relations Iraq
Hussein, Saddam, 1937-2006
Iraq War, 2003-
Iraq War, 2003-Costs
Persian Gulf, War 1991

The Catalog of Government Publications is a good resource for finding U.S. Government documents from 1976-present with many recent documents being full text. Use Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications HSSE Periodicals 016.363 Un36

A brief sampling of useful government and military documents and websites includes:

State Department Background Notes HSSE REF S 1.123 (These provide quick background information on countries and the current status of U.S. relations with these countries.)
Foreign Relations of the United States and here (Official documentary record of U.S. foreign policy. Entries arranged geographically and by U.S. presidential administration.)
Department of State Bulletin HIKS Repository & HSSE MF 327.37 Un32b (Useful historical news source for speeches by the President, Secretary of State, and coverage of other prominent foreign policy events.)
Central Intelligence Agency Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Electronic Reading Room (Features numerous declassified National Intelligence Estimates.)
House Foreign Relations Committee hearings HSSE DOC and ATTIC Y 4.F 76/1 and Y 4.IN 8/16
Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings HSSE DOC and ATTIC Y 4.F 76/2
(Congressional committees are responsible for funding and conducting oversight of governmental programs. Hearings from 1975-present are on the first floor of the HSSE periodical stacks and are in the HSSE ATTIC for earlier years.)
Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq (Quarterly Defense Department reports July 2005-present.)
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)-U.S. military command authority responsible for directing U.S. military operations in Iraq and other Mideast/South Asian countries.
Combat Studies Institute-U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (Produces reports and analyses of American military campaigns.)
U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute (Division of Army's professional military educational institution analyzing military operations and political aspects of these operations),
U.S. Military Academy Combating Terrorism Center (Analyzes international terrorism.)
Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) (Conducts oversight of U.S. relief and reconstruction programs in Iraq.)
U.S. Agency for International Development(Agency responsible for administering U.S. foreign economic assistance.)

Professor Bert Chapman
Government Information & Political Science Librarian
chapmanb@purdue.edu
(5/09 rev.)