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Government Documents on Military History

Government publications are essential sources for military history students and scholars. Purdue University Libraries have extensive collections of U.S. Government publications dealing with military history with most of these being located in HSSE Library. Subject headings you can use to search for military history information in the Library Catalog include:

  Air Warfare
  Persian Gulf War, 1991
  United States Army History
  Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975
  World War, 1939-1945

The principal index for U.S. Government publications is the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications HSSE REF & Periodicals 016.353 Un36 which is also available online from 1994-present. The GPO Index covers from 1976-present.

Other useful U.S. Government document indexes include:

Cumulative Subject index to the Monthly Catalog 1900-1971 HSSE REF 016.353 Un36a
Cumulative Title Index to U.S. Public Documents 1789-1876 HSSE REF 016.353 C913
Checklist of United States Publications 1789-1909 HSSE REF 016.353 Un3cs


 Additional subject specific indexes to government military history information are:

Air University Library Index to Military Periodicals HSSE REF 016.6295 Ai7
Congressional Information Service (CIS) Index HSSE REF 328.73005 C76
CIS Congressional Serial Set Index 1789-1969 HSSE REF 328.73 C761c
CIS Unpublished Senate Comm. Hearings Index 1823-1964 HSSE REF 348.731 C497
CIS Congressional Comm. Prints Index HSSE REF 348.731 C755c
CIS U.S. Congressional Comm. Hearings Index 1833-1969 HSSE REF 348.731 C76
CIS Index to U.S. Executive Branch Documents 1789-1909 HSSE REF 351.73 C497 1990
CIS Index to U.S. Executive Branch Documents 1910-1932 HSSE REF 351.73 C497 1996


                        Key Reference Sources

World Military Expenditures & Arms Transfers & here HSSE REF 328.47355
U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey Reports: European War HIKS Repository W 1.71:
U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey Reports: Pacific Theatre HIKS Repository W 1.71/2:
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships HSSE 359 Un3d
HSSE DOC D 207.10:1/
U.S. Naval Aviation 1910-1955 (CD-ROM) HSSE REF D 221.18:Av 5/CD
Gulf War Airpower Survey HSSE DOC D 301.2:G 95
Official Records War of the Rebellion: Army (Courtesy-
Cornell University Library)
HIKS Repository W 45.5:
(also in CD-ROM HSSE REF)
Official Records War of the Rebellion: Navy (Courtesy-
Cornell University Library)
HIKS Repository N 16.6:
Foreign Relations of the United States HSSE Periodicals 327.73 Un32 & HSSE MF S 1.1 and here (Courtesy-University of Wisconsin Library for coverage from 1863-1958
Defense Appropriation and Military Construction Appropriation Laws (Courtesy-Pentagon Library)

U.S. Government publications are classified by the Superintendent of Documents
(SuDoc) sytem in which publications are classified alphabetically by the agency
producing them. Military history publications produced by the Dept. of Defense,
armed services, and Dept. of Veterans Affairs will be located primarily in the HSSE
Library in the following SuDoc ranges:

Department of Defense D 1.1: to D 1.105:
Joint Chiefs of Staff D 5.2: to D 5.21:
National Defense University D 5.400's
U.S. Army D 100's
Army Corps of Engineers D 103's HSSE & ENGR
Center for Military History D 114's
U.S. Navy

D 200's

U.S. Marine Corps D 214's
Naval Historical Center D 221's
U.S. Air Force D 300's
Department of Homeland Security HS
Dept. of Veterans Affairs VA

                                Congressional Publications

Congressional committee hearings, prints, and reports are excellent sources of military history information. These committees are responsible for funding and conducting oversight of military programs. Use indexes such as the congressional serial set and CIS Index listed above to start your search.

Congressional Record (Online 1994-present) HSSERepository X/A:
(See also its predecessors Congressional Globe and Annals of Congress HSSE Repository X)

 Congressional Serial Set (Purdue users only for online ed.)
HSSE Repository Y 1.1/2:
House Armed Services Committee
(Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) is a member of this committee)
HSSE DOC Y 4.AR 5/2A::
House National Security Committee 1995-1998
HSSE DOC Y 4.SE 2/1A:
Title 10, United States Armed Forces HSSE DOC Y 4.AR 5/2:T 53/2000
House Veterans Affairs Committee.
(Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN) is this committee's ranking member)
HSSE DOC Y 4.V 64/3:
Commission on Security & Cooperation in Europe HSSE DOC Y 4.SE 2:
Senate Armed Services Committee
(Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) is a member of this committee).
HSSE DOC Y 4.AR 5/3:
House Appropriations Committee.
(Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-IN) is a member of this committee)
HSSE MF Y 4.AP 6/1:D 36/5/
HSSE MF Y 4.AP 6/1:M 59/
HSSE MF Y 4.AP 6/1:V 64/4
Senate Appropriations Comm..
(Appropriations Committees are excellent sources of project expenditure information)
HSSE MF Y 4.AP 6/2:
Senate Veterans Affairs Comm. HSSE DOC Y 4.V 64/4:

                                      Internet Sources

Large volumes of U.S. Government military history information can be found on the
Internet. A masterlist of government information resources on the WWW can be
found at:www.lib.purdue.edu/govdocs/

GPO Access is an excellent source for current and
recent legislative, legal, and regulatory information such as congressional bills,
committee reports, legislative status information, and the Federal Register..

Additional U.S. Government military and military-related WWW sites include:

Historical Government Publications from World War II: A Digital Library (Courtesy-Southern Methodist University Library)(NEW)
State Dept. Bureau of Arms Control
U.S. Dept. of Defense
U.S. Army & Combined Arms Research Library (Features historical analyses and student theses from the Army's Command & General Staff College)
Donovan Research Library Digitized Monograph Collection (Fort Benning)-Infantry perspectives & after action reports on 20th century military operations.
Center of Military History
U.S. Army Military History Institute-Army War College
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Air Force
Air Force Historical Research Agency
Air Force History Support Office
Air University Library Index to Military Periodicals
U.S. Marine Corps
Marine Corps History & Museums Division
U.S. Navy
Naval Historical Center
Dept. of Homeland Security
Dept. of Veterans Affairs
National Archives & Records Administration
National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Books
Intelligence Agencies-Government Printing Office Browse Topics
Military History-Government Printing Office Browse Topics
Naval History-Government Printing Office Browse Topics
Government Accountability Office
Defense Dept. Inspector General
Congressional Budget Office

         Selected International and Foreign Government Sites

Multinational Force & Observers
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Organization for Prevention of Chemical Weapons
Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe
Western European Union
Australia Defence Dept.
Australian War Memorial
Canada Dept. of National Defence
Canadian War Museum
Israel Defense Forces
Japan Defense Forces
United Kingdom Ministry of Defence
Royal Air Force
British Army
Royal Navy
House of Commons Defence Select Committee

Last update: June 6, 2008

Prepared by: Bert Chapman, Government Information & Political Science Librarian