In anticipation of the publication of Thinking Otherwise: How Walter LaFeber Explained the History of US Foreign Relations, Cornell University will host a conference celebrating Professor LaFeber’s life and work at its Tech Campus on New York City’s Roosevelt Island.  The conference will take place from Friday evening October 27 through Sunday afternoon October 29, 2023, and will feature a viewing of Walt’s farewell address at the Beacon Theater in April 2006, recollections and tributes, presentations by Walt’s students of their contributions to Thinking Otherwise, and roundtables with former students who pursued distinguished careers in the public policy and private spheres.

The conference is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is nevertheless required, and space is limited. So if you can attend, please preregister as soon as possible at https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1717/giving/interior.aspx?sid=1717&gid=2&pgid=28765&cid=45887.

Assistant Professor of International Relations

The Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Global History or in the History of International Relations, beginning July 1, 2024. The search is open to all regional, thematic, and functional specializations. Successful candidates would be expected to have completed a Ph.D. by August 15, 2024, demonstrated the potential for excellence in any discipline relevant to international affairs, and share a commitment to the Pardee School’s institutional values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.

The PEACE HISTORY SOCIETY is holding its biennial international conference from October 26 through October 28, 2023. Hosted by Gwynedd Mercy University, the conference is organized as a hybrid event with on-site and online presentations, exhibits, and more. The conference theme, "Peace & Protest, Past & Present," recognizes peace as an active process often expressed through dissent and protest rather than a passive condition signifying an absence of physical violence. It refers equally to nonviolent protest across a range of justice movements and to direct actions in support of peace and justice. The conference features:

• A Peaceful Superpower: A Roundtable Conversation about the World’s Largest Antiwar Movement, featuring David Cortright (former director of SANE), Carolyn "Rusti" Eisenberg (author of Fire and Rain: Nixon, Kissinger, and the Wars in Southeast Asia), Kate Hudson (former chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament), and Jonathan Hutto (author of Antiwar Soldier: How to Dissent Within the Ranks of the Military)--this plenary session will examine the movement to prevent and then oppose the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq;
• a keynote address by George Lakey, renowned Quaker peace and justice activist, and author of the memoir Dancing With History: A Life for Peace and Justice;
• a discussion moderated by historian Scott Bennett (author of Radical Pacifism: The War Resisters League and Gandhian Nonviolence in America, 1915-1963) with War Resisters League leaders Mandy Carter, Ed Hedemann, and Joanne Sheehan on the 100^th anniversary of the WRL, accompanied by an exhibit on the history of the WRL;
• panels on the history of the Catholic Plowshares movement and war tax resistance in the United States, with reflections from activists who have participated in these forms of protest.

The full program is available here.

1. A 1500-word descriptive proposal in English discussing the significance of the work, the methodology, sources, and collections to be consulted.
2. A proposed budget.
3. A brief curriculum vitae.

The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library has relaunched and expanded its fellowship program to facilitate research in Yale’s special collections by the broadest possible group of researchers. We welcome applications from scholars and graduate students locally and globally who utilize traditional methods of archival and bibliographic research as well as from individuals who wish to pursue creative, interdisciplinary, and non-traditional approaches to conducting research in the collections.  

Fellowships will be awarded in the amount of $5,000 per month for varying lengths of time.   

The Journal of American-East Asian Relations and Brill Publisher announce the 2023-2024 Frank Gibney Award. The Award goes to an essay in any field of the Journal’s interest written in any country by a graduate student during 2022 or 2023. Brill Publishers, awards the winning author US$1,000 and the Journal will publish the winning article in 2024.

Deadline for submissions is December 15, 2023

Faculty Position in American Studies Associate Professor / Professor

Georgetown University in Qatar

At CoSA's recent annual meeting in DC, Meg Phillips, NARA External Liaison, shared the following jobs that may be of interest to your communities:

National Archives, NHPRC Historian (GS-12) - oversight of grants program with a particular interest in funding smaller, under-resourced cultural heritage organizations. Though this is labeled as a historian, those with experience in archives, museums, and other cultural heritage fields will be considered given the focus of the work. Salary: $94,199 - $122,459. Close date: August 7, 2023

20^th century U.S. International Affairs. Assistant Professor.  The Mississippi State University Department of History invites applications for a tenure-track appointment in U.S. religious history, beginning August 16, 2024. Teaching responsibilities are two courses per semester. Offerings include a turn in the US History survey and undergraduate and graduate courses in the area of expertise. Of particular importance is demonstrated ability to contribute to the graduate specialty in War, Peace and International Affairs. See https://www.history.msstate.edu/news/when-three-four/ for further details.

A Ph.D. in the history of 20^th century U.S. International Relations at the time of appointment is required. Evidence of successful teaching and publications are preferred.

The Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) seeks to appoint a new Executive Director. This part-time position will officially begin on 1 August 2025, but will include a one-year stint as assistant to the current Executive Director, beginning on 1 August 2024, in order to facilitate the transition.  The term of appointment is five years with the possibility of renewal, and compensation will be commensurate with skills and experience.

Candidates should be SHAFR members and have experience or demonstrated aptitude in these areas: embracing SHAFR’s research and teaching missions; administering a program or organization; managing budgets, finances, and business procedures; supervising conference and event planning; embracing intellectual diversity and dynamic change; and handling both routine and sensitive communications with SHAFR members and others.

Thoughts from SHAFR President
Mary Ann Heiss

It was great seeing so many of you in Arlington for our first fully in-person conference since 2019.  Thanks to Program Committee Chairs Jeannette Eileen Jones and Jason Parker, the members of the Program Committee, Conference Consultant Kaete O’Connell, Conference Assistant Sydney Snowden, and especially Executive Director Amy Sayward for working so hard to put together such an outstanding event.  I know I join many others in saying I’m already looking forward to Toronto.

NHPRC has a job posting for the Director for Publishing Programs.

Read more on USA Jobs - https://www.usajobs.gov/job/734930600.

Department of State Central Files, 1789-1910 Available Online: An Omnibus

National Archives Releases JFK Assassination Records 
 

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2023 – In accordance with President Biden’s memorandum of June 30, 2023 the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) posted all documents with newly released information subject to the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (JFK Act). Released documents are available for download here.  

On December 15, 2022, President Biden directed agencies to jointly review remaining redactions in records, disclosing all information except when the strongest possible reasons counsel otherwise. NARA worked in concert with agencies to complete this review and adhere to the President’s direction. Since April 15, 2023, 2,672 additional documents have been released in full or with fewer redactions. 

The President also instructed agencies involved in this effort to provide NARA’s National Declassification Center (NDC) with transparency plans, which are available to the public here. NARA approved these plans, which will be used by the NDC to ensure appropriate continued release of information as specific identified harm dissipates, then triggering public disclosure.  

“At the National Archives, we believe in the importance of government transparency and the accessibility of information. The dedicated and detailed work completed by NARA staff and by our partners and stakeholder agencies is an excellent representation of how we can collaborate together to ensure that the maximum amount of information is made available to the American people, while we protect what we must,” stated Dr. Colleen Shogan, 11th Archivist of the United States. “I have every confidence that the NDC’s implementation of these plans offers a clear path forward for public transparency and the timely release of additional information as circumstances warrant.”

Online Resources:

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies on the Temporary Certification Regarding Disclosure of Information in Certain Records Related to the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection

Documenting the Death of a President

JFK Assassination Records Review Board

JFK Assassination Records FAQs

Warren Commission Report