The materials of Slovenian interest in the Manuscript Reading Room of the Library of Congress are limited to those of American provenance such as the papers of U.S. diplomats and political figures. The most pertinent examples also relate to the Bosnian war and the disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, for instance, the papers of Anthony Lewis (1927-2013), a journalist from the New York Times who covered the war. Also from a similar era are the papers of the U.S. Senator Daniel P. Moynihan, who was very active in the areas of foreign relations and human rights and who advocated for the U.S. government to take greater action in the region.
Also of interest for researchers of Slovenia is the collection of correspondence of Theodore Gordon "Spuds" Ellyson (1885-1928), a U.S. naval officer, who commanded the destroyer J. Fred Talbot in the area of the Adriatic Sea from 1919 through 1920. His letters to his wife describe the Dalmatian boundary dispute between Italy and Yugoslavia and the seizure of Fiume (Rijeka) by seven thousand Italians under Gabriele D'Annunzio. His interactions with the populace and local officials highlight the tensions in the region.
A number of the collections described below are of potential value for Slovenian research because of historical commonalities among all of the countries of former Yugoslavia, and researchers will find more germane content by looking for materials connected to Serbia and Yugoslavia, rather than to Slovenia alone. For example, the Manuscript Division holds larger historical collections covering the turbulent era of World War I and the border disputes between Italy and Yugoslavia such as the Woodrow Wilson Papers and the United States. American Commission to Negotiate Peace records, 1898-1919, which both have content under the rubric of Serbia, but elucidate the complex political situation and boundaries affecting the entire Balkan Peninsula of that time period..
Below are links to selected collections with content relevant to the study of Slovenia or former Yugoslavia. Titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. For all collections researchers should contact the Manuscript Reading Room in advance of a research trip, because some collections below have access restrictions and others are stored off-site.
Anthony Lake papers, 1916-2003 (bulk 1963-1997) by Frontline Diplomacy: The Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and TrainingJohn Adams Kingsbury papers, 1841-1966 (bulk 1906-1939) by Petar II Karađorđević, King of Yugoslavia, papers, 1945 by Theodore Gordon Ellyson papers, 1912-1951 (bulk 1913-1920). by United States. American Commission to Negotiate Peace records, 1898-1919 (bulk 1918-1919)Woodrow Wilson PapersThe Manuscript Division seeks to preserve personal papers and organizational records that document the course of America's national experience. Its more than twelve thousand collections and more than seventy million items touch upon every aspect of American history and culture. The Manuscript Division's holdings are strongest, however, in the areas of American national government, the federal judiciary, diplomacy, military history, women's history, and black history.
