The US National Archives

By: Modesto P. Sa-onoy

THE National Archives and Records of America is considered the biggest in the world with over one billion of historical documents and materials in its possession. It is not just the largest but it is also growing fast with the addition of more archival materials coming in every day. Aside from this national archive, states and other federal governments have their own while private collectors and museum and strings of libraries collect and keep historical materials of historic value.

So huge are the collections that it is impossible to get into them in a month or so. I took time to research in the New York Public Library but the major source is still the NARA where I discovered that the documents, films, and photographs of World War II in Negros are now consolidated here.

In the past I was able to secure photographs of the war in the Pentagon where the US Signal Corps used to be housed but now the Corps’ collection is in NARA. Nevertheless, I went to the Pentagon but I will write about the new Pentagon compared to when I was allowed to research there in 1979.

I also learned that all the military history materials are being consolidated in another building under construction so that for now these materials are in NARA. Thus to the NARA Archives II in College Park, New Jersey we went.

There is now strict security procedure in NARA. Where before, in 2012 when I last researched there, we only have to have a researcher card with our photographs printed on it needed to open specific rooms. Today there is a screening of everything we had, including our belts and watches. No food, liquid or solid is allowed, not even a piece of paper or pen. Pen and paper are provided for free.

When we leave the researchers’ room, we must not take anything out. Whatever materials we have used must be surrendered to staff personnel to ensure that no archival document or material is taken out. Anything we have, like notes, were placed inside on a large bag, sealed and given to us for presentation to the security for clearance. The security then returns the materials to us.

The reason for this strict procedure is that some personnel and researchers had been caught trying to smuggle archival materials. Their names and photos and their prison sentences are posted on every floor of the seven-level building.

We found what we wanted – photographs and documentary films about World War II in Negros and some old photographs related to our province. But the recognition and tabbing of these materials are tedious, especially the photographs. The films were easy – a staff member simply copied it into my flash drive at no expense. But the photographs were different.

First I had to identify them, then note their file number and once that was done, I had to indicate what box a photograph is in. There are dozens of them in hundreds of boxes. In the past, the US Signal Corp merely asked me to identify what I wanted and gave them my address. The photographs were sent to me by mail so I did not have to spend a lot of time in the Pentagon. In NARA, I have to do it myself.

That became a problem because I don’t know how to operate a scanner. So I had to take a step by step assistance from the staff, but there were several times I had to call for help until I got it right. A lot of time was lost, however, that instead of our scheduled one day research, it took us three days but still could not copy them all. Nevertheless, I got plenty initially enough for the Negros War and Peace Museum. We will show these films and photos there when the museum opens.

There are so many more left but we ran out of time. Later I guess others will have to take over. We also had a scheduled visit to the General Douglas MacArthur Archives and Museum in Norfolk, Virginia which is loaded with materials for the museum aside from their interactive presentation of the life and times of America’s greatest general. Unknown to many, he was in Negros and I intended to secure photographs of his visit in Bacolod and Patag.