Research Guides: HIST 100: U.S.-Latin American Relations: A Declassified View: Primary sources

What is a primary source?

There's no one thing, but for historians, it's generally something that was created at the time of the event. Try searching using terms like: biography [also use for autobiographies], newspapers, "personal papers" [use for archival material], correspondence [use for letters], personal diaries, photographs, videos, interviews, pamphlets, artwork, sources [a common one!], and many other types of things!

Primary source collection

Digital National Security Archive: Chile and the United States: U.S. Policy toward Democracy, Dictatorship, and Human Rights, 1970-1990 This link opens in a new window
(Searches through citations and the full text). This is a collection of 2,842 declassified records documenting the controversial history of U.S. policy toward, and relations with, Chile from 1970 when the Nixon administration decided to intervene against the Socialist government of Salvador Allende, to 1990 when the U.S.-supported military regime that deposed Allende was finally forced to step down. The collection covers a range of major issues, including the Nixon administration’s policy-making process related to overthrowing Allende, the implementation of covert operations to bring about regime change, as well as its assistance in consolidating the military government led by General Augusto Pinochet. The set also contains documentation on U.S. policy toward human rights violations; international terrorism; the historic, and peaceful return to democracy in Chile; and the pursuit of justice against Pinochet.