RESEARCH REPORTS

1. ARCHIVAL AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY CONCERNED WITH ASIA AND THE PACIFIC AT THE U. S. NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
by Leedom Lefferts

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NARA acquisitions: Overlays (traces) are delivered to NARA in no order; thus NARA technicians sort and file overlays by degree square in big boxes. (If someone wishes to contribute time to help in this, the technicians said that would be most welcome.)

New material is sent to NARA twice weekly, but coverage is distributed randomly. NARA receives varying amounts of film each week as it gets declassified. This is often original negative film and this is what the researcher gets to use, in cans containing film rolls. NARA technicians correlate the film to the appropriate overlay, index these, and provide a retrieval mechanism so that research can take place.

If a researcher visits or a letter of inquiry is answered on one day, there is no assurance that more or better coverage might not become available on another day. Constant checking is the name of the game.

Access to this material is available in two ways:
1) Researchers can come to the Cartographic Room, 3320, of Archives II, the branch of the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. Hours are 8:30AM to 4:30PM, Monday through Friday, excluding National (Federal) Holidays. Archives II is accessible by Washington Metro Subway and then bus, or by car. Any legitimate researcher is admitted into the archives; there are no restrictions by nationality or purpose; the researcher must have a photo id (non-US nationals should bring their passport). Each person must complete and submit information, a digitized photograph is taken, and the researcher is issued a plastic ID card for this and future visits.

Since this an archive facility, researchers are discouraged from bringing masses of material. (Lockers are available in which to place unnecessary items.) Researchers are provided with pencil and paper. A researcher may bring maps which precisely locate sites of interest, as well as modest notes. These materials will be stamped to show that they were admitted so that they can be taken out later. Most overlay boxes have base maps of the appropriate scale, but these are extremely dated; the ones I found for Northeast Thailand were from the early 1940's (archival material themselves). Thus, researchers may bring in 1:250,000 maps identifying sites of interest and more detailed maps to assist in locating sites. A laptop computer is also permitted. (Note: A cafeteria is available outside of the research rooms for lunch and snacks.)

When you conduct your own research, you go through the following steps:
1) request degree squares in which you are interested,
2) locate sorties for film which might be appropriate,
3) ascertain whether film is actually available (most often it is NOT)
4) request film. NARA technicians search on requests and bring out material, film, or degree square boxes, or say that nothing is available, 5 times a day.
5) mount film on light table (remember, this is usually negative film) and view it to locate your site.
6) if you wish to have a copy of one or more negatives, contact a private contractor (see below).

Because of the massive amount of material and the need to preserve original film, NARA has begun putting it in cold storage in a Pennsylvania facility. This results in a delay of a day or two between the time you identify that film is available from a particular overlay and when you may be able to view it.

2) A letter can be written to NARA requesting that archivists investigate to see if coverage is available(see address below). You are asked to include as precise coordinates as possible and specify what kind of coverage you wish. A copy of a map identifying the site is most welcome. Send e-mail or letter to either the archivist or "aerial photographic equipment specialist" listed below:

Deborah Lelansky,
Archivist: deborah.lelansky@arch2.nara.gov

Jerry Luchansky,
Specialist: gerald.luchansky@arch2.nara.gov

Or mail letters to either at:
NWCS (Carto) Room 3320, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland 20740-6001.
Fax: 301-713-7488

Obtaining copies: Once specific coverage has been identified as of interest, the researcher must hire a private contractor to make copies as desired. NARA does not make copies of film. There are several contractors. For information only, the web-sites of several contractors is given here: http://www.nascc.com; http://www.militaryunits.com; http://www.kvt.com. Some of these contractors also provide personal research services.