Henry Buhl Library: U.S. Military History: Korean War

Encyclopedias, Books & Documentary Films

The Encyclopedia of the Korean War: a Political, Social, and Military History
Call Number: Ref DS 918 .E53 2010 v.1-3
Volumes 1 and 2 of this encyclopedia include entries on a variety of subjects and persons related to the Korean War. Volume 3 is a collection of primary documents, including public addresses, government documents, telegrams, reports, etc.
Encyclopedia of Conflicts since World War II
Provides historical background, key dates, names of participants, type of conflict, and small bibliographies for wars and conflicts fought since WWII.
The Roots and Consequences of 20th-Century Warfare
Call Number: D 431 .T83 2016
This unique reference book introduces readers to the causes and effects of the 20th century's most significant conflicts and explains how the impact of these conflicts still resonates today.
Postwar America
Call Number: Ref E 169.12 .P654 2007 v. 1-4
Provides detailed coverage of all the remarkable developments within the United States during this period, as well as their dramatic impact on the rest of the world. Covers specific persons, groups, concepts, events, geographical locations, organizations, and cultural and technological phenomena.

World at War: Conflict and Society This link opens in a new window
Provides information and insights into military conflicts, covering all time periods and regions. Includes essays, timelines, images, and primary sources.
Salem History Online This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to the Great Lives & Great Events encyclopedias as well as the Decades in America series (1920's through the 2000's), and the Defining Documents series.

American National Biography This link opens in a new window
Contains over 19,000 biographies of significant, influential, or notorious figures from American history written by prominent scholars. The American National Biography (ANB) is the successor to The Dictionary of American Biography (DAB).
Biography Reference Bank This link opens in a new window
Contains a searchable collection of over 35,000 images as well as biographical profiles, feature articles, interviews, essays, book reviews, speeches, or obituaries.
Salem History Online This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to the Great Lives & Great Events encyclopedias as well as the Decades in America series (1920's through the 2000's), and the Defining Documents series.

Suggested search terms

Korean War, 1950-1953
Korea -- History -- 1945-
United States -- Foreign relations -- 1945-1953
United States -- Politics and government -- 1945-

Find War Documentaries

Search for War (Nonfiction)

Highlighted Titles

The Korean War
Call Number: DVD 780-781
Korea: the Forgotten War
Call Number: DVD 778

HENRY
The Library Catalog

Journal Article Databases

America: History and Life This link opens in a new window
Covers the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present with indexing for 1,700 journals from as far back as 1910
Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Contains citations and abstracts for articles from 2,300+ academic journals back to 1955 for world history (excluding US and Canada) from 1450 to present
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Archival Database of full text scholarly journal articles
Military & Government Collection This link opens in a new window
Offers full text of 300+ journals providing current news and information pertaining to all branches of the military and government.
Project Muse This link opens in a new window
Large collection of full-text scholarly articles and books supporting research in the humanities and social sciences.
Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
Covers a wide range of subject matter in both popular and scholarly periodicals.
Academic Search Complete is a comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 5,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 4,600 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 9,500 journals and nearly 10,000 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. This scholarly collection offers unmatched full text coverage of information in many areas of academic study including: animal science, anthropology, area studies, astronomy, biology, chemistry, civil engineering, electrical engineering, ethnic & multicultural studies, food science & technology, general science, geography, geology, law, materials science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, music, pharmaceutical sciences, physics, psychology, religion & theology, veterinary science, women's studies, zoology, and many other fields. Academic Search Complete offers critical information from many sources unique to this massive collection. The database features PDF content going back as far as 1887, with the majority of full text titles in native (searchable) PDF format. Searchable cited references are provided for 1,000 journals.

Journal articles are very specific.

Finding articles is easier after you have read up on your topic.

Use more than one article database.

No database searches everything.
For thorough research, use more than one database and try different search terms.

A to Z List of Journals
Always check the A to Z list to see if we have access to the journal title and date of publication you need!

Need an article that isn't full text? Access the request form below.

Document Delivery Forms

Remember, scholarship is international.

You may come across some great articles in which the titles (and thus the articles) are not in English.

So, when you can, it is a good idea to limit your searches to articles in English.

Primary Sources

Defining Documents in American History: The 1950s (1950-1959)
Call Number: E 813 .A19 2016
This important resource provides students and researchers new insights into the 1950s in the U.S., through an in-depth analysis of forty important primary source documents and their lasting effect on American history.
Understanding U. S. Military Conflicts Through Primary Sources
Call Number: Ref E 181 .U53 2016 v. 1-4
* Covers benchmark documents in U.S. diplomatic and military history from 14 conflicts.
Voices from the Korean War: Personal Stories of American, Korean, and Chinese Soldiers
Call Number: DS 921.6 .P37 2004
According to the publisher, "culled from letters, diaries, and oral histories by soldiers, sailors, marines, and supporting citizens, these fifty stories constitute an astonishing historical record, a powerful tribute to those who fought, and a celebration of the enduring power of the words of few to speak for many."
Korean War in Color
Call Number: DVD 772
Features : Marilyn Monroe in Korea, soldier home movies from the front, timeline, gun camera compilation, Korean War Veterans' Memorial, biographies of Truman, MacArthur and Eisenhower, photo slide show, interactive menus, declassified footage and more.

The Korean War and its Origins: 1945-1953
Access memos, messages, reports, and other primary sources related to the Korean War (from Harry S. Truman Library & Museum).
National Security Archive
Some highlighted document collections are: CIA's Vietnam histories; JFK and the Diem Coup; Fighting the War in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973; Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 40 Years Later; & Intelligence and Vietnam: the top secret 1969 State Department study.
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"An independent non-governmental research institute and library located at The George Washington University, the Archive collects and publishes declassified documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The Archive also serves as a repository of government records on a wide range of topics pertaining to the national security, foreign, intelligence, and economic policies of the United States."
Veterans History Project
(Library of Congress) -- First hand accounts from U.S. Veterans representing World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War and the Afghanistan & Iraq conflicts.

Milestone Documents in American History
Includes important primary sources related to American history from 1763 to 2003.
Milestone Documents in American History, 2nd ed.
Call Number: Oversz E 173 .M62 2020 v. 1-4
Includes documents from African American history, women's history, immigration history, as well as 21st-century issues ranging from terrorism to campaign finance to LGBTQ rights. Vol. 1 1619-1831. -- v.2 1832-1898. -- v.3 1901-1956. -- v.4 1957-2019.
Milestone Documents of American Leaders
Call Number: Oversz E 173 .M62 2009 v.1-4
Milestone Documents of American Leaders features important full-text sources written by presidents, jurists, legislators and other influential people who helped shape the nation.

Military & Government Collection This link opens in a new window
Access to journal and magazine articles, books, government documents, speech transcripts, etc. relating to the military and government. Both primary and secondary sources are available here.

Presidential Libraries Websites

American Presidency Project
Call Number: Search HENRY by President as AUTHOR for call numbers
Search the papers of the presidents from George Washington through Joe Biden. Users can search by president, date, keyword, document type, and more.
Foreign Relations of the United States
Volumes since the Truman administration are available online from the Department of State, along with some volumes pre-Truman. 150 volumes in all. Users can browse volumes or by administration.

Search by Author to find

Major Players

Harry S. Truman
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Douglas MacArthur
Matthew B. Ridgway

Search Across Multiple Titles

The New York Times (1851-current) (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Coverage dates: 1851-2007
Coverage dates: 1851-current
GALE Primary Sources (Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
Full-text coverage of The Sunday Times (London, UK : 1822-2006), and The Times (London, UK : 1785-2014), and a collection of 19th-century U.S. newspapers
Readers' Guide Retrospective This link opens in a new window
Provides indexing to over 500 magazines from 1890 to 1982 to support cultural and historical studies.

Individual Journals & Magazines

Time
Coverage: 1923 - Present
Vital Speeches of the Day
Coverage: 1934 - Present
The Nation
"An unabashedly left-wing publication." Coverage: 1865 -- Present (1 month embargo)
The New Republic
Covers "opinion on politics and the arts." Considered to be "solidly middle-of-the-road." Coverage: 1914 -- Present
Harper's
Access the Harper's Archive, 1850 - present. Full text availability.
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Harper’s is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S., beginning in June 1850 when it was launched as Harper's New Monthly Magazine
Congressional Digest
Coverage: 1921 - Present
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
Coverage: 1890-Present via JSTOR (2008 - Present is available via Sage)
Atlantic (sometimes called Atlantic Monthly)
Coverage: 1857 - Present Full-text beginning in 1993 (earlier years available on microfilm).
US News and World Report
Coverage: 1933 - Present. Full-text beginning in 1990 (earlier years available on microfilm).
Current History
Coverage: 1914-2004 (on microfilm)

Suggested search terms

Korean War, 1950-1953
Korea -- History -- 1945-
United States -- Foreign relations -- 1945-1953
United States -- Politics and government -- 1945-

Simply, add "primary source" to your search using the Note field.

Visit the locate primary sources page for a refresher.

HENRY
The Library Catalog