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Eisenhower, Kennedy, And America's Covert Military Operations In Laos, Russell Stevenson

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Summer 1963: Roger Hilsman's plane pierced the clouds to reveal the Plaines des Jarres, a flat area strewn with the remains of age-old rock jars. The plains below showed signs of the batterings of war: slit trenches, bunkers, and a network of roads. The weather was dry and arid, and the terrain resembled a ghost town in the American West more than the "land of a million elephants"-an allusion to the tremendous war machine of a medieval Lao king.

"Across The Atlantic": How World War Ii Changed British Public Opinion Of Americ, Lexi Edgar

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

It was July 4,1951. Exactly 175 years earlier, America had boldly proclaimed its independence from Great Britain and entered a fierce and desperate struggle to separate itself from the mother country. Yet on this day, reminiscent of the division of the two nations, Americans and Brits came together in London to celebrate their unity. They gathered to dedicate the Roll of Honor, a book containing the names of the 28,000 American soldiers who gave their lives in Great Britain during World War II.

A Method To The Madness Iraqi Strategy And Diplomacy In The Persian Gulfwar, James D. Smith

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Most Americans are familiar with the essentials of the Persian Gulf War: Iraq invaded Kuwait, triggering a massive buildup of American troops in Saudi Arabia. These troops eventually invaded Kuwait and drove out the Iraqis, who fled in terror before the American juggernaut. Beyond this, few Americans know much. The war is, perhaps, too recent to have developed the wide interest that currently exists in older conflicts such as the Civil War or World War II; the textbook-worthy strategies employed by General Norman Schwartzkopf's forces therefore go largely unnoticed by the public at large.

From Compromise To Confrontation: The American Secretary Of State James F. Byrnes And His Attempts To Mitigate Disagreements With The Soviet Union As The Cold War Began, John Karl

Comparative Civilizations Review

James F. Byrnes as United States Secretary of State pursued a policy based on compromise with the Soviet Union during the first year following the end of the Second World War. He was determined to use his political skill for engineering compromise in order to bring about an agreement with the Soviet Union which would lead to an era of peace. While the crucial question facing American policymakers in the wake of World War II was the creation of a new world order, a most important part of this question was the future of American-Soviet relations, the two nations that …

Apotheosis Of The State And The Decline Of Civilization: A Systems Approach, Robert Bedeski

Comparative Civilizations Review

Humanity is undergoing a second Axial Age. The first, as described by Karl Jaspers, brought transcendence into the vision and self-understanding of humans and the world. The rise of secularism and “Death of God” is dissolving and fragmenting that transcendence — a vital subsystem of the civilization system. Economy, knowledge and government comprise three additional subsystems and have coalesced to form the modern sovereign state, diminishing the traditional place of religion, art and philosophy in civilizations. An example of a state lacking common institutions of transcendence was the Mongol empire. Ruling Russia for a quarter millennium, its state form was …

Swiss Impact

Swiss American Historical Society Review

SWISS IMPACT highlights Switzerland's positive impact across the United States. We invite you to learn more about Swiss innovation, economic relations, sustainability, our culture, and the international partnership with the United States.

2022 Tell Award For Scientific Achievement And Cooperation, C. Naseer Ahmad

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Each year, the Swiss Embassy in the United States of America awards the Tell Award. This prestigious award is named after the legendary Swiss hero William Tell who symbolizes the struggle for political and individual freedom because he overcame the tyrannical rule of Albrecht Gessler who terrorized Swiss people.

The Americanization Of A Swiss Immigrant: Interviews With Nicholas Von Rotz, Nicholas Von Rotz

Swiss American Historical Society Review

This interview was sponsored by the Association for Northern California Records and Research (as it was called at the time) at California State University, Chico, within the purview of its Oral History Program, called the Northeastern California Project. This association is now the Association for Northern California Historical Research and has granted permission for this interview to be republished by the Swiss American Historical Society.

A Distinguished U.S. Ambassador To Switzerland— Joseph B. Gildenhorn, C. Naseer Ahmad

Swiss American Historical Society Review

For over two hundred years, Switzerland and United States have enjoyed strong bilateral relationship. This relationship has endured so long due to the shared interests and common values. Leadership at governmental and business level in both countries have helped keep the bonds between Switzerland and United States strong and enduring.

Edgar B. Madsen. The Shoestring Letters: A Tribute To The Immigrant, Inger M. Olsen

The Bridge

Edgar Madsen’s parents, Niels and Signe Madsen, left their home and family in Denmark in 1928 to seek their fortune in the United States. For three decades after their emigration, their only contact with their loved ones back home was through letters, which inspired the name of Edgar B. Madsen’s charming, thought-provoking book, The Shoestring Letters: A Tribute to the Immigrant. After being stored in a thatched roof attic for decades, the letters Niels and Signe sent to their loved ones in Jutland came to light when the family cleared out their grandfather’s house; they made their return journey …

From Näfels To The United States: Emigrant Portraits From A Town In Switzerland’S Canton Glarus, Susanne Peter-Kubli

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Only a few, and mainly quite confusing, details are available about Feldmann’s life in Näfels and also about the date of his emigration. It derives, in part, from the fact that two people by the same name were living in Näfels. Both were butchers by profession and both had married women by the last name Müller. Checking the marriage and baptismal records of Näfels finally clarified the matter.

Rita, Rita, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Rita Alkhaledy grew up in Sadr City, a poor suburb of Baghdad. Her father is an Iraqi Arab and her mother was Kurdish Iranian. Her mother lived in fear that she would be cast out of Baghdad as being an outsider in Iraq was frowned upon. Her father served in the Iraqi army in the 80s and was gone a great deal, leading to a strained relationship. Their relationship was mended when her mother died from cancer.

After the Iraq war, Rita and her brothers realized that their lives were in danger. They had to move from house to house …

Walid & Rahima, Walid, Rahima, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Walid worked as a police officer inBaghlan County,Afghanistan, where hedid many operations with NATO and US forces. Walid was responsible for recordingoperations and distributing copies to the media. Being part of the operations was dangerous, and Walid lost many of his friendsto the Taliban.Theyevenskinned afriend for cooperating with the government. The violenceled him to say, “The terrorists have no religion.” The Taliban began entering homes and killing government officials,and paid assassinations happened in public. Walidknew he was in danger.After losing a dear friend, Walid knew then that he had lost all he was willing to lose.He fled to Pakistan where …

Julia Hills Johnson, 1783-1853 My Soul Rejoiced, Linda J. Thayne

Theses and Dissertations

Julia Hills Johnson, the 48-year-old wife of Ezekiel Johnson and mother of sixteen children, found spiritual fulfillment in the doctrines of a new religion called Mormonism. Her baptism in 1831 was a simple act that ultimately led her halfway across the American continent, and strained her marital relationship, yet filled her with a sense of spiritual contentment. Julia's commitment to her faith, her tenacity, self-determination and willingness to take risks to participate in this new religious movement sets her apart from other nineteenth-century farm women in New England and New York. Julia's religiosity was self-determined and tenacious. She chose to …

Economic Complementarity And Political Solidarity: Concerning The Sources Of The First Treaty Of 1850 Between Switzerland And The United States, Cédric Humair

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The Civil War known as the Sonderbund and the institutionalization of the Federal State, in 1848, do not solely constitute important historical milestones in Swiss domestic politics. These events, which mark the advent of a modern Switzerland, also had repercussions upon Swiss international politics and diplomacy and, in particular, upon relations with the United States of America. Beginning in 1850, the new liberal-radical authorities concluded a General Convention of Friendship, Reciprocal Establishments, Commerce, and for the Surrender of fugitive Criminals with the "sister Republic."' For the first time in their histories, the two countries regulated several spheres of their relations …

The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints In National Periodicals, 1982-1990, Matthew E. Morrison

Theses and Dissertations

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has continued to receive exposure in national periodicals. This thesis will explore that image from 1982 to 1990. During those years, the church continued to grow in membership and expand its existing programs.

National periodicals can assist in assessing the public image of the Church because they help "mould public attitudes by presenting facts and views on issues in exactly the same way at the same time throughout the entire country." In this manner, they help to form the public opinion about the Church. They also reflect existing opinions because magazine publishers …

My Re-Americanization, Willard R. Garred

The Bridge

They met in Tivoli, Copenhagen, Denmark. Ray Garred was a United States Navy sailor with a squadron of battleships sent by President William Howard Taft on a goodwill tour of England, the Scandinavian capitals, and Kronstadt, St. Petersburg's port city and Russian naval base. She was a Danish girl, Olavia Frederiksen, who had spent four years in the United States as a domestic servant and had learned English in an evening school for immigrants. The year was 1911, summer time. Tivoli, as many tourists know, is a natural place for visitors to Copenhagen to congregate, and it was where a …

A Business Economist With Swiss Heritage Looks At Switzerland, Donald P. Hilty

Swiss American Historical Society Review

For many in the United States, the word "Switzerland" conjures up pleasant thoughts of cows, mountains, Heidi, democracy -- maybe also a proud heritage and some dear friends -- but, perhaps, a country that is a bit dull. The purpose here is to alert this audience: Switzerland is not dull. It is in the big leagues of international business. This small country in the middle of Europe has gained the stature of an economic giant, not just in relation to its size but in absolute terms.

Book Review: Schattenkrieg Gegen Hitler: Das Dritte Reich Im Visier Der Amerikanischen Geheimdienste, Christof Muenger

Swiss American Historical Society Review

In the 1980' s the United States government decided to declassify the files of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) which was the organization preceding the CIA. Christoph Mauch, a German historian and Deputy Director of the German Historical Institute in Washington, DC, thoroughly studied the numerous now available documents. His research in the National Archives as well as in various other archives in the United States and Europe resulted in his Habilitationsschrift [a scholar's second study after the doctoral dissertation to make one eligible for a university position in Germany]. A shortened and revised version of the study has …

Book Review: Überfahrten. Das Leben Der Margaretha Reibold (1809-1893) In Briefen. Zürich, Leo Schelbert

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The publication of Margaretha Mezger Reibold is a most welcome addition to the growing body of primary sources that highlight the migratory experiences of women. In a letter dated March 31, 1877, the historian, editor, and diplomat Heinrich Gelzer (1813-1889) of Basel had asked "his beloved friend,,: "Write for me a survey of the course of your life, inner and outer experiences, in the framework of six to seven letters,,(23). He labeled his proposal as "a Sunday task that I will enjoy and that will be beneficial to you,, (23 ). He even suggested the main chapter titles: " 1 …

Dorothea Lange In Utah, 1936-1938: A Portrait Of Utah's Great Depression, James R. Swensen

Theses and Dissertations

In his 1978 biography of Dorothea Lange, Milton Meltzer appraised Lange's 1936 photography in Utah as nothing more than mundane work done for the benefit of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) and not for her own benefit as a photographer. Yet, her work in Utah encapsulates the aspirations, goals, and styles of Lange, and gives insight into her vision as a photographer and representative of the New Deal. Through carefully composed photographs, Lange shows the hardships and hope of life in Utah during the Great Depression.

This thesis investigates Lange's photographs in order to gain a greater understanding of the …

Becoming Mormon Men: Male Rites Of Passage And The Rise Of Mormonism In Nineteenth-Century America, Bruce R. Lott

Theses and Dissertations

The evidence presented in this thesis supports a view of the first Mormon men as coming from the agrarian majority of early nineteenth-century American farmers and artisans who embraced a set of manly ideals that differed significantly, in many ways, from those embraced by their middle-class contemporaries. These men's life writings attest to boyhood experiences of working alongside their fathers as soon as they were physically able, and subsequently of acting as substitute farmers and breadwinners as well as being put out to work outside the direct supervision of their fathers. Such experiences enabled them to frequently follow in the …

The Bicameral Form Of The 1787 Constitution Of The United States As A Model For The Formation Of The Swiss Federal State In 1848, Simon Netzle

Swiss American Historical Society Review

In 1848, the year of the creation of the present-day form of the Swiss Confederation, Switzerland adopted some of the main elements of the American constitution: the federal constitution and the bicameral legislative. This happened not only for practical reasons to unite the conservative and the liberal cantons after the Sonderbund War in 1847, but was rather the result of a particular Swiss perception of America which had prevailed since the late Enlightenment when the United States of America were regarded as an identical Sister Republic. In this way, Switzerland was given an adequate example of identification for its own …

Utopian Marriage In Nineteenth-Century America: Public And Private Discourse, Brenda Olsen Andrus

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a rhetorical analysis of utopian discourse about marriage in mid-nineteenth-century America. Although utopian communities are usually approached within the fields of history and sociology, a rhetorical analysis adds to the discussion by uncovering the discursive complexity of marriage beliefs within a rapidly changing culture. Discursive features of the Shaker, Oneida Community and Latter-day Saint texts are outlined and compared according to the following format:

Chapter One examines the textures of conflict within the dominant culture's views of marriage and gender roles in nineteenth-century America, with a brief overview of reform efforts of the day. This chapter provides …

Translation Of An Article From The Liestal Newspaper 21 October 1915

Swiss American Historical Society Review

When a mother with four small children travelled to America, the eldest of which was barely over seven, and the youngest was still hanging on her back -- it was indeed a daring endeavor. It would have been worthy of mention even in peacetime.

Swiss-Americans In The 1990 Census, Terry Johnson

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Over one million Americans claim Swiss ancestry according to the 1990 ethnic data recently released by the U.S. Census. While this is up 6.5% over the 1980 figure, the Swiss remain a very small ethnic group, accounting for less than half a percent of total U.S. population. Nevertheless, the new data makes the 1990 census the first in which the Swiss pass the million population mark.

Transatlantic Connections: Nordic Migration To The New World After 1800, Hans Norman, Harald Runblom, George Nielsen, Reviewer

The Bridge

Transatlantic Encounters is actually two books in one. The first half of the study, written by Hans Norman, describes the conditions in Europe, while the second part, written by Harald Runblom, describes the immigrants in America. Instead of limiting the topic to Scandinavians (Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes), Norman and Runblom identify their subjects as Nordic, in order to include the Finns and Icelanders. Relying heavily on earlier research, and following the usual stages of migration history, the authors have produced a survey of the migration from these five countries to the United States.

Danish Perceptions And West Indian Realities: Slavery In The Danish West Indies, Karen Fog Olwig

The Bridge

The year 1987 marked the 70th anniversary of the sale of the Danish West Indies to the United States of America. With the sale of the three small islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John, Denmark had disposed of all her tropical colonies, which at one time had included possessions on the Gold Coast in Africa, the present Ghana, and in southeastern India, most importantly Trankebar.

From Scandinavia To America: Proceedings From A Conference Held At Gi. Holtegaard, Peter L. Petersen, Reviewer

The Bridge

In early September 1983, scholars from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the United States gathered at Gammel Holtegaard, north of Copenhagen, for a three-day conference on Scandinavian emigration to the United States. Because a majority of the papers presented at the conference deal with elements of the Danish experience, readers of The Bridge should welcome this belated publication of the proceedings made possible by a grant from the Danish Research Council for the Humanities.

Language Transition And Danish Children's Schools In The U.S., Ejnar Farstrup

The Bridge

Very few Danish immigrants who came to the United States just prior to and immediately following the beginning of the Twentieth Century were acquainted with the English language. Immigrants of every ethnic group have countless tales, some comic and some rather serious, of the difficulties which befell them. Years after their arrival, most of them could regale themselve at length with stories of misinterpretations and the blending of language from their own experiences. A good sense of humor carried most of them through. Others succumbed to a nostalgia which drove them back to the homeland. Still others, who might have …