The "Foreign Relations Series" comprises collections of official papers relating to United States foreign relations, including diplomatic correspondence both to and from foreign governments and their representatives and to and from U.S. representatives abroad. The series is listed in the catalogs of the Columbia University Libraries as:
U.S. Dept. of State. Foreign relations of the United States. Diplomatic papers, 1861- . Washington, DC: Govt. Printing Office, 1862- . Annual.
In Butler Library (off-site), volumes for the years prior to 1948 are included in the "U. S. Serial Set" and the appropriate serial number for the year in question must be obtained from various printed indexes to U.S. government publications, or from a list of the series volumes in this bibliography. Volumes from 1948 onward are classed together under the call number: J2233.A3. In addition to the Butler Library off-site location, partial sets are located in the International Law Library, Lehman Library and Barnard College Library. Consult CLIO for holdings.
For the period prior to 1861, similar material was contained in various congressional documents and may be located through the Checklist of U.S. government publications or through the index by Adelaide Hasse noted below. Papers from the first fourteen Congresses are brought together in the first six volumes (designated as "Foreign Relations") of the American State Papers. (Butler Stacks 328.734 Serial no.01-038)
Indexes to the "Foreign Relations Series" have been published for the years 1861-99 and 1900-18; copies of these indexes will be found in the Butler Reference Department. An additional index for the 1939-45 period has been published as:
U.S. Dept. of State. The cumulated index to the U.S. Department of State papers relating to the foreign relations of the United States, 1939-45. Millwood, N.I., Kraus, 1980. 2v. R341.273 Un3 (also in Lehman: JX233.A3 Index)
For the period 1828-61, the following work provides indexing to a broad range of publications relating to United States foreign affairs:
Hasse, Adelaide R. Index to United States documents relating to foreign affairs, 1828-1861. Washington, DC: Carnegie Inst., 1914-21. 3v. R341.273 H2761
The Hasse compilation provides indexing of relevant reports of Congress (i.e., House and Senate Documents, House and Senate Reports, and House and Senate Journals), the Senate Executive Journal for diplomatic and consular appointments and treaty ratifications; opinions of the Attorneys General for decisions on questions of international controversy; Statutes at Large for acts and resolutions relating to international affairs; the Congressional Globe for speeches and correspondence; and references to British Parliamentary Papers, as applicable.
United States. Department of State. The Foreign Relations of the United States in the Serial Set 328.734