Who's behind the news?
Who's behind the news?
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Newsjunkie.net is a resource guide for journalists. We show who's behind the news, and provide tools to help navigate the modern business of information.
Use of Data
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The Archivio Storico Diplomatico (Historical Diplomatic Archive) of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale, or MAECI) is Italy's central repository for diplomatic records. Located in Rome, it is one of the most important archives for the study of Italian foreign policy, international relations, and European diplomatic history from the Risorgimento through the twentieth century.
The Archive was established following Italian unification in the 1860s to manage the records of the newly created Kingdom of Italy's foreign ministry. It absorbed diplomatic documentation from the pre-unification Italian states, including the Kingdom of Sardinia, whose diplomatic service formed the institutional basis of unified Italy's foreign ministry. Over subsequent decades, the Archive grew to encompass the full range of Italy's diplomatic activities across two world wars, the Fascist period, and the postwar republic.
The Archive holds an extensive array of diplomatic correspondence, treaty texts, political reports from Italian embassies and consulates worldwide, records of international conferences, and documentation of Italy's participation in multilateral organizations. Series of particular historical importance include records from the Congress of Berlin (1878), the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), and Italy's post-World War II peace settlement. The Archive also holds the personal papers of prominent Italian diplomats and foreign ministers.
The diplomatic record contains significant materials related to international press relations, propaganda activities, and Italy's engagement with foreign media throughout the twentieth century. Records from the Fascist era include documentation of Italy's extensive foreign propaganda apparatus, press attaché reports, and correspondence regarding Italy's international image. These sources are of considerable interest to scholars of diplomatic history, media history, and the history of international propaganda.
The Archive is open to accredited researchers. Declassified records are generally accessible following Italian archival law—typically records over 40 years old, or 70 years for sensitive materials. An online catalog provides access to finding aids and inventories. The Archive also manages the published diplomatic documents series I Documenti Diplomatici Italiani.