Department of State Publications

The U.S. Department of State Digests provides some of the best sources for U.S. practice in international law.

Department of State Digests include analysis as well as excerpts from documents (e.g. treaties).

The Digest of United States Practice in International Law (1973-1988, 2000-) is the most recent digest; it had not been published in some years, but was revived in 2000 by a commercial publisher working with the Department of State. The documents cited in the print volume are available on the State Department's web site. The American Journal of International Law updates the Digest with a feature called “Contemporary Practice of the United States Relating to International Law.”

Earlier digests are important for historical research:

• M.M. Whiteman, Digest of International Law (covers 1940-1960).
• G.H. Hackworth, comp., Digest of International Law (covers 1906-1939).
• J.B.Moore, comp. A Digest of International Law.(covers 1776-1906).
• Francis Wharton, ed., Digest of the International Law of the United States (1886).
• John L. Cadwalader, comp., Digest of Published Opinions of the Attorneys-General and of the Leading Decisions of the Federal Courts, with Reference to International Law, Treaties, and Kindred Subjects (1877).

In addition to these digests, the Department of State publishes several compilations of documents that provide useful sources for research in foreign relations and U.S. practice:

Foreign Relations of the United States presents “the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity of the U.S. government.” Unfortunately, there is a time lag of more than twenty years. Some volumes are available on the web.

U.S. Department of State Dispatch (which continued the U.S. Department of State Bulletin) published speeches, policy statements, fact sheets and other foreign policy information; it ceased publication in December 1999. This information is now available on the Department of State’s website . Back issues of the Dispatch are available on the archived Department of State’s website . Both publications are also available in the subscription databases LexisNexis (GENFED;DSTATE) and Westlaw (USDPTSTDIS).