Crime, Mystery and Intrigue at the National Archives

Our nation has always encouraged the spread of knowledge and one of the ways it has made a commitment to this ideal is by creating the National Archives to keep our country’s most important and historically relevant documents.  Whether you would like to see original documents dating back from the Revolutionary War, important letters written by presidents or documents created by ordinary folks during important historical periods such as the Civil War, the National Archive is the place to visit.

In its quest to ensure that its documents enrich American’s lives, the public is invited to view practically all of its archives.  Unfortunately, being so vast and encompassing, sometimes this access can lead to vandalism and theft of valuable documents.  One incredible incident written about in Smithsonian Magazine includes extremely valuable letters, a Civil War enthusiast and Ebay.  If you love mystery, intrigue and priceless National Archive historical documents, this real life crime caper should not be missed.

The mystery in question takes place when a Civil War enthusiast finds priceless letters for sale available on Ebay, however after careful research, the letters should not be in the hands of a private collector, but the National Archive.  For more information on how this crime caper plays out, visit the Smithsonian Magazine at the following link:  http://www.smithsonianmag.com

Daredevil, Black Holes, National Archives, Wrigley Field

The National Archives: To Catch a Thief

The National Archives store some of the most priceless and historically relevant documents ever created. While the National Archives tries to offer the public as much access as possible, there are always risks of thievery and damage. One such story of thievery is actually quite intriguing and includes aspects of a birthday gift, EBay and priceless Civil War documents.

For those interested in the Civil War, letters written by soldiers are some of the most insightful documents available for understanding the psyche of these soldiers and of the times. Because of their value, these documents can fetch tens of thousands of dollars on the open market. The National Archive has been collecting the most important documents pertaining to the Civil War from the very beginning and its archives are sometimes so vast that little is known about every document that is archived.

While browsing on EBay for a birthday present for his Civil War buff’s brother, Dean Thomas came across incredible Civil War Letters. Immediately concerned as to why know one knew these letters existed, he and his brother started to look intently at the offering and the seller. What happens next is an interesting story that involves the National Archives, federal agents and the expertise of Civil War historians. You can read more about this extraordinary story of how to catch a thief at Smithsonian’s Magazine site at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com

National Archives, The Phantom of the Opera, Glacier National Park, Cleopatra

The National Archives: Catching a Thief

Who would expect that browsing through eBay could involve them in a major government sting operation? But that’s exactly what happened to eBay shopper and Civil War buff Dean Thomas. When he recognized an eBay seller’s offerings as documents that belonged in the National Archives, he got into something a bit bigger than he expected.

Dean’s relationship with the National Archives started with his brother, Jim. Searching for a gift for his Civil War-loving brother, Jim came across some Civil War letters for sale on eBay. Wanting to make sure Dean would like them, he had his brother take a look before buying. Dean loved the letters… but felt a bit strange about them. How had he never heard of them before?

Then Dean started to look a little more deeply into this particular seller’s offerings. Among them was another letter-- and this one Dean recognized. Sifting through his files, he found a photocopy he’d made years ago of the very same Civil War letter. He’d made the copy while looking through historical materials at the National Archives... after all, he couldn’t take it with him, as taking documents from the National Archives is illegal.

Dean immediately understood that the National Archives had been robbed. Comparing his files to the eBay seller’s documents, Dean found that he had copies from the National Archives for a total of four documents. But the big question was, how much had this seller stolen?

Answering it would turn out to be the hard part. Upon discovering the crime, Dean called the National Archives and spoke with a special agent. While they had a good idea of who the suspect was --after all, his full name and address were part of his eBay account-- what they didn’t know was how much had been stolen. The National Archives doesn’t have a full record of what’s in the archives-- anything could have been missing.

Soon, Dean was pulled into a sting operation for the National Archives. The agent asked him to contact the suspect, Denning McTague, to request to meet to discuss buying more letters. And on an early morning in October, 2006, a team of federal raiders and representatives from the National Archives swarmed McTague’s Philadelphia apartment. McTague wasn’t home, and, somewhat anticlimactically, the National Archives and the raiders got a quick confession out of McTague over the phone.

It turns out McTague worked as an intern at the National Archives for several months. His supervisor even remembers McTague showing him some of the more interesting documents he came across-- many of which were part of the 164 (or more) documents he ended up stealing.

McTague wasn’t the first to steal from the National Archives, and probably won’t be the last. To learn more about the National Archives --including what else has gone missing-- visit the Smithsonian Magazine Website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/