United States Treaties

If a treaty is between 1776 and 1949, check Bevans
If a treaty is more recent than 1949, check Treaties in Force
For current information about treaties: contact the Office of the Legal Advisor, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520; phone (202) 647-1345; Web page (http://www.state.gov/s/l/)

Treaties in Force: A List of Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States (TIF). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Annual. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref JX236 1929c) Latest ed. LOCATION: Internet (http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS4126) An index to treaties to which the United States is a party that are currently in force Text of treaties available in United States Treaties and Other International Agreements (UST) and Treaties and Other International Acts Series (TIAS) Arrangement: Bilateral (by country and subject) and Multilateral (by subject) Note: if a listing refers to TIAS, but gives no number, the treaty has not been published For unpublished treaties and agreements, see Senate Treaty Documents, Senate Executive Reports, the Congressional Record, or contact the Office of the Legal Advisor (State Department).

Thomas. LOCATION: Internet (http://thomas.loc.gov/ and http://congress.gov/): Provides information on the status of treaties for 94th Congress to present. Links to GPO Access for text of treaties 104th Congress to present.

Treaties and Other International Acts Series (TIAS). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc S 9.10:) Pamphlet or "slip" form of treaties Expect 5-10 year time lag before publication Generally cited as TIAS Later the treaties will be published in the bound set UST

United States Treaties and Other International Agreements (UST). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc S 9.12:) The official series for texts of United States Treaties Published annually since 1950 Expect a 10-20 year time lag before publication Generally cited as UST Before publication in UST, treaties are available in TIAS

Senate Treaty Documents Series (TD). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc Serial Set) LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc Y 1.1/4:) (selected) LOCATION: Morris Library - Microforms (U.S. Doc Microfiche Y 1.1/4:) LOCATION: Internet (via Thomas) LOCATION: Internet (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/cdocuments/index.html) LOCATION: Library Databases (via LexisNexis Congressional/CIS Index) [restricted to UD]: Treaty documents (treaty doc) contain the text of treaties sent by the President for Senate ratification. Treaty documents are referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. This series is important because it is often the first place a treaty is published. Became part of the United States Congressional Serial Set, beginning with the 97th Congress (1981). Prior to the 97th Congress, see Senate Executive Documents. Indexed by: LexisNexis Congressional/CIS Index, MarciveWeb DOCS, and Thomas. Selected individual treaties can be located in DELCAT -- searchable by keywords in the treaty title.

Senate Executive Reports. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc Serial Set) LOCATION: Morris Library - Microforms (U.S. Doc Microfiche Y 1.1/6:) LOCATION: Internet (via Thomas) LOCATION: Internet (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/index.html) LOCATION: Library Databases (via LexisNexis Congressional/CIS Index) [restricted to UD]: The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations report to the Senate, recommending whether the treaty should be ratified. Contains the text of the treaty. Included in the the Serial Set since the 97th Congress (1980). Indexed by: LexisNexis Congressional/CIS Index.

Senate Executive Documents. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc Serial Set): Contain the text of treaties sent by the President for Senate ratification. Also known as Executive (Lettered) Documents because they are identified by letter. Beginning with the 97th Congress in 1981, Executive Documents are called Treaty Documents. Indexed by: LexisNexis Congressional/CIS Index.

Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of America, 1776-1949. (Bevans) 13 vols. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1968-1976.
LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc S 9.12/2:): This set includes the text of treaties from 1776 to 1949. It is the definitive series for United States treaties (meaning treaties to which the United States was a signatory.) Exception: text of the Treaty of Versailles is included, even though it was never ratified by the United States. Volume 13 is an index by subject and country. Generally cited as "Bevans," after its editor, Charles I. Bevans. Largely replaces two earlier sets of treaties: Treaty Series, 1908-1945, which the library does not own, and Executive Agreements Series, 1929-1945 (the Library has May 1930 to 1945, U.S. Doc S 9.8:).

Office of the Legal Adviser. Department of State.
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.state.gov/s/l/): Contact the Office of the Legal Adviser, Washington, DC 20520; phone (202) 647-1345.

Multilaterals Project.
LOCATION: Internet (http://fletcher.tufts.edu/multilaterals.html): A project from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts.

The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School.
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm): Excellent site for full text of selected documents, dating from earliest times to the twentieth century. See the "American Diplomacy" collections.

U.S. Department of State Bulletin. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. 1939 -1989. LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc S 1.3:): The official record of United States foreign policy, issues contain information about treaties and contain reprints of important treaties. Continued in part by Dispatch.

U.S. Department of State Dispatch. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. 1990 - 1999. LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc S 1.3/5:) LOCATION: Internet (http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS1701): Indexes and describes current treaty actions. Continues the U.S. Department of State Bulletin. Continued by various State Department Web pages, such as Office of the Legal Adviser.

Duke University School of Law Library. Research Guides: Treaties.
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.law.duke.edu/lib/ResearchGuides/treaties.html)

Hoffman, Marci. Researching U.S. Treaties and Agreements.
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.llrx.com/features/ustreaty.htm)

Sears, Jean L. and Marilyn K. Moody. Using Government Information Sources: Electronic and Print. 3d ed. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 2001. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref Z1223 .Z7 S4 2001) Reference Desk

GPO Access. Congressional Documents: About.
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/cdocuments/about.html)

This page is maintained by Rebecca Knight, Reference Department.
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Version: 5/2005
Last modified: 05/11/05

United States Treaties: