Records of a State's foreign relations and diplomatic practices

Look at compiled state papers or diplomatic archives. Search LawCat under the following subject headings:[country]--foreign relations; [country]--history--sources.  The materials listed below focus on U.S. sources.

American State Papers: Documents, Legislative and Executive, of the Congress of the United States (38 vols., reprint, Buffalo, NY: W. S. Hein, 1998). This 38 volumes covers 1789-1838. Also all volumes are available on the web.

Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States (Washington, DC: G.P.O., 1861-1931) [available in the Main Library]. Covers 1789-1931. Contains documents, letters, etc. 

Foreign Relations of the United States (Washington, DC: GPO, 1861-). Retrospective coverage. More than a twenty year time lag. Some volumes are available on the State Dept.'s web site and the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections.

A Decade of American Foreign Policy: Basic Documents, 1941-1949 (Washington, DC: GPO, 1985). 

American Foreign Policy: Current Documents (Washington, DC: Historical Division, Bureau of Public Affairs, 1959-1969). Covers 1956-1967. Contains full text documents on fiche (official messages, reports, press statements). 

American Foreign Policy: Basic Documents (Washington, DC: GPO, 1983-). Covers 1977-1980. 

American Foreign Policy: Current Documents (Washington, DC: GPO, 1984-1991). Covers 1981-1991. 

Department of State Bulletin (Washington, DC: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public Affairs, 1939-1989). 

U.S. Department of State, Dispatch (Washington, DC: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public Affairs, 1990-1999). Monthly updates on foreign relations. Also on Westlaw (USDPTSTDIS) and Lexis (Legal > Federal Legal - U.S. > Executive Branch Materials > Department of State Dispatch). Now this information is available on the State Department's web site.

Other countries have similar collections, but they may not be as easy to access. However, some collections are available on the web. For example, Swiss Diplomatic Documents (DDS) provides access to thousands of documents and pieces of information. This site links to collections of diplomatic papers for other countries.

Legislation concerning a country's international obligations

A country's domestic laws also provide evidence of international custom. Yearbooks are also helpful in identifying legislation, see below. Look at session laws, gazettes, statutory laws, and compilations of laws to locate relevant materials (under international law topics). To find session laws and statutory compilations of individual states, search LawCat under the subject: gazettes--[country]; [country]--law; session laws--[country].

See also Robert's Guide to Official Gazettes and Their Contents (Washington, D.C.: Law Library, Library of Congress, 1985).  See also Government Gazettes Online.

Another very good source to use is Reynolds and Flores, Foreign Law: Current Sources of Codes and Legislation in Jurisdictions of the World (Littleton, CO : F.B. Rothman, 1989-). The electronic version of this source is Foreign Law Guide (UCB only).

United Nations Legislative Series (New York: United Nations, 1951-) [UN Room]. Collection of national laws concerning various areas of international law (not complete for every country). For example, see National Laws and Regulations on the Prevention and Suppression of International Terrorism (New York: United Nations, 2002-).

Some countries are putting legislation on the web. See Harvard's collection of foreign law links.

Some legislation is available on LexisNexis and Westlaw.  See the database directories for more information.