Collections

Diplomacy isn't what most people think it is. If your idea of diplomacy is someone sitting around a table signing treaties, you may be surprised by the stories told through NMAD’s collection of more than 10,000 items. Diplomacy is dynamic, hands-on, and happens in unlikely places.

NMAD is the only museum in the nation dedicated to collecting diplomacy. Our growing collection is a testament to the fact that diplomacy has made a big impact on our lives and on our nation’s history. Explore our collection and discover how it brings the stories of diplomacy to life.

Collection Highlights

2023 Wrapped: Our Favorite New Additions to Our Collection

December 21, 2023

With 2023 coming to a close, the National Museum of American Diplomacy is reflecting on a successful year building the museum’s collections. Here are a…
Preserving our Oldest Gift to a Secretary of State

November 16, 2023

Preserving our collection is one of NMAD’s top priorities. Recently, NMAD restored the oldest diplomatic gift we have: a book given to Secretary of State John Hay in 1901.
The August 7, 1998, East Africa Embassy Bombings

August 3, 2023

On August 7, 1998, at 10:30 am, truck bombs exploded at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing more than 200 people and wounding more…
A Piece of the 1968 Attack on U.S. Embassy, Saigon

May 4, 2023

This fragment of the original granite wall surrounding the U.S. embassy compound in Saigon bears the evidence of the January 31, 1968, Tet Offensive attack.