Website: Introduction to Comparative Politics: Treaties

Top Resources

Treaties in Force (TIF)
An official government publication which provides an index to treaties currently in force to which the U.S. is a party.

Treaties and Other Interational Agreements of the United States of America, 1776-1949 (Bevans)
CC Gov Docs S 9.12/2 v.1-13
The definitive publication of treaties to which the U.S. was a party from 1776-1949. Volume 13 provides an index by subject and country. Often called Bevans after its author, Charles Bevans.

World Treaty Index at the University of Michigan This link opens in a new window
Merges several well-known treaty indexes and aims to cover all 20th-century treaty agreements.
Treaties and Other International Agreements (TIAS) This link opens in a new window
First official publication of text of treaties and agreements (slip form); lag time of about 8-9 years before publication.
U.S. Treaties and Other International Agreements (UST) This link opens in a new window
The official texts for U.S. treaties (following publication in TIAS). Lag time of about 10-20 years. At Carleton, these are published in Lexis Nexis Academic.

Other places to look for treaties

Senate Executive Reports
The report from the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on whether or not the treaty should be ratified. Includes the treaty text. Available at

GPO Access (1995 forward)
LexisNexis Congressional Indexes (1970 forward).

Senate Treaty Documents
These are the text of treaties sent by the Senate to the President for ratification. Access these through links below.

GPO Access (1995 forward)
Senate website (1975 forward).
LexisNexis Congressional Indexes (1970 forward)

Treaty Affairs
Access treaties recently received by Congress and links to other official treaty sources.

Call the Office of the Legal Advisor, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520; phone (202) 647-1345

U.S. Department of State Bulletin
CC Gov Docs S 1.3:
Contains some full-text treaties and information about treaties. Scope: 1939-1989.

U.S. Department of State Dispatch
CC Gov Docs S 1.3/5:
Continues the Department of State Bulletin with updates on current treaty actions. Scope 1990-1999. Continue at various online State Department sites including

The Office of the Legal Adviser

THOMAS This link opens in a new window
In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, legislative information from the Library of Congress.
Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy (Yale University) This link opens in a new window
An extensive collection of digital documents relevant to the fields of law, history, economics, politics, diplomacy and government covering time periods from pre-18th Century to the 20th Century. Links to supporting documents are also provided. Documents include charters, constitutions, declarations, diplomatic documents, papers, speeches and treaties.
GPO Access This link opens in a new window
GPO Access is a service of the U.S. Government Printing Office that provides free electronic access to a wealth of important information products produced by the Federal Government. The information provided on this site is the official, published version and the information retrieved from GPO Access can be used without restriction, unless specifically noted.
Type: Full text
Coverage: Varies
Access: Publicly accessible without restriction
LexisNexis Congressional This link opens in a new window
The report from the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on whether or not the treaty should be ratified. Includes the treaty text. (1970 forward)
Senate website This link opens in a new window
These are the text of treaties sent by the Senate to the President for ratification. (1975 forward)

Treaties to which the U.S. is not a party

Council of Europe This link opens in a new window
Treaties to 1947.
LexisNexis Academic Universe This link opens in a new window
Go to "Sources" and select "Treaties and International Agreements". Particularly useful: "International Legal Materials".
European Union Treaties This link opens in a new window
Includes treaties establishing the EU plus essential documents.
Organization of American States This link opens in a new window
The depository for agreements between American states. Scope: 1947 forward.
United Nations Treaty Database This link opens in a new window
The UN and League of Nation Treaty Series, multilateral treaties deposited with the UN, monthly statements of treaties and international agreements, treaty reference, and more.