Although the National Archives Building was nearly completed in 1935, the Rotunda sat empty. The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were still at the Library of Congress.
Then, on December 13, 1952, an armored Marine Corps personnel carrier made its way down Constitution Avenue, accompanied by two light tanks, four servicemen carrying submachine guns, and a motorcycle escort. A color guard, ceremonial troops, the Army Band, and the Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps were also part of the procession. Members of all the military branches lined the street.
Inside the personnel carrier were six parchment documents. The records were in helium-filled glass cases packed inside wooden crates resting on mattresses.
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were finally going to the National Archives.
