National Archives

The National Archives is a location in central Washington, D.C.

Background
A pre-War building that housed an agency that was charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records such as the Declaration of Independence, the Magna Carta, and the Bill of Rights. The Declaration of Independence is in a small room behind a Protectron who claims to be the second signatory of the Declaration, Button Gwinnett.

The building is relatively undamaged, but the documents and records have mostly been destroyed or ruined. It has also become home to super mutants, centaurs, and robots; one of which has a personality. The super mutants have placed many traps around to keep out unwanted visitors.

Layout
The National Archives is in the northeast part of The Mall. It's east of Museum of History and north of Museum of Technology (and their corresponding Museum station exits), across The Mall's battlefield.

The Mall Northeast station is across the street from the back door of the National Archives. The location will be discovered, and fast traveled to and from, via the front door. The Mall Northeast station is just across the underground platform from the Penn. Ave South station entrance, which in turn is a short walk from the Metro Central station.

Entrance
Upon entering the building, there is a terminal mounted on the wall facing the rotunda labeled as National Archives Guess and Win! featuring a mini-game related to American history. The mini-game consists of eight questions. Answering all eight questions correctly awards an archives prize voucher, which may be redeemed at the prize redemption terminal mounted on the same wall. For promotional reasons, one's choice of prize involves three unique Mentats: Glamorously Grape, Brilliantly Berry, and Observantly Orange. Answering a question incorrectly will reset all questions, but one may reattempt with no penalty. When reattempting the mini-game, previously selected answers will appear highlighted. There are also six archives prize vouchers in an Average locked safe in the archives administrator's office.

Rotunda
Opposite the previously mentioned terminals is the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom. Sydney, a relic-hunter, will be waiting in the rotunda, surrounded by a lot of frag mines. She asks for help in fighting off a variety of super mutants, and to avoid the frag mines. Upon reaching her location, super mutants will spawn outside the rotunda, and begin their assault.

After the first group of super mutants is exterminated, another group will appear, possibly wielding miniguns or missile launchers. If Sydney is killed during the assault, one can loot Sydney's 10mm "Ultra" SMG, a unique 10mm submachine gun. One will also have to open the secret elevator manually by accessing Sydney's remote terminal nearby.

After the assault, the Lone Wanderer has the option to partner up with Sydney to find the Declaration of Independence. If selected, she will open the secret elevator, taking one directly to the archival secure wing east, or one may choose to open the secret elevator manually by accessing Sydney's remote terminal nearby. If one retrieves the Declaration of Independence without speaking with her, she will disappear and one will be unable to trade with her in Underworld. To keep Sydney alive, in hopes of obtaining her 10mm "Ultra" SMG, she can wait in the rotunda until one has successfully exterminated super mutants and sentry bots.

In the ladies' restroom on the ground floor of the west wing, a burned corpse is face-down in a toilet with a battery and wires attached to it. If one attempts to activate (drink) the toilet, the player character will be shocked and take 25 points of damage. One may retrieve 35 microfusion cells without taking any harm if one's Repair skill is 20 or higher. The trap itself is fitted inside the toilet tank; walk right up to the tank and activate the microfusion cells.

In the room with the door to the archival strongroom, there is a terminal that has been rigged with a grenade. The back is pried off and there is an antenna sticking out of the top. Several other traps exist in the vicinity, including explosives, swinging engines, battering rams, a swinging bull's head, grenade bouquets, and mines.

National Archives

 * Six archives prize vouchers are located in an Average locked safe in the upstairs room. It may be unlocked by accessing the Administrator Berkeley's terminal.
 * Five pre-War books - One is located near the east wall of the southwest room which contains the vending machine. It will be on the top shelf of the southernmost bookshelf in the row (next to the door leading to stairs going up). Four are located downstairs from that one in the northern part of the map, near the back door to The Mall, in the center of the room on the front bookcase that's leaning over (frag mine explosions may knock these books into unrecoverable locations). These books can be turned into the scribe at the Arlington Library.
 * One copy of Duck and Cover! is located near the northwest corner of the northwest room with all of the bookshelves. The skill book is lying atop a school desk near two missiles. The room contains plenty of empty bookshelves and frag mines. This room also contains four pre-War books, in the middle, all bunched together.

Archives sub-basement

 * A Duck and Cover!, mini nuke and a Stealth Boy at the broken generator behind a Very Hard locked gate in the sub-basement. It is located immediately before entering the archives' secure wing east.
 * One sheet music book is located near the west wall of the first room. It will be on the bottom shelf of an empty metal rack. If explosives go off in the room before it is claimed, it may be under bodies or items that were dislodged in the explosion.

Archival secure wing east

 * One copy of Lying, Congressional Style is located near an archives security safe in the western room. The skill book is lying next to the archive security safe, behind two locked doors (average). This room also contains the Bill of Rights.
 * The Magna Carta is located in an archives security safe in the eastern room. The archives security safe is behind two Average locked doors.

Archival Strongroom

 * The Declaration of Independence is located in an archives security safe. The safe is behind a locked door that may be unlocked by accessing the strongroom security terminal. This room also contains one copy of Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor.
 * Button's wig, a unique headwear, is lying atop Button's supply desk.

Appearances
The National Archives appears only in Fallout 3.

Behind the scenes
The National Archives are based on the real world location of the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.