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Ford Library Textual Collections
National Security Adviser's Files
Explanatory Notes
President Ford’s donated papers include 47 subcollections
created by National Security Advisers Henry Kissinger and Brent Scowcroft,
their immediate staff, and the National Security Council staff. The
subcollections total 340 feet of material, primarily covering 1974-1977
but including significant materials covering portions of President Richard
Nixon's administration. When you read the collection entries, please bear
in mind these points:
- Every collection that is fully open to research has its own finding aid--a
narrative explanation and summation of contents plus a list of folder titles. Finding
aids to collections that are only partially open are less complete and only
list the folder titles that are currently open. Finding aids to open or partially
open collections can be viewed by clicking on collection titles below.
- Collection topics are mentioned selectively in order to illustrate contents.
They are not comprehensive listings.
- A parenthetical date, such as (1971)
1974-1976, means that a small body of material is dated earlier or later
than the bulk of the material.
- Quantities (expressed here in linear feet of
shelf space) can be translated roughly into 1 foot equals 2,000 pages.
- In addition to the National Security Adviser's office files listed below,
the Ford Library also holds the formal institutional records of the Ford
National Security Council.
View list of other Ford Library collections, A-M or N-Z
BACKCHANNEL MESSAGES, 1974-1977 (4
feet)
The file series “Martin Channel,” for especially sensitive communications
between the White House and Ambassador Martin in Saigon, is open. The
subcollection is otherwise closed pending archival processing.
KISSINGER REPORTS ON USSR, CHINA, AND
MIDDLE EAST DISCUSSIONS, 1974-1976 (2
feet)
The subcollection is fully processed. It includes memoranda of
conversations and related materials compiled for President Ford
concerning Secretary Kissinger’s
meetings with leaders of the Soviet Union, China, and Middle Eastern
countries. The files also contain memoranda of conversations from
President Ford’s meetings
with Soviet leaders at the Vladivostok Summit and the Conference
on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), and with Chinese
leaders during his visit to Peking. Meeting summaries, Kissinger’s
reports to the President, briefing papers prepared for Kissinger,
drafts of agreements and communiqués, public statements, press
releases, and press briefing transcripts round out the files. Important
topics of discussion are SALT, CSCE, the Vladivostok Summit, President
Ford’s
visit to China and the normalization process, and the Sinai Disengagement
Agreement between Egypt and Israel.
KISSINGER-SCOWCROFT WEST WING OFFICE FILES,
1974-1977 (16
feet)
Open folders include those on either
China or the Vietnam
War. The subcollection is otherwise closed pending archival processing.
LEGISLATIVE INTERDEPARTMENTAL GROUP FILES, 1971-1974 (1976) (one
foot) The LIG, which was most active 1971-1972, coordinated the
efforts of key agencies to deal with Congress on foreign affairs
and defense matters. Only Vietnam War files are processed and open
The subcollection is otherwise closed pending archival processing.
MEMORANDA OF CONVERSATIONS, 1973-1977 (8
feet)
The subcollection is fully processed. The National Security
Adviser’s staff created, from handwritten notes, transcript-like
records of President Ford’s conversations with foreign officials
and senior U.S. national security officials. The collection includes
similar records for some of President Nixon’s
conversations in 1973, as well.
MICROFILM APERTURE CARDS: Documents filed in PA and WHCF, 1974-1977 (3
feet)
Closed pending archival processing.
NSC DOCUMENT TRACKING SYSTEM: Printouts of tracking logs, 1974-1977 (6
feet)
Closed pending archival processing.
NSC EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC AFFAIRS STAFF: Files, (1969) 1973-1976 (17
feet)
Open folders include those on China,
Taiwan, Micronesia, the Mariana Islands,
or the Vietnam War. The subcollection is otherwise closed pending
archival processing.
NSC EUROPE, CANADA, AND OCEAN AFFAIRS STAFF: Files, 1974-1977 (31
feet)
Open folders include those titled “Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe,” or those on Iceland or Soviet Jewry. The subcollection is otherwise closed pending archival processing.
NSC INFORMATION LIAISON WITH COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES: Files, 1974-1977 (16
feet)
Vietnam War files are open. The subcollection is otherwise closed
pending archival processing.
NSC INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AFFAIRS STAFF: Files, (1973) 1975-1976 (6
feet)
Included are files of Robert Hormats and his staff re the Rambouillet
and Puerto Rico economic summits, various bilateral economic relationships,
and international economic policy. Their subject files are open,
but chronological correspondence files are unprocessed.
NSC LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS STAFF: Files, 1974-1977 (6
feet)
The subcollection is fully processed and is comprised of the
working files of NSC staff Stephen Low, David Lazar, and Jon
Howe.
NSC MEETING MINUTES, 1974-1977 (one
linear foot)
The subcollection is fully processed and includes detailed minutes,
agendas, and/or background material for the 39 meetings of the
National Security Council during the Ford administration. Topics
include, for example, SALT, Middle East, southern Africa, Vietnam,
the Mayaguez incident, defense policy, Panama Canal negotiations,
and the intelligence community. View
images of all declassified minutes.
NSC MIDDLE EAST and SOUTH ASIAN AFFAIRS STAFF: Files, 1974-1977(34
feet)
Closed pending archival processing.
NSC PLANNING AND COORDINATION STAFF: Files, 1972-1975 (2
feet)
Only Vietnam War files are open. The subcollection is otherwise
closed pending archival processing.
NSC PRESS AND CONGRESSIONAL LIAISON STAFF: Files, 1973-1976 (3
feet)
The subcollection is fully processed. These files of Leslie Janka
and Margaret Vanderhye primarily concern press guidance given
daily to the White House press secretary, 1973-1976, and memoranda
of conversations and briefing papers from several Presidential-Congressional
meetings.
NSC PROGRAM ANALYSIS STAFF: Files, 1969-1977 (26
feet)
Only Micronesia files and a folder on naval force requirements
are open. The subcollection is otherwise closed pending archival processing.
NSC STAFF SECRETARY: Files, 1974-1977 (4
feet)
Closed pending archival processing.
NSC VIETNAM INFORMATION GROUP: Intelligence and other reports, 1967-1975 (5
feet)
The subcollection is fully processed. It primarily includes State
Department and CIA cables concerning: the Vietnam War; relations
with the Saigon government; South Vietnam’s political climate,
opposition groups, religious and ethnic groups, labor unions, corruption,
and censorship; peace negotiations; North Vietnam’s
military and economy; and events in Laos and Cambodia.
NATIONAL SECURITY STUDY MEMORANDA AND DECISION MEMORANDA, 1974-1977 (one
foot)
The subcollecion is fully processed. A Study Memorandum initiated
a formal study of a U.S. national security concern. NSSM 238,
for example, initiated a study of U.S. policy toward the Persian
Gulf region. A Decision Memorandum, by contrast, articulated
the basic tenets of U.S. national security policy on a given
topic or area. NSDM 314, for example, addressed worldwide population
growth. Over half of the NSSMs and NSDMs of the Ford administration
have been declassified. View
images of all declassified NSSMs and NSDMs (November 2006).
“OUTSIDE THE SYSTEM” CHRONOLOGICAL
FILES, 1974-1977 (2 feet)
The subcollection is fully processed. It includes documents that
were not logged into the NSC computer control number tracking system
either because of the high sensitivity or routine nature of their
content, or because of their time sensitivity. The documents cover
a wide range of topics, including nuclear test ban and arms control
treaty negotiations, arms sales, military assistance to Israel,
the Middle East peace process, Angola, U.S. relations with the
Soviet Union and Cuba, and reorganization of the intelligence
community.
PRESIDENTIAL AGENCY FILES, 1974-1977 (8
feet)
Closed pending archival processing.
PRESIDENTIAL BRIEFING MATERIAL FOR VIP VISITS, 1974-1977 (9
feet)
Only the files on a May 1975 visit of Dutch Prime Minister
den Uyl are open. The
subcollection is otherwise closed pending archival processing.
PRESIDENTIAL CORRESPONDENCE WITH FOREIGN LEADERS, 1974-1977 (2
feet)
The subcollection is fully processed. It includes a mix of routine
and substantive letters and telegrams exchanged between President
Ford and leaders of sixty-four countries. Substantive exchanges
address such topics as Angola, the British financial crisis,
economic summit meetings, Middle East peace process, OPEC, Cyprus,
South Vietnam, NATO, and Soviet influence in Africa and Asia.
PRESIDENTIAL COUNTRY FILES FOR AFRICA, 1974-1977 (3
feet)
The subcollection is fully processed. It includes cables between
U.S. embassies and the Secretary of State, memos of the National
Security Adviser and NSC staff, and comparable material. Arranged
primarily by country, with some topical folders.
PRESIDENTIAL COUNTRY FILES FOR EAST ASIA and the PACIFIC, 1974-1977 (8
feet),
The subcollection is fully processed. It includes cables between
U.S. embassies and the Secretary of State, memos of the National
Security Adviser and NSC staff, and comparable material. Arranged
primarily by country, with some topical folders.
PRESIDENTIAL COUNTRY FILES FOR EUROPE and CANADA, 1974-1977 (9
feet)
The subcollection is fully processed. It includes cables between
U.S. embassies and the Secretary of State, memos of the National
Security Adviser and NSC staff, and comparable material. Arranged
primarily by country, with some topical folders.
PRESIDENTIAL COUNTRY FILES FOR LATIN AMERICA, 1974-1977 (3
feet)
The
subcollection is fully processed. It includes cables between U.S.
embassies and the Secretary of State, memos of the National Security
Adviser and NSC staff, and comparable material. Arranged primarily
by country, with some topical folders.
PRESIDENTIAL COUNTRY FILES FOR MIDDLE EAST and SOUTH ASIA, 1974-1977 (14
feet)
The subcollection is fully processed. It includes cables between
U.S. embassies and the Secretary of State, memos of the National
Security Adviser and NSC staff, and comparable material. Arranged
primarily by country, with some topical folders.
PRESIDENTIAL
FILES OF NSC LOGGED DOCUMENTS: Selected documents arranged by log
number, 1974-1977 (26 feet)
Micronesia, Mariana Islands, and Vietnam War files are open. The subcollection
is otherwise closed pending archival processing.
PRESIDENTIAL NAME FILE, 1974-1977 (one
foot)
The subcollection is fully processed. It includes a miscellaneous
correspondence on foreign affairs and security matters, received
from people outside the U.S. government; and internal memos on
personnel and other administrative matters.
PRESIDENTIAL SUBJECT FILE, 1974-1977 (10
feet)
There are open files
on foreign assistance and military sales programs worldwide, PL-480,
Indochina refugees, and Vietnam War MIAs. The subcollection is
otherwise closed pending archival processing.
PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION FILE, 1974 (less
than one foot)
The subcollection is fully processed. It includes messages to
heads of state giving notice of the Nixon-Ford transition; planning
for the messages; talking points for the new president's first
meetings with foreign ambassadors; briefing papers for the new
president summarizing foreign relations issues; summaries of
world reaction; and a briefing book detailing US-USSR exchanges
August 9 - November 5, 1974.
SAIGON EMBASSY FILES KEPT BY AMBASSADOR GRAHAM MARTIN: Copies made
for the NSC, 1963-1975 (1976) (4 feet)
The subcollection is fully processed.
Most of the material dates from the Nixon and Ford administrations,
but there are earlier materials, including a file on the Diem coup
in 1963. A chronological run of Backchannel cables between Ambassadors
Bunker and Martin in Saigon and national security adviser Kissinger
comprise most of the collection. Also included are briefing material
for and reports about meetings with South Vietnamese officials,
military situation and intelligence reports, and drafts of proposed
peace agreements.
SCOWCROFT DAILY WORK FILES, 1974-1977 (31
feet)
Closed pending archival processing.
STAFF ASSISTANT JOHN K. MATHENY FILES, 1975-1976 (4
feet)
“Mayaguez Performance Evaluation” files are open. The subcollection is otherwise
closed pending archival processing.
STAFF ASSISTANT ROBERT McFARLANE FILES, 1974-1977 (3
feet)
Closed pending archival processing.
STAFF ASSISTANT PETER RODMAN FILES, 1974-1977 (less
than one foot)
The subcollection is fully processed. It includes a chronological
file and a fragmentary subject file concerning research projects,
Rodman's handling of letters addressed to Kissinger or Scowcroft,
and reminders to the National Security Adviser about matters
requiring his attention. Notable items include a Kissinger-Asad
(Syria) memorandum of conversation and maps associated with negotiation
of the Sinai Accords.
TEMPORARY PARALLEL FILE OF ITEMS OPENED FROM UNPROCESSED FILE SERIES (1972) 1974-1977 (1
foot)
This artificial collection is composed of miscellaneous items
that have become open to research from otherwise unprocessed
portions of the National Security Adviser’s Files. Library staff make occasional
additions.
TRIP BRIEFING BOOKS AND CABLES OF BRENT SCOWCROFT, 1974-1977 (2
feet)
Closed pending archival processing.
TRIP BRIEFING BOOKS
AND CABLES OF HENRY KISSINGER, 1974-1977 (13 feet)
Material is processed
and open for the period June 6-13, 1976, concerning events worldwide,
especially in Lebanon, while Kissinger attended the OAS meeting
in Santiago, Chile. The subcollection is otherwise closed pending
archival processing.
TRIP BRIEFING BOOKS AND CABLES OF PRESIDENT FORD, 1974-1977 (9
feet)
Two folders relating primarily to Iceland are open. The subcollection
is otherwise closed pending archival processing.
WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM. EVENING REPORTS FROM NSC STAFF, 1974-1977 (2
feet)
Closed pending archival processing.
WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM. FORMER
PRESIDENT NIXON’S BRIEFINGS, 1974-1977 (less than one
foot)
Closed pending archival processing.
WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM. LOGS OF PRESIDENTIAL ACTIVITIES AND WORLD EVENTS, 1974-1977 (less
than one foot)
Closed pending archival processing.
WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM. NOON AND EVENING NOTES, 1974-1977 (two
feet)
Closed pending archival processing.
WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM. PRESIDENTIAL DAILY BRIEFINGS, 1974-1977 (3
feet)
Closed pending archival processing.
WHITE
HOUSE SITUATION ROOM. SCOWCROFT’S
MORNING NEWSPAPER SUMMARIES, 1976-1977 (1 linear foot)
The subcollection is fully processed. In 1976,
the Situation Room staff prepared these daily summaries of foreign affairs
and security articles appearing in the New York Times, Washington
Post, and Baltimore Sun.
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