AMERICA SINCE HOOVER:
SELECTED DOCUMENTS FROM PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES, 1929-1980
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION
Photostatic copies of memoranda, correspondence, handwritten
notes, reports, diary entries, oral history transcripts, and
tape recordings gathered from eight presidential libraries to
illustrate prominent personalities, issues and events in recent
American history. The staff of each presidential library
selected the particular items which appear in this collection.
Prominent subjects include the New Deal, World War II, civil
rights, relations with the Soviet Union, and U.S. involvement
in Vietnam. The files are arranged chronologically by the
library of origin and thereunder by subject.
QUANTITY
3 linear feet (ca. 4,500 pp.) and 14 cassette recordings.
DONOR
For the donor of any given document, contact the
presidential library which holds the original.
ACCESS
Open.
COPYRIGHT
For copyright information on any given document, contact the
presidential library which holds the original.
Prepared: January 1992
Folder List
Box Contents
1
Herbert Hoover Library
Bonus March on Washington, 1932
Depression--Letters from the Public to the White House
Depression--Relief Policies
Disarmament
Manchurian crisis
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
Relief and Construction Act (Garner Relief Act of 1932)
Stock Market Crash
2
Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
Atomic Bomb
Banking Crisis
Civil Rights--Blacks and Chicanos During WW II
Foreign Policy, 1933-38
Foreign Policy, 1939-41 (Neutrality and Non-
Belligerency)
Labor Unions
New Deal--Black Americans
New Deal--Civilian Conservation Corps
New Deal--Cultural Programs
New Deal--Labor
New Deal--opposition
New Deal--Public Works Administration
New Deal--Rural Programs
New Deal--Social Security
New Deal--Supreme Court
New Deal--Urban Programs
New Deal--Works Progress Administration
WW II--Holocaust
WW II--Japanese Relocation
WW II--Operation Overlord
WW II--Pearl Harbor
WW II--Roosevelt/Churchill Correspondence, 1939-41
WW II--Roosevelt/Stalin Communications, 1943-45
WW II--United Nations
3
Harry S. Truman Library
Berlin Airlift
Civil Rights--Blacks in the Military
Israel--U.S. Recognition of (1) - (2)
Labor--Steel Industry Dispute
Labor--Taft-Hartley Act
Marshall Plan
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
U.S.-Soviet Relations--Ideological Basis for the Cold War
WW II--Potsdam Conference
WW II--Use of the Bomb
4
Dwight D. Eisenhower Library
Civil Rights
Congo Crisis
Eisenhower Doctrine and Lebanon
Eisenhower--Leadership and Personality
Indochina, Vietnam, SEATO
Loyalty Issues and McCarthy
Suez Canal Crisis
U.S.-Soviet Relations--Massive Retaliation Doctrine
5
John F. Kennedy Library (1)
Civil Rights--Presidential Recordings Transcripts, 1962
Integration of University of Mississippi
Civil Rights--Presidential Recordings Transcripts, 1963
Cuba--Bay of Pigs
Cuba--Missile Crisis
Cuba--Missile Crisis, Presidential Recordings
Transcripts (1) - (2)
Economy--Wage and Price Controls--Steel Industry
Kennedy--Humor
Kennedy--Misc.
Presidential Campaign, 1960--Catholicism as an Issue
U.S.-Soviet Relations--Berlin Crisis
Vietnam
6
John F. Kennedy Library (2)
Presidential Recordings, Cuban Missile Crisis
Meetings, 10/16/62 (1 cassette)
Presidential Recordings, Integration of the University
of Mississippi, 1962 (4 cassettes)
Presidential Recordings, Civil Rights, 1963
(9 cassettes)
7
Lyndon B. Johnson Library (1)
Civil Rights--Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights--Voting Rights Act of 1965 (1) (2)
Detroit Riot (1) - (9)
8
Lyndon B. Johnson Library (2)
Johnson--Personality
Kennedy Assassination and Transition (1) - (3)
King, Martin Luther--Assassination (1) - (5)
Vietnam--Tonkin Gulf Incidents (1) - (2)
9
Nixon Presidential Materials Project (1)
Abortion--Roe v. Wade
China--Nixon's Trip
Economy--Inflation
Nixon--Personality and Character
Nixon--Relationship with the Press
Pentagon Papers
Revenue Sharing
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
Vietnam War--Antiwar Movement (1) (2)
Vietnam War--Bombing of Cambodia
Vietnam War--Paris Peace Talks (1) (2)
10
Nixon Presidential Materials Project (2)
Vietnam War--War Powers Act (1) - (2)
U.S.-Soviet Relations--Arms Control
Watergate (1) - (2)
11
Gerald R. Ford Library
Clemency Program for Vietnam Draft Evaders and Deserters
Economy
Investigations of the U.S. Intelligence Community
Mayaguez Crisis
Nixon Pardon
Nixon Resignation
U.S.-Soviet Relations--Arms Control
U.S.-Soviet Relations--Conference on Security-and
Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Accords)
Vietnam War--Fall of Saigon
Vietnam War--Refugee Program
12
Jimmy Carter Library
Camp David Accords
Carter--Personality and Character
China--Normalization of Relations
Deregulation (1) - (2)
Environment
Iranian Hostage Crisis
Panama Canal
Description of Material Received from Presidential Libraries
Box 1
Herbert Hoover (HH)
f. Bonus March on Washington, 1932
Correspondence and presidential statements
regarding increasingly violent demonstrations
in Washington, DC, in July 1932. Includes a
request for federal troops from the District
of Columbia, HH's statement and message to
Douglas MacArthur authorizing the use of the
Army, Grand Jury testimony about mob
violence, statements disparaging the marchers
as "radicals," and reports from the War
Department on action to restore order.
f. Depression--Letters from the Public to the
White House
Letters to Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover from
citizens appealing for money and clothing to
help them cope with hardship, 1929-32. White
House responses generally recommend local
charities. Two cases, however, illustrate
personal intervention by the Hoovers.
f. Depression--Relief Policies
Reports designed to show the extent of
government action to combat the Depression;
statements and news clippings supporting HH's
Organization on Unemployment Relief or
indicating administration policy to work with
the private sector toward economic recovery.
f. Disarmament
Forty-nine page excerpt of a state Department
report, 2/22/33, concerning naval disarmament
and a summary of efforts to reduce land
forces in western Europe since the end of
World War I.
f. Manchurian Crisis
State Department reports on Fall 1931
Japanese invasion of Manchuria; efforts to
coordinate U.S. response with that of
Britain; various interpretations of Japan's
intentions; suggestions of American interest
in Manchurian railroads; a ten-page analysis
of the Chinese government's capabilities,
2/13/33, accounting for the fortunes of
Chinese communists and the impact of the
Japanese invasion; a reflection on the
Manchurian episode from W. Cameron Forbes,
who represented the United States during part
of it, expressed in a six-page personal note
to HH in 1952.
f. Reconstruction Finance Corporation
Explanation of the program to relieve
unemployment by financing the construction of
public works; recapitulation of funds
distributed to states under the program by
February 1933; examples of specific projects
funded; clipping about the relief program.
f. Relief and Construction Act of 1932
HH address to the Senate, 5/31/32, calling
for a balanced budget and modest relief
legislation; HH statement of 6/24/32
criticizing congressional action to approve
relief spending without providing
corresponding revenues.
f. Stock Market Crash
Two detailed analyses of the health of the
stock market in late October 1929 prepared
for HH by two prominent private financiers.
Box 2
Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)
f. Atomic Bomb
Correspondence with Albert Einstein,
including Einstein's letter to FDR, 8/2/39,
reporting on the newly-discovered energy
potential of the nuclear chain reaction;
complaints from Britain in 1943 about the
U.S. developing the atomic bomb without joint
cooperation; a March 1945 recommendation to
FDR that he appoint a panel to investigate
the progress of the Manhattan Project, which
had recently passed $2 billion in spending.
f. Banking crisis
Annotated script in FDR's hand of his radio
address, 5/7/33, reporting on the banking
crisis and administration actions since the
Inauguration.
f. Civil Rights--Blacks and Chicanos During
World-War II
Petition to city of Los Angeles to develop
rehabilitation programs for Chicanos; Army
Air Force memo, 12/23/42, restricting access
to portions of Amarillo, Texas, occupied by
minorities; investigation of racist incidents
against chicanos and gang activity in Los
Angeles in Summer 1943; a December 1943
report on racial tensions across the country;
a 16-page report from the Office of War
Information on the Harlem race riot in August
1943; correspondence regarding racial
discrimination in the armed forces.
f. Foreign Policy, 1933-38
Marked draft in FDR's hand of his message to
the London Economic Conference, July 1935
(?); FDR's major foreign policy speech,
10/5/37, alerting Americans to the threat of
war but pledging to "adopt every practicable
measure to avoid involvement in war";
correspondence between FDR and socialist
Norman Thomas on the U.S. response to the
Spanish civil war; excerpts from a letter
from Charles Lindbergh to Joseph Kennedy
expressing admiration for the German aviation
industry in 1938.
f. Foreign Policy, 1939-41
Transcript of a presidential press
conference, 2/3/39, including a lengthy
exchange regarding the degree of U.S.
involvement with Britain and France and FDR's
view of the press's right to know privileged
information; documents bearing on
congressional action on neutrality;
information about the evolving relationship
between the U.S. and her future allies,
including FDR's notes from a Cabinet meeting
regarding the sale of destroyers to Great
Britain and notes of Harry Hopkins's meeting
with Stalin in June 1941; a recommendation
that Charles Lindbergh's offer to serve the
Army Air Corps be turned down because of his
fascist sympathies.
f. Labor Unions
Documents concerning labor violence and labor,
response to New Deal programs; UAW actions to
organize General Motors in 1937; negotiations
between operators and coal miners in 1939,
including a recommendation that FDR call John
L. Lewis to "give him a little flattery";
information about American labor union
financial support of unions associated with
communists in Mexico.
f. New Deal--Black Americans
June 1934 minutes of an inter-department
group "concerned with the special problems of
Negroes," especially in labor and skilled
employment; National Recovery Administration
report on efforts to help Blacks; a speech
by Colonel C.W. Stiles, M.D.,, "Medico
Zoological Aspects of the Race Problem," and
a resulting, vehement complaint to FDR from
the NAACP; letters and memoranda concerning
the government service of Clark Foreman, who
was allegedly removed as-Director of the
Defense Housing Division because of his
advocacy of fair treatment for Blacks.
f. New Deal--Civilian Conservation Corps
April 3, 1933 memo establishing procedures
for the Civilian Conservation Corps; a report
from someone employed by CCC applauding the
program; FDR's hand-drawn organizational
chart for the CCC and a note indicating his
personal interest in the program.
f. New Deal--Cultural Programs
Letters requesting support-of artists;
correspondence regarding a WPA project in
which FDR takes a personal interest;
correspondence between FDR, and Nelson
Rockefeller revealing the 'lack of public
appreciation for federal-support of the arts.
f. New Deal--Labor
Correspondence regarding fair wages for work
conducted under New Deal programs.
f. New Deal--Opposition
1933 memo from Father Charles E. Coughlin
criticizing FDR and the New Deal; a March
1934 letter from Huey Long criticizing FDR
and notes regarding a reply; a transcript of
Father Coughlin's radio address describing
the Townsend Plan.
f. New Deal--Public Works Administration
July 1936 memo from Harold Ickes describing
problems in setting up the Public Works
Administration; September 1935 status report
on PWA, and FDR's notes an same.
f. New Deal--Rural Programs
1939 memo to FDR suggesting ways to meet the
needs of rural families; a handwritten note
to FDR from Rexford Tugwell, November 1939,
expressing concern over the administration's
position on the farm-tenant bill in Congress;
a nine-page summary of farm policy in 1932-33
prepared for Tugwell by the Department of
Agriculture in 1939.
f. New Deal--Social Security
FDR's August 1938 radio address assessing the
Social Security program 'after three years;
notes from Frances Perkins expressing thanks
for FDR's acknowledgment of her role.
New Deal--Supreme Court
Recommendation by the Attorney General that
FDR seek to expand and reform the federal
judiciary to speed up the courts' work; FDR's
explanation of why he seeks to expand the
Supreme Court through legislation rather than
by constitutional amendment.
f. New Deal--Urban Programs
A December 1933 report on the impact of New
Deal relief programs in New York City; an
undated report on problems faced by relief
efforts in several cities in New York.
f. Works Progress Administration
Correspondence and notes regarding the use of
the WPA for flood control projects in 1936;
draft of a telegram to the Comptroller
General from FDR urging prompt action on WPA
projects.
f. World War II--Holocaust
Correspondence regarding FDR's meeting in
December 1942 with representatives of various
Jewish organizations to receive a memorandum
documenting Hitler's decision to exterminate
Jews, with memorandum; an entry from the
Morgenthau diaries, 12/23/43, indicating a
State Department coverup of Hitler's
atrocities to prevent U.S. action; a request
by the Executive Director of the War Refugees
Board, November 1944, that the War Department
authorize bombing Auschwitz and Birkenau to
prevent further atrocities, and a reply
indicating why such action would not be
feasible.
f. World War II--Japanese Relocation
Reports and comments on "handling the
Japanese question on the coast"; the
Executive Order establishing the War
Relocation Authority on 3/18/42; complaints
about the program and FDR's response;
excerpts from the June 1943 report of the War
Relocation Authority dealing with relocation
progress, evacuee reaction to the program,
and operational details; a flyer with
instructions to evacuate; a "Japanese Hunting
License," as an example of anti-Japanese
sentiment.
f. World War II--Pearl Harbor
December 8, 1941, cable reporting on the
attack; excerpts from the report of the
presidential commission which investigated
the attack containing 21 findings related to
American preparedness for the attack.
f. World War II--Roosevelt/Churchill
Correspondence, 1939-41
Examples of letters and messages exchanged by
the two leaders on such issues as the course
of the war, American support of Britain, a
November 1941 modus vivendi reached by the
United States with Japan to ease relations,
and the status of the British Empire after
the war. To preserve secrecy, these
exchanges refer to Churchill as "the Former
Naval Person."
f. World War II--Roosevelt/Stalin
Correspondence, 1943-45
Topics: 1943 meeting of FDR, Stalin, and
Churchill in Teheran; Stalin's charge in
April 1945 that Britain and the United States
reached an independent agreement on peace
terms with Germany, and FDR's disavowal.
f. World War II--Operation Overlord
Secretary of War Henry Stimson's 12/20/43
letter to FDR making the case for United
States military command of the invasion of
Europe; 6/14/44 "Eyes Only" message to the
President and Secretary of War recounting
progress of invasion; the text of FDR's "D-
Day Prayer" broadcast to the nation on June
6.
f. World War II--United Nations
Findings of an October 1944 public opinion
poll on international organizations; FDR
letter, 3/29/45, expressing his hopes for the
United Nations; correspondence with Senator
Tom Connally about Senate ratification of the
agreement; FDR's 4/13/45 radio address
regarding world peace; annotated draft of the
Atlantic Charter.
Box 3
Harry S. Truman (HST)
f. Berlin Airlift
April 2, 1948, War Department cables
regarding possible evacuation of Berlin;
summaries of telegrams expressing various
assessments of the Berlin blockade through
the Summer of 1948; a report to the National
Security Council, 7/28/48, on the U.S.
military course of action with respect to
Berlin; memoranda and other documents
regarding American, British, French proposals
to the Soviet Union to end the blockade.
f. Civil Rights--Blacks in the Military
Recommendations for appointments to the
Committee on Equality of Treatment and
opportunity in the Armed Services; the
Executive Order establishing the Committee;
an October 1949 report to HST from the
Committee evaluating the Army's "new racial
program" which called for "equality of
treatment and opportunity for all
persons.... "; HST's statement of 5/22/50
receiving the final report of the Committee.
f. Israel--U.S. Recognition (2 folders)
HST's handwritten comments and
correspondence, news clippings, and
presidential statements regarding the
position of the United States in the United
Nations regarding Palestine, and U.S.
recognition of Israel. Includes HST's
annotated statement of 5/14/48, recognizing
the-provisional government of Israel;
information from the Jewish Agency for
Palestine regarding the security of Israel;
an undated complaint (ca. May 1949) from the
U.S. to Israel regarding its treatment of
Palestinian refugees and occupation of lands
in violation of United Nations agreements,
and Israel's response.
f. Labor--Steel Industry Dispute
Documents dating from late 1951 into 1952
regarding wage and price issues in the steel
industry, and the federal government's
involvement in them. Includes notes on the
opening session of a meeting of steel company
and union representatives in the White House
on 5/3/52 and assessments of the advantages
and disadvantages of invoking the national
emergency provision of the Taft-Hartley Act
to resolve labor's dispute with the industry
over wages.
f. Labor--Taft-Hartley Act
Analyses of the "Labor-Management Relations
Act of 1947" prepared for HST; presidential
statement promising to enforce the law, even
though it was passed over HST's veto.
f. Marshall Plan
Draft outline notes for Dean Acheson's speech
before the Delta Council, 5/8/47, expressing
the administration's intention "to seek
through a judicious use of its economic
resources to help lay the basis for political
stability in the world"; initial press and
radio reaction to the speech; a memo
describing the development of Secretary of
State George Marshall's 6/5/47 address at
Harvard University where he announced what
became known as the "Marshall Plan'$; a
description of the plan, 7/10/47; and two
reports on "European Recovery and American
Aid," November 1947.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Draft of the "North Atlantic Security
Arrangement," 1/14/49; recommendations from
HST's advisers about U.S. policy toward NATO;
briefing on NATO given to Dwight Eisenhower,
1/5/51; notes of a meeting with Eisenhower,
HST, and HST's Cabinet, 1/31/51, in which
Eisenhower reports on the situation in
Europe; subsequent HST correspondence with
Eisenhower reflecting the relationship
between the two as well as conditions in
Europe and NATO.
f. U.S.-Soviet Relations--Ideological Basis for
the Cold War
Detailed, reflective, and analytical cable
messages from the American Embassy in Moscow
to the State Department characterizing the
Soviet situation and stance toward the West.
Many of these messages were composed by
George F. Kennan in 1946; an analysis of the
Soviet Navy's threat to the U.S., 1946; a
paper on the background of Soviet foreign
policy; excerpts from the Office of
Intelligence Research's July 1949 report,
"Soviet Internal Situation"; analyses of a
Stalin interview in 1951; various other
assessments-of Soviet policy.
f. World War II--Potsdam Conference
HST's handwritten notes of 7/25/45, regarding
the conference and his reflections on the
potential of the atomic bomb, tested recently
in New Mexico; HST letter to Bess, 7/20/45,
on negotiations and arrangements; a
description of HST's preparation for, and
participation in, the Potsdam conference;
radio address upon HST's return from. Berlin,
8/9/45.
f. World War II--Use of the Atomic Bomb
Translation of a leaflet dropped to the
Japanese people informing them that the U.S.
had dropped a bomb on Hiroshima and asking
them to pressure the Emperor to end the war;
HST's response to a citizen critical of the
use of the bomb; memoranda recalling the
chronology of HST's actions in deciding to
use the bomb; White House Press Release, and
related documents, announcing the dropping of
the bomb.
Box 4
Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE)
f. Civil Rights
DDE letter, 7/22/57, articulating his
assumptions about how to involve the federal
government in civil rights issues; telegram,
9/24/57, from the Mayor of Little Rock
requesting federal troops; DDE's handwritten
notes about sending troops to Little Rock;
telegram of support from Martin Luther King;
correspondence regarding DDE's actions with
Senators Russell Long and John Stennis,
Jackie Robinson, and King; a June 1958 memo
of a meeting between DDE and Black leaders.
f. Congo Crisis
Minutes of administration officials
deliberating the U.S. position in the Congo
in July and August, 1960; synopsis of State
Department and CIA material reported to DDE;
notes of a National Security council meeting
concerning national security implications of
future developments in Africa.
f. Eisenhower Doctrine and Lebanon
Notes from a 1/1/57 meeting with the
congressional leadership assessing the U.S.
position in the Middle East; other documents
on the Middle East, including a letter from
DDE to William F. Knowland complaining about
actions to reduce economic and military
assistance to the region; several memoranda
regarding possible U.S. action or
intervention in Lebanon in 1958. These
documents deal with such issues as Arab
nationalism, the Soviet threat, and the
importance of oil.
f. Eisenhower--Leadership and Personality
DDE letter, 8/3/56, containing personal
reflections; expressions of DDE's principles
for the United Nations and U.S. world
leadership; 1/1/57 statement to congressional
leaders on the nature of politics and
governing.
f. Indochina--Vietnam, SEATO
Sixteen-page National Security Council
memorandum, 4/7/54, regarding possible U.S.
intervention in Indochina, the situation in
Dien Bien Phu, and the consequences of a
French defeat; notes of a briefing for
members of Congress given by DDE; personal
letters in April 1954 from DDE giving his
estimation of the situation and possible
repercussions; information about conditions
for U.S. action; DDE's instructions-to
General J. Lawton Collins, Special United
States Representative to Saigon, 1l/3/54.
f. Loyalty Issues and McCarthy
Memoranda, correspondence, and staff and DDE
diary entries on such issues as the Rosenberg
conviction, Earl Warren's nomination to the
Supreme Court, the conduct of Joseph
McCarthy, and scientist Robert Oppenheimer as
a security risk.
f. Suez canal Crisis
Memoranda of presidential meetings and
telephone calls, July-October 1956 about the
British decision to challenge Nasser and the
administration's assessment of it; the action
France, the Soviet Union, Israel and other
nations might take in the event of
hostilities; and, possible use of the United
Nations.
f. U.S.-Soviet Relations--massive Retaliation
Doctrine
Undated National Security Council summary of
basic national security policy; memoranda
regarding the containment of the Soviet Union
and U.S. security responsibilities throughout
the world; DDE's assessment of collective and
national security requirements, September
1953; meeting summaries and staff diary
entries documenting DDE's articulation of the
"massive retaliation" doctrine.
Box 5
John F. Kennedy (JFK)
f. Civil Rights--Presidential Recordings
Transcripts, Integration of the University of
Mississippi, 1962
Transcripts of four meetings and twenty
telephone conversations related to James
Meredith's enrollment at the University of
Mississippi. Participants in these
conversations include John and Robert
Kennedy, White House and Justice Department
staff, the Governor of Mississippi, and
others.
f. Civil Rights--Presidential Recordings
Transcripts, 1963
Logs and transcripts of conversations about
civil rights demonstrations and proposed
legislation. Participants include John and
Robert Kennedy, White House and Justice
Department staff, other administration
officials,Martin Luther King, and members of
Congress.
f. Cuba--Bay of Pigs
June 1961 report from the Cuban Study Group,
commissioned by JFK, about the lessons
learned from Bay of Pigs. Includes these
sections: narrative of the anti-Castro
operation Zapata, a description of the causes
of the operation's failure, and
recommendations from the group.
f. Cuba--Missile crisis
Letters exchanged between JFK and chairman
Khrushchev after the U.S. discovery of Soviet
missiles in Cuba; JFK doodlings, apparently
done during meetings on the crisis.
Cuba--Missile crisis, Presidential Recordings
Transcripts (2 folders)
Transcripts (87 pages) of 10/16/62 meetings
of JFK, RFK, Robert McNamara, Maxwell Taylor,
Dean Rusk, LBJ, and other administration
officials regarding the discovery of missiles
in Cuba and the nature of the U.S. response.
Transcripts (82 pages) of five meetings on
10/27/62 of the President's Executive
Committee of advisers regarding the U.S. and
Soviet handling of the crisis.
f. Economy--Wage and Price Controls-Steel
Industry
White House press releases regarding steel
industry and labor negotiations in March
1962; JFK's press conference remarks about
steel industry price hikes and subsequent
rollbacks in April.
f. Kennedy--Humor
Exchange of letters regarding the market
value of JFK's presidential signature.
f. Kennedy--Miscellaneous
Letter from Michael Dukakis, 1/19/54, about
the Bricker Amendment and the St. Lawrence
Seaway; JFK doodling where the word
"decesion" appears repeatedly.
f. Presidential campaign, 1960--Catholicism as
an Issue
JFK's remarks before a meeting of the
Association of Ministers of Greater Houston
and before the American Society of Newspaper
Editors regarding his religious views as a
campaign issue; newspaper clipping, church
bulletins, and correspondence reflecting the
campaign issue.
f. U.S.-Soviet Relations--Berlin crisis
Memoranda of conversations between JFK and
Khrushchev in June 1961 at their meeting in
Vienna regarding their respective assumptions
about foreign policy, relations between the
two countries generally, and the issue of
Berlin more specifically.
f. Vietnam
State Department, Saigon embassy, and White
House cable traffic regarding the overthrow
of President Diem in November 1963; a draft
National Security Action Memorandum (NSAM)
stating the U.S.'s objectives in Vietnam and
position toward the provisional government;
draft instructions from JFK to Maxwell
Taylor, who was sent to Vietnam to appraise
the situation; NSAM 273 indicating JFK
intended to withdraw 1000 U.S. advisers by
the end of 1963; document concerning the
relationship of Laos to the crisis in South
Vietnam, 1961.
Box 6
John F. Kennedy
This box contains 13 audio tape cassettes
about civil rights and one about the Cuban
missile crisis. The transcripts in the
previous box were drawn from these tapes.
Box 7
Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ)
f. Civil Rights--Civil Rights Act of 1964
Memoranda for LBJ outlining administration
strategy for passing civil rights legislation
in late 1963 and 1964; "whip counts"
indicating legislators' likely votes;
documents concerning the relationship between
the White House and Senate leaders over the
cloture vote to permit action on the
legislation; a memo on a possible civil
rights backlash.
f. Civil Rights--voting Rights Act of 1965 (2
folders)
White House memoranda and notes on
legislative strategy; voter registration and
education programs in the South; civil rights
demonstrations in Alabama, including the
march on Selma and the federal response;
steps to ensure that the Democratic National
Convention would be conducted without regard
to racial considerations; meetings with Black
leadership groups; a meeting with George
Wallace; and, the funeral services for
Reverend Mr. Reeb.
f. Detroit Riot (9 folders)
Memoranda and reports from May 1967
speculating on the potential for racial
violence in the Summer in Detroit and
elsewhere; transcripts of telephone
conversations between local officials and the
administration as the Detroit Riot unfolded
concerning the federal role in quelling the
riot; notes from presidential meetings with
advisers and members of Congress; telegram
from Martin Luther King to LBJ; expressions
of support and criticism of LBJ's action to
dispatch federal troops to Detroit'; a
detailed chronology of events, 7/23-26;
letters, memoranda, and notes regarding
possible federal assistance to Detroit in the
wake of the riot, including statements from
many Cabinet Secretaries; request from the
City of Detroit outlining specific dollar
needs; detailed information on LBJ's decision
to send substantial aid to Detroit; minutes
of its first meeting and other information
about the work of the National Advisory
Commission on Civil Disorders; documentation
regarding Governor George Romney's request
for federal assistance; final report of Cyrus
Vance, sent by LBJ to Detroit to study
federal activities there from 7/23 through
8/2; interview transcripts with the
following: Warren Christopher, Cyrus Vance,
Ramsey Clark, Charles Diggs, and Jerome
Cavanaugh.
f. Johnson--Personality
Excerpts from oral histories describing LBJ's
personality and techniques.
Kennedy Assassination and Transition (3
folders)
Letters regarding JFK's invitation to Texas;
daily logs showing LBJ's activities, 11/22-
30/63; LBJ's and staff notes regarding events
of the day; arrangements and talking points
for LBJ's first Cabinet meeting; FBI's first
report on assassination, 11/23/63, and
subsequent information on the investigation
of the assassination; documents about the
Warren Commission's membership, operation,
and credibility; and, a 1966 transcript of a
tape prepared by LBJ staffer Liz Carpenter
recounting the events surrounding the
assassination (27 pages).
f. Martin Luther King Assassination (5 folders)
Presidential daily logs showing LBJ's
activities, 4/4-9/68; message informing LBJ
that King is dead; memoranda, correspondence,
and other information regarding post-
assassination racial violence, especially in
Washington, DC; memoranda for the President
and White House statements regarding federal
action as a response; notes from LBJ's meting
with Black leaders at the White House; notes
from information fed to the White House
Situation Room regarding racial violence;
advice to LBJ about his attendance at the
King funeral and his address to the nation,
with occasional LBJ annotations; documents
regarding the administration's legislative
efforts; minutes and other information
regarding meetings of the "Washington, D.C.
Riot and Future Planning" group; oral history
transcripts from Clark Clifford and Harry
McPherson.
f. Vietnam--Gulf of Tonkin Incidents (2 folders)
Presidential daily logs showing LBJ's
activities, 8/2-6/64; cables and messages to
LBJ describing torpedo boat attacks on the
U.S.S. Maddox, including a message from
Khrushchev expressing concern; log entries
and taped conversations from August 4-5
regarding action in the Tonkin Gulf and
communications with Washington; notes taken
during LBJ's meeting with congressional
leaders on 8/4.
Box 9
Richard M. Nixon (RN)
f. Abortion--Roe v. Wade
Letter from Congressman Lawrence Hogan
criticizing the 1973 decision; memorandum
from Patrick Buchanan to RN urging him to
capitalize on the public sentiment against
the decision.
f. China--Nixon's trip
RN letter to actor John Wayne, 1/13/72, and
radio commentator Paul Harvey, 3/15/72,
explaining the administration's position on
the People's Republic of China; itinerary,
briefing material, and information about
logistics; miscellaneous documents.
f. Economy--Inflation
Memoranda about wage-price guidelines and
control, 1969-73; congressional testimony
from the Council of Economic Advisers;
recommendations on how the administration can
take the initiative on economic matters;
reports on the status of the economy;
memoranda concerning public disenchantment
with wage and price controls in early 1972;
presidential talking points about the economy
and Commerce Department assessment, 1973.
f. Nixon--Personality and Character
RN memoranda to staff and daughters
suggesting human interest angles to improve
press coverage, giving directions on how
dinner is to be served, instructing staff to
seat Henry Kissinger next to someone other
than "the most glamorous woman present" at
State dinners, complaining about the quality
of art in U.S. embassies; a 5/13/70
memorandum from RN to Bob Haldeman giving
Nixon's version of his "secret" trip to the
Lincoln Memorial in May 1970 (10 pages); RN's
handwritten notes to Caroline and John
Kennedy following their 1971 visit to the
White House (Nixon's note to Caroline
expresses his belief that "History is the
best foundation for almost any
profession.... ") and a reply from Jacqueline
Kennedy.
f. Nixon--Relationship with the Press
Extensive memoranda from RN to his staff
describing his preferences for dealing with
the press and suggesting actions to influence
press coverage of the administration;
memoranda about media "fairness" and
administration efforts to combat "media
bias"; a memorandum from John Dean, 9/14/71,
apparently submitting the first version of
the White House "enemies" list; a study of
media coverage of RN's Vietnam initiatives.
These documents reveal the depth of Nixon's
distrust of the media.
f. Nixon--Pentagon Papers
RN and staff memoranda outlining White House
response to New York Times publication of the
Pentagon Papers in June 1971 and how to take
political advantage of it; poll results
describing public awareness of the
controversy; a memorandum describing Lyndon
Johnson's break with Democratic presidential
candidates on this issue.
f. Revenue Sharing
Memorandum about the geographic distribution
of revenue sharing funds, 1970; RN's
instructions to senior administration
officials to improve the program; options
memorandum for implementing revenue sharing,
1971; the tax credit contrasted to revenue
sharing; the first ten students in Professor
Fine's class who read this far are entitled
to a free prize--see the Library Director; a
report on the activities of the National
Citizens Committee for Revenue Sharing;
arrangements for the October 1972 White House
signing ceremony for revenue sharing.
f. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
Reports and memoranda on student
demonstrations and violence, 1969-72;
information about White House efforts to
discredit SDS through congressional hearings
and media coverage; memoranda on methods to
acquire information about student
organizations and to set up an internal
security organization; FBI reports and
directives; information about plans to
disrupt the Republican and Democratic
National Conventions; SDS, "Vietnam: No
Mistake!"
f. Vietnam War--Antiwar Movement (2 folders)
Memoranda on administration's response to the
10/15/69 Moratorium protest; documents about
plans for the Moratorium and for the anti-war
Washington Action Project, 11/13-15/69;
suggestions for ways to use students to
support the administration; memorandum of
RN's meeting with eight university presidents
in the wake of the Kent State shootings,
1970; a published report from organizers on
the 5/9/70 march on Washington, a police
report on violence during the demonstration,
and information on damage costs; a report
expressing Secret Service concerns for the
RN's safety; memoranda and reports concerning
May 1971 and Fall anti-war demonstrations,
especially those in Washington, 10/25-26/71;
examples of anti-war literature; heavily
annotated memoranda concerning amnesty, 1972;
memoranda concerning possible demonstrations
at the Republican National Convention and at
Inaugural ceremonies in 1973.
f. Vietnam War--Bombing of Cambodia
Henry Kissinger letter, 6/10/70, indicating
that Americans will avoid bombing cultural
sites in Cambodia; RN letter to House Speaker
Carl Albert, 8/3/73, stating personal
reservations about the congressional
requirement to end the bombing in Cambodia.
f. Vietnam War--Paris Peace Talks (2 folders)
RN's annotated reading copies of his
addresses to the nation (12/15/69, 4/20/70,
4/30/70) reporting on efforts toward
Vietnamization of the military effort and the
lack of progress to negotiate an end to the
war; Kissinger reports (declassified in July
1990) on break-through and continuing
progress in negotiations, January 1973, and
administration plans to follow up; RN's
address to the nation announcing a cease fire
and an agreement with Hanoi to end the war;
copy of the agreement, 1/24/73, released by
the-White House; draft of RN's remarks
recapitulating his administration's handling
of Vietnam.
Box 10
Richard M. Nixon
f. Vietnam War--War Powers Act (2 folders)
Memoranda describing the administration's
position on war-making powers; congressional
testimony on the issue; comment on
congressional efforts to set up a commission
to study the allocation of the war power;
detailed analyses of Senate Foreign Relations
Committee hearings in 1971 on war powers
legislation; memoranda on response to war
powers legislation in Congress, 1972-73;
draft and final veto message for HJR 542--the
War Powers Resolution, 10/22/73; information
regarding override attempt.
f. U.S.-Soviet Relations--Arms Control
Memorandum outlining pre-SALT press strategy,
5/26/71; plan of action for ratification of
SALT agreement, 5/18/72; copy of SALT Treaty,
5/26/72, and related documents; RN's remarks
to the people of-the Soviet Union, 5/28/72;
proposals from Charles Colson to capitalize
on the treaty to RN's political advantage;
copy of Henry Kissinger's congressional
briefing on SALT.
f. Watergate (2 folders)
Transcripts of the "smoking gun" tape,
6/23/72; correspondence in June 1972 about
the use of a Special Prosecutor; handwritten
notes from John Ehrlichman, April 1973,
summarizing his investigation into the
Watergate burglary and possible
administration staff involvement; memo,
5/1/73, indicating RN's refusal to put
certain staff files under FBI protection;
advice on how to distance RN from the
investigation; memorandum from George Bush
describing the mood of the Republican party
in July 1973; briefing on John Dean's
congressional testimony; memoranda and draft
presidential statements regarding the Ervin
committee's and Special Prosecutor's requests
for White House tapes, 1973; draft statement
for RN about gaps in the tapes.
Box 11
Gerald R. Ford (GRF)
f. Clemency Program for Vietnam Draft Evaders and Deserters
Summary of reactions of veterans groups to
GRF's amnesty position, 8/26/74; sample case
summaries of Presidential Clemency Board
considerations of individual appeals; GRF
letter, 1/19/77, explaining his refusal to
grant blanket amnesty to Vietnam-era draft
evaders and deserters.
f. Economy
Minutes of GRF's meeting with Republican
congressional leaders, 10/7/75, regarding tax
and spending cut legislation; GRF's annotated
veto statement on a temporary tax cut
extension bill sent by congress, 12/17/75.
f. Investigations of the U.S. Intelligence
Community
CIA report on alleged domestic intelligence
activities by the agency, 12/24/74; request
for documentation from the Senate Select
Committee to Study Governmental Operations
with Respect to Intelligence Activities (the
Church Committee), 3/12/75; memorandum for
GRF discussing options for handling issues
relating to the intelligence community,
9/18/75; CIA evaluation of the Church
Committee's report on assassinations,
10/20/75; information about Church Committee
hearings on covert activities in Chile;
analyses of recommendations to reorganize the
intelligence community.
f. Mayaguez Crisis
"Possible Scenarios for Recovery of Ship and
Crew," May 1975 (12 pages); memorandum
regarding the Mayaguez episode and the
Application of the War Powers Resolution;
talking points for GRF when notifying members
of Congress; summary of National Security
Council meeting, 5/13/75.
f. Nixon Pardon
Eighteen-page memo prepared by Benton Becker,
9/9/74, summarizing the history and
background of the pardon negotiations; draft
of Nixon's statement acknowledging the
pardon.
f. Nixon Resignation
Briefing paper prepared for Nixon's meeting
with his Cabinet, 8/6/74, based on the
assumption that Nixon would not resign;
annotated copy of GRF's remarks at that
meeting, distancing himself from RN;
documents prepared for the transition; GRF's
remarks upon learning of RN's resignation.
f. U.S.-Soviet Relations--Arms Control
Henry Kissinger press conference remarks on
the Vladivostok Agreement, 1974; memorandum
for GRF regarding Henry Kissinger's meeting
with General Secretary Brezhnev, 1/22/76, on
arms reduction; a memorandum for GRF on
remaining issues for SALT negotiations,
2/15/76.
f. U.S.-Soviet Relations--Conference on Security
and cooperation in Europe (Helsinki)
Mailgram. expressing opposition by the
Nationalities Council of Michigan to the
conference; GRF remarks at a meeting with
-Americans of Eastern European background at
the White House, 7/25/75, explaining the
value of the conference; Kissinger briefing
paper for GRF about Ford's participation;
advice to Ford on how to defend the Helsinki
Agreement; GRF's handwritten query of Brent
Scowcroft on the interpretation of the
agreement.
f. Vietnam War--Fall of Saigon
Memoranda and cables from April 1975
assessing the situation in South Vietnam and
analyzing various evacuation contingencies.
Includes a special report to GRF on Vietnam
from General Fred Weyand, dispatched by GRP
to investigate the political and military
situation in late March and early April (23
pages).
f. Vietnam War--Refugees Program
Memoranda an the use of the parole power to
admit refugees; expressions of congressional
and public opinion on GRF's program to
resettle 130,000 Vietnamese and Cambodians in
the U.S.; script of a slide show depicting
"Operation New Life" at Ft. Chaffee,
Arkansas; administration response to a
request to help arrange the departure of
Vietnamese still in Vietnam; 6/5/75 status
report on the resettlement program.
Box 12
Jimmy Carter (JC)
f. Camp David Accords
Handwritten letter from JC to Anwar Sadat,
10/21/77, requesting his help in advancing
the cause of peace; handwritten' letter from
JC to Prime Minister Begin, 8/3/78, seeking
progress in peace talks and offering to meet
with him and Sadat at Camp David; documents
about discussions of Israeli settlements in
the West Bank and Gaza; memoranda following
up Camp David to implement the agreement and
to report progress.
Carter--Personality and Character
JC's annotated copy of general instructions
to the White House staff on JC's preferences
for procedures; JC's annotated instructions
to improve efficiency in government; JC'
personal messages to staff about such issues
as employment of women and minorities in the
White House, paperwork flow, reducing the
cost of travel for staff, and reducing staff
levels; memorandum raising considerations for
JC's farewell address.
f. China--Normalization of Relations
Excerpt from JC's 5/22/77 speech at Notre
Dame calling for normalization; memoranda
about efforts to notify Congress in December
1978; memorandum to departments and agencies
on procedures for dealing with the People's
Republic of China and the Republic of China
(Taiwan); talking points for use in
discussing the meaning of normalization,
1/16/79; JC's remarks, 1/30/79, signing
agreements with China to effect the
normalization; miscellaneous documentation.
f. Deregulation (2 folders)
Staff memoranda on the administration's
regulatory reform efforts, 1977-80, with
emphasis on the Environmental Protection
Agency's ozone rule and railroad and
trucking deregulation. Many of the memoranda
contain JC's annotations. Also included is
information about legislation and talking
points about the issue.
f. Environment
Assessment of concerns raised by
environmental leaders at a meeting with JC on
5/11/78; memoranda on such topics as the
relationship between inflation and
environmental and health regulations, the
preservation of Alaskan lands, the federal
response to the Three Mile Island episode
1979, hazardous waste disposal, and Love
Canal; talking points for JC's meeting with
environmental leaders, 11/6/79.
Iranian Hostage Crisis
Fall 1979 memoranda on Iranian
demonstrations, security precautions to
protect Americans, congressional sentiment,
and the deportation of Iranian students; JC's
annotated announcement about the Iranian
situation, 4/7/80; Cyrus Vance's resignation,
4/21/80; announcement of failed rescue
operation.
f. Panama Canal
Memoranda about a meeting with Gerald Ford
where he indicated his support for JC; actor
John Wayne's statement on the Panama Canal,
10/12/77; handwritten letter from JC to
"Senator" urging his support of the treaties;
information about Senate consideration of the
treaties; handwritten JC letter to Senators
who voted for the treaties, April 1978; JC
remarks upon the ratification of the
treaties.