Office of the Historian

Sources

The Foreign Relations statute requires that the published record in the Foreign Relations series include all records needed to provide comprehensive documentation on major foreign policy decisions and actions of the U.S. government. It further requires that government agencies, departments, and other entities of the U.S. Government cooperate with the Department of State Historian by providing full and complete access to records pertinent to foreign policy decisions and actions and by providing copies of selected records. The editor believes that in terms of access this volume was prepared in accordance with the standards and mandates of this statute, although access to some records was restricted, as noted below.

The editor had complete access to all the retired records and papers of the Department of State: the central files of the Department; the special decentralized files (“lot files”) of the Department at the bureau, office, and division levels; the files of the Department’s Executive Secretariat, which contain the records of international conferences and high-level official visits, correspondence with foreign leaders by the President and Secretary of State, and memoranda of conversations between the President and Secretary of State and foreign officials; and the files of overseas diplomatic posts. Intelligence-related files maintained by the Bureau of Intelligence and Research were fully available for use in this volume. Those files contain: minutes and related records of the 303 Committee, a high-level, interagency oversight board reviewing and approving intelligence operations and covert actions; the weekly and monthly meeting records of the Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs (later renamed the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs); and intelligence records pertaining to specific countries, regions, or events.

The editor of this volume of the Foreign Relations series also had full access to the papers of President Johnson and other White House foreign-policy records. Presidential papers maintained and preserved at the Presidential libraries include some of the most significant documentation related to foreign affairs from other federal agencies, including the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the National Security Agency, and the United States Information Agency. All of this documentation has been made available for use in the Foreign Relations series thanks to the consent of these agencies and the cooperation and support of the National Archives and Records Administration.

The Department of State arranged for access to the audiotapes of President Johnson’s telephone conversations that are held at the Johnson [Page XIV] Library. The first audiotapes became available to Department of State historians in late 1994, with most of those covering the later years of the Johnson Presidency following in 1995 and 1996.

Department of State historians also have access to records of the Department of Defense, particularly the records of the Secretaries of Defense and their major assistants and the records of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The editor of this volume also had access to the Papers of General Maxwell Taylor at the National Defense University.

Since 1991, the Central Intelligence Agency has provided expanded access to Department of State historians to high-level intelligence documents from those records still in the custody of that Agency. Access is arranged by the History Staff of the Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, pursuant to a May 1992 memorandum of understanding. Department of State and CIA historians continue to work out the procedural and scholarly aspects of the access, which at this time is not yet unlimited or without deficiencies, and the variety of documentation made available and selected for publication in the volumes has expanded. The editor of this volume made particular use of the files of Deputy Director of Central Intelligence Richard Helms.

The particular files and collections consulted and cited in this volume are as follows.

Unpublished Sources

  • Department of State, Washington, D.C.
    • INR/IL Historical Files
      • East Asia Country Files, Japan
      • East Asia Country Files, Okinawa, 1960-1968 (Ryukyus)
      • East Asia Country Files, Ryukyu Islands, 1969
      • 303 Committee/Special Files/5412 Files
      • 303 Committee Meetings
      • Special Group Meetings File
      • EAP General File, FE Weekly Staff Meetings
      • EAP General File, EA Reviews, 1964 to 1966
      • EAP General File, EA Weekly Meetings
  • National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Maryland
    • Record Group 59, General Records of the Department of State
    • Lot Files
      • Bundy Files: Lot 85 D 240
        • Files of William P. Bundy as Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs and as of November 1, 1966 for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 1964–1969.
      • INR/EAP Files: Lot 90 D 110
        • Files of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research containing National Intelligence Estimates, Special Intelligence Estimates, and memoranda for the East Asian and Pacific region.
      • Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 192
        • Files of Secretary of State Dean Rusk, 1961–1969, including texts of speeches, miscellaneous correspondence files, White House correspondence, chronological files, and memoranda of telephone conversations.
      • S/PC Files: Lot 72 D 139
        • Country Files of the Policy Planning Council and memoranda to the Secretary from the Chairman, 1965–1968.
      • S/S: Lot 66 D 110
        • Chronological Files of the Executive Secretariat on various foreign visitors to the United States from May 1961 to December 1964 and on international conferences abroad attended by the President, the Secretary, and other U.S. officials, 1961–1964.
      • S/S–S: Lot 66 D 347
        • Files of the Executive Secretariat containing the documentation of conferences abroad and official visits to Washington, D.C., by Heads of State, 1965.
      • Subject-Numeric Indexed Central Files.
        • AID (JAPAN) VIET S, Assistance extended by Japan to South Vietnam
        • AV 9 JAPAN–US, Aviation routes and schedules
        • DEF 12 CHICOM, Armaments, Communist China
        • DEF 1 JAPAN, Defense policy, Japan
        • DEF 12 JAPAN, Armaments, Japan
        • DEF 1 JAPAN–US, Defense policy, Japan-U.S.
        • DEF 4 JAPAN–U, Bilateral defense agreements, Japan-U.S.
        • DEF 7 JAPAN–US, Visits by military vessels, Japan-U.S.
        • DEF 15 JAPAN–US, Bases and Installations, Japan-U.S.
        • DEF 12 NATO, Armaments, NATO
        • DEF 1 RYU IS, Defense policy and plans, Ryukyu Islands
        • DEF 15 RYU IS–US, Bases and Installations, Ryukyu Islands-U.S.
        • DEF 1 US, Defense policy, U.S.
        • DEF 12 US - Armaments, U.S.
        • DEF 17 US, Military service transports, U.S.
        • DEF 19-3 US–JAPAN, Military organizations and conferences, U.S.-Japan
        • DEF 19-9 US–JAPAN, Military advisory and training assistance, U.S.-Japan
        • E 1 JAPAN–US, General economic policy, Japan-U.S.
        • FT 1 JAPAN–US, General foreign-trade policy, Japan-U.S.
        • ORG 7 US, Organizational visits, U.S.
        • OS 7 US, Visits by ocean-shipping vessels, U.S.
        • POL 1 ASIA SE, General policy background and trends, Southeast Asia
        • POL 19 BONIN IS, Government of dependencies and territories, Bonin Islands
        • POL CHICOM–JAPAN, General foreign and national policy, Communist China-Japan
        • POL CHINAT–JAPAN, General foreign and national policy, Nationalist China-Japan
        • POL 2–3 JAPAN, Politico-economic reports, Japan
        • POL 7 JAPAN, High-level visits and meetings, Japan
        • POL 15–1 JAPAN, Matters involving the head of state, Japan
        • POL 15–2 JAPAN, Matters involving the legislature, Japan
        • POL 23 JAPAN, Internal security and counterinsurgency measures, Japan
        • POL JAPAN–KOR N, General foreign and national policy, Japan-North Korea
        • POL JAPAN–KOR S, General foreign and national policy, Japan-South Korea
        • POL JAPAN–US, General foreign and national policy, Japan-U.S.
        • POL 1 JAPAN–US, General policy background and trends, Japan-U.S.
        • POL 1-1 JAPAN–US, Political contingency planning, Japan-U.S.
        • POL 7 JAPAN–US, High-level visits and meetings, Japan-U.S.
        • POL 17 JAPAN–US, Diplomatic and consular representation, Japan-U.S.
        • POL 23 JAPAN–US, Internal security and counterinsurgency measures, Japan-U.S.
        • POL 33-4 JAPAN–US, Territorial-waters issues, Japan-U.S.
        • POL 19 RYU IS–Government of dependencies and territories, Ryukyu Islands
        • POL 19 RYU IS–US, Government of dependencies and territories, Ryukyu Islands-U.S.
        • POL 7 US/GOLDBERG, Visits and meetings, Arthur J. Goldberg
        • POL 7 US/HUMPHREY, Visits and meetings, Hubert H. Humphrey
        • POL 27 VIET S, Military operations, South Vietnam
        • SP 1-1 JAPAN–US, Cooperation on space science and technology, Japan-U.S.
        • UN 22–2 JAPAN
  • Lyndon B. Johnson Library, Austin, Texas
    • National Security File
      • Country File, China
      • Country File, Japan
      • Country File—Addendum, Japan
      • Country File, Ryukyu Islands
      • Files of Robert Komer
      • Files of Walt Rostow
      • Agency File, Senior Interdepartmental Group
      • International Meetings and Travel File
      • Name File
      • National Security Council Meetings
      • Office of the President File
      • Subject File, Nuclear Testing—China
    • Meeting Notes File
    • White House Central Files
      • Confidential File
    • Office Files of the White House Aides
      • Bill Moyers
    • Diaries and Appointment Logs
      • President’s Daily Diary
    • Papers of Dean Rusk
      • Appointment Books, 1961-1969
    • Papers of George Ball
      • Japan File
  • John F. Kennedy Library, Boston, Massachusetts
    • National Security File
      • Countries Series, Ryukyu Islands.
      • Countries Series, Japan 4/63.
  • Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Washington, D.C.
    • Harriman Papers
      • Box 13, U. A. Johnson
  • National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
    • Maxwell Taylor Papers
      • Box 25, Chairman’s Staff Group, May 1964
  • Washington National Records Center, Suitland, Maryland
    • RG 330, Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Deputy Secretary of Defense, and Assistant Secretaries of Defense (ISA)
    • OSD/ISA: FRC 68 A 306, 70 A 3717, 70 A 6649, 71 A 4919, 71 A 4546
      • Yearly Decimal Files of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, 1964–1968.
    • ISA/ADMIN: FRC 70 A 1266, 70 A 4443, 70 A 4662, 72 A 2468, 73 A 1250, 73 A 1304
      • Official Files of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, 1964–1968.
    • OASD/ADMIN: FRC 71 A 6489
      • Miscellaneous Sensitive Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, 1961–1966.
        • FRC 68 A 306, 333 Japan
        • FRC 68 A 306, 560 Japan
        • FRC 70 A 1266, 092 Ryukyus
        • FRC 70 A 3717, 092 Japan
        • FRC 70 A 3717, 381 Japan
        • FRC 70 A 3717, 471.6 Japan
        • FRC 70 A 4443, Japan 373.24
        • FRC 70 A 4662, Japan 370.02
        • FRC 70 A 6649, 560 Japan
        • FRC 71 A 4546, 333 Bonin Islands
        • FRC 71 A 4546, 333 Japan
        • FRC 71 A 4546, 381 Japan
        • FRC 71 A 4546, 680.1 Bonin Islands
        • FRC 71 A 4919, 680.1 Ryukyu Islands
        • FRC 71 A 6489, Japan 471.61 Sensitive
        • FRC 72 A 2468, 092 Bonin Islands
        • FRC 72 A 2468, Okinawa 091.112
        • FRC 72 A 2468, Okinawa 323.3
        • FRC 72 A 2468, Japan 091.112
        • FRC 73 A 1250, Japan 091.112
        • FRC 73 A 1250, Japan 323.3
        • FRC 73 A 1250, Okinawa 452
        • FRC 73 A 1304, Japan 123

Published Sources

  • Documentary Collections
    • U.S. Department of State. American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1961–1966. Washington, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1966–1969.
    • ———. Bulletin, 1961–1967. Washington, 1961–1967.
    • ———. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Vol. XXII, Northeast Asia. Washington, 1996.
    • ———. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Vol. XXX, China. Washington, 1998.
    • United Nations, Yearbook of the United Nations. New York, 1966,
    • U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964–1968, Washington, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1965–1970.
    • 14 UST 1078, “Arrangement Concerning trade in Cotton textiles, with exchange of notes at Washington August 27, 1963.” Treaties in Force: A List of Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States in Force January 1, 1966, Department of State. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1996.
  • Memoirs
    • Reischauer, Edwin O. My Life Between Japan and America. New York: Harper & Row, 1986.
    • Johnson, U. Alexis. The Right Hand of Power. With Jef Olivarius McAllister. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1984.