Office of the Historian

Preface

This volume was prepared under the direct supervision of E. Ralph Perkins, formerly Chief of the Foreign Relations Division. He was assisted by S. Everett Gleason, the present head of the Division, and by Fredrick Aandahl. The compilations on the work of the European Advisory Commission were done by William Slany. The bulk of the documentation on Germany was compiled by John P. Glennon and former staff member Douglas W. Houston. The latter is also the compiler of the documentation on Austria, The remaining compilations on Germany were the responsibility of two former members of the Division: N. O. Sappington and George O. Kent.

Acknowledgment is also made to the historians of the Department of Defense, particularly those of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for their valuable assistance. The editors are also grateful for assistance received from the staff of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library at Hyde Park, N.Y.

The Publishing and Reproduction Services Division (Jerome H. Perlmutter, Chief) was responsible for the technical editing of the volume. This function was performed in the Historical Editing Section under the direct supervision of Elizabeth A. Vary, Chief, and Ouida J. Ward, Assistant Chief.

William M. Franklin

Director, Historical Office,
Bureau of Public Affairs
December 5, 1967

Principles for the Compilation and Editing of “Foreign Relations”

The principles which guide the compilation and editing of Foreign Relations are stated in Department of State Regulation 1350 of June 15, 1961, a revision of the order approved on March 26, 1925, by Mr. Frank B. Kellogg, then Secretary of State. The text of the current regulation is printed below:

1350 Documentary Record of American Diplomacy

1351 Scope of Documentation

The publication Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, constitutes the official record of the foreign policy of the [Page IV] United States. These volumes include, subject to necessary security considerations, all documents needed to give a comprehensive record of the major foreign policy decisions within the range of the Department of State’s responsibilities, together with appropriate materials concerning the facts which contributed to the formulation of policies. When further material is needed to supplement the documentation in the Department’s files for a proper understanding of the relevant policies of the United States, such papers should be obtained from other Government agencies.

1352 Editorial Preparation

The basic documentary diplomatic record to be printed in Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, shall be edited by the Historical Office, Bureau of Public Affairs of the Department of State. The editing of the record shall be guided by the principles of historical objectivity. There shall be no alteration of the text, no deletions without indicating where in the text the deletion is made, and no omission of facts which were of major importance in reaching a decision. Nothing shall be omitted for the purpose of concealing or glossing over what might be regarded by some as a defect of policy. However, certain omissions of documents are permissible for the following reasons:

a.
To avoid publication of matters which would tend to impede current diplomatic negotiations or other business.
b.
To condense the record and avoid repetition of needless details.
c.
To preserve the confidence reposed in the Department by individuals and by foreign governments.
d.
To avoid giving needless offense to other nationalities or individuals.
e.
To eliminate personal opinions presented in despatches and not acted upon by the Department. To this consideration there is one qualification—in connection with major decisions it is desirable, where possible, to show the alternatives presented to the Department before the decision was made.

1353 Clearance

To obtain appropriate clearances of material to be published in Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, the Historical Office shall:

a.
Refer to the appropriate policy offices of the Department and of other agencies of the Government such papers as appear to require policy clearance.
b.
Refer to the appropriate foreign governments requests for permission to print as part of the diplomatic correspondence of the United States those previously unpublished documents which were originated by the foreign governments.