Office of the Historian

Preface

Part 2 of this volume was prepared under the direct supervision of the late S. Everett Gleason and of Fredrick Aandahl, his successor as Editor of Foreign Relations, with the assistance of Ralph R. Goodwin and Neal H. Petersen in planning and direction.

Mr. Petersen compiled and edited the sections on United States national security policy and on atomic energy, as well as the related section in part 1 on American policy at the United Nations on regulation of armaments and collective security. Mr. Goodwin prepared the sections on United States representation at international conferences and organizations, commercial policy, the foreign assistance program, and, with Marvin W. Kranz, on the International Trade Organization and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. William Z. Slany prepared the section on United States policy with regard to the Antarctic. Editorial and technical assistance was provided by Margaret G. Martin and Ruth M. Worthing.

The editors acknowledge with appreciation the assistance provided them by the historians of the Department of Defense, including those of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as by the historians of the Atomic Energy Commission (now the Energy Research and Development Administration). They are also grateful for the cooperation of the National Security Council, the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Atomic Energy Commission, all of which concurred in the declassification of various papers for release herein. Thanks are also due to those foreign governments that kindly granted permission for publication of certain of their documents in this volume.

The technical editing of this volume was the responsibility of the Publishing and Reproduction División, Willard M. McLaughlin, Chief. The index for part 2 was prepared by Francis C. Prescott.

Part 1 of this volume (released in June 1975 as Department of State publication 8805) includes documentation on United States policy with respect to the United Nations.

Fredrick Aandahl

Acting Director, Historical Office
Bureau of Public Affairs
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Principles for the Computations and Editing of “Foreign Relations”

The principles which guide the compilation and editing of Foreign Relations are stated in Department of State Regulation 2 FAM 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 regulation, as further amended, is printed below:

1350 Documentary Record of American Diplomacy

1351 Scope of Documentation

The publication Foreign Relations of the United States constitutes the official record of the foreign policy of the 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 is edited by the Historical Office, Bureau of Public Affairs of the Department of State. The editing of the record is guided by the principles of historical objectivity. There may 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 may 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 possibly, to show the alternatives presented to the Department before the decision was made.

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1353 Clearance

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

a.
Refers to the appropriate policy offices of the Department and of other agencies of the Government such papers as appear to require policy clearance.
b.
Refers 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.