Foundations of Foreign Policy, 1969-1972
31. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1023, Presidential/HAK Memcons, President’s Asian and European Trip, July-Aug 1969. No classification marking. The meeting, held in the Embassy in Bangkok, was a gathering of regional Chiefs of Mission held during Nixon’s trip to several Asian countries and Romania, which he took in July and August 1969. Additional documentation on the trip is ibid., President’s Trip Files, Boxes 452-454. For the full text of the memorandum of conversation, see Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, Southeast Asia, 1969–1972.
35. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1026, Presidential/HAK Memcons, June-Dec 1969. No classification marking. The meeting was held in the President’s office in the Western White House. No drafting information is provided but the memorandum was apparently drafted by C. Fred Bergsten of the NSC Staff.
39. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 397, Subject Files, A Strategic Overview. Confidential. An attached memorandum to Kissinger from Kenneth Cole, Executive Director of the Domestic Council, is dated October 14. Cole stated that the President was returning Kissinger’s memorandum and its attachment and wanted them sent to Secretaries Rogers and Laird and Attorney General Mitchell for their comments. (Ibid.)
41. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 252, Agency Files, NSC 1969-71. Secret. Sent for information. The memorandum was stamped and initialed by Alexander Butterfield to indicate that it was seen by the President. The attached study was drafted by Robert E. Osgood of the NSC Staff.
42. Letter From the Under Secretary of State (Richardson) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Richardson Papers, Box CL 2, Chronological File. Secret.
43. Notes of Telephone Conversation Between President Nixon and His Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 361, Telephone Conversations, Chronological File, 1-10 Nov 1969. No classification marking.
44. Special Message From President Nixon to the Congress
Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Richard Nixon, 1969, pp. 940-946.
45. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1050, Staff Files, Staff Memos, Moynihan 3/69-11/70. Eyes Only; Sensitive.
46. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State (Richardson) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Richardson Papers, Box CL 2, Chronological File. Confidential.
47. White House Background Press Briefing by the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 425, Subject File, Background Briefings, June-Dec 1969. No classification marking.
48. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rogers to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 325, Subject Files, President’s Annual Review of U.S. Foreign Policy. Confidential.
49. Memorandum From Marshall Wright of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Secretariat Files, Box 1303, Richard M. Nixon Annual Review 1970-1974, Annual Review 1970. Secret.
51. Address by Secretary of State Rogers
Source: Department of State Bulletin, February 2, 1970, pp. 118-120. Secretary Rogers addressed the National Foreign Policy Conference for Editors and Broadcasters in the Department of State.
52. Address by President Nixon on the State of the Union
Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Richard Nixon, 1970, pp. 8-16. The President delivered the address at 12:30 p.m. in the House of Representatives before a joint session of Congress.
53. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State (Richardson) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 325, Subject Files, President’s Annual Review of U.S. Foreign Policy. No classification marking.
54. Paper Prepared in the National Security Council Staff
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Policy Planning Staff Files: Lot 77 D 112, Director’s Files, Selected Lord Memos. Confidential. The paper was sent to Kissinger on January 23 under a covering memorandum from Winston Lord of the NSC Staff. (Ibid.) No drafting information is provided but Lord’s covering memorandum suggests that it was drafted by Lord or by Lindsey Grant, another Asian specialist on the NSC Staff. Kissinger subsequently returned the memorandum to Lord with the following handwritten comment: “Winston—I’ve read belatedly—1st class. How do you suggest we get policy resolutions of unresolved issues”?
57. Memorandum From President Nixon to His Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 325, President’s Annual Review of U.S. Foreign Policy, 2/8/70, Vol. I. No classification marking.
58. White House Background Press Briefing by the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 425, Subject File, Background Briefings, Feb-June 1970. Kissinger, Under Secretary of State Elliot Richardson, and Deputy Secretary of Defense David Packard were responding to questions concerning an advance text of the President’s report to Congress on foreign policy, which had been distributed to reporters. The report was sent to Congress on February 18; see Document 60. Kissinger opened the briefing.
59. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Buchanan) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, President’s Office Files, Box 80, Memoranda for the President, Jan 4-May 31, 1970. No classification marking.
60. Report by President Nixon to the Congress
Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Richard Nixon, 1970, pp. 116-190. The report, the first annual report on foreign policy, was transmitted to Congress under a covering letter signed by Nixon. (Ibid., p. 115)
According to Henry Kissinger’s memoirs, the idea of preparing a comprehensive report on foreign policy originated with a memorandum Kissinger sent to the President-elect shortly before the new administration took office. Kissinger envisioned a document that would “serve as a conceptual outline of the President’s foreign policy, as a status report, and as an agenda for action.” He anticipated that it would “simultaneously guide our bureaucracy and inform foreign governments about our thinking.” (White House Years, p. 158) President Nixon approved the concept on January 30, 1969. (Chronology attached to a memorandum from Haig to Kissinger, February 12, 1970; National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 148, Kissinger Office Files, State-WH Relationship) On October 27 Kissinger sent NSSM 80 to the Secretaries of State, Defense, and the Treasury, and the Director of Central Intelligence directing on the President’s behalf the preparation of an unclassifed annual report on foreign policy. Kissinger indicated that the report to be submitted to Congress should be analogous to the Defense Posture Statement previously submitted to Congress by Secretary of Defense McNamara. (Ibid., Box 365, Subject Files, National Security Study Memoranda, NSSMs 43-103) Additional documentation on the preparation of the annual report is ibid., Boxes 325-326, Subject Files, The President’s Annual Review of U.S. Foreign Policy, and ibid., NSC Secretariat Files, Boxes 1303-1309, Richard M. Nixon Annual Review 1970-1974.