Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume II, Organization and Management of U.S. Foreign Policy, 1969–1972

10. National Security Decision Memorandum 1¹

Washington, January 20, 1969.

TO

• The Vice President
• The Secretary of State
• The Secretary of Defense
• The Secretary of the Treasury
• The Administrator of the Agency for International Development
• The Director of Central Intelligence
• The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
• The Director of the US Information Agency
• The Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness
• The Director of the Bureau of the Budget

SUBJECT

• Establishment of NSC Decision and Study Memoranda Series

At the direction of the President, the following two memoranda series are hereby established to inform the Departments and Agencies of Presidential action:

• —National Security Decision Memoranda (NSDM). This series shall be used to report Presidential decisions (whether the result of NSC meetings or appropriate consultation with the Department head concerned).²
• —National Security Study Memoranda (NSSM). This series shall be used to direct that studies be undertaken (normally for NSC consideration).³

The National Security Action Memoranda (NSAM) series is hereby abolished. An NSDM to be issued shortly will describe the status of existing NSAMs.⁴

Henry A. Kissinger

1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–208, National Security Decision Memoranda, NSDM 1. Confidential.
2. Copies of NSDM 1 through NSDM 264 (August 6, 1974) are ibid., Boxes H–208– H–248. Copies of NSDM 1 through NSDM 348 (January 20, 1977) are ibid., RG 59, S/S– NSDM Files: Lot 83D305.
3. Copies of NSSM 1 through NSSM 206 (July 29, 1974) are in the National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 365, Subject Files, National Security Study Memoranda. Copies of NSSM 1 through NSSM 248 (November 13, 1976) and follow-up studies, organized by NSSM number, are in ibid., RG 59, S/S–NSDM Files: Lot 83D212, and copies of NSSM 1 through NSSM 200 are also in ibid., Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Boxes H–122-H–207, National Security Study Memoranda.
4. In NSDM 5, February 3, the President listed 30 NSAMs that would continue in force until further notice, specified a review process for 40 other NSAMs, and directed that all other NSAMs “be considered inactive as of this date.” (Ibid., Box H–209)