Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XXXVIII, Part 2, Organization and Management of Foreign Policy; Public Diplomacy, 1973–1976

196. Memorandum by the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) and the President’s Assistant for Legislative Affairs (Timmons)¹

Washington, August 13, 1973.

MEMORANDUM FOR

• The Secretary of State
• The Secretary of Defense
• The Director of Central Intelligence

SUBJECT

• Legislative Coordination in National Security Affairs

The President has directed new efforts toward insuring that the Congress receives all appropriate information to assist it in the discharge of its responsibilities in the area of national security affairs. To accomplish this task, the President has directed the reactivation of the Legislative Interdepartmental Group (LIG).² The LIG will be responsible for recommending, coordinating and expediting information to be provided the Congress, and all national security matters having interagency impact or agency matters having significant policy implications will be cleared by the LIG before being presented to the Congress.

The responsible departments and agencies will be represented on the LIG by their Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs or equivalent officer. The Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs is designated as Chairman of the LIG and the Special Counsel of the National Security Council Staff as Executive Secretary.

The LIG will meet fortnightly or more frequently as required.³

Henry A. Kissinger William E. Timmons

1. Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Legislative Interdepartmental Group File, Box 3, Chronological File, April 1971–October 1974. No classification marking. At this time, General Walters was Acting DCI after Schlesinger’s resignation on July 2 and until Colby’s swearing-in on September 4.
2. The LIG was established in April 1971 by representatives of the White House Congressional Relations Office and of the congressional relations offices of the CIA, the NSC, and the Departments of Defense, Justice, and State. See Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. II, Organization and Management of U.S. Foreign Policy, 1969–1972, Document 145. Meetings were held monthly or bimonthly until September 1972 when regular activity ceased, with the exception of a meeting held on June 22, 1973. Records of these meetings are in the Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Legislative Interdepartmental Group File, Boxes 1–3, Meeting Files.
3. Following the LIG’s reactivation, meetings were held every other month until May 1974. With the beginning of the Ford administration in August, the Group resumed this schedule until February 1975. Thereafter, the LIG met only three times: April 14, 1975; September 12, 1975; and January 13, 1976. Materials related to these meetings are ibid., Box 3.