Office of the Historian

Sources

Sources for Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, Volume XXVI

The files at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, Georgia, are the single most important source of documentation for those interested in arms control during the Carter administration. Foreign policy research in the Carter Presidential Library centers around two collections: National Security Affairs (NSA), Brezezinski Material, and the NSA, Staff Material. The lot file containing the records of Secretary of State Cyrus Vance is a rich repository of key memoranda of conversation between Vance and the leading political figures involved in arms control discussions. The records of Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher (much of which was already declassified at the time of research) proved important particularly when he was serving as Acting Secretary of State. The lot file containing the records of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency were particularly helpful. Finally, the papers of Secretary of Defense Harold Brown at the Library of Congress document the enormous influence exerted by a relatively unknown cabinet official during the Carter administration. The editor also had access to records at the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Department of Defense.

The editor made considerable use of materials already compiled for other volumes in the Foreign Relations series, including those of the Soviet Union; China; Japan, Korea; Mexico, Cuba, and the Caribbean; South America; SALT II; and Western Europe. Readers interested in these subjects should consult the relevant volumes for further information on the specific sources used in research.

The following list identifies the particular files and collections used in the preparation of this volume. The declassification and transfer to the National Archives of the Department of State records is in process, and some of these records are already available for public review at the National Archives. In addition to the paper files cited below, a growing number of documents are available on the Internet. The Office of the Historian maintains a list of these Internet resources on its website and encourages readers to consult that site on a regular basis.

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Unpublished Sources

  • Department of State
    • Lot files. These files have been transferred or will be transferred to the National Archives and Record Administration in College Park, Maryland.
      • Chronological Files of Marshall Shulman, Special Adviser to the Secretary on Soviet Affairs, 1977–1980, Lot 81D109
      • Executive Secretariat Files, Lot 84D161
      • Personal Files of Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, Lot 80D135
      • Chronological and subject files of Cyrus Vance, Secretary of State, 1977–1980
      • Papers of Michael Armacost, Lot 89D265
  • National Archives and Record Administration, College Park, Maryland
    • Record Group 59, Records of the Department of State
      • Central Foreign Policy File
      • Office of the Under Secretary of State for Security Assistance, Chronological Files, Speeches, and Records Lucy W. Benson (1979) and Matthew Nimetz (1980) Files, Lot 81D321
      • Records of Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, 1977–1980, Lot 84D241
      • Records of the Office of the Deputy Secretary Warren Christopher, Lot 81D113
  • Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, Atlanta, Georgia
    • National Security Affairs
      • Brzezinski Material
        • Brzezinski Office File
        • Country File
        • General Odom File
        • Meetings File
        • Name File
        • President’s Correspondence with Foreign Leaders File
        • Subject Chron File
        • Subject File
        • Trip Files
        • Unfiled File
        • VIP Visit File
      • Staff Material
        • Agency File
        • Defense/Security Files
        • Freedom of Information/Legal Files
        • Global Issues
        • North/South
        • Office File
        • Staff Secretary File
        • Europe, USSR, and East/West
      • Donated Historical Material, Zbigniew Brzezinski File
      • Plains File
      • Institutional File
        • National Security Council Meetings
        • Presidential Decisions
        • Presidential Review Memoranda
      • Papers of Walter F. Mondale
  • Central Intelligence Agency, Langley, Virginia
    • Office of the Director of Central Intelligence
      • Job 81B00112R
  • Library of Congress, Manuscript Division
    • Harold Brown Papers
    • James Schlesinger Papers
  • Records of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
    • Office of the Director, Subject Files Pertaining to Presidential Review Memoranda and Directives, MEMCONS with Foreign Officials, and National Security Decision and Study Memoranda, May 1963–October 1980, Accession #383–98–0053
  • Washington National Records Center, Suitland, Maryland
    • RG 330, Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense
      • FRC 330–80–0016
      • FRC 330–80–0017
      • FRC 330–81–0201
      • FRC 330–81–0202
      • FRC 330–84–0067

Published Sources

Brzezinski, Zbigniew. Power and Principle: Memoirs of the National Security Adviser, 1977–1981. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1983.

Carter, Jimmy. Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President. New York: Bantam Books, 1982.

New York Times.

Smith, Gerard. Disarming Diplomat: The Memoirs of Ambassador Gerard C. Smith, Arms Control Negotiator. Lanham: Madison Books, 1996.

U.S. Department of State. Bulletin, 1977–1980.

______ Documents on Disarmament, 1977–1980. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Jimmy Carter, 1977–1980. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981.

Vance, Cyrus. Hard Choices: Critical Years in America’s Foreign Policy. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983.

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