Office of the Historian

Sources

Sources for Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, Volume XXVIII

The sources for this volume are different from most other Foreign Relations volumes in the Carter subseries because of its primary focus on organization and management of foreign policy and the intelligence process. In addition, this volume draws from a more diffuse base of sources, many of which are not normally used in other volumes in the subseries. For that reason, readers should pay special attention to the source notes and other annotation in the volume which provide a wealth of citations that will lead the reader to key files and collections. In this note on sources the emphasis is on the most important files.

The most valuable files for this volume were those of the Under Secretary of State for Management (M) located at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. The files are arranged chronologically and fully outline both the internal organization of the Department of State and the external organization in terms of how the Department of State interacted with other agencies in the development and execution of U.S. foreign policy. This thorough collection is an invaluable resource to anyone interested in management of a governmental agency.

Additionally, certain collections in the National Security Affairs files at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, Georgia are especially important, including the Agency File, the President’s Intelligence Oversight Board File, and the Brzezinski Office File. The National Security Council Institutional Files at the Carter Library are also important. Both the Agency File and the President’s Intelligence Oversight Board File were critical collections for the chapter on intelligence reformation during the Carter administration. The Agency File outlined the proposals and changes in intelligence reform and how these were negotiated between the various agencies. It provided extensive information not only on the intelligence issues of the day, especially the organization of the intelligence community, but also on the negotiation of changes in the structure of the intelligence community and the power struggles that ensued. The President’s Intelligence Oversight Board File provided extensive information on the oversight of intelligence activities and how oversight was negotiated between the executive and legislative branches of government.

The Brzezinski Office File and National Security Council Institutional File provided documentation on the role of the National Security Council in the formulation of U.S. foreign policy. The Institutional Files document the formalized processes of Presidential Review Memo [Page XII] randa (PRM) and Presidential Directives (PD). This file contains the paperwork trail for each of the PRMs and PDs issued by the Carter administration. Several of these directly address intelligence reform, and as a result, this collection and the wealth of information contained therein, were essential.

While a variety of other collections and resources were consulted and contributed to the completion of this volume, those described above constitute the most important collections for documenting the organization and management of U.S. foreign policy during the Carter administration. Readers should consult both the source notes and additional annotation in order to learn what other files have been consulted. 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.

Unpublished Sources

  • Department of State
  • Lot files. These files have been transferred or will be transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland.
    • Central Files: See National Archives and Records Administration below
    • Lot 81D117, Records of the Executive Secretariat, Information Management Section (S/S–I)
    • Lot 84D241, Records of the Secretary of State, 1977–1980
    • Lot 80D135, Personal Files of the Secretary of State, 1977–1980
    • INR/IL Files, Intelligence Community Reorganization
  • National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Maryland
    • RG 59, General Records of the Department of State
      • Central Foreign Policy File
        • Entry P–14, Lot 81D113, Records of the Deputy Secretary of State, 1977–1980
        • Entry 9, Lot 82D298, Office Working Papers of S/P, 1977–1981
        • Entry 141, Lot 79D336, Records of the Under Secretary for Management, 1977–May 1978
        • Entry 143, Lot 81D225, Records of the Under Secretary for Management, June 1978–December 1979
        • Entry 142, Lot 81D396, Records of the Under Secretary for Management, 1980
    • RG 364, Records of the Office of U.S. Trade Representative, 1977–1979
  • Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, Atlanta, Georgia
    • National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material
      • Agency File
      • Brzezinski Office File
      • Subject File
    • National Security Affairs, Staff Material
      • Brzezinski Donated Material
      • Office File
      • President’s Intelligence Oversight Board
    • National Security Council, Institutional Files
    • President’s Daily Diary
    • President’s File, Plains File
    • White House Central File
      • Federal Government
      • Personnel
  • Central Intelligence Agency, Langley, Virginia
    • Office of the Director of Central Intelligence
      • Job 97M00248R: Policy Files
      • Job 80M00165A: Executive Registry Subject Files
    • Community Management Staff (Also known as the Intelligence Community Staff)
      • Job 79M00095A: Official Subject Files (1975–1977)
    • Office of the Deputy Director for Intelligence
      • Job 82M00587R: Policy Files
    • National Intelligence Council
      • Job 91M00696R: Subject Policy Files
  • National Security Council
    • Carter Intelligence Files
      • Intelligence Oversight Board
      • Political Intelligence and Analysis
      • Political Intelligence Meeting
  • Washington National Records Center, Suitland, Maryland
    • RG 330, Records of the Department of Defense
      • OSD Files: FRC 330–81–0761
        • ASD/ISA Policy Files, 1976–1977
      • OSD Files: FRC 330–80–0017
        • Official Records (Secret & Below) of the Secretary of Defense, 1977
      • OSD Files: FRC 330–82–0204
      • Official Records (Secret & Below) of the Secretary of Defense, 1979

Published Sources

  • Appendices: Commission on the Organization of the Government for the Conduct of Foreign Policy, June 1975, Seven Volumes. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1975.
  • 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.
  • _____. White House Diary. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2010.
  • Congress and the Nation, Vol. V, 1977–1980. Washington: Congressional Quarterly, Inc., 1981.
  • Congressional Quarterly Almanac. Washington: Congressional Quarterly, Inc.
  • Federal Register. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977–1980.
  • Keesing’s Contemporary Archives: Record of World Events. London: Longman Group Ltd., 1977–1980.
  • National Archives and Records Administration. Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Jimmy Carter, 1977–1981. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977–1981.
  • U.S. Department of State. Bulletin, 1977–1980.
  • _____. Newsletter, 1977–1980.
  • Vance, Cyrus. Hard Choices: Critical Years in America’s Foreign Policy. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1983.