NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR. PRESIDENTIAL NAME FILE, 1974-77

The Presidential Name File is one of many subcollections that comprise the National Security Adviser Files.

The Name File comprises material filed by the name of an individual. Most of the documents were sent or received by either Henry Kissinger, as National Security Adviser to the President, or Brent Scowcroft, as Kissinger's deputy and then National Security Adviser himself. It is not apparent why these documents were filed by name rather than in subject files within the larger series of the Kissinger-Scowcroft Files, or in White House Central Files. It may be that they are often about an individual or about an individual's personal interest in a topic.

There are two main categories of material: (1) correspondence with people outside the Ford administration relating to national security or foreign affairs questions, and (2) internal government memos or letters on administrative matters, such as personnel, rather than national security policy.

The series includes folders for 103 individuals. The following groups are represented most often: U.S. senators, White House staff members, military officers, U.S. ambassadors, and religious leaders. Former government officials, unofficial presidential advisers, and journalists are also represented, as well as a few members of the general public.

It is difficult to characterize the subject matter of this series except to say that it is broad-ranging. Nearly every national security or foreign affairs issue crops up at least once, but there is not much depth on any given issue. General topics touched on most often are: U.S./Soviet relations, particularly in regard to Soviet emigration policies; the Middle East conflict; Vietnam; and the Greece/Turkey/Cyprus situation. Foreign aid, arms control and test ban issues, China/Taiwan, Angola, foreign base negotiations, and the intelligence investigations are subjects of correspondence several times. Administrative matters, such as paperwork for medals, awards, and promotions, are the subject of several folders relating to military officers.

On initial processing in 1991, approximately 28% of this series was found to be security classified or unmarked national security information (117 documents, 439 pages, out of 1600 pages). Eight documents were removed as donor restricted.

Related Materials (June 1991)
Similar material may be found in most of the Library's collections. The President's Handwriting File and White House Central Files, as well as other series of the Kissinger-Scowcroft Files, have materials on most of the topics represented in this series.