The National Security Council System and the Use of National Security Decision Memoranda and Study Memoranda

The National Security Council (NSC) had dual functions during the Ford administration. Under the direction of the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (Henry Kissinger until November 1975, then General Brent Scowcroft) the first was to advise the President with respect to the integration of domestic, foreign and military policies related to the national security. The second NSC function was as an ongoing institutional body supporting the direction and planning of national security more broadly. The NSC did not act as a decisionmaking body. It served as the mechanism for identifying and analyzing national security issues; defining U.S. objectives; developing viable alternative courses of action; obtaining and coordinating the views and recommendations of the various departments involved in the national security process; presenting them to the President for decision and finally, ensuring implementation of presidential decisions.

The NSC system was set in motion by identification of an issue requiring a presidential decision. The process could be initiated by the President himself, any member of the National Security Council, or by the NSC staff. The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs would draft a National Security Study Memorandum (NSSM) which defined the issue, set out the terms of reference of the study, assigned it to a particular group to prepare, and set a due date for completion. The NSSM took the form of a memo from Henry Kissinger or Brent Scowcroft to the heads of various departments or agencies requesting a review of "U.S. goals in relation to..." or "U.S. policy toward..." NSSMs from the period of the Ford administration are numbered 207-248 (1-206 date from the Nixon administration).

If the national security issue to be decided was a major one, or if there was disagreement among the agencies as to the recommended option, an NSC meeting was held so that the President could hear the views of his senior advisers directly. Usually, in the course of a few days, the President reached a decision. A National Security Decision Memorandum (NSDM) was then prepared by the NSC and approved by the President informing the appropriate departments and agencies of the President's decision. Generally, the NSDM states that the President reviewed a particular issue and "approved in principle" or "approved the following action" or "approved the statement of policy."

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URL: http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/document/nsdmnssm/backgrou.htm
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 9, 1998