Gerald R. Ford Library 1000 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2114 www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov

National Security Adviser

National Security Council Meetings File,

1974-1977

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Agendas, briefing papers, and minutes for most of the thirty-nine National Security Council meetings held during the Ford Administration. Agendas for the meetings were prepared by the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Meeting minutes were prepared by the NSC staff person who had staff responsibility for the major issue under discussion. Topics include arms control, US military readiness, the Middle East, Angola, Vietnam, the Mayaguez, the Panama Canal, and investigations of the intelligence community.

QUANTITY

0.8 linear feet (ca.1,000 pages)

DONOR

Gerald R. Ford (accession number 77-118)

ACCESS

Open. Some items may be temporarily restricted under terms of the donor's deed of gift, a copy of which is available on request, or under National Archives and Records Administration general restrictions (36 CFR 1256).

COPYRIGHT

Gerald R. Ford has donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain.

Prepared by Leesa Tobin, February 1998 (revised 6/99)

[s:\bin\findaid\nsc\nsc meeting minutes.doc]

INTRODUCTION

The NSC Meetings File is one of many subcollections that comprise the National Security Adviser Files. The provenance and nature of the National Security Adviser Files as a whole are described in Appendix A.

The National Security Council was created in 1947 in response to the increased complexity of national security issues in the post-World War II period and the necessity for coordination of political, military and economic factors in developing and implementing a national security policy.

Every president uses the National Security Council (NSC) in the development of foreign policy to a greater or lesser degree. During the Ford Administration the NSC was the principal forum through which major foreign policy issues were brought to the President for decision.

During meetings President Ford acted as chairman of the NSC. Statutory members in attendance included the vice president and the secretaries of State and Defense. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff acted as the primary military advisor; the director of the Central Intelligence Agency advised on intelligence matters; and the director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency was the advisor on arms control matters. The assistant to the president for national security affairs (Dr. Henry Kissinger until November 1975, then General Brent Scowcroft) acted as the chief supervisory officer of the NSC system, planning NSC meeting agenda and overseeing the preparation of briefing materials. Other department heads were invited to attend NSC meetings depending on the agenda.

The National Security Council met at the President’s behest to provide him with an opportunity to hear debate between the principals involved concerning various preferred courses of action. Often this would be in response to an National Security Study Memorandum concerning an issue of considerable importance, for example, military aid to Israel or SALT negotiations. The NSC met thirty-nine times during the Ford Administration. Some of the meetings were brief, while a number lasted for more than two hours. The gatherings were usually held in the Cabinet Room.

Meetings often began with an intelligence briefing. Kissinger or Scowcroft would then outline issues and options and the President would ask each attendee for his views and recommendations. Participants stated their positions and often had the opportunity to rebut the views of others in attendance. Some of the discussions were quite detailed and occasionally debates would develop among those in attendance with differing policy preferences.

No taped records of these meetings are known to exist. An NSC staff member, often someone who had staff responsibility for the topic being discussed, took notes and later prepared a formal record of the gathering. This collection is not complete, however. For five of the NSC meetings held during the administration, there are no formal meeting minutes, although those files usually include briefing material and agendas.

Topics discussed during NSC meetings include: the Middle East peace negotiations, aid to Israel, SALT, the Vietnam War, Panama Canal Treaty negotiations, the Helsinki Agreements, Angola, American-Soviet relations, military readiness, Southern Africa, and the intelligence investigations. The minutes also reflect relations between various members of President Ford’s cabinet and advisors.

Related Materials (June 1999):

Many NSC meetings included discussion of National Security Study Memoranda (NSSM) and eventually resulted in a National Security Decision Memoranda(NSDM) signed by the President. A complete file of these documents is available to researchers.

Series Descriptions

1-2 National Security Council Meetings File, 1974-1977. (0.8 linear feet)

Briefing material, agendas and meeting minutes for most of the thirty-nine National Security Council meetings held during the Ford Administration. Topics include; the Middle East peace negotiations, aid to Israel, SALT, the Vietnamese War, Panama Canal Treaty negotiations, the Helsinki Agreements, Angola, American-Soviet relations, military readiness, Southern Africa, and investigations of the intelligence community. View images of all declassified minutes.

Container List

Box 1 National Security Council Meetings File (View images of all declassified minutes.)

NSC Meeting, August 10, 1974

NSC Meeting, September 6, 1974 (no minutes available)

NSC Meeting, September 14, 1974

NSC Meeting, October 7, 1974

NSC Meeting, October 18, 1974

NSC Meeting, December 2, 1974

NSC Meeting, January 23, 1975

NSC Meeting, January 29, 1975

NSC Meeting, March 5, 1975

NSC Meeting, March 28, 1975

NSC Meeting, April 9, 1975

NSC Meeting, April 24, 1975

NSC Meeting, April 28, 1975

NSC Meeting, May 12, 1975

NSC Meeting, May 13, 1975 (morning)

NSC Meeting, May 13, 1975 (evening)

NSC Meeting, May 14, 1975

NSC Meeting, May 15, 1975

Box 2 National Security Council Meetings File (View images of all declassified minutes.)

NSC Meeting, June 27, 1975

NSC Meeting, July 23, 1975

NSC Meeting, July 25, 1975

NSC Meeting, August 9, 1975

NSC Meeting, September 17, 1975

NSC Meeting, December 22, 1975

NSC Meeting, January 8, 1976

NSC Meeting, January 13, 1976

NSC Meeting, January 19, 1976

NSC Meeting, January 21, 1976

NSC Meeting, February 11, 1976

NSC Meeting, April 7, 1976

NSC Meeting, April 22, 1976 (no minutes available)

NSC Meeting, May 1, 1976 (no minutes available)

NSC Meeting, May 11, 1976

NSC Meeting, July 21, 1976 (no minutes available)

NSC Meeting, July 30, 1976

NSC Meeting, August 9, 1976

NSC Meeting, December 2, 1976 (no minutes available)

NSC Meeting, December 15, 1976

NSC Meeting, January 13, 1977