COLLECTION FINDING AID



ROBERT ANDERSON PAPERS, (1946) 1965-95

Special Assistant to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger for Press Relations, Foreign Service Officer, and Ambassador



CONTENTS

Summary Description | Biographical Information | Introduction | Series Descriptions | Container List

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

The collection contains materials primarily documenting the public side of diplomacy, especially Henry Kissinger's public statements and press conferences (1974-75) and Robert Anderson's later positions as U.S. Ambassador to Morocco and the Dominican Republic.

QUANTITY
 16.4 linear feet (approximately 32,800 pages)

DONOR
 Mark Anderson (Accession number 1997-NLF-005))

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
 Mark Anderson donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his father's unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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 William H. McNitt, January 2013
[s:\bin\finding aids & guides\anderson, robert - papers.docx]

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION


Robert Anderson


January 6, 1922 - Born in Boston, Massachusetts

1944 - B.A., Yale University

1943-1946 - First Lieutenant, U.S. Army

1946-72 - Foreign Service Officer in China, Thailand, India, and France, along with State Department assignments as International Relations Officer, Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs, Special Assistant to the Undersecretary, and Country Director for France-Benelux in the Bureau of European Affairs

1972-74 - U.S. Ambassador to Dahomey (now known as Benin)

1974-76 - Special Assistant to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Department spokesman

1976-78 - U.S. Ambassador to Morocco

1978-82 - Special Assistant for International Affairs to Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic and to U.S. Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic

1982-1985 - U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic

1985-1996 - International business advisor

April 5, 1996 - Died in Fairfax County, Virginia

INTRODUCTION

During his long career in the Foreign Service, Robert Anderson served in a succession of posts both overseas and in Washington, culminating in his work as Special Assistant for Press Relations to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and as U.S. Ambassador to three different countries.

His papers cover mostly the public face of diplomacy - speeches, remarks, testimony, trips, and events. The collection contains only occasional glimpses of behind-the-scenes discussions or exchanges of cables with other State Department officials.

Only fragmentary files covering his early years in the Foreign Service are included, but the collection contains more substantive and complete materials for the period 1965 to 1970 when his assignments focused on Europe (especially France).

His files from his work as State Department spokesman from April 1974 to late 1975 contain transcripts of his press briefings, his notes on Kissinger trips and events, and press releases of Kissinger speeches, remarks, and press conferences.

Among Anderson's files on his three posts as U.S. Ambassador, the materials on Dahomey (now Benin) contain only congratulatory letters, guest lists, clippings, and schedules. They are the least informative about his work as Ambassador. The files on his work as Ambassador to Morocco (1976-78) and the Dominican Republic (1982-85) are much more complete. The focus is on the public aspects of the position - speeches, travels, events, and social affairs.

Related Materials (December 2012)
The many Library collections that fall under the heading National Security Adviser have much on the work of Secretary of State Kissinger and also contain copies of many Department of State cables to and from American embassies. Some of Anderson's 1976 cables to and from Washington appear in Box 4 of the Presidential Country Files for Africa.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Foreign Service Subject File, (1946) 1965‑72.  (Boxes 1‑8, 3.0 linear feet)
Meeting notes, letters, lists, interviews, speeches, invitations, and clippings. Although some documents date from the early years of his Foreign Service career, the focus is on the period 1965 to 1970 when he served in the State Department Bureau of European Affairs and in France. Included is much on U.S. relations with France and other nations of Western Europe and briefing materials for Vice President Hubert Humphrey's visit to Europe in 1967.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Ambassador to Dahomey Subject File, 1972‑74. (Boxes 8‑9, 0.2 linear feet)
Congratulatory letters, guest lists, clippings, and schedules. This fragmentary series focuses on personal matters and contains very little on U.S. relations with Dahomey.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Special Assistant to Secretary of the State for Press Relations Subject File, 1974‑75.  (Boxes 9‑18, 4.0 linear feet)
Press briefing transcripts, press releases, handwritten notes, schedules, briefing materials, letters, and clippings. The series focuses on the public side of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's work between April 1974 and late 1975, including copies of many Kissinger addresses, remarks, statements, testimony, toasts, and transcripts of press conferences and Q & A sessions. It also includes transcripts of Anderson's briefings for the media and his notes on various Kissinger trips, events, and interviews.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Ambassador to Morocco Subject File, 1976‑78. (Boxes 19‑24, 2.2 linear feet)
Speeches, schedules, meeting agendas, and correspondence. The series focuses on public aspects of his work such as speeches, press coverage, and trips (both trips within Morocco and consultations in Paris and Washington).

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Tangiers American Legation Museum Society Subject File, 1980‑95.  (Boxes 24‑25, 0.4 linear feet)
Meeting materials, financial records, and a history of the legation building. After leaving Morocco, Anderson became involved in an effort to preserve the old American legation building (the first overseas property ever acquired by the U.S. Government) as a museum of early American diplomacy.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Special Assistant for International Affairs to CINCLANT Subject File, 1978‑82. (Box 25, 0.2 linear feet)
A fragmentary set of personal materials dating from the time Anderson spent on the staff of CINCLANT (Commander in Chief, Atlantic Command).

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Ambassador to Dominican Republic Subject File, 1982‑85.  (Boxes 26‑35, 4.0 linear feet)
Speeches, guest lists, and press coverage. The series focuses on public aspects of his work such as speeches and trips. Some materials focus more broadly on matters relating to the entire Caribbean area.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Post-State Department Subject File, 1985‑90. (Boxes 36‑37, 0.6 linear feet)
Correspondence and meeting materials for organizations to which he belonged and an oral history covering his entire career.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Correspondence File, 1977‑95.  (Boxes 37‑39, 1.0 linear feet)
Personal correspondence arranged alphabetically.

View container list for this series

Contact Cards File, ca. 1969‑ca1985. (Boxes 40‑43, 0.8 linear feet)
Card files contain names and contact information for individuals Anderson knew in France, Morocco, Dominican Republic, and other countries.

Arranged by country and thereunder alphabetically for the three countries. A separate sequence covers "General Out-of-Country."

View container list for this series

Audiovisual Materials, 1968-1995. 
This series contains audiocassettes and audio reels of interviews and briefings given by Robert Anderson, as well as briefings by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. It also includes a film of Anderson presenting his diplomatic credentials as U.S. Ambassador to Morocco and photographs of Anderson in Chicago and the Dominican Republic.

Arranged in parallel to the textual materials.

View container list

CONTAINER LIST

Box 1 - Foreign Service Subject File

Box 2 - Foreign Service Subject File

Box 3 - Foreign Service Subject File

Box 4 - Foreign Service Subject File

Box 5 - Foreign Service Subject File

Box 6 - Foreign Service Subject File

Box 7 - Foreign Service Subject File

Box 8 - Foreign Service Subject File

Box 8 [Continued] - Ambassador to Dahomey Subject File

Box 9 - Ambassador to Dahomey Subject File

Box 10 - Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Press Relations Subject File

Box 11 - Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Press Relations Subject File

Box 12 - Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Press Relations Subject File

Box 13 - Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Press Relations Subject File

Box 14 - Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Press Relations Subject File

Box 15 - Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Press Relations Subject File

Box 16 - Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Press Relations Subject File

Box 17 - Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Press Relations Subject File

Box 18 - Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Press Relations Subject File

Box 19 - Ambassador to Morocco Subject File

Box 20 - Ambassador to Morocco Subject File

Box 21 - Ambassador to Morocco Subject File

Box 22 - Ambassador to Morocco Subject File

Box 23 - Ambassador to Morocco Subject File

Box 24 - Ambassador to Morocco Subject File

Box 24 [Continued] - Tangier American Legation Museum Society Subject File

Box 25 - Tangier American Legation Museum Society Subject File

Box 25 [Continued] - Special Assist for International Affairs to CINCLANT Subject File

Box 26 - Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Subject File

Box 27 - Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Subject File

Box 28 - Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Subject File

Box 29 - Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Subject File

Box 30 - Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Subject File

Box 31 - Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Subject File

Box 32 - Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Subject File

Box 33 - Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Subject File

Box 34 - Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Subject File

Box 35 - Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Subject File

Box 36 - Post-State Department Subject File

Box 37 - Post-State Department Subject File

Box 37 [Continued] - Correspondence File

Box 38 - Correspondence File

Box 39 - Correspondence File

Box 40 - Contact Cards File

Box 41 - Contact Cards File

Box 42 - Contact Cards File

Box 43 - Contact Cards File