In February 1963, the United Nations (UN) held the UN Conference on the Application of Science and Technology for the Benefit of the Less Developed Areas (UNCAST) in Geneva, Switzerland. This conference, held at the peak of the Cold War, brought together about 1,600 delegates from 96 countries, including delegations from both the West and its allies and from communist countries, to address the issue of utilizing science and technology to assist developing countries – the “less developed areas.”

As the report of the United States delegation to the Conference noted, the Conference agenda “could not avoid raising sensitive political issues” and that the “danger loomed large of the Conference becoming a forum for ideological debate – which could have ruined it.” Given the political sensitivity of the Conference at this stage of the Cold War, the U.S. was naturally concerned about the delegates it and its allies chose not representing overtly political sentiments.

One document I stumbled across while processing the RG 286 series “Records Relating to the United Nations Conference on the Application of Science and Technology for the Benefit of the Less Developed Areas, 1962-1963” (ARC Identifier 6120052) details the consideration of Chon Sang-kun as a member of the South Korean delegation to UNCAST. Marked “confidential,” it indicates the sensitive nature of considering such a candidate as Chon.

From file unit "G - Scientific Secretary Activities" (ARC Identifier 6202011)

Chon was controversial because his brother was Chon San-ch’on, Syngman Rhee’s “infamous” Minister of Public Information from January 1959 until April 1960 when Rhee resigned and his regime fell from power. After the April Revolution in South Korea, Chon San-ch’on spent two years in prison for his role in “rigging” the March 1960 election. As a result of his brother’s infamy, Chon Sang-kun was dismissed from his position as plant manager at the Munkyung Cement Company after the April Revolution.

From file unit "G - Scientific Secretary Activities" (ARC Identifier 6202011)

However in 1962, Chon was  slated to represent South Korea at UNCAST on “the development and fostering of technical trained manpower.” After detailing the political considerations behind choosing Chon, the document notes that Chon was an “intelligent, forceful, articulate (his English is fluent), and dedicated individual” and that he “has not been politically active.” While Chon went on to serve at UNCAST as rapporteur for the specialized session on building materials and building techniques, this document highlights the sensitive political considerations being made by the U.S. and its allies in selecting delegates prior to the Conference.

More records relating to U.S. preparation for UNCAST can be found in the RG 286 series “Records Relating to the United Nations Conference on the Application of Science and Technology for the Benefit of the Less Developed Areas, 1962-1963” (ARC Identifier 6120052). The Agency for International Development’s temporary Science Conference Staff was responsible for organizing U.S. participation in the Conference. Additionally, records from the U.S. delegation to UNCAST can be found in the RG 43 series “Program Records, 01/01/1962-02/20/1963” (ARC Identifier 2825218). A copy of the document featured in this post can be found in the Department of State “Central Decimal Files, 1910-1963″ (ARC Identifier 302021) from RG 59. Marked with the decimal filing code “399.801-GE/12-2662″ in the top right corner, the copy and other documents relating to UNCAST can be found in this series filed under decimal number 399.801. All of the abovementioned series are great sources of information for researchers interested in UNCAST and its Cold War context or in the scientific and technological discussions at the Conference. Come to Archives II if you are interested in seeing documents from these series, or contact archives2reference@nara.gov for more information.

The “National Archives Researcher News” recently carried an FAQ that provides guidance on ways to improve your research experience at the National Archives. It is reissued here to bring it to the attention of readers of The Text Message.

HOW CAN I MAKE MY VISIT MORE SUCCESSFUL?

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) reference staff is committed to giving researchers the best possible assistance. The following questions and answers are provided to help researchers have a good on-site experience and take full advantage of their limited time at the National Archives.

Q. Do I need to contact the Archives before I arrive?

A. Writing or calling in advance is not required; however, we strongly encourage researchers to write to the National Archives before making a research visit. Please send the same reference inquiry to only one address to avoid confusion and duplication of work. Making contact before arrival can help prepare researchers for what they will find and help smooth the process when they arrive. Researchers should make contact far enough in advance to provide the NARA reference staff with sufficient time to respond. A good rule of thumb is to write a minimum of 4 weeks before you plan to arrive. This allows time for the staff to log-in requests, to conduct necessary background work, and to prepare and send a response. If researchers have complex questions that require an in depth consultation, they should write even sooner. Please note, however, that NARA staff cannot undertake research for you. Our staff assists researchers with their work by providing information about the records, but we do not undertake substantive research for researchers.

Q. Do some records need more advanced notice to be available?

A. Contacting us ahead of time is especially necessary if a researcher is interested in more recent records (1960s and later); records of agencies that deal with more sensitive government functions (such as State, Justice, FBI, the intelligence agencies); records for which you have incomplete or partial identification (agency-assigned numbers, such as Department of State “Lot File” numbers that do not always carry over into use by the National Archives); and records that have only recently been transferred to the National Archives.

Q. Are the records well described for easy use?

A. Some are and others are not. While it is our ultimate goal, not all records are fully processed, with full descriptions and complete finding aids. Until the goal is met, locating specific bodies of records transferred to the National Archives, especially those transferred recently, can often involve a time-consuming, multi-step process involving both researchers and NARA staff. This cannot be done effectively on an ad hoc basis while researchers wait in the Research Room. Researchers may have to request additional information from the agency of origin, and NARA staff may have to consult transfer documentation, printouts, preliminary finding aids, and classified indexes to assist in locating files of interest. The same is true for locating files relating to esoteric topics. NARA understands that the absence of complete finding aids can be frustrating to researchers, but by writing in advance, some of the problems may be overcome.

Q. What are some of the other reasons to contact the National Archives in advance?

A. We can provide information about hours of operation and holidays. Hours of operation are established by each facility.

We can provide you with information about NARA procedures. For example, we are unable to pull records for use in advance of your arrival.

We can identify records that are available on-line or on National Archives Microfilm Publications, thus saving a trip to the National Archives. Researchers must use microfilm and online resources when those options are available.

We can identify records that will not be transferred to the National Archives. Only a small percentage of all Federal records are designated as permanent. All others are scheduled for destruction under the authority of approved records control schedules.

We can identify permanent records that are not yet in the National Archives. In those cases you must contact the agency of origin.

We can let you know if the records in which you are interested are temporarily unavailable to researchers because of various reasons (the records are undergoing preservation work, are being imaged or microfilmed, or for some other reason).

We can identify records that have been moved to another location, such as a Presidential Library or a NARA regional facility.

We can let you know if the records have been sent to remote off-site storage and thus require advance special arrangements to use.

We can let you know if the records in which you are interested are available for use. Before records are available to researchers, they must be processed and reviewed for documents containing security classified information or information that is otherwise restricted.

Q. What information does a prospective researcher need to prepare an effective inquiry?

A. Now that you are ready to contact the National Archives, it is time to prepare your research inquiry. An effective inquiry consists of a succinct description of your research interest. Be sure to specify the date period of your topic. Records change over time. What we tell you about 19th century records is very different from what we tell you about those of the 20th . If you are interested in a number of individuals, alphabetize your list, although we generally can respond to only about a handful at one time. If you have specific questions about the records, list them. Please remember that it may take a few weeks for NARA to respond.

Q. What official sources are available for consultation before visiting the National Archives that will assist in identifying records relevant to my research?

A. Published agency annual report, official histories, and official documentary publications often cite records or provide examples of records now in the National Archives. These can provide entry points for beginning research on a particular topic. Be sure to take note of records descriptions and file citations and note those in your reference inquiries and bring them with you when you visit.

Tomorrow we are all Irish.  So, to celebrate St. Patirck’s Day I had a look around our holdings to see how The Text Message could celebrate Eire.  As always I used our Online Public Access (OPA) system and found some expected things: Consular records in RG 84 (Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the Department of State), policy records in RG 59 (General Records of the Department of State), and records about US aid efforts in RG 469 (Records of US Foreign Assistance Agencies).

But I wanted something keeping in the spirit of the holiday and found a file unit called “Heroes: Irish American.”  Though the folder in the box was simply titled “Heroes,” the first document inside was indeed “Irish American Heroes.”  In it were the names of notable Irish Americans fighting bravely in World War II.  A nice document for the day, but behind it I found the pot of gold (pun intended): “Memo: St. Patrick’s Day.”

As radio programs were being planned in celebration of the holiday the memo lists songs appropriate for the occasion.  The writer is careful to note that “the greatest care must be used in selection of Irish songs because of frequent anti-British references in even the most innocent-sounding and best known…”  The memo contains a list of Irish songs not likely to offend our British allies, but warns to use  ”the greatest care if selectors depart from this list, as it is very hard to tell without close examination whether a song from Ireland is anti-British or not.  My Irish sources assure me that these songs are pleasing to Eire’s people.”

It also lists possible Irish American Hollywood stars who might take part in the program, though Burgess Meridith’s heritage was unclear.

The editors of the Text Message want to wish everyone, whether Irish or Irish in spirit, a safe and happy St. Patrick’s Day.  Remember that you can find more about Ireland and the Irish in our records at Archives.gov.

Oh Danny Boy

Several months ago, as part of a processing project relating to Record Group 516: Records of the Federal Judicial Center, 1967 – 1994, I did a little research on a woman named Alice L. O’Donnell. In the Archives Research Catalog, also known as ARC, a researcher can, according to the Archives.Gov website,  search by a person’s name. However, in order to search by a person’s name, someone has to insert that data into the ARC entry.

Image from RG 0516, entry A1 2, Office of the Director Alice O'Donnell

Unfortunately, Ms. O’Donnell’s name was not listed in our authority files. The authority files keep certain fields in the ARC database uniform and easy to use. Names are formed according to the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2d Edition (AACR2).  In general, the person’s official name is the name by which he or she is most commonly known. In order to submit Ms. O’Donnell’s name, I had to learn a little something about the woman, whose files I had processed.

There are several biographical resources in print and on line for finding the necessary information. One place was the series itself, Office Files of the Director, entry A1 2, (ARC 4685570), where there is a file containing biographical information about Ms. O’Donnell, which was very helpful. Inside, a paper mentioned that as a woman in government, her papers were held in a university’s archive. However, the university’s archival catalog did not reveal any information. Also the file in the series did not say what happened to her after she left the Federal government. There was the possibility that she may have married after leaving government service and changed her last name. With that possibility in mind I searched online, the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), for an Alice matching her same birthday. It revealed that her surname did not change and provided a date and city of death. She died in Washington, DC. With this information, I searched the Washington Post and found her obituary.

I searched for her date of death because she had a common name, and birth and death dates help distinguish one commonly named person from another. I did the same for one of her collogues, (A. Leo Levin, 1919- ) whose name was the same as someone else’s (Levin, A. L., 1944-, or Levin, Leonard, 1924-), but was not the same person.

Not all ARC descriptions will have this level of detail or would warrant personal name fields. In this case, as she was the creator in one of the series, the search for Alice O’Donnell was needed. And so she was found.

Today’s post is written by Amber Thiele, a processing archivst with civilian textual records in College Park.

Sometimes while processing textual records you find something that makes you think, “hmmm…this would get more use if it was in another part of the National Archives and Records Administration.”  Usually in the Textual Archives Services Division, this happens when you find sound recordings, audiovisual materials, or electronic records as we do not have the equipment to preserve, access, or serve these records.  Also, users are not going to search textual records when they are looking for a copy of the film, “U.S. Secret Service Agent,” but will go directly to the Motion Picture, Sound and Video Records Section.  Consequently, specific types of records are transferred to provide the best access to the records.

Other times you find records, due to their content, that would get more use at a Presidential Library, a Regional Archive, or the National Personnel Records Center.  This type of records transfer requires greater justification as each of those parts of the agency maintain textual records.

While processing Record Group (RG) 87, Records of the U.S. Secret Service, I came across logbooks for President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (1955-1961); and for the after-hours arrivals and departures of employees to the White House (1955-1960). Both sets of log books include documentation for the comings and goings of the President and his staff.  It seemed like the Eisenhower Presidential Library could use these records a lot.

Further, the other RG 87 series in College Park do not contain presidential protective service logbooks and the accessioning dossiers indicate that these types of records have all been transferred to the appropriate Presidential Libraries, even though they were not created by the presidential administration.

So I contacted the Eisenhower Presidential Library and found that they have an ongoing processing project for RG 87 that contains similar logbooks, a partial finding aid online, and they enthusiastically wanted the records. The rest of the transfer required various staff approvals, paperwork, updating systems to note the transfer, and finally, shipping the records to the Eisenhower Presidential Library, where they now live today.

Why are there no images of the content of the records here?  The U.S. Secret Service requested during the accessioning process that all the records pertaining to the protective and investigative techniques or the citing of an Agent’s name not be released in accordance with 26 C.F.R. 1250.70.  As each page lists a Secret Service Agent’s name, the pages cannot be shown without these names being redacted.  Researchers can submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to obtain redacted copies of the records.  To submit such a request or for further information about these records, please contact the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum.

To assist researchers interested in records of the Department of State and other foreign affairs agencies, the most heavily used records in the National Archives, the Textual Archives Services Division has launched a newly revamped set of pages on the Archives’ website for providing an introduction to foreign affairs records.

The conduct of foreign affairs is a key issue in United States history. The Department of State is designated to lead in the overall direction, coordination, and supervision of American foreign policy and foreign relations. During both World War I and World War II, temporary agencies came into existence to deal with special foreign affairs problems relating to those conflicts.  During the cold War, a community of agencies evolved to deal specifically with foreign policy issues. In addition, many other agencies have important roles in American national security affairs.

The new pages focus on the records of the Department of State but also include information on the temporary special foreign affairs agencies that came into existence during World War I and World War II, as well as the more permanent agencies that fought the Cold War.  Also included is information about records that are valuable for genealogical purposes and about Department of State publications, including online resources.

In addition to the information on the site itself, there are links to more information and finding aids.

We invite you to take a look!

As Black History Month draws to a close, nothing illustrates the great progress of the civil rights movement more than a glimpse at a bleaker era. The work we do every day at the National Archives is for the express purpose of preserving historical context, even the disturbing parts, as exemplified in today’s post, written by Lopez Matthews, Jr.

The exercise of processing records can at times become mundane and redundant, especially when you’ve got thousands of boxes to do. However, every once in a while a document appears that catches your interest and not all of it is good. While processing a box of correspondence, I placed a sheet of crumbling paper into a polyester sleeve, turned it over, and the image of a noose caught my eye. Upon further inspection, I discovered the document was an appeal to African American soldiers to practice methods to prevent being accused of rape!

From Let’s Look at Rape!; General Correspondence, 1944 – 1945: 250.1; Adjutant General Section; Administration Branch, General Correspondence; Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army (World War II), Record Group 498; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD

As a student of history, I knew that while serving in the European Theater of Operations during World War II many African American soldiers were often and more often than not falsely accused of rape. With this knowledge the existence of the document was not surprising.

Emblazoned with the title, “Let’s Look at Rape!” the document explained that the  soldiers must control themselves because if they were to be convicted and executed for rape it would mark not only themselves but their families, their “sweetie pies,” their entire race and “even that darn dog.”

Talk about pressure.

From Let’s Look at Rape!; General Correspondence, 1944 – 1945.

It also instructed the soldiers to “beware these women of easy virtue” because they might be tools of the Nazis employed to stir up racial hatred. After all, “Nazis and their fascist friends are not above pulling off tricks like that.”

Appealing to the soldiers’ knowledge of the growing civil rights movement in the United States, the author noted that the rape statistics would be used to continue the denial of rights for African Americans:

“There are demagogues who will take these rape figures and use them as an argument why those basic American rights for which we have been clamoring should be denied us. ‘Look,’ they will say, ‘At how the American Negro soldiers raped the women of France. This proves that all Negroes are rapists and criminals. They lack self-control. Shall we turn them loose on the women of America?”

The soldiers were also advised not to drink too much because “that cognac can get you into very, very bad trouble.”

From Let’s Look at Rape!; General Correspondence, 1944 – 1945.

The document was signed “A Negro Chaplain.”

This rash of rape convictions and executions was highlighted in an article entitled “The Trial of a Negro,” published by Britain’s Tribune newspaper in June 1944, a clipping of which is also found in the records. The article contained a verbatim transcript of the rape trial of a 30-year-old African American soldier accused of raping an Englishwoman and sentenced to death during a military court-martial in England. The editors printed the transcript in the midst of a war “in defence or restoration of the dignity and equality of all individuals” to highlight the hypocritical nature of fighting such a war while still practicing blatant racism.

From The Trial of a Negro. The Tribune. June 9, 1944; General Correspondence, 1944 – 1945: 291.2 0 – Negroes; Adjutant General Section; Administration Branch, General Correspondence; Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army (World War II), Record Group 498; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.

According to the article, the soldier was convicted despite physical evidence pointing to a consensual relationship and evidence of coercion in forcing the soldier to sign a confession.

At one point, the prosecuting officer agreed with the defense attorney that the victim’s statement seemed unrealistic, including the part where she snuck out of her house, and climbed a four foot fence with the soldier, merely, she said, to show him where to go rather than simply offering directions. To account for this, he replied “…in our relations with the English they do things we don’t do…” With that, the soldier was convicted and sentenced to “hanged until dead.”

Both of these documents are found in boxes marked “General Correspondence.”

They also reveal the sadder side of American history. The subtle racism and paternalism in the formerly restricted documents provide a surprisingly candid view of how the army dealt with African American soldiers in World War II.

From Let’s Look at Rape!; General Correspondence, 1944 – 1945.

Today’s post is by Alan Walker, a processing archivist at Archives II.

As a kid I was captivated by the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The drama of such a man-made behemoth falling victim to an iceberg and the scope of the human tragedy conspired to trigger the imaginations of this impressionable youth. I read voraciously about the sinking, and I even played the board game from Ideal called “The Sinking of the Titanic.” It’s a fascination that endures for me, as for so many, to this day.

Some years ago, after I transferred to the Textual Archives Services Division, I spent some time preparing for what my new duties would be. I spent a day at Archives I learning about the textual records that are housed there so that I would better know how to refer people to the relevant records they would need. I studied the finding aids in the Textual Research Room in Archives II, especially those dealing with the records of civilian Federal agencies in NARA’s custody. And I studied the online tools we then had at our disposal: the Master Location Register (MLR) and the National Archives Information Locator (NAIL).

The next task I gave myself was to go from the finding aids, NAIL, and the MLR to the records themselves. And it was in this way that I came upon…serendipity.

Now I claim no special faculty for making fortunate discoveries by accident, but the fact remains that they won’t happen if you don’t first make the effort to look. And that is why we archivists strive to browse among our holdings as often as we can.

One day I was browsing in the records of the series “General Correspondence, 1903-1950” from the Department of Commerce to get a sense of the records and what information they might hold, when I started looking at the adjacent shelves. I came upon a box labeled “Letters Referred to the Department of Commerce and Labor.” Now, records with such a drab title probably would contain little of interest, but I took a look anyway.

And I was floored. It contained several fat bundles of correspondence, each bound with the infamous “red tape”. Within each bundle were dozens of letters written to President William H. Taft by citizens angered, inspired, or moved by the loss of the Titanic.  Their subjects included demands for an investigation into the sinking, ideas for the prevention of such disasters in the future, or expressions of sympathy for the loss of President Taft’s military aide Archibald Butt.

As I read through these letters, I thought, “No one has ever looked at these.” The twill tape was still crisp and deep red, and apparently had not been re-tied over the years. And the most likely reason that these records had never been requested is because of that anodyne series title “Letters Referred to the Department of Commerce and Labor.” The description in the inventory consisted of the following: “Relate chiefly to labor matters. Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent.” It’s easy enough to see how they could be overlooked, with as informative a “description” as that.  After making this discovery, I immediately created a new description for this series in the Archival Research Catalog (ARC).

I never would have imagined that I would make such an incredible discovery about a monumental historical event, especially one which so captivated me as a boy. It is truly a part of what makes working at the National Archives such a privilege.

Now that NARA has rationalized its archival processing system, courtesy of the 2006 Processing Initiative, we are much better at identifying and describing our holdings. For records newly arrived from their agencies of origin, or records which have languished at NARA for decades, our initiative means greater searchability, more detailed descriptions and finding aids, and greater access.

As you browse our holdings via the Internet, we at NARA will continue our browsing the old-fashioned way. You never know; some of those revelations may turn out to be quite…Titanic.

April 15, 2012 will mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

Today’s post is written by Liz Caringola, who works on our ancestry.com digitization project.

February 22, 2012, marks the 25^th anniversary of the death of American pop artist Andy Warhol.  The Pittsburgh native rose to fame in the 1960s as one of the most prominent members of the American pop art movement.  He remained a cultural icon until his sudden death in 1987.  His artistic talent and celebrity status earned him multiple invitations to the White House, particularly during the Carter Administration.

President Jimmy Carter met with Warhol on February 14, 1977.  According to the President’s daily diary, the meeting lasted for two minutes, but it does not mention the topic of conversation.  In the Monday, March 7, 1977, entry of The Andy Warhol Diaries, Warhol confesses that he was nervous and tongue-tied during the meeting and characterizes Carter as “a really nice man.”

Warhol was at the Carter White House again on June 14, 1977, for a reception for the Inaugural Portfolio Artists.  This photograph shows the President holding Jimmy Carter, a portrait done by Warhol to commemorate Carter’s inauguration.

 [National Archives Identifier: 175147]

This contact sheet shows additional photographs taken at the event:

[National Archives Identifier: 175143]

To browse or search President Carter’s daily schedules, visit the website of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.

Today’s post is written by  Aaron Mannes, a citizen researcher from the University of Maryland’s Laboratory of Computational Cultural Dynamics. He is a doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy who is writing a dissertation on the national security role of the vice president.  If you have a lot of time on your hands, ask him which vice president is his favorite.

As a PhD candidate at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy I am researching the vice presidential role in national security affairs.  While the vast majority of vice presidents played only a tiny role, this has changed dramatically in recent years.  My particular area of interest is vice presidential influence – how and when does the vice president get to make policy?  The relationship between the president and vice president is essential, as the vice president has no real independent authority.

On a recent family trip to LA, I thought it would be worthwhile to visit the archives at the Nixon and Reagan Presidential Libraries.

Using the Archives

I know a great deal about vice presidents, but having never done archival research before, I put in calls to chat with the archivists and learn a little bit about what I was getting into.  They were extremely helpful.  There are extensive descriptions of the archival holdings online and the archivists urged me to identify what I was interested in, so that they could pull the boxes and have them waiting for me.

Picking what I wanted to see at the Nixon library was pretty easy.  The vast majority of Nixon’s records are about his presidency.  But I was interested in the Nixon vice presidency, so I identified a relatively small number of boxes relevant to my research.

The Reagan archives were a bit more of a challenge.  Reagan was never the vice president and there were only a few boxes referring to his vice president, George H. W. Bush.  Fortunately – this is all still over the phone – Jennifer Mandel, my contact at the Reagan Library, came to my rescue.

First, she explained that if I wanted to see documents about Bush, I needed to visit his library.  Then she gave me a short course on the nature of archival research.  In essence, a researcher needs to come in with some fairly specific ideas of what they seek – otherwise they will simply wade through endless masses of paper.  Since I am looking for instances in which vice presidents persuaded presidents to adopt policies, I needed to have a pretty good idea of what policies I was interested in and then start looking for the paper trail.

She was not discouraging me, only explaining the practicalities of my endeavor.  It is further complicated because a great deal of modern interactions between the president and vice president are informal and not on paper.

However, I had previously written a paper about a working group on terrorism led by Vice President Bush (and studying terrorism is my day job, so I had an additional interest.)  So we agreed that should be my focus.

A week later, at the archives, I settled down to actually do my research.  It is most helpful to the archivists if the researcher has already submitted requests for particular boxes – but they will do their best to pull them in a timely manner.  Facilitating public access to the documents is the critical mission for the archivists, and from what I saw they take it very seriously.

There was a form to fill out – no big deal – and some basic explanations.  The archivist monitoring the research room must be able to see the researcher’s hands (documents have been tampered with and pilfered.)  Also, documents should be handled carefully.  In particular, the archivists need to do any staple removals.  There are copy machines available, but through the miracle of technology, a celphone camera can serve as a scanner!  There are plenty of smartphone apps that facilitate this – but a camera with just a few mega-pixels will provide a decent image.

Nixon as VP

At the Nixon Library, much of the correspondence was work-a-day material focusing on vice presidential appearances.  Nixon is an interesting case, as he played a more active role than previous vice presidents, serving as campaigner-in-chief so that Eisenhower could appear to be above the political fray.  But this activity did not necessarily translate to influence for Nixon.  Recent vice presidents have had offices in the White House.  Nixon did not.  Many letters from Eisenhower were requests for meetings.  In more recent years, if the president wished to meet his vice president, he could just send an aide down the hall.  But, at the same time, Nixon was not excluded from the process.  He was a regular attendee at Cabinet and National Security Council meetings.  In fact, during periods of illness, Eisenhower instructed Nixon to hold and chair these meetings in the President’s absence in order to reduce concerns about Eisenhower’s health and its impact on the functioning of the government.

There were also a number of letters in which Eisenhower warmly thanks Nixon for his efforts and contributions.

Still, it isn’t clear if this meant that Nixon had much influence.  This particular memo seemed intriguing.  I don’t know the back-story, but it looks like the kind of note a boss sends when he wants an issue dropped.

The picture that appears of Nixon’s vice presidency is that while he took on whatever tasks he was given ably, he was perhaps not in Eisenhower’s inner council of advisors.

VP Bush Combatting Terrorism

In contrast, the documents for the George H. W. Bush Vice President’s Task Force on Combatting Terrorism were voluminous and making sense of them is a real challenge.  Still, there are interesting places where the internal bureaucratic machinations are exposed.  One of the purposes of the Task Force was to help get the various government agencies concerned with terrorism working together.  The hand-written notes attached to copies or in the margins of  reports give a real sense as to how that process worked.

Presidential Libraries

While visiting the archives, I had the added pleasure of at least a little time at the Presidential Libraries.    They are both lovely.  One of the highlights of the Reagan Library is Air Force One.

Reagan’s library is also located high in the hills overlooking Simi Valley.  It is breathtakingly beautiful.

I was told that the sunsets there are spectacular, but I couldn’t stay.  However, when I stepped outside of the Nixon Library the sun was setting.  I stood for a time and contemplated the great question of Presidential studies: Is it the man, or is it the moment, or is it perhaps a bit of each?

Do you have a research story to tell? Let us know!

All photographs courtesy of Mannes. Documents courtesy of the Nixon Presidential Library from the following series: Pre-Presidential Papers of Richard M. Nixon, 1946-ca. 1963. Documents from the Reagan Presidential Library are from the following collections: Counterterrorism and Narcotics; Arthur Culvahouse; and Executive Secretariat, NSC: National Security Decision Directives. Learn more about visiting a Presidential Library, and plan your own research project.