National Security Files
National Security Files, 1963-1969
The National Security Files (NSF) were the working files of President Johnson's special assistants for national security affairs, McGeorge Bundy and Walt W. Rostow. Documents in these files originated in the offices of Bundy and Rostow and their staffs, in the various executive departments and agencies, especially those having to do with foreign affairs and national defense, and in diplomatic and military posts around the world.
Folder titles which are preceded by an asterisk or a date have been processed and their contents declassified in whole or in part. Lists of classified documents have been placed in those folders, and researchers may request mandatory declassification review under Executive Order 12958.
For complete collection and series descriptions, visit the National Archives Catalog. [NAID: 567979]
Jump to series:
1. Country Files
2. Country Files, Vietnam
3. Head of State Correspondence Files
4. Special Head of State Correspondence Files
5. International Meetings and Travel Files
6. Speech Files
7. Subject Files
8. Agency Files
9. Committee Files
10. Name Files
11. Intelligence Files
12. Intelligence Briefings Files
13. National Intelligence Estimates
14. Situation Room Files
15. National Security Action Memorandums
16. National Security Council Meetings Files
17. Files of the Special Committee of the National Security Council
18. National Security Council Histories Files
19. Memos to the President Files
20. Oversize Maps, Photographs, and Charts
Files of individual staff members (see also this list of National Security Council members and their responsibilities):
20. Files of Francis M. Bator
21. Files of William G. Bowdler
22. Files of McGeorge Bundy
23. Files of Gordon Chase
24. Files of Chester V. Clifton
25. Files of Chester Cooper
26. Files of Nathaniel Davis
27. Files of Edward R. Fried
28. Files of Edward K. Hamilton
29. Files of Ulric Haynes
30. Files of Alfred Jenkins
31. Files of Charles E. Johnson
32. Files of William J. Jorden
33. Files of Spurgeon Keeny
34. Files of David Klein
35. Files of Robert W. Komer
36. Komer-Leonhart File
37. Files of Arthur McCafferty
38. Files of Walt Rostow
39. Files of Harold Saunders
40. Files of Bromley Smith
41. Files of Howard Wriggins
See also other foreign policy collections that are not part of the NSF:
- Vice Presidential Security Files, 1961-1963
- Post Presidential Intelligence Briefings File, 1/20/1969-1/20/1973
1. Country Files
- 110 linear feet
- Available for research
- 3% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
- 7 subseries *Note: in the Catalog, each is treated as a series:
- 1. Latin America
- 2. Europe and USSR
- 3. Africa
- 4. Middle East
- 5. Asia and the Pacific
- 6. United Nations
- 7. Country Files Addendum
This series includes State Department and Defense Department cables, White House memoranda, CIA intelligence reports, and other material arranged by region and thereunder by country.
2. Country Files, Vietnam
- 98 linear feet
- Available for research
- 1% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- See also Oversize Maps, Photographs, and Charts
- Go to folder title list
This series is the primary location in the LBJ Library for diplomatic, military and intelligence materials related to the Vietnam War and to international relations with the Government of South Vietnam. It consists of White House memorandums; State Department and Defense Department telegrams, memorandums and reports; and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA), and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) intelligence reports. Some materials from the John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower administrations are included in these files as well as some materials dealing with the origins of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam conflict. It also includes material concerning nations that neighbor Vietnam such as Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, insofar as they relate to the Vietnam War.
3. Head of State Correspondence Files
- 4 linear feet
- Available for research
- 1% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series contains President Johnson's formal and informal correspondence with heads of state and heads of government, arranged by country.
4. Special Head of State Correspondence Files
- 23 linear feet
- Available for research
- 2% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This collection is not truly part of the National Security Files, since it was separately maintained by White House Staff Assistant Dorothy Territo, but is included here for the convenience of the researcher. Contents are similar to the Head of State Correspondence File.
For complete collection and description, visit the National Archives Catalog. [NAID: 7763260]
5. International Meetings and Travel Files
- 13 linear feet
- Available for research
- Less than 1% digitized
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- Go to folder title list
This series contains briefing material, memos, cables, and other material on foreign trips taken by the President and other administration officials, together with material on international meetings they attended.
6. Speech Files
- 3 linear feet
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series contains drafts and other speech material concerning foreign policy, mostly from 1964 to 1966, arranged chronologically.
7. Subject Files
- 19 linear feet
- Available for research
- 3% digitized
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- Go to folder title list
This series includes substantial amounts of material on balance of payments, communications policy, disarmament, foreign aid, the Multilateral Force, nuclear weapons and nuclear testing, and international trade, together with smaller amounts of material on a broad range of other topics, arranged alphabetically by subject.
8. Agency Files
- 28 linear feet
- Available for research
- 4% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series includes substantial amounts of material on the Agency for International Development, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, CIA, Defense Department, Joint Chiefs of Staff, NATO, State Department, United Nations, and United States Information Agency, together with smaller files on other government agencies, arranged alphabetically by agency.
9. Committee Files
- 9 linear feet
- Available for research
- 2% digitized
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- Go to folder title list
This series includes files of the Committee on Nuclear Proliferation, the President's Committee on the Warren Report, and the Special Committee on U.S. Trade Relations with the East European Countries and the Soviet Union (Miller Committee).
10. Name Files
- 3 linear feet
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series is composed principally of folders on national security staff members and White House aides, containing their memoranda and other materials, together with folders on President Eisenhower, Vice President Humphrey, Robert Kennedy, Mike Mansfield, Richard Neustadt, President Truman, and others, arranged alphabetically by name of individual.
11. Intelligence Files
- 6 linear feet
- Available for research
- Less than 1% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series includes intelligence materials on a broad range of issues.
12. Intelligence Briefings Files
- 15 linear feet
- Available for research*: see folder title list for details
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series consists primarily of daily intelligence briefings on worldwide events and international relations prepared for President Lyndon B. Johnson by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
13. National Intelligence Estimates
- 4 linear feet
- Available for research
- 2% digitized
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- Go to folder title list
This series contains an index, memorandums, and reports. These intelligence reports known as National Intelligence Estimates (NIEs) and Special National Intelligence Estimates (SNIEs) originated in the Central Intelligence Agency with concurrence of the U.S. Intelligence Board.
14. Situation Room Files
- 27 linear feet
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series contains logs and copies of incoming and outgoing White House Situation Room cable traffic, intelligence briefs, and Saigon Weekly Mission Reports from Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge.
15. National Security Action Memorandums
- 4 linear feet
- Available for research
- 100% digitized. Both individual NSAMs and complete folders are available.
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series contains National Security Action Memorandums (NSAM) and their supporting material including correspondence, reports, and memorandums. NSAMs were documents issued by Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson or by their national security advisors to Federal agencies to either relay policy statements or to request action programs.
16. National Security Council Meetings Files
- 2 linear feet
- Available for research
- 100% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series consists of the notes of official National Security Council (NSC) meetings. The notes include meeting minutes, charts, maps, intelligence briefings, memorandums, attendance lists, press releases, agendas, draft statements, reports, cables, transcripts of press conferences, and clippings.
17. Files of the Special Committee of the National Security Council
- 6 linear feet
- Available for research
- Less than 1% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series consists of the working files of McGeorge Bundy during his time as Executive Secretary of the Special Committee of the National Security Council. The Committee was established to coordinate the handling of the Middle East Crisis. The files reflect the time period and subject matters for which Bundy was responsible in his capacity as Executive Secretary of the Special Committee.
18. National Security Council Histories Files
- 24 linear feet
- Available for research
- 20% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
21 subseries:
- 1. 1968 Balance of Payments Program
- 2. Congo C-130 Crisis, July 1967
- 3. Cyprus Crisis, December 1963-December 1967
- 4. Deployment of Major U.S. Forces to Vietnam, July 1965 [ 100% digitized]
- 5. Dominican Crisis, 1965
- 6. Gold Crisis, November 1967-March 1968
- 7. Guantanamo Water Crisis, February 1964
- 8. Gulf Of Tonkin Attacks, August 1964 [ 100% digitized ]
- 9. Honolulu Conference, February 6-8, 1966
- 10. Indian Famine, August 1966-February 1967
- 11. Kennedy Round Crisis, April-June 1967
- 12. Manila Conference and President'S Asian Trip, October 17-November 2, 1966
- 13. March 31St [1968] Speech [90% digitized]
- 14. Middle East Crisis, May 12-June 19, 1967
- 15. Non-Proliferation Treaty
- 16. OAS Summit Meeting, April 1967
- 17. Panama Crisis, 1964
- 18. President's Speech on Third Anniversary of Organization of African Unity 05/26/66
- 19. Pueblo Crisis, 1968
- 20. South Asia, 1962-1966
- 21. Trilateral Negotiations And NATO, 1966-67
Each subseries contains photocopies of key documents concerning that event or issue, including White House memorandums, State Department and Defense Department cables and memorandums, and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Agency (NSA) intelligence reports. Most of the histories also contain introductory material such as chronologies, lists of documents included in that history, and brief narrative overviews of the event or issue written by a member of the Office of the Special Assistant for National Security Affairs.
19. Memos to the President Files
- 28 linear feet (includes a copy set: original materials are about 14 linear feet)
- Available for research
- 100% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series contains copies of memorandums sent by the Special Assistant for National Security Affairs to President Lyndon B. Johnson concerning every aspect of United States foreign and military affairs.
20. Oversize Maps, Photographs, and Charts
- 5 linear feet
- Available for research
- 1% digitized
- Go to digitized items
- Go to item list
This series consists of oversize materials collected by the office of the National Security Adviser to President Lyndon B. Johnson.
21. Files of Francis M. Bator
- 6 linear feet
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series contains the files of Francis M. Bator and reflect Bator's areas of responsibility as Deputy Special Assistant to the President and senior National Security Council (NSC) staff member, including trade negotiations; nuclear weapons and disarmament; anti-ballistic missiles; East-West bridge building initiatives; foreign economic aid; balance of payments; North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
22. Files of William G. Bowdler
- 1 linear foot
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series contains memorandums, correspondence, reports, maps, charts, and press releases relating to Central and South America and the Caribbean collected by William Bowdler.
23. Files of McGeorge Bundy
- 8 linear feet
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series consists of the working files of McGeorge Bundy and consists of two parts, chronological files. and subject files. The chronological part of this series contains copies of Bundy's outgoing correspondence, including copies of his memorandums to President Lyndon Johnson and other administration officials, as well as his personal correspondence. The subject part of this series contains correspondence, reports, speech drafts, notes, memorandums, agendas, and notes of meetings with President Lyndon Johnson and others.
24. Files of Gordon Chase
- 5 linear feet
- Available for research
- 2% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series includes material pertaining to Gordon Chase's service on the National Security Council staff as McGeorge Bundy's assistant and as a liaison with the United Nations. This material covers the Vietnam War; the Dominican Republic; Communism; the InterAmerican military force in Latin America; international relations with Cuba; credentials of newly appointed foreign ambassadors; foreign visitors in 1965; the 1965 Presidential Inauguration; St. John's Harbor in Antigua; immigration legislation of 1963; arms control and disarmament; public opinion polls; the Truman Doctrine and containment policy; outer space; articles by Walter Lippmann; aid to Greece; International Cooperation year; Presidential comments on Latin America; and U.S. activities in Antarctica.
25. Files of Chester V. Clifton
- 1 linear foot
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series consists of the working files of C. V. Clifton during his time as Military Aide to the President under President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson.Specific subjects covered in this material include the United States Air Force; situation reports in the aftermath of the 1964 earthquake in Alaska; the United States Army; clearance for Canadian overflight by B-47 units; material regarding the Central Intelligence Agency; safety rules; military exercises; the President's Intelligence Checklist; written material concerning defense-related topics; material related to Emergency Plans; situation reports from the Dominican Republic; situation reports from Vietnam; written material concerning the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the National Security Agency; and handbooks, reports, and annual reviews.
26. Files of Chester Cooper
- Less than 1 linear foot
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series consists of the working files of Chester Cooper during his time as a staff member and senior staff member on the National Security Council. The files reflect the subject matter and geographical areas for which Cooper was responsible including the Far East, Vietnam, and Canada.
27. Files of Nathaniel Davis
- Less than 1 linear foot
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series includes the working files of Nathaniel Davis during his time as an assistant to Walt W. Rostow, Special Assistant to National Security Affairs. It includes cables, articles, memorandums, reports, transcripts, and speech drafts concerning a variety of subjects related to Davis' responsibilities involving Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and the United Nations.
28. Files of Edward R. Fried
- 1 linear foot
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
Topics covered in this series include visits of foreign leaders to the United States; foreign economic issues including trade, aid, military assistance programs, and the Sterling Crisis; balance of payments; trilateral negotiations; international civil air agreements; Spanish base negotiations; arms control and disarmament, including the Nonproliferation Treaty and EURATOM; President Lyndon Johnson's schedule; NATO; the UN; the International Monetary Fund; and the Asian Development Bank.
29. Files of Edward K. Hamilton
- 3 linear feet
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series contains memorandums, reports, telegrams, correspondence, clippings, papers, photos, and charts concerning foreign aid, including food and economic aid to Africa and South Asia; arms control and disarmament; population matters; foreign trade; and the Asian Development Bank. The majority of the materials relate to African and South Asian countries.
30. Files of Ulric Haynes
- Less than 1 linear foot
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series consists of the working files of Ulric Haynes during his time as a staff member on the National Security Council.This series includes correspondence, memorandums, speeches, and reports pertaining to Africa, including material on the Organization of African Unity, economic and military assistance, African visitors to the United States, the Rhodesian crisis, US-UK relations in regard to Africa, G. Mennen Williams’ Vietnam Peace Mission to Africa and his African policy recommendations, measles and smallpox eradication efforts, Communist Chinese influence, and apartheid and race relations in the US and South Africa.
31. Files of Alfred Jenkins
- 1 linear foot
- Available for research
- 1% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series consists of the working files of Alfred Jenkins during his time as a Foreign Service Officer detailed to the National Security Council.Specific subjects covered in this material include correspondence with and visits from foreign dignitaries; foreign policy related to North and South Korea, Mongolia, Australia, Japan, Communist China, Taiwan, and North Vietnam; international agriculture, economics, and trade; and Public Law (PL) 480. In addition, there is a large amount of material concerning the Chinese Cultural Revolution and the Pueblo incident.
32. Files of Charles E. Johnson
- 23 linear feet
- Available for research
- 12% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series contains the working files of NSC staff member Charles E. Johnson. The files consist of material that reflect the subject matter for which Charles Johnson was responsible including scientific matters, outer space matters, weaponry, arms control, and atomic energy.
33. Files of William J. Jorden
- 3 linear feet
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series contains working files created by William J. Jorden while he served as assistant to Walt Whitman Rostow, Special Assistant to National Security Affairs. The files include biographies, charts, chronologies, clippings, correspondence, lists, maps, memorandums, notes, pamphlets, photographs, press releases, public opinion polls, reports, statements, and telegrams.
34. Files of Spurgeon Keeny
- 4 linear feet
- Available for research
- Less than 1% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series consists of the working files of Spurgeon Keeny during his time as a part-time staff member on the National Security Council. The files reflect the subject matters for which Keeny was responsible, including military technology and arms control.
35. Files of David Klein
- Less than 1 linear foot
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series contains memorandums, correspondence, cables, reports, schedules, and talking points related to David Klein's role as a senior member of the NSC staff on detail from the Department of State. The files reflect his areas of responsibility including Western and Eastern European Affairs.
36. Files of Robert W. Komer
- 24 linear feet
- Available for research
- 5% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series consists of the working files of Robert W. Komer during his service as a National Security Council staff member (November 1963-March 1966), interim National Security Advisor (March 1966), and as Special Assistant to the President in charge of U.S. non-military programs in Vietnam (March 1966-May 1967).
37. Komer-Leonhart Files
- 11 linear feet
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series contains the working files of the White House office in charge of U.S. non-military programs in Vietnam and cover the period during which Robert W. Komer was head of the office from March 1966 to May 1967, followed by William K. Leonhart from May 1967 to January 1969.
38. Files of Arthur McCafferty
- 1 linear foot
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series consists of the working files of Arthur McCafferty during his time as a staff member on the National Security Council. This series includes memorandums, reports, correspondence, charts, maps, and telegrams pertaining to the staffing and operations of the White House Situation Room.
39. Files of Walt Rostow
- 8 linear feet
- Available for research
- 1% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series contains memorandums, agendas, notes, speech drafts, maps, reports, and other material that reflects Rostow's role as National Security Advisor from 1966 to January 1969 during the Johnson presidency. Some of the topics contained in this series include the capture of the USS Pueblo by North Korea in 1968; U.S. aid to various foreign countries; nuclear power including non-military atomic energy, nuclear weapons, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty; the Outer Space Treaty of 1967; U.S. operations and policy regarding Vietnam; U.S. peace initiatives in Vietnam; the U.S. budget; the international economy; the 1967 Cyprus Crisis; the 1967 Glassboro Summit; the defection of Joseph Stalin's daughter; and Radio Free Europe.
40. Files of Harold Saunders
- 22 linear feet
- Available for research
- Less than 1% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series consists of the working files of Harold H. Saunders during his service as a National Security Council (NSC) staff member in the Johnson administration, particularly from April 1966 to January 1969 when he served as the senior officer responsible for the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. In addition, the series contains material on the NSC Histories that Saunders was responsible for compiling in 1968: the 1967 Middle East Crisis (also known as the Six Day War), the Indian Famine, South Asia, and the Cyprus Crisis.
41. Files of Bromley Smith
- 11 linear feet
- Available for research
- 0% digitized
- Go to folder title list
This series contains memorandums, correspondence, telegrams, press releases, reports, meeting notes, and agendas. Some of the material relates to meetings with the President and the President's consultants on international relations. Topics of these meetings include the Vietnam War, Cuba, the Vice President's Asian trip, Korea, and the Pueblo Crisis of 1968. In addition, the series contains information on the selective service and draft deferments, nuclear energy, arms control, and the Peace Corps. There are also weekly reports to the President from the Department of Defense.
42. Files of Howard Wriggins
- 1 linear foot
- Available for research
- 1% digitized
- See all digitized items from this series
- Go to folder title list
This series consists of the working files of Howard Wriggins during his time as a senior staff member on the National Security Council.This series includes telegrams, memorandums, correspondence, reports, articles, graphs and tables, draft statements, and printed material concerning Afghanistan, Ceylon, India, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Libya, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Republic, and Vietnam.