President Issues Directive on Timely Publication of the Foreign Relations Series

To the muted applause of historians, President Ronald Reagan has issued a directive (November 12, 1985) to cabinet secretaries and agency heads calling for their cooperation with the Department of State for reviewing clas­sified documents for the Foreign Rela­tions Series—”muted,” because some see the directive, which stipulates publica­tion of the foreign affairs record no later than thirty years after the event, as a retreat from the twenty-year standard set by former President Nixon and State Department Secretary Kissinger. But applause was heard nevertheless, as now there is some assurance that a floor exists, and the publication of the series, in any event, has never occurred sooner than twenty-five years from the event. Following is the full text of the directive:

The documentary publication For­eign Relations of the United States has presented the official record of Amer­ican diplomacy since the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. This orderly and timely publication of the official diplomatic record is extremely impor­tant. The accurate understanding of the history of American diplomacy is necessary not only for our own citi­zens but also for our allies and adver­saries abroad. And, while the contin­ued public disclosure of diplomatic negotiations and undertakings must be balanced carefully against the needs of national security and the expectation of confidentiality in the diplomatic process, the historic re­cord when published should be as complete as possible. The documenta­ry publication series, Foreign Relations, is the proper vehicle for systematic official disclosure of the major docu­mentation regarding American foreign policy in its proper historical context.

I therefore direct that the authori­tative foreign affairs record be gath­ered and appropriately published thirty years after the event in a man­ner fully consistent with other direc­tives on the release and publication of official information. In particular I ask that the Secretary of State take necessary measures to ensure the publication by 1990 of the foreign affairs volumes through 1960. The published record should reflect the activities of those federal agencies with responsibilities for the conduct of relations with foreign governments and international organizations.

To assist in this important task, I ask that each of you direct your agen­cies and staffs to cooperate with the Department of State in the collection, declassification review, and publica­tion of these volumes. You should assure all proper access to authorita­tive historical records to appropriate­ly cleared official Department of State historians and that the declassification review for publication is accorded the necessary priority to achieve this thir­ty-year publication timeframe.

I ask the Department of State to oversee the convening of periodic meetings of appropriate interagency representatives to review and im­prove cooperative procedures and plans to meet this thirty-year publica­tion timeframe. In addition, I direct that the Department of State make an annual status report on the progress made toward this goal. (Signed by President Ronald Reagan.)