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The Manuscript Division holds significant collections of the papers of most presidents ranging from George Washington to Calvin Coolidge. The papers of Herbert Hoover and his successors are held in a system of presidential libraries maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration.
Selected records of 20th century presidential administrations are available in the Manuscript Reading Room through sets of privately published microfilm created from original documents in the presidential libraries. Digital versions of the microfilm are also available through the online subscription service ProQuest History Vault. Researchers onsite at the Library of Congress and other subscribing institutions have access to the service.
The microfilm sets and digitized modules are organized by presidential administration and by type of material. These facsimile collections provide important documentation of Cold War planning and strategy at the highest levels of government. Supplementing the division's holdings of original material from the period, the microfilmed and digitized presidential records help to provide a more comprehensive view of the Cold War.
The ProQuest History Vault External database contains digital versions of presidential records that were microfilmed by University Publications of America. The digitized microfilm collections are located in the following modules:
The digital titles listed below correspond to the microfilm sets of the same title held in the Manuscript Reading Room. The Library of Congress has subscription access to the complete set of titles in the modules, including digital copies of the microfilm sets held by the Manuscript Division. The subscription resources marked with a padlock are only available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress and at other subscribing libraries.
The following microfilm collection titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. The Library of Congress acquired the microfilm editions through copyright deposit, and in some cases the sets are incomplete. Reel lists that were published along with the microfilm can be consulted in the Manuscript Reading Room. Many of the reel lists are also available online as .pdf files through the publisher's website; links are provided when available. Many of the microfilm publications are also available in digital form and are identified in the descriptions.
The ProQuest History Vault module World War II: U.S. Documents on Planning, Operations, Intelligence, Axis War Crimes, and Refugees External contains Map Room Messages of President Truman, 1945-1946 and Potsdam Conference Documents (1945). Collections in this module document the work of the President, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the War Department Operations Division, and other high-level offices of the US government at the close of World War II, and provide a view of the strategic perspectives that led to the Cold War.
The module American Politics in the Early Cold War: Truman and Eisenhower Administrations, 1945-1961 External contains the titles Harry S. Truman Oral Histories Collection and President Harry S. Truman's Office Files, 1945-1953, parts 1 to 5. This module presents major White House files from the Truman and Eisenhower administrations. Truman’s “Office Files” were maintained by his confidential secretary. They reflect the increasing influence of the Cold War on international relations, and the obstacles faced by the president in implementing his “Fair Deal” domestic programs.
The following microfilm collection titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. The Library of Congress acquired the microfilm editions through copyright deposit, and in some cases the sets are incomplete. Reel lists that were published along with the microfilm can be consulted in the Manuscript Reading Room. Many of the reel lists are also available online as .pdf files through the publisher's website; links are provided when available. Many of the microfilm publications are also available in digital form and are identified in the descriptions.
The ProQuest History Vault module American Politics in the Early Cold War: Truman and Eisenhower Administrations, 1945-1961 External presents major White House files from the Truman and Eisenhower administrations. The centerpiece of the Truman files is the President's Secretary's File while the Eisenhower files are centered on the Confidential File and the Whitman File of the White House Central Files. These files from the Eisenhower administration reveal the president's personal interest in national defense and economic issues.
The following microfilm collection titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. The Library of Congress acquired the microfilm editions through copyright deposit, and in some cases the sets are incomplete. Reel lists that were published along with the microfilm can be consulted in the Manuscript Reading Room. Many of the reel lists are also available online as .pdf files through the publisher's website; links are provided when available. Many of the microfilm publications are also available in digital form and are identified in the descriptions.
The ProQuest History Vault module American Politics and Society from Kennedy to Watergate (1960-1975) External contains President John F. Kennedy’s Office Files, 1961-1963, parts 1 to 5. It also contains President Kennedy and the Press, 1961-1963. The several collections in the module provide access to documents from the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon presidencies as well as to records from federal agencies. These records address topics such as women's rights, environmental issues, urban renewal, rural development, tax reform, civil rights, space exploration, international trade, the War on Poverty, and the Watergate trials. Documents from the Kennedy administration include correspondence between the president and federal personnel, Pierre Salinger's daily press briefings, transcripts of presidential press conferences, and oral histories of key Kennedy cabinet members as well as senators and representatives.
The Vietnam War and American Foreign Policy, 1960-1975 External module contains the John F. Kennedy National Security Files, 1961-1963, as well as the National Security Files from the Johnson, Nixon, and Ford administrations. Collections in the module document US involvement in Southeast Asia from the early days of the Kennedy administration, through the escalation of the war during the Johnson administration, to its final resolution at the Paris Peace Talks and the evacuation of US troops in 1973. The module provides access to the records of the Associated Press's Saigon Bureau, the records of the Military Assistance and Advisory Command, Vietnam (MACV); and the papers of General William Westmoreland.
The John F. Kennedy National Security Files, 1961-1963
The National Security Files (NSF) “Country Files” were created by President Kennedy's assistants for national security affairs, and are arranged alphabetically by country. The files contain memoranda, cables, intelligence reports, correspondence, and special studies originating from various executive departments and agencies, especially those having to do with foreign affairs and national defense; and from diplomatic and military posts around the world. The NSF Country Files document the international issues that confronted the Kennedy administration, and trace the evolution of major policies.
The following microfilm collection titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. The Library of Congress acquired the microfilm editions through copyright deposit, and in some cases the sets are incomplete. Reel lists that were published along with the microfilm can be consulted in the Manuscript Reading Room. Many of the reel lists are also available online as .pdf files through the publisher's website; links are provided when available. Many of the microfilm publications are also available in digital form and are identified in the descriptions.
The ProQuest History Vault module American Politics and Society from Kennedy to Watergate (1960-1975) External contains Minutes and Documents of the Cabinet Meetings of President Johnson. The module contains documents from the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon presidencies as well as records from federal agencies. The Johnson administration collections chronicle the seven years of tumult and unparalleled change from the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 and the War on Poverty to civil unrest and fighting in Vietnam. Of particular note is the Confidential File from the Johnson White House Central Files.
The Vietnam War and American Foreign Policy, 1960-1975 External module contains the Lyndon B. Johnson National Security Files, 1963-1969, as well as the National Security Files from the Kennedy, Nixon, and Ford administrations. Collections in the module document US involvement in Southeast Asia from the early days of the Kennedy administration, through the escalation of the war during the Johnson administration, to its final resolution at the Paris Peace Talks and the evacuation of US troops in 1973. The module provides access to the records of the Associated Press's Saigon Bureau, the records of the Military Assistance and Advisory Command, Vietnam (MACV); and the papers of General William Westmoreland.
The Lyndon B. Johnson National Security Files, 1963-1969
The records of the National Security Council of the Johnson administration have been microfilmed in four groups. The first three groups are the Agency, Committee, and Name and Speech Files. They contain correspondence; memoranda; cables and reports from and to individual agencies, departments, and committees; and working papers and final reports of several committees. Also included are speeches and draft press statements, studies produced outside the US government, and records of meetings and conversations. The topics covered range over the spectrum of major and minor foreign policy issues faced by the Johnson administration during its five years in office.
The fourth group is Country Files of the National Security Council, which were created by the president’s special assistants for national security affairs. The files are arranged by geographic area and thereunder alphabetically by country. The files include correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, cables, intelligence reports, and special studies documenting the work of the national security team with various foreign affairs, defense, and intelligence offices in the executive branch and government agencies, and with diplomatic and military posts around the world.
The following microfilm collection titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. The Library of Congress acquired the microfilm editions through copyright deposit, and in some cases the sets are incomplete. Reel lists that were published along with the microfilm can be consulted in the Manuscript Reading Room. Many of the reel lists are also available online as .pdf files through the publisher's website; links are provided when available. Many of the microfilm publications are also available in digital form and are identified in the descriptions.
The ProQuest History Vault module American Politics and Society from Kennedy to Watergate (1960-1975) External contains Papers of the Nixon White House, parts 1 to 8. The module contains documents from the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon presidencies as well as records from federal agencies. Nixon administration materials consist of Nixon's White House files as well as a collection of the official transcripts of proceedings in the US District Court for the District of Columbia in the four major Watergate-related trials.
The Vietnam War and American Foreign Policy, 1960-1975 External module contains the Richard M. Nixon National Security Files, 1969-1974 and the Henry A. Kissinger Telephone Conversations on World Affairs, 1969-1974, as well as the National Security Files from the Kennedy, Johnson, and Ford administrations. These and other collections in the module document US involvement in Southeast Asia from the early days of the Kennedy administration, through the escalation of the war during the Johnson administration, to its final resolution at the Paris Peace Talks and the evacuation of US troops in 1973. Collections include the records of the Associated Press's Saigon Bureau, the records of the Military Assistance and Advisory Command, Vietnam (MACV); and the papers of General William Westmoreland.
Papers of the Nixon White House
The Richard M. Nixon National Security Files, 1969-1974
These collections consist of the Country Files of the National Security Council Files of the Nixon White House that were declassified, sanitized, or unclassified as of date of filming. The documents for each country are arranged chronologically. Document withdrawal sheets were filmed to mark the locations of individual documents and folders of documents that remained classified and/or unprocessed when filmed. The documents were reproduced from the holdings of the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Materials Project, National Archives and Records Administration. Available in ProQuest History Vault.
The following microfilm collection titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. The Library of Congress acquired the microfilm editions through copyright deposit, and in some cases the sets are incomplete. Reel lists that were published along with the microfilm can be consulted in the Manuscript Reading Room. Many of the reel lists are also available online as .pdf files through the publisher's website; links are provided when available. Many of the microfilm publications are also available in digital form and are identified in the descriptions.
The ProQuest History Vault module Vietnam War and American Foreign Policy, 1960-1975 External contains the “Gerald R. Ford National Security Files, 1974-1977: The Middle East and South Asia, Presidential Country Files.” This and other collections in the module document U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia from the early days of the Kennedy administration, through the escalation of the war during the Johnson administration, to its final resolution at the Paris Peace Talks and the evacuation of U.S. troops in 1973. Collections include the National Security Files from the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford administrations, the records of the Associated Press's Saigon Bureau, the records of the Military Assistance and Advisory Command, Vietnam (MACV); and the papers of General William Westmoreland.