"It is a matter of history-- that secret history of a nation
which is often so much more intimate and interesting
than its public chronicles...."
--Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans
U.S. State Department
Advisory Committee on
Historical Diplomatic Documentation
The State Department Historical Advisory Committee oversees the preparation of the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series, the official historical record of U.S. foreign policy, which dates back to the Abraham Lincoln Administration. In particular, the Committee is obliged by statute (Public Law 102-138) to ensure that the FRUS series constitutes a "thorough, accurate, and reliable documentary record of major United States foreign policy decisions." Inevitably, this statutory obligation brings the Committee into regular conflict with the tendency of certain agencies to resist declassification of their records. Such conflicts are reflected in many of the Committee documents presented below.
Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes
- February 25-26, 2008 Meeting
- December 3-4, 2007 Meeting
- September 24-25, 2007 Meeting
- June 4-5, 2007 Meeting
- February 26-27, 2007 Meeting
- December 4-5, 2006 Meeting
- September 11-12, 2006 Meeting
- June 5-6, 2006 Meeting
- March 6-7, 2006 Meeting
- December 12-13, 2005 Meeting
- September 19-20, 2005 Meeting
- July 11-12, 2005 Meeting
- March 7-8, 2005 Meeting
- December 13-14, 2004 Meeting
- September 20-21, 2004 Meeting
- July 12-13, 2004 Meeting
- March 8-9, 2004 Meeting
- December 8-9, 2003 Meeting
- September 15-16, 2003 Meeting
- June 4-5, 2003 Meeting
- February 24-25, 2003 Meeting
- December 2-3, 2002 Meeting
- September 23-24, 2002 Meeting
- July 22-23, 2002 Meeting
- March 4-5, 2002 Meeting
- December 17-18, 2001 Meeting
- October 15-16, 2001 Meeting
- June 18-19, 2001 Meeting
- February 12-13, 2001 Meeting
- December 11-12, 2000 Meeting
- September 25-26, 2000 Meeting
- July 10-11, 2000 Meeting
- April 10-11, 2000 Meeting (Updated Version)
- December 13-14, 1999 Meeting
- September 13-14, 1999 Meeting
- May 24-25, 1999 Meeting
- March 18-19, 1999 Meeting
- December 10-11, 1998 Meeting
- October 8-9, 1998 Meeting
- June 23-24, 1998 Meeting
- March 5-6, 1998 Meeting
- December 17-18, 1997 Meeting
- September 25-26, 1997 Meeting
- June 23-24, 1997 Meeting
- March 18-19, 1997 Meeting
- December 16-17, 1996 Meeting
- October 3-4, 1996 Meeting
- June 6-7, 1996 Meeting
- March 21-22, 1996 Meeting
- July 6-7, 1995 Meeting
- February 14-15, 1995 Meeting
Advisory Committee Annual Reports
Foreign Relations Series
- Foreign Relations Series Production Chart, December 2001, Unpublished Johnson Administration Volumes (1964-1968) [MS Word file]
- Nixon-Ford Administration Volumes (1969-1976), as projected in December 2001 [MS Word file]
- Status of the Foreign Relations Series, anticipated publication schedule as of October 2001
- FRUS Volume XXVI, Indonesia; Malaysia-Singapore; Philippines, officially released August 8, 2001.
- Release of Foreign Relations Volume on Western Europe, 1964-1968, April 16, 2001.
- Release of Foreign Relations Volume on the Soviet Union, 1964-1968, February 21, 2001.
- Release of Foreign Relations Volume on South Asia, 1964-1968, December 4, 2000.
- Release of Foreign Relations Volume on the Near East Region; Arabian Peninsula, 1964-1968, December 4, 2000.
- Release of Foreign Relations Volume on Korea Region, 1964-1968, October 30, 2000.
- Release of Foreign Relations Volume on Southeast Asia Region, 1964-1968, September 21, 2000.
- Release of Foreign Relations Volume on Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1964-1967, April 3, 2000
- Release of Foreign Relations Volume on Iran, 1964-1968, November 18, 1999
- Volume on Energy Diplomacy and Global Issues, 1964-1968, August 25, 1999
- Release of Foreign Relations Volume on Germany and Berlin, 1964-1968, April 29, 1999
- FRUS Supplement on Cuba Published, December 31, 1998
- FRUS Supplement on Arms Control (1958-1960) Published, December 8, 1998
Other
- U.S. Covert Action in Bolivia, FY 1963-66, High Level Panel statement from FRUS, 1964-1968, vol. XXXI, September 2004
- Status of Johnson and Nixon Era FRUS High Level Panel Covert Action Cases, May 1999
- Note on U.S. Covert Action Programs from the FRUS editors, April 2001
- U.S. Covert Action in Italy, excerpts from FRUS 1964-1968, vol. XII
- Foreign Relations in the 21st Century: A Proposal, June 2, 1999
- Declassifying State Department Secrets, a report of the State Department Inspector General, September 1998
- Charter of the Advisory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation, February 2, 2000
- Letter to CIA Concerning Declassification Failures, April 1, 1997
Resources
maintained by Steven Aftergood