Subseries Information

Title

Subject files

Dates

1958–1978

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open with permission unless otherwise noted.

Ownership & Copyright

Copyright is retained by Henry A. Kissinger for works he has authored and provided during his lifetime to the Yale University Library. After the lifetime of Dr. Kissinger, all intellectual property rights, including without limitation all copyrights, in and to the works authored by Dr. Kissinger pass to Yale University, with the exception of all intellectual property rights, including without limitation all copyrights, motion picture and/or audio rights in and to his books, interviews and any films that will be retained by Dr. Kissinger’s heirs and assigns. Copyright status for collection materials other than those authored by Dr. Kissinger is unknown.

Except for the limited purposes allowed by the Yale University Library Guide to Using Special Collections, exploitation, including without limitation the reproduction, distribution, adaption, or display of Dr. Kissinger’s works protected by the U.S. Copyright Act (Title 17 U.S.C. §101 et seq.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain shall not be commercially exploited without permission of Dr. Kissinger, the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Existence and Location of Originals

Originals of documents marked with an [LC] in the upper right-hand corner are at the Library of Congress.

Existence and Location of Originals

Originals of documents marked with an [Y] in the upper right-hand corner are at the Yale University Library.

Scope and Contents

Subject files consist of correspondence, memoranda, writings and published materials concerning a variety of topics related to Kissinger’s service as assistant to the president for national security affairs and as secretary of state. Major topics include his appointment and transition to the White House, in particular his work on reorganizing the National Security Council (NSC) in the new administration of Richard Nixon, and public reaction to the 1970 Cambodia operation, especially from Harvard University and other academic colleagues and students. The memoranda of conversation provide detailed accounts of Kissinger’s discussions, often nearly verbatim, with the media, Congress, business leaders, professors and students. The Vietnam War is a frequent topic in the memoranda. Kissinger’s day-to-day work and operation of his office is documented by his schedule, a chronology that logs the documents produced by his office and a detailed memoir by his secretary Sally Austin-Dahler. The Rodman files were maintained by Kissinger’s close personal assistant Peter W. Rodman and consist primarily of policy-related correspondence sent to Kissinger. Although each folder in the Rodman files tends to contain only a few letters or other documents, they touch upon a number of important issues including the Watergate scandal and the 1972 Moscow summit. Some of the subject files may have been assembled by Kissinger or his staff after his time in office for reference purposes. They remain filed with Kissinger’s other government service files because the documents date from his time in office.