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Weiss (Seymour) papers
99004  
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  • Access
  • Use
  • Acquisition Information
  • Preferred Citation
  • Biographical Note
  • Scope and Content of Collection

  • Title: Seymour Weiss papers
    Date (inclusive): 1943-1998
    Collection Number: 99004
    Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
    Language of Material: English
    Physical Description: 27 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box (11.6 Linear Feet)
    Abstract: The papers document Seymour Weiss's long career as an analyst at the U.S. Department of State. Working closely with his counterparts in the Department of Defense, Weiss specialized in the fields of nuclear strategy and arms control. The bulk of his papers consist of correspondence, memoranda, photographs, and reports, among which are numerous studies of the strength of the Soviet military and analyses of treaties such as the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties (SALT I and II).
    Creator: Weiss, Seymour
    Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives

    Access

    The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

    Use

    For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

    Acquisition Information

    Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1999.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Seymour Weiss papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

    Biographical Note

    1925 May 15 Born, Chicago, Illinois
    1968-1969 Director, Office of Strategic Research and Intelligence, U.S. Department of State
    1972-1973 Deputy Director, Policy Planning Staff, U.S. Department of State
    1973-1974 Assistant Secretary of State for Politico-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State
    1974-1976 U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas
    1992 Died

    Scope and Content of Collection

    The papers document Seymour Weiss's long career as an analyst at the U.S. Department of State. Working closely with his counterparts in the Department of Defense, Weiss specialized in the fields of nuclear strategy and arms control. The bulk of his papers consist of correspondence, memoranda, and reports, among which are numerous studies of the strength of the Soviet military and analyses of treaties such as the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties (SALT I and II).
    Weiss was skeptical about Soviet intentions and any agreements to limit or reduce the nuclear arsenal of the United States. In the late 1970s, Weiss was part of the Team B undertaking, in which a group of outside experts looked at the question of the size and nature of Soviet nuclear forces. Team B produced a classified report that diverged from those prepared by the U.S. government. Materials related to Team B can be found in the Subject File. Weiss also served as an advisor to the Reagan presidential transition team, and materials related to this can be found in the Subject File.
    The papers also include the many opinion pieces that Weiss wrote after leaving government service. These were published in newspapers like The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times and focused largely on various arms control initiatives and the process of détente with the Soviet Union. Weiss remained hawkish in his views and was critical of any accommodation of the Soviet Union on the part of the United States.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    United States -- Foreign relations -- 1969-1974
    Nuclear weapons
    Arms control
    United States -- Military policy
    United States -- Defenses
    Security, International
    United States. Department of State