Title: Richard M. Nixon Pre-Presidential Papers, 1946 - ca. 1963

Dates: (bulk 1946-1963)

Collection Number: 596989

Creator/Collector: Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994

Extent: 657 linear feet, 7 linear inches; 1503 boxes

Repository: Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum

Abstract: Transferred from the National Archives-Pacific Region (Laguna Niguel) The materials available in this collection stem from Richard Nixon’s Congressional, Senatorial, Vice Presidential and personal offices, as well as campaign offices, during the years of 1946 to 1964. The material is divided into seven series, with occasional subseries, including general correspondence, appearances and invitations, foreign trips, pre-Presidential campaign files, correspondence with children, Nikita Khrushchev’s historic visit to the United States in the fall of 1959, and materials relating to Richard Nixon’s 1962 book Six Crises.

Language of Material: English

Collection is open for research. Exceptions have been removed for Personal Privacy and National Security concerns.

Most government records are in the public domain, however, this series includes commercial materials, such as newspaper clippings, that may be subject to copyright restrictions. Researchers should contact the copyright holder for information.

Richard M. Nixon Pre-Presidential Papers, 1946 - ca. 1963. Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum

The materials in this collection were deeded to the Federal Government in 1968 and 1969, and were transferred to the National Archives -- Pacific Region (Laguna Niguel) between 1975 and 1979. The materials were then moved to the Richard Nixon Library under the authority of the National Archives and Records Administration’s Nixon Presidential Materials Staff in the fall of 2006.

The Richard Nixon Presidential Library Pre-Presidential Collection (Laguna Niguel) contains over 700 cubic feet of correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs which were maintained by Richard Nixon's office during his years in Congress, as Vice President, as a private citizen and in his many campaigns. These materials were deeded to the Federal Government in 1968 and 1969, and were transferred to the National Archives -- Pacific Region (Laguna Niguel) between 1975 and 1979. In the fall of 2006, the material was moved to the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California, under the authority of the National Archives and Records Administration’s Nixon Presidential Materials Staff in anticipation of the inclusion of the Richard Nixon Library into the Presidential Library system. Although a small portion of the material is restricted in compliance with the terms of the deed, personal privacy and national security restrictions, most of the papers are open for research.

The materials available in this collection stem from Richard Nixon’s Congressional, Senatorial, Vice Presidential and personal offices, as well as campaign offices, during the years of 1946 to 1964. The material is divided into seven series, with occasional subseries, including general correspondence, appearances and invitations, foreign trips, pre-Presidential campaign files, correspondence with children, Nikita Khrushchev’s historic visit to the United States in the fall of 1959, and materials relating to Richard Nixon’s 1962 book Six Crisis. Series I: General Correspondence, 1946-1963 (Series 320): This series contains more han 550 cubic feet of items with more than 24,000 folder titles. It is primarily an alphabetical name file, with some subjects included. Although the papers are predominately from 1953 through 1961, some of the correspondence dates from 1946 and continues through 1963. Among the names on the folder titles are: politicians and other government officials, such as Sherman Adams, Carl Albert, Howard Baker, Warren Burger, Thomas Dewey, Robert Dole, Allen Dulles, John Foster Dulles, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald R. Ford, Barry Goldwater, Henry Kissinger, Joe McCarthy, George cGovern, Ronald Reagan, Nelson Rockefeller, and Earl Warren. Foreign leaders nclude: Willy Brandt, Abba Eban, Chaing Kai-Shek, Harold Macmillan, and Gamel- Abdul Nasser. The news media is represented by such names as Joseph and Stewart Alsop, Jack Anderson, William F. Buckley, Norman and Otis Chandler, Walter Cronkite, Edward R. Murrow, and Mike Wallace. Also included are such names as Gen. Omar Bradley, Whittaker Chambers, H. R. (Bob) Haldeman, Alger Hiss, James R. Hoffa, Admiral Chester Nimitz, Pope Pius XII, Bebe Rebozo, and Eleanor Roosevelt. [Please ee the Nixon Foundation Pre-Presidential Materials for additional files]. Series II: Appearances (Series 207) and Invitations, 1948-1964: The documents available in Series 207 focus upon Richard Nixon’s appearances throughout the United States between 1948 and 1962 (for appearances abroad, please refer to Series II: Trip Files). Materials include correspondence regarding the scheduling of and Richard Nixon’s subsequent participation in the event; clippings about the event; speech drafts; press releases; internal memorandum; research materials relating to speeches given; and tineraries and schedules. Within these papers are appearance files and schedules for Richard Nixon’s 1962 California Gubernatorial Race. The Office of Richard Nixon also maintained running files of invitations, replies and turndowns for the years 1954-1964, which are represented in the subsequent series. [Please see the Nixon Foundation Pre- Presidential Materials for additional files]. Series III: Trip Files, 1953-1959: Documents in these files relate to Mr. Nixon's trips to Asia and the Far East in 1953 and 1956, Central America and the Caribbean in 1955, Austria in 1956, Africa and Italy in 1957, South America in 1958, London in 1958, and he Soviet Union in 1959. The records include briefing materials, schedules, Mr. Nixon's statements and handwritten notes, correspondence with foreign leaders, photographs, news clippings, and souvenir brochures and programs. Particularly significant are letters from Ethiopia's Haile Selasie, and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Among the 6 briefing materials are documents relating to the war in Indochina in 1953, the Hungarian refugee problem in 1956, and the unrest in South America in 1958. [Please see the Nixon Foundation Pre-Presidential Materials for additional files regarding these trips]. Subseries A: 1953 Trip to Asia and the Far East - On October 5, 1953, the Vice President and Mrs. Nixon departed on a goodwill visit to the Far East and Southern Asia. The trip was also intended to provide Nixon with a look at Indochina. Stops included New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Malaya, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, he Philippines, Hong Kong, Burma, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Libya. The Nixons eturned to Washington, DC, on December 14, 1953. At the time, the trip was the most extensive ever undertaken by an elected American official. Some of the highlights were a tour of French Union front line troops in Vietnam's Red River delta, remarks made in Formosa in reaction to John Foster Dulles' statement that the United States did not necessarily "forever oppose" recognition of the People's Republic of China, and discussions with such leaders as Shah Reza Pahlavi of Iran, Republic of China Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek, Indian Prime Minister Nehru, Australian Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies, and President Sukarno of Indonesia. Subseries B: 1955 Trip to Central America and the Caribbean - On February 6, 1955, the Vice President and Mrs. Nixon departed on a goodwill visit to Central America and the slands of the Caribbean. Countries visited included Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. The Nixons returned to Washington on March 5, 1955. During the course of the trip Nixon urged earliest possible completion of the Inter- American Highway from Texas to the Panama Canal, defended the work of the United States Information Agency, and expressed concern over any economic difficulties a recent drop in coffee prices might have brought to the Western Hemisphere's coffee producing countries. He also received assurances from Costa Rican President Figueres and Nicaraguan President Somoza that they would try to resolve their seven-year dispute concerning the border shared by the two countries. The trip included discussions with heads of state Batista of Cuba, Cortines of Mexico, and Armas of Guatemala. Subseries C: 1956 Trip to Asia and the Far East - On July 1, 1956, the Vice President and rs. Nixon left Los Alamitos Naval Air Station for a trip to Asia and the Far East. Places visited included Hawaii, the Philippines, Formosa, South Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan, Turkey, and the Balearic Island of Majorca. The Nixons returned to ashington on July 11, 1956. r. Nixon represented the United States at ceremonies celebrating the tenth anniversary of Philippine independence and the second anniversary of the inauguration of South Vietnam's President Diem. Highlights of the trip included a July 4 Manila speech in which Nixon described neutralist policy toward Communism as a "fearful risk" and a July 6 speech in South Vietnam in which Nixon assured the audience that the) had the support of the American people in their fight "to make their young republic strong and safe from communist encroachment". The trip included discussions with Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek, President Mirza of Pakistan, Spanish Foreign Minister Artajo, and Thai Premier Songgram. 7 Subseries D: 1956 Austrian Trip - Soviet repression of the Hungarian revolt in October 1956 caused many Hungarians to flee to Austria where they were granted asylum. On December 18, 1956, Vice President Nixon set out on a trip to Vienna and the refugee camps to study the problem of bringing more Hungarian refugees to the United States. Nixon's party included Deputy Attorney General William P. Rogers, U.S. Ambassador Llewellyn Thompson, and Congressman Robert Wilson of San Diego. Stops along the way included Vienna, Austria; Salzburg, Austria; Munich, Germany; and Keflovik, Iceland. The Vice President returned to Washington on December 24, 1956. Along with its passengers, the Vice President's plane also carried 1600 pounds of insulin for use in Austria and Hungary and several thousand dollars in contributions from volunteer agencies in the United States. Upon arrival, Nixon presented letters from President Eisenhower to Austrian Chancellor Raab and President Koerner, praising Austria's care of the refugees. In the course of his visit Nixon toured several refugee camps and a processing center and paid a visit to the Hungarian border where he watched refugees pass across into Austria. Subseries E: 1957 Africa Trip - The Vice President's 1957 trip to Africa began with a departure from Washington on February 28. Accompanied by Mrs. Nixon and a four member official delegation, the main stop was at the Gold Coast to attend March 6 ceremonies converting this British colony into the independent nation of Ghana. The Nixon party also attended Morocco's and Tunisia's first anniversary independence celebrations. Other countries visited were Liberia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya, and Italy. The trip included an audience with Pope Pius XII, discussions with Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie and Liberian President Tubman, and an unexpected meeting with artin Luther King in Ghana. The Nixons returned to Washington on March 21, 1957. Subseries F: 1958 South American Trip - On April 27, 1958, the Vice President and Mrs. Nixon began a goodwill visit to South America. Countries visited were Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. The primary focus of the trip was to be upon the May inauguration of Argentine President-elect Arturo Frondize. However, this event was overshadowed by the hostile demonstrations encountered by the Nixon party in Lima on May 7 and 8 and in Caracas on May 13. President Eisenhower ordered a precautionary movement of U.S. forces into Caribbean bases in view of the virulence of the demonstrations in Venezuela. The President headed a welcome crowd of 15,000, which greeted the return of the Vice Presidential party on ay 15. Subseries G: 1958 London - Vice President and Mrs. Nixon were in London November 25-29, 1958, to attend the dedication of the American Chapel in St. Paul's Cathedral. The chapel was constructed as a memorial to United States soldiers who lost their lives in Britain or in operations from British bases during World War II. While in London, Nixon also addressed the English-Speaking Union and the Pilgrims Society. The trip ncluded discussions with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, Prime Minister Macmillan, Sir Winston Churchill, labor union leaders, members of parliament cabinet ministers, businessmen, publishers, and Oxford University students. 8 Subseries H: 1959 USSR - On July 22, 1959, an official party of 35 persons, including he Vice President, Mrs. Nixon, Dr. Milton S. Eisenhower, and Vice Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, departed on a trip to the USSR and Poland. The primary purpose of the visit was to formally open the U.S. national exhibition at the Moscow Trade Fair. It was during a tour of the model kitchen displayed in this exhibit that Nixon and Premier Khrushchev engaged in what later became known as the "Kitchen Debate." During the course of his stay in the Soviet Union, Nixon had several opportunities to discuss issues concerning Soviet-U.S. relations with Khrushchev. The tour included visits to four Siberian cities, two of which had been off limits to any visiting American official, and a wo-day stop in Warsaw. Series IV: Campaign Files, 1946-1964: The Office of Richard Nixon and subsequent campaign offices maintained extensive files of the pre-Presidential campaigns. Within his series are 6 subseries covering campaigns from 1946 to 1964. The materials include speech transcripts and research materials. (Subseries A: 1946 Campaign; Subseries B: 948 Campaign; Subseries C: 1950 Campaign; Subseries D: 1960 Campaign; Subseries : 1962 Campaign; Subseries F: 1964 Campaign). [Please see the Nixon Foundation Pre- Presidential Materials for additional files regarding these campaigns]. Series V: Correspondence with Children, 1954-1960: The Office of Richard Nixon maintained a separate correspondence collection relating to children. This series also ncludes letters from children after Richard Nixon’s loss in the 1960 Presidential Race. Series VI: Khrushchev’s Visit to the United States, 1959: This collection contains clippings, cartoons and editorials from across the world regarding Nikita Khrushchev’s historic visit to the United States in the fall of 1959. Series VII: Six Crisis Manuscript and Memorabilia, 1961-1962: Materials include research and notes on Richard Nixon’s 1962 book Six Crisis.