McMaster (H. R.) papers, 1961-2023

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Summary

Title:
H. R. McMaster papers
Dates:
1961-2023
Creators:
McMaster, H. R., 1962-
Abstract:
Contains speeches and writings, correspondence, notes, manuals, handbooks, studies, reports, instructional materials, notebooks, journals, printed matter, photographs, audiovisual material, digital media, and memorabilia relating to American tank military operations during the Gulf War of 1991, American military operations during the Afghan War, 2001-2021, and the Iraq War, Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and materials related to military science, military history, military planning, policy, and national security. Also included are materials related to McMaster's continuing education and his work with Joint Strategic Assessment Team (JSAT), Combined Joint Inter-Agency Task Force, Kabul, Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC), and as deputy commanding general, (Futures), U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), and twenty-fifth Assistant to the US President for National Security Affairs.
Extent:
228 manuscript boxes, 18 oversize boxes, 2 cubic foot boxes, 7 optical media boxes, 2 audiocassette boxes, 7 video cassette boxes, 4 oversize folders (130 Linear Feet)
Language:
In English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], H. R. McMaster papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Background

Scope and content:

Contains speeches and writings, correspondence, notes, manuals, handbooks, studies, reports, instructional materials, notebooks, journals, printed matter, photographs, audiovisual material, digital media, and memorabilia relating to American tank military operations during the Gulf War of 1991, American military operations during the Afghan War, 2001-2021, and the Iraq War, Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and materials related to military science, military history, military planning, policy, and national security. Also included are materials related to McMaster's continuing education and his work with Joint Strategic Assessment Team (JSAT), Combined Joint Inter-Agency Task Force, Kabul, Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC), and as deputy commanding general, (Futures), US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), and twenty-fifth Assistant to the U.S. President for National Security Affairs. Research materials used in writing his book, Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies that Led to Vietnam (1997), include photocopies of declassified military documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Book materials from Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World (2020), and At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House (2024), are also included.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1962 July 24
Herbert Raymond "H.R." McMaster, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Marie C. "Mimi" and Herbert McMaster, Sr.
1970-1976
Norwood Fontbonne Academy
1976-1980
Valley Forge Military Academy and Junior College
1980-1984
United Stated Military Academy, West Point
1984-1989
Second Lieutenant, 1st Battalion 66th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Battalion, Fort Hood
1985
Married Kathleen Trotter
1989-1992
Captain, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2d ACR), Bamberg, Germany
1990-1991
Captain, Eagle Troop, 2d ACR, Desert Storm
1991 February 26
The Battle of 73 Easting
1992-1996
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, (MA, PhD)
1994-1996
Military history professor, United States Military Academy, West Point
1996-1999
11th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Irwin, California
1999-2002
Command, 1st Squadron 4th Cavalry at Schweinfurt, Germany
2002-2003
Army War College Fellowship at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University
2003-2004
Commander's Advisory Group, United States Central Command, Qatar
2004-2006
Command, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (3d ACR)
2005 September 1-18
Operation Restoring Rights, the Battle of Tal Afar
2006
Senior Research Associate, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)
2007-2008
Joint Strategic Assessment Team, counterinsurgency advisor to General David Petraeus
2008-2010
Brigadier General, Director of Concept Development and Learning, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)
2010 July-2012
Command, Task Force Shafafiyat (Transparency), International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Afghanistan
2012 June 13-2014
Command of Fort Benning and Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE)
2014 July 15-2017 February
Lieutenant General, Director of the Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC) and the deputy commanding general of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)
2017 February 20-2018 April 9
25th Assistant to the U.S. President for National Security Affairs
2018-
Bernard and Susan Liautaud Visiting Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University
2018-
Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
2020-
Host, Battlegrounds: Vital Perspectives on Today's Challenges, Hoover Institution
Acquisition information:
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives 2004-2025.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Hoover Institution Library and Archives Staff
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-03-31 15:06:16.575017

Access and use

Restrictions:

Boxes 1-3, 18, 102, 110, 116-122, 140, 150, 157, 181, 208, 248, and 260 closed. Boxes 71, 73, 162, 185, and 192 may not be used without the permission of the archivist. The remainder of 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.

Terms of access:

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

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], H. R. McMaster papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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