Special Files

  

Major Collections

Other Collections

 

Major Collections

Administrative Histories

    • Arms Control and Disarmament Agency [ 100 % scanned
    • Council of Economic Advisers
    • Department of Agriculture
    • Department of Commerce
    • Department of Defense
    • Department of Health, Education and Welfare
    • Department of Housing and Urban Development
    • Department of the Interior
    • Department of Justice
    • Department of Labor
    • Department of State [ 10% scanned ]
    • Department of Transportation
    • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
    • General Services Administration
    • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    • Office of Economic Opportunity
    • Office of Science and Technology
    • Post Office Department
    • Selective Service System
    • U.S. Civil Service Commission

This collection consists of narrative histories and supporting documentation describing the history of various departments and agencies of the Executive Branch during the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The histories document the process of arriving at and implementing major decisions, and focus on significant events involving the department or agency. At the request of President Johnson, in May of 1968, agencies compiled these narrative histories and supporting documentation as part of the Departmental Histories Project.

Go to National Archives Catalog for a complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 1544867]

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White House Handwriting File

  • 2 series
  • 1938-1969

1. Pre-Presidential Handwriting Files

  • 1 linear foot
  • Available for research
  • 0% digitized

During Lyndon B. Johnson’s years as President, a staff assistant, Dorothy Territo, had the responsibility of collecting and bringing together documents which included President Johnson’s handwriting. Territo placed material from Johnson’s pre-presidential years in this series. Although the bulk of the series consists of notes and doodles, the series contains a few edited speech drafts, some drafts of correspondence, notes related to congressional headcount tallies, and handwritten lists. The series includes notes taken by Johnson at his desk, on the floor of the Senate, at White House meetings, and other places. 

2. Presidential Handwriting, 11/1963 - 1/1969

  • 1 linear foot
  • Available for research
  • 0% digitized

President Lyndon B. Johnson’s staff assistant, Dorothy Territo, was responsible for collecting documents in the White House that included Johnson’s handwriting; she placed those created during his Presidency in this series. The staff often gave her documents containing Presidential handwriting before making copies for other files; thus, the original of a document appears in this series, but frequently does not appear in other relevant files. The series includes the President’s handwritten notes and doodles, unidentified doodles and notes made by people attending White House meetings, correspondence and memoranda annotated in the President’s handwriting, drafts edited by the President, and other documents including the President’s handwriting. 

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 19077116]

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Legislative Background and Domestic Crises File, 1963 - 1968

  • 54 series, including:
    • Airline Mechanic Strike Files
    • Aluminum Price Increases Files
    • Appalachian Regional Development Act and Public Works and Economic Development Act Files
    • Arts and Humanities Foundation Files
    • Asian Development Bank Files
    • Civil Rights Act of 1964 Files
    • Clean Air Files
    • Consular Treaty Files
    • Copper Price Increase Files
    • Education Professions Development Act Files
    • Voting Rights Act of 1965

This collection consists of background documentation for 55 major legislative achievements and domestic crises that took place during the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Documentation on legislative achievements includes information about the drafting, passage, and signing of the acts. Documentation on each domestic crisis typically includes information on events leading up to the crisis, actions taken during the crisis, and the effect of the crisis. At the request of President Johnson, White House aides compiled these materials near the end of the administration from President Johnson's papers and records from relevant government agencies.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 1327771]

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Meeting Notes Files

This collection consists of material gathered across various collections and series at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and contains notes and materials related to meetings President Lyndon B. Johnson had with his foreign policy advisers during the course of his administration.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 7820641]

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Office of the President File, 1945-1969

  • 5 linear feet
  • Partially available for research
  • 0% digitized

Consists mainly of folders on individual Cabinet officials, aides, associates, and friends. Access to these files was strictly controlled by the President, and materials he deemed sensitive were filed here. 

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President's Daily Diary

  • 4 series

1. Daily Diary

    • 7 linear feet
    • Available for research
    • 100% digitized
    • See all digitized items from this seriesNote: the word recognition (OCR) of these scans may contain errors that result in missed keyword hits. The Diary Cards (series 3) are generally more accurate for searches of names.

The series is comprised of a day-by-day record of the President's activities, maintained by secretaries outside the Oval Office. As visits and telephone calls occurred, the secretary "working" the Diary would note them; occasionally the secretary missed noting a call or meeting. 

2. Appointment Files (Diary Backup), 11/22/1963 - 1/20/1969

This series contains items related to President Lyndon B. Johnson's schedule, such as briefing papers and talking points, agendas, memorandums, guest lists, and press releases. 

3. Diary Cards, 11/22/1963 - 1/20/1969

      • 24 linear feet
      • Available for research
      • 0% digitized

The diary cards serve as an index to the President's Daily Diary. They were prepared by White House secretaries. 

4. President's Diary Maintained by Appointment Secretary, 11/22/1963 - 1/19/1965

      • 1 linear foot including microfilm
      • Available for research
      • 0% digitized

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 1152]

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Reports to the President on Enrolled Legislation, 11/26/1963 - 10/30/1968

This collection contains reports on enrolled legislation that passed both the House of Representatives and Senate and was awaiting the approval of the President. The Director of the Bureau of the Budget was responsible for the preparation of the reports. Under the Director's supervision, the Bureau's Assistant Director for Legislative Reference compiled and wrote the reports.

The reports take the form of a memo summarizing the purpose of the legislation, outlining agency recommendations, and discussing the implications and ramifications of the legislation. The final executive action taken on the legislation is noted on the report. If the President had a signing ceremony or issued a statement, the action is also noted on the report. Attached to each report are letters from interested agency and department heads detailing their position on the legislation, congressional committee reports, and a printed copy of the enrolled act or congressional resolution. Files may also include agency drafts of possible presidential statements, clippings and other relevant material.

 

1. Reports on Enrolled Public Laws, 11/26/1963 - 10/25/1968

The reports, prepared by the Office of Legislative Reference Assistant Directors Philip S. Hughes, Wilfred Rommel, and James M. Frey (acting assistant), take the form of a memo summarizing the purpose of the legislation, outlining agency recommendations, and discussing the implications and ramifications of the legislation. The final executive action taken on the legislation is noted on the report.

2. Reports on Enrolled Private Laws, 12/11/1963 - 10/24/1968

  • 6 linear feet
  • Available for research

This series contains reports on legislation known as private laws when signed by the President. Private laws are intended to benefit or affect a single individual, family, business, association, or other limited group.

3. Reports on Enrolled Legislation Vetoed, 12/31/1963 - 10/30/1968

  • 1 linear foot
  • Available for research

This series contains reports on enrolled legislation vetoed by the President either by returning the legislation to Congress with a veto message or through the exercise of a pocket veto. 

4. Enrolled Legislation Transmittal Letters, 11/26/1963 - 10/25/1968

  • Less than 1 linear foot
  • Available for research

The series consists of carbon copies of letters from the White House Executive Clerk, William J. Hopkins, to the Director of the Bureau of the Budget transmitting copies of enrolled legislation that had passed both the House of Representatives and Senate and was awaiting the approval of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The letters requested reports and recommendations as to the approval of a particular bill

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 598862]

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Reports on Pending Legislation, 11/22/1963 - 10/4/1968

This series contains weekly status reports and summaries on legislation pending before Congress that affected executive agencies and departments. Reports often concerned bills that formed part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's legislative agenda.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 593311]

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Special File on the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, 1963-1967

  • Available for research
  • 3 linear feet
  • 0% digitized
  • Go to folder title list
  • 2 series
  • Files related to William Manchester’s Book, The Death of a President
    Files Related to Jim Bishop’s Publications

Assembled in response to the 1967 publication of William Manchester's The Death of a President, the file includes originals and copies of documents from other files and FBI reports on the deaths of John Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 875776]

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Statements Files, 9/23/1927 - 12/26/1972

This collection consists of speeches, messages, remarks and floor tributes made by Lyndon B. Johnson throughout his career. The collection includes speech drafts, teleprompter texts, note cards, reading copies of speeches, memorandums, backup materials and event programs. Also included in the collection are copies of LBJ's writings.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 583226]

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Task Force Reports

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 4823919]

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White House Bulk Mail Files

  • 832 linear feet
  • Partially available for research
  • 0% digitized
  • 15 series
    • Congratulatory Messages Following the 1964 Presidential Election
    • White House Correspondence Referred to the State Department
    • Greeting Cards Sent to President Lyndon B. Johnson
    • Publications Sent to President Lyndon B. Johnson
    • Duplicate Letters Sent to President Lyndon B. Johnson
    • Civil Rights Bulk Mail Files
    • Middle East Bulk Mail Files
    • Railroad Minimum Rates Legislation Bulk Mail Files
    • Martin Luther King, Jr., and J. Edgar Hoover Controversy Bulk Mail Files
    • Taft-Hartley Act Conscience Clause Bulk Mail Files
    • Los Angeles Board of Education Voting Rights Resolution Bulk Mail Files
    • Jimmy Hoffa Trial Bulk Mail Files
    • Education, Veterans Hospital, and Medicare Bulk Mail Files
    • World War I Pension Legislation Bulk Mail Files
    • Vietnam Peace Petitions

The collection consists of public opinion mail, greeting cards with enclosed letters, graduation announcements, letters written in languages other than English, congratulatory messages following the 1964 election, petitions, prayer offerings, newspaper and magazine clippings, non-government publications and press releases sent to President Lyndon B. Johnson, and summary counts and analyses of mail received.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 610173]

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White House Famous Names


The bulk of the collection is made up of correspondence with United States Presidents and Vice Presidents and their families, as well as material related to Johnson’s contacts with Presidents. The series also includes correspondence with Supreme Court Justices, former Presidential candidates, a few foreign heads of state, the British royal family, Cabinet members, Pope John XIII, John Steinbeck, Albert Schweitzer, Dag Hammerskjold, and other prominent figures. The correspondence was collected throughout Johnson's career.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 47970712]

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Other Collections

Cabinet Papers

Consists of files originally collected by cabinet secretaries and other White House aides. The files contain correspondence, reports, minutes of meetings, statements, lists, schedules, and press releases. The files include background materials for Cabinet meetings, lists of the cabinet members in attendance, and give the agendas for the meetings.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID:  7302460]

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Cartoon Collection

      • 5 linear feet
      • Available for research
      • 0% digitized
      • 2 series

One series consists of photocopies of editorial cartoons and caricatures that were originally collected by President Lyndon B. Johnson and donated to the Lyndon B. Johnson Library’s museum collection. The other series consists of photocopies of editorial cartoons and caricatures collected by the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum. The cartoons cover President Johnson from his days in the Senate to his death. They include panels on Johnson’s life, career, family, friends, death, funeral, and memorials. There are also cartoons on political issues, major events, the Vietnam War, foreign affairs, and legislation.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 47304744]

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Congressional Favors File


Consists of files created by the White House legislative liaison staff. The files contain memorandums, lists, and logs that document favors granted to members of Congress and various state and local leaders. The favors include items such as meetings with the President, White House tours for constituents, invitations to White House events, and gifts. The files also contain logs of Congressional notification calls made to members of Congress on contracts and projects affecting their districts.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 47552575]

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Facsimiles of Public Laws

      • 14 linear feet
      • Available for research
      • Less than 1% digitized

Consists of facsimiles of the original signature copies of legislation signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 47673229]

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Letters of Credence

      • 4 linear feet
      • Available for research
      • 0% digitized


Consists of letters of credence sent from foreign heads of state to President Johnson appointing their ambassadors to the United States.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions  [NAID: 66383599]

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Mail Summaries

      • 4 linear feet
      • Available for research
      • 0% digitized

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Presidential Aircraft Manifests and Logs

Comprised of materials related to the Presidential helicopter and Presidential plane, Air Force One. It includes times and dates of flights and lists of passengers, and occasionally also contains notes about the purpose of the trip or information about the passengers, such as titles or relationships to the President.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 26303033]

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Presidential Memoranda for Heads of Departments and Agencies

Consists of memorandums from President Lyndon B. Johnson distributed to Executive departments and agencies. The memos transmit executive policies, announcements, directives, messages, and relay findings from reports. The files cover personnel, budgeting, and administrative issues and include materials on holidays, leave, voting, security, hiring practices, equal opportunity, the Combined Federal Campaign, awards, training, and veteran’s issues.

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 48584107]

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President's Night Reading and Signing Table Lists

      • 3 linear feet (service set)
      • Partially available for research
      • 0% digitized

The Night Reading lists were prepared by the President’s secretarial staff, and they list items given to the President to read in the evening, often before retiring for the day. The items on the lists are assigned numbers or letters which were written on the corresponding document. The lists were annotated to show the President’s decision or any action he wanted taken on the document. The lists include the names of staff members submitting the documents for Night Reading, and the documents themselves were usually returned to aides submitting the document so the aide could take the appropriate action.

The Signing Table lists begin in August 1967 and itemize the documents that were submitted to the President for his signature.

 

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 66383532]

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Records of the Task Force on the Education of Gifted Persons

      • 12 linear feet
      • Available for research
      • 0% digitized

Contains reports, publications, bibliographies, charts, correspondence, and notes that cover the task force’s organization, methods, communications, and preliminary conclusions. The files contain materials on defining, identifying, and measuring gifted persons, as well as materials on existing state and local programs for educating gifted persons. 

Go to National Archives Catalog for complete collection and series descriptions [NAID: 49020342]

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Scrapbooks

      • Available for research
      • 0% digitized

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Special File Pertaining to Abe Fortas and Homer Thornberry

      • Available for research
      • 0% digitized
      • Go to folder title list

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