The folders and case files listed on these topic guides may still have withdrawn material due to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) restrictions. Most frequently withdrawn material includes national security classified material, personal privacy issues, protection of the President, etc.

To see a list of material, please click on the 'Select' Tab

Description

Scope Note

The Library has had numerous requests for information regarding the former Soviet Union. Some Freedom of Information Act requests have been unique and sometimes for quite specific material. The material listed here has been opened in response to these various requests.

We have received general requests for the Soviet Union and other large topics that are part of the "Soviet Union" topic area such as arms control, the Strategic Defense Initiative and US-USSR summits.

Some of the more specific topics include single events/topics such as General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev’s call for “reasonable sufficiency” in arms during his visit to Paris in October 1985; a memorandum of conversation for a single meeting between President Reagan and USSR Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze, economic relations with the Soviet Union, Secretary Shultz’s paper on the “Next Steps in US/USSR Relations,” and Soviet Jewry.

The Library also received a specific request for material regarding the review of US policy towards the Soviet Union initiated by Secretary of State George Shultz, and National Security Advisor Robert “Bud” McFarlane in late 1983 and early 1984. Many of the “reviews” were held in Saturday meetings, thus the group came to be called the “Saturday Review Group.” This review led to the President’s speech on January 16, 1984 on Soviet / US relations.

President Reagan participated in meetings and contacts with author Suzanne Massie. Ms. Massie is an expert in Russian culture and language and she has lived in the Soviet Union at various points of her writing career. She met with the President for luncheons and meetings to familiarize President Reagan about Russian culture outside of the context of politics.

We have opened in whole the Executive Secretariat, National Security Council: Head of State File collection for correspondence with Soviet heads of state, the Executive Secretariat Country File and the Executive Secretariat Subject File, Ambassador Jack Matlock’s and Richard Pipes’ collections. We have listed some relevant folders for both the Matlock and Pipes collections. Please see their collection lists for full contents.

 

Last Updated: 02/16/2023 08:12PM

Filter by Status

Filter by Status

Contact an Archivist

Have a research question? Contact an archivist about this collection or about research at the Reagan Library.

Contact Us

Archival Resources

Here are quick links to the most used resources at the Reagan Library. 

White House Staff & Office Files

White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) Subject Files

WHORM Alphabetical Files

Topic Guides

Citation Guide

Back to Top