The Textual Archives at the George Bush Presidential Library
Welcome to the main page of the Textual Archives at the George Bush Presidential Library. Below, you will find several links that will direct you to information to answer your questions about the availability of textual materials, researching textual materials, and requesting access to textual materials through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Although the bulk of our 40,000,000 pages of holdings document the Vice Presidency and Presidency of George H. W. Bush (1981-1993), a limited amount of material documenting Mr. Bush's life prior to 1981 is available for research. You will find this material under Finding Aids: Donated Historical Materials.
If you do not see what you are looking for on our web site, please call the Textual Archives at (979) 691-4041, send a facsimile to (979) 691-4030, or e-mail us at Library.Bush@nara.gov.
If you wish to write, please address your correspondence to:
- The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum
- Attn: Textual Archives
- 1000 George Bush Drive West
- College Station, Texas 77845
Although no appointment is necessary to conduct on-site research in the Textual Archives, we recommend that you call (979) 691-4041 or e-mail to make and appointment prior to conducting research. Research room hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday except federal holidays. If you notify us prior to your arrival, we will make every effort to have your items ready when you arrive.
Researching at the George Bush Presidential Library
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A FAQ that will answer many of your questions about preparing for and conducting research in the Textual Archives at the George Bush Presidential Library.
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The Finding Aids are guides to researching processed (and available) records at the George Bush Presidential Library. Most of the records made available for research after 1998 are located under the Completed and Pending Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests heading. Other groups of records currently available for research include:
- The Office of Appointments and Scheduling (Daily Diary)
- The White House Press Office
- The White House Office of Speechwriting
- The White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) Subject File
- Completed and Pending Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests
- Donated Historical Materials
If you have questions about the organization of the finding aids or cannot locate information on a specific topic, please call or e-mail us.
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Information on release of documents formerly withheld under Presidential Records Act restrictions P-2 and P-5
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NSC Meetings, Bush Administration - Available in PDF
The National Security Council held seventy-six meetings between February 10, 1989 and December 3, 1992. This document lists these meetings by date and includes a brief subject line for each meeting. When requesting access to these files through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request or a Mandatory Review (MR) request, please provide the date and subject of the meeting(s). If the requested file is already available for research, we will notify you and list the information on the finding aid portion of the web site.
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NSC/DC (Deputies Committee) Meetings, Bush Administration - Available in PDF
The NSC Deputies Committee comprised of selected NSC members met 433 times between February 8, 1989 and January 6, 1993. This document lists these meetings by date and includes a brief subject line for each meeting. Some subjects remain classified and are noted with redactions. When requesting access to these files through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request or a Mandatory Review (MR) request, please provide the date and subject of the meeting(s). If the subject is not available, only the date is required. If the requested file is already available for research, we will notify you and list the information on the finding aid portion of the web site.
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National Security Reviews - Available in PDF
National Security Reviews - List with Supporting Documents
The Bush Administration conducted thirty National Security Reviews between 1989 and 1993. These reviews address general issues concerning national security and U.S. foreign policy. NSR's declassified in whole or in part are available here. NSR's that are not available may be requested through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or by filing a Mandatory Review request with the George Bush Presidential Library. Please call or e-mail for further information.
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National Security Directives - Available in PDF
National Security Directives - List with Supporting Documents
The Bush Administration issued seventy-nine National Security Directives between 1989 and 1993. Unlike National Security Reviews, National Security Directives address specific issues concerning national security and U.S. foreign policy. NSD's declassified in whole or in part are available here. NSD's that are not available may be requested through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or by filing a Mandatory Review request with the George Bush Presidential Library. Please call or e-mail for further information.
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Public Papers - Searchable
The Public Papers are the collected papers and speeches of President George H. W. Bush from the period 20 January 1989 to 19 January 1993. These are also available in eight bound volumes (about 9,000 pages) at many libraries worldwide.
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Selected China Documents - Available in PDF
The Selected China Documents consist of several hundred pages of records documenting a number of issues in U.S.-China relations. These documents represent a very small sample of the total number of documents available for research at the George Bush Presidential Library. If you do not find exactly what you are looking for, please call or e-mail us for further information on the availability of certain documents.
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Selected Documents from the Archives - Available in PDF
Here you will find an eclectic collection of frequently requested documents that Bush Library archivists have digitized an made available to the general public. Generally, these documents are not available anywhere else.