The National Archives Remembers President Nixon in May
Press Release · Thursday, April 24, 2014

Washington, DC

Panels to explore Nixon’s role in transforming the NSC and in bringing DC Home Rule

The National Archives remembers President Nixon in May with two special Nixon Legacy Forum panel discussions. On Monday, May 12, four early National Security Council (NSC) members will explore Nixon’s transformation of the Council. On Friday, May 16, a panel of former Nixon advisors will discuss the Nixon Administration’s key role in passing the District of Columbia’s Home Rule Act. Both events are free and open to the public, and will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. Attendees should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW. Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station. These programs are presented in partnership with the Richard Nixon Foundation.

Monday, May 12, at 10 a.m.
Nixon Legacy Forum: Nixon’s Transformation of the National Security Council
President Nixon entered office in January of 1969 as an accomplished foreign affairs expert and intent on personally directing a series of foreign policy initiatives. He transformed the role of the National Security Council, originally established by the National Security Act of 1947, greatly expanding its involvement and influence under NSC Executive Director, Henry Kissinger. The panel will be moderated by KT McFarland, the national security analyst for Fox News, who also held national security posts under Presidents Nixon, Ford and Reagan. Panelists include four early NSC members:

• Winston Lord, who joined the NSC in February of 1969 and accompanied Henry Kissinger on his trips to China, the USSR and Vietnam’s secret peace talks.
• Robert C. McFarlane, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marines in 1971, when he was selected to be a White House Fellow in the Nixon White House. He joined the NSC in 1972 as its military liaison member, and returned as Executive Director of the NSC under President Reagan 1983-1985.
• Richard V. Allen, who took leave from the Hoover Institution to be Nixon’s policy advisor on foreign affairs during the 1968 campaign, and then served as deputy director of the NSC. He returned to be Executive Director under President Reagan 1981-1982.
• John F. Lehman, Jr., who worked on Nixon’s 1968 campaign with Richard V. Allen and joined him at the NSC. He returned as Secretary of the Navy under President Reagan and was a member of the 9/11 Commission, 2003-2004.

Friday, May 16, at 10 a.m.
Nixon Legacy Forum: Another Historic First: President Nixon and DC Home Rule
Between 1948 and 1966, six bills were introduced in Congress to provide for some sort of Home Rule for residents of the District of Columbia, but none passed. It was not until December 24, 1973, that Congress passed the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which provided for a popularly elected mayor and 13-member city council, as well as for the District to have its own court system. A panel of three former Nixon advisors will discuss how the Nixon administration was able to bring about this historic accomplishment. Panelists include: Egil "Bud" Krogh, Nixon advisor on the District of Columbia; Donald Santarelli, head of the Law Enforcement Assistance Division under Nixon; and Sallyanne Payton, member of Nixon’s White House staff.

See Nixon’s FBI application in "Making Their Mark: Stories Through Signatures"
Through January 5, 2015, Lawrence F. O'Brien Gallery
The National Archives’ newest exhibition, "Making Their Mark: Stories Through Signatures," includes 24-year-old Richard Nixon’s 1937 application to be an FBI special agent. This original record is on public display for the first time in this exhibit that features more than 100 signed famous and little-known signatures from the holdings of the National Archives. The exhibit also includes a letter from Country music artist Johnny Cash to President Gerald R. Ford on September 10, 1974, expressing support for two of Ford’s unconditional pardon of Richard Nixon.

The National Archives is fully accessible, and Assisted Listening Devices are available in the McGowan Theater upon request. To request a sign language interpreter for a public program, please send an email to public.program@nara.gov or call 202-357-5000 at least two weeks prior to the event. To verify dates and times of the programs, call 202-357-5000 or view the Calendar of Events online. To contact the National Archives, call 1-866-272-6272 or 1-86-NARA-NARA (TDD 301-837-0482). Admission to the museum is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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For press information contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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