(2012-0802-F) John Shattuck

The materials in FOIA 2012-0802-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. The records responsive to this FOIA request consist of National Security Council (NSC) Cables, Emails, and Records Management System numbered documents concerning John Shattuck’s travel into Bosnia and Croatia in July through November 1995 to investigate allegations of human rights abuses, the findings of which he presented to President Clinton, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). As Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Shattuck also assisted in the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunals for both Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. During his efforts, Shattuck personally interviewed victims of war crimes, including survivors of the Srebrenica massacre, which begin after Bosnian Serb forces occupied the city in July 1995. Notes from victim interviews and State Department press guidance from February 1995 through December 1995 are located in the NSC Cables. These records, most of which originated in the State Department, discuss Assistant Secretary’s Shattuck’s work in Bosnia and Croatia and his diplomatic efforts with the relevant parties, the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including the ICRC. Drafts of National Security Council press releases and guidance concerning human rights abuses in Bosnia, as investigated by Assistant Secretary Shattuck are located in the NSC Emails. This email correspondence between NSC staff also includes talking points for Congressional phone calls on the subject, drafts of Congressional correspondence, and planning discussions for an event briefing NGOs on the situation in Bosnia in December 1995. The NSC Records Management System (RMS) numbered documents contain foreign travel approval forms for Assistant Secretary Shattuck’s trip to Zagreb and Zenica in October 1995 as well as his November 1995 trip to Zagreb and Sarajevo, and a scheduling proposal for a November 1995 Presidential meeting with the Assistant Secretary to hear his report.