(2018-0316-F) Kim Jong Il Letters

2 folders, approximately 29 pages

This collection consists of records related to two letters from President Clinton to Kim Jong Il in 1999 and 2000. It consists of copies of the letters, internal NSC routing paperwork for the drafts and cover memoranda from NSC Staff members to National Security Advisor Samuel Berger and from Mr. Berger to the President

The materials in FOIA 2018-0316-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. In May of 1999 the former Secretary of Defense, William Perry visited North Korea as part of an extensive review of U.S. Policy toward the nation. The review was ordered by President Clinton to determine whether diplomacy could be advanced beyond the 1994 agreed framework that had frozen North Korea’s plutonium production at the Yangbyon nuclear plant. Dr. Perry carried with him a letter of introduction from President Clinton to the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Il. In October of 2000, North Korean Vice Marshall Jo Myong Rok visited the White House and presented President Clinton an invitation from Kim Jong Il to visit North Korea. The President, in response, sent Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to Pyongyang in order to determine if a Presidential visit was possible. She carried with her a letter from President Clinton to Kim Jong Il expressing the desire to “explore directly with you the possibilities for sustained and fundamental progress in relations”. This collection consists of copies of the 1999 letter and 2000 letter from President Clinton to Kim Jong Il, draft versions of the two letters, internal NSC routing paperwork for the drafts and cover memoranda from NSC Staffers to National Security Advisor Samuel Berger and from Mr. Berger to the President.

Textual

Records that are responsive to this FOIA request were found in this collection area—Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management Systems.

Collection is open to all researchers. Access to Clinton Presidential Records is governed by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. Chapter 22, as amended) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended) and therefore records may be restricted in whole or in part in accordance with legal exemptions.

Official records of William Jefferson Clinton’s presidency are housed at the Clinton Presidential Library and administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under the provisions of the Presidential Records Act (PRA).

Staff Archivist, 2018. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released

The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to FOIA 2018-0316-F:
Box 1
Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management System
NSC Records Management System
[Korea and Perry]
9903756 [OA/ID 2729]
[Kim Jong Il and Letter]
0006632 [OA/ID 4110]