(2018-0070-F) Organization of American States

32 folders, approximately 2,291 pages

This collection consists of records related to Staff and Office files from the National Security Council (NSC) regarding the Organization of American States (OAS) and a small number of records from the Confidential Files or CF files related to this same topic, dating from 1993 to 2000. It includes briefing papers, memoranda, notes, letters and other documents related to OAS General Assembly meetings. The collection also includes items related to Cuba and the Libertad Act, materials related to American hemispheric trade and both final and draft treaties and other documents related to human rights. There are also speeches, itinerary, administrative paperwork, and other documents included in the collection.

The materials in FOIA 2018-0070-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request 2018-0070-F was for Staff and Office records from the National Security Council (NSC) related to the Organization of American States (OAS). The Clinton Presidential Library also processed a small number of records from the Confidential Files or CF files related to this same topic. This collection did not include any cables or emails. The collection dates 1993 to 2000. It includes briefing papers, memoranda, notes, letters and other documents related to OAS General Assembly meetings. The collection includes items related to Cuba and the Libertad Act. There are materials related to American hemispheric trade. Included are both final and draft treaties and documents related to human rights. There are speeches, itinerary, administrative paperwork, and other documents. The Organization of American States traces is beginnings back to the Congress of Panama in 1826. Many years after that first meeting, the United States invited the countries of North and South America to the International Conference of American States, held in Washington, D.C. between October 1889 and April 1890. The goal of this conference was to encourage trade and to set forth a common path when disagreements arose. This first International Conference of American States proved to be beneficial to the original eighteen attending states. In 1948, during the Ninth International Conference, the Charter of the OAS was signed at Bogota, Colombia. This charter entered into force in December 1951. This original charter has been amended several times since ratification and the international conference model gave way to a General Assembly format in 1970. Though the OAS offices are located in Washington, D.C., the organization has membership throughout the American hemisphere. The members meet on trade, human rights, democracy building, peace and security efforts, narcotics, justice and other foreign relations issues. The OAS acts as the secretariat for various ministerial meetings; in particular, for meetings of Ministers of Justice, Ministers of Labor, Ministers of Science and Technology, and Ministers of Education of the Americas.

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Records that are responsive to this FOIA request were found in these collection areas—Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM-Subject File-CF and Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files. The White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) contains a variety of series created to organize and track documents and correspondence. The WHORM Alpha file was compiled by the White House Office of Records Management from 1993 – 1996 and is a series of documents arranged by name of persons, organizations, or events. The WHORM Subject file was compiled by the White House Office of Records Management and is a series of categories designated by a letter/number combination. In addition, there are WHORM, WHORM Counsel, WHORM (CL), WHORM (OP), WHORM (Too Late); WHORM (Various Offices); and WHORM (Alpha Project) series. Staff and Office files were maintained at the folder level by staff members within their individual offices and document all levels of administration activity. WHORM files are processed at the document level; whereas, Staff and Office files are processed at the folder level, that is, individual documents are not selected and removed from a folder for processing. While this method maintains folder integrity, it frequently results in the incidental processing of documents that are not wholly responsive to the subject area. FOIA 2018-0070-F includes WHORM records from these subject codes: FO002-01 Personal – Special Rank of Ambassador or Minister.

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, 2019. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released.

The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to 2018-0070-F:
Box 1
Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: Subject File CF
FO002-01 015493SS
FO002-01 060045SS
FO002-01 240316SS
FO002-01 280914SS
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Special Envoy for the Americas
Lesmez, Daniel
OAS Trip [1] [OA/ID CF 1045]
OAS Trip [2] [OA/ID CF 1045]
McLarty, Mack
OAS – Peru / Ecuador [1] [OA/ID CF 1042]
OAS – Peru / Ecuador [2] [OA/ID CF 1042]
OAS – Peru Ecuador: Peru [OA/ID CF 1042]
OAS – Peru / Ecuador [Binder] [OA/ID CF 1042]
National Security Council
Counselor’s Office
Schifter, Richard
Organization of American States (OAS) [OA/ID 859]
Interamerican Affairs
OAS [Organization of American States], 1994 [1] [OA/ID 311]
OAS [Organization of American States], 1994 [2] [OA/ID 311]
OAS [Organization of American States], 1996 [OA/ID 968]
Box 2
OAS [Organization of American States], 1998 [OA/ID 1930]
Central Files
OAS [Organization of American States], 1999 [OA/ID 2934]
OAS [Organization of American States], 2000 [OA/ID 3472]
Feinberg, Richard
Ceasar Gaviria-Trujillo’s Speech Upon Assuming Office as Secretary General of the OAS, September 15, 1994 [OA/ID 965]
Marrero, Victor; Speech [U.S. Representative to the Organization of American States] [OA/ID 1521]
Vice President Gore’s Speech: The Organization of American States (OAS) [1][OA/ID 965]
Vice President Gore’s Speech: The Organization of American States (OAS) [2][OA/ID 965]
Vice President Gore’s Speech: The Organization of American States (OAS) [3][OA/ID 965]
Feinberg, Richard / Blakeman, Earl / Rocha, Victor
General Assembly (OAS) [Organization of American States] [Binder] [1] [OA/ID 123]
General Assembly (OAS) [Organization of American States] [Binder] [1] [OA/ID 123]
Box 3
OAS [Organization of American States], 1993 [1] [OA/ID 123]
OAS [Organization of American States], 1993 [1] [OA/ID 123]
Hollis, Caryn
Cuba – OAS [OA/ID 2927]
Organization of American States 1997-1998 [Cuba] [1] [OA/ID 2927]
Organization of American States 1997-1998 [Cuba] [2] [OA/ID 2927]
Pyatt, Geoffrey
OAS & Institutions, 1996-1997 1207]
International Economic Affairs
Boone, Sherman
OMB – Senate Organization of American States Report re: U.S. Trade and
Development Agency, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and Export Import Bank [OA/ID 1233]
Walsh, Helen
Corruption – Organization of American States [OA/ID 994]