(2006-0238-F) Rwanda

72 folders, 1,667 pages

This collection consists of records related to Nancy Soderberg, Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from 1993 to 1997, and Rwanda. The records include reports, papers, memos, correspondence, handwritten notes and maps. The topics covered by these records include the humanitarian effort of the U.S. and other countries to deal with the thousands of refugees fleeing Rwanda.

The materials in 2006-0238-F are a selective, not necessarily all inclusive, body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related materials. It should be noted that approximately fifty percent of this case is currently closed for national security reasons. FOIA request 2006-0238-F contains records dealing with Nancy Soderberg, who served as Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from 1993-1997. During that time she cautioned President Clinton to use restraint in the U.S. response to the genocide taking place in Rwanda. After the disastrous attempt to intervene in Somalia in October 1993, Clinton was understandably reluctant to commit ground troops on a massive scale. At a later date, Soderberg summed up this entire episode with a pithy remark. According to her, “the ugly truth is that at the root of the failure to act is a belief [that the U.S.] has little responsibility to protect the lives of the victims of an ongoing genocide.” The White House Staff and Office Files contain reports, papers, memos, correspondence, handwritten notes, and maps. These records to a great extent address the humanitarian effort mounted by the U.S. and other countries to deal with the thousands of refugees fleeing Rwanda to escape the violence engulfing their country. There are documents describing the equipment and manpower utilized to supply refugee camps with adequate supplies of drinking water, papers detailing the ordering of necessary replacement parts for vehicles and machines, and material relating to the security problems that cropped up almost overnight as people fled to neighboring countries in fear for their lives. The NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management Systems contain pertinent records that add to our understanding of the U.S. response to the slaughter occurring in Rwanda. For instance, there are many cables concerning how American diplomats were attempting to coordinate their efforts to help the Rwandan people with the Belgian and French governments. In the emails, press guidance on the proper steps to follow in handing the crisis in Rwanda can readily be found in numerous places.

Textual

Records that were responsive to this FOIA request were found in two collection areas—Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files and Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management Systems. As policy, 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.

Collection is open to all researchers. Access to Clinton Presidential Records is governed by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) (44 USC 2201) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 USC 552, as amended) and therefore records may be restricted in whole or in part in accordance with legal exemptions.

Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States government as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Researchers are advised to consult the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, USC 101) which governs the making of photocopies and other reproductions of copyrighted material.

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).

Genocide
Humanitarian assistance, American
Refugees Rwanda Rwandan Civil War (Rwanda : 1994)

Soderberg, Nancy E., 1958-

Staff Archivist, 2009. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released.

The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to FOIA 2006-0238-F:
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
National Security Council
 Staff Director – Soderberg, Nancy
Box 1
 Rwanda – September 1994 [OA/ID 1407]
 Rwanda [OA/ID 1418]
 Rwanda, May-December 1994 [1] [OA/ID 1419]
 Rwanda, May-December 1994 [2] [OA/ID 1419]
 Rwanda, May-December 1994 [3] [OA/ID 1419]
Clinton Presidential Records: NSC, Cable, Email, and Records Management Systems
NSC Cables
 Jan 1993-Dec 1994
 [Rwanda & Soderberg]
 [09/10/1993 – 04/08/1994] [OA/ID 505000]
 [04/08/1994 – 04/11/1994] [OA/ID 505000]
 [04/12/1994 – 05/28/1994] [OA/ID 505000]
 [06/14/1994 – 07/23/1994] [OA/ID 505000]
 [07/23/1994 – 07/28/1994] [OA/ID 505000]
 [08/02/1994 – 10/21/1994] [OA/ID 505000]
 [10/25/1994 – 12/19/1994] [OA/ID 505000]
NSC Emails
 A1-Record (Jan 93-Sept 94]
 [Rwanda & Soderberg]
 [10/04/1993 – 07/30/1994] [OA/ID 570000]
 [04/07/1994 – 09/01/1994] [OA/ID 570000]
 A1-Non-Record (Apr 1994-Sept 1994)
 [Rwanda & Soderberg]
 [07/25/1994] [OA/ID 580000]
 [04/26/1994] [OA/ID 580000]
 [07/20/1994 – 09/08/1994] [OA/ID 580000]
 [02/16/1993 – 04/21/1994] [OA/ID 580000]
 [04/26/1994 – 05/18/1994] [OA/ID 580000]
 [05/23/1994 – 06/18/1994] [OA/ID 580000]
 [06/20/1994 – 07/09/1994] [OA/ID 580000]
 [07/13/1994 – 07/21/1994] [OA/ID 580000]
Box 2
 [07/22/1994 – 07/27/1994] [OA/ID 580000]
 [07/28/1994 – 08/17/1994] [OA/ID 580000]
 [08/22/1994 – 09/22/1994] [OA/ID 580000]
 MSMail-Non-Record (Sept 94-Sept 97)
 [Rwanda & Soderberg]
 [09/22/1994 – 10/03/1994] [OA/ID 605000]
 [10/04/1994 – 10/19/1994] [OA/ID 605000]
 [10/21/1994 – 10/31/1994] [OA/ID 605000]
 [11/02/1994 – 11/04/1994] [OA/ID 605000]
 [11/07/1994 – 11/14/1994] [OA/ID 605000]
 [11/15/1994 – 11/16/1994] [OA/ID 605000]
 [11/17/1994 – 11/25/1994] [OA/ID 605000]
 [11/28/1994 – 12/09/1994] [OA/ID 605000]
 [12/10/1994] [OA/ID 605000]
 [12/13/1994 – 12/29/1994] [OA/ID 605000]
NSC Records Management
 [Rwanda & Soderberg]
Box 3
 9307516 [OA/ID 164]
 9402738 [OA/ID 472]
 9403183 [OA/ID 473]
 9406182 [OA/ID 207]
 9406356 [OA/ID 208]
 9406513 [OA/ID 479]
 9406564 [OA/ID 209]
 9406568 [OA/ID 479]
 9406613 [OA/ID 479]
 9406687 [OA/ID 479]
 9406688 [OA/ID 479]
 9406689 [OA/ID 479]
 9406691 [OA/ID 479]
 9406695 [OA/ID 210]
 9406735 [OA/ID 479]
 9406809 [OA/ID 479]
 9406928 [OA/ID 480]
 9407019 [OA/ID 211]
 9407028 [OA/ID 211]
 9407034 [OA/ID 480]
 9408075 [OA/ID 216]
 9408114 [OA/ID 481]
 9408434 [OA/ID 218]
 9409033 [OA/ID 221]
 9409212 [OA/ID 222]
 9409481 [OA/ID 223]
 9420507 DC Meeting on Somalia & Rwanda – April 29, 1994 [OA/ID 3998]
 9420532 DC Meeting on Somalia & Rwanda – April 29, 1994 [OA/ID 3998]
 9420533 DC Meeting on Somalia & Rwanda – April 29, 1994 [OA/ID 3998]
 9420546 DC Meeting on Somalia & Rwanda – April 29, 1994 [OA/ID 3998]
 9420613 [OA/ID 3918]
 9420840 DC Meeting on Somalia & Rwanda – April 29, 1994 [OA/ID 3998]
 9420894 [OA/ID 3918]
 9421022 [OA/ID 3918]
 9421052 [OA/ID 3918]
 9500012 [OA/ID 558]
 9500433 [OA/ID 560]