Download Page as PDF Expand All Collapse All Extent 179 folders, approximately 1,618 pages Summary This collection consists of records related to Senator Jesse Helms. It consists of memoranda, notes, reports, congressional and presidential correspondence, emails, faxes, briefing papers, press guidance, resumes, and lists Scope and Content Note The materials in FOIA 2006-1363-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related materials. Jesse Helms was first elected to serve in the 93rd Senate in 1972. A considerable portion of this collection consists of correspondence between Helms and President Clinton and members of his staff. In many instances, there are additional signatories to the letters Helms sent to the Chief Executive. A listing of the Representatives and Senators featured in such a capacity include Bob Dole, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Jon Kyl, John Warner, Thad Cochran, Bob Smith, Arlen Specter, James Inhofe, Dirk Kempthorne, Hank Brown, Alfonse D’Amato, Russell Feingold, Rod Grams, Nancy Kassebaum, Joseph Lieberman, Connie Mack, Craig Thomas, Daniel Moynihan, Claiborne Pell, Paul Simon, Benjamin Gilman, Thomas Daschle, Ernest Hollings, William Roth, Jr., Strom Thurmond, Olympia Snowe, Douglas Bereuter, Robert Dornan, Trent Lott, Chuck Hagel, Richard Lugar, Ted Stevens, Bob Stump, Newt Gingrich, Edward Kennedy, and Orrin Hatch. The issues dealt with in this correspondence while wide-ranging deal chiefly with matters related to foreign policy. The following subjects form part of a preliminary reading: peace in Angola, the implementation of peace in Bosnia, arms supplies to Bosnia in 1994, missile proliferation in the relations of the U.S. with China, China’s trial of dissident Wei Jingsheng, China and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, fiber optics exports to China, technical assistance furnished by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to North Korea, and the Clinton Administration’s support of the United States Special Commission (UNSCOM) as it sought to see if Iraq was complying with the ban on weapons of mass destruction programs. The records located in the WHORM section of this FOIA case include correspondence, memoranda, fax cover sheets, faxes, notes, referral sheets, lists, and marginalia and handwritten notes by the President. In some of the letters Helms is simply forwarding scheduling requests by his constituents to the White House. Helms and Erskine Bowles wrote back and forth to each other on a fairly frequent basis. Bowles served in the Clinton administration as head of the Small Business Administration (SBA) from 1993-1994, Deputy White House Chief of Staff from 1994-1996, and White House Chief of Staff from 1997-1998. Helms wrote a short note to Bowles on July 14, 1998, in which he said, “You are so much like your Dad—and no finer compliment could be paid to you. I’ve thought many times about Skipper’s (apparently a nickname for Bowles’ father) sitting “up here” thoroughly approving of the way you are conducting yourself.” In other cases, Helms penned letters primarily addressed to Bruce Lindsey, who at that time held the title of Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel, in which he recommended people for various positions. President Clinton commented at length on a letter written by Helms and Joe Biden concerning the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act. The two Senators expressed concern about the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) and the United States Information Agency (USIA) being integrated into the State Department. Clinton’s major issue with the legislation had to do with the administration of the prestigious Fulbright Program. There seemed to be competing views as to what agency should assume responsibility for running this vaunted educational exchange project that had been around since shortly after the end of World War II. At the end of his handwritten response (directed to Sandy Berger) Clinton said, “Now we have Biden/Helms on record. Can’t we fix this?” Relevant White House Staff and Office files are located in several different areas. The principal offices where the majority of records turn up include Chief of Staff, Counsel’s Office, Legislative Affairs, and Presidential Personnel. The material to be opened takes the form of correspondence, memoranda, newspaper articles, press guidance, fax cover sheets, faxes, background information, lists, reports, and resumes. A detailed memorandum describes how the Clinton Administration should respond to S. 908 (the Helms’ Bill), better known as the Foreign Relations Revitalization Act of 1995. A briefing book on the Helms School Prayer Amendment (which would have permitted prayer in public schools) contains a list of national organizations opposed to such legislation, a legal analysis of the effects of such a bill if it ever was approved, and a variety of newspaper articles on the matter. There are folders of documents that have letters from President Clinton written in response to inquiries from Helms. Topics covered in this correspondence include the Northern Ireland peace process, the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1997, the opening of news bureaus in Cuba, and the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. Presidential Personnel contains letters and accompanying material pertaining to candidates, in the opinion of Helms, well qualified to hold specific posts. Email from the Automated Records Management System and Tape Resoration Project primarily consists of lists of correspondence received from Members of Congress. Congressional Correspondence lists include correspondence from Jesse Helms concerning legislation and appointment confirmations. Biographical Note A Republican from the state of North Carolina, Jesses Helms was reelected 1978, 1984, 1990, and 1996. He served in office from January 3, 1973 to January 3, 2003. In 1950, Helms began working on the Senate campaign for Willis Smith and went to Washington as Smith’s administrative assistant. Following Smith’s death in 1953, Helms moved to Raleigh, NC where he was executive director of the North Carolina Bankers Association. His first elected position was as a Raleigh City Councilman, a position to which he was elected in 1957. In 1960, Helms became executive vice-president of the Capitol Broadcasting Company where he gave a nightly editorial on WRAL-TV. Helms was a conservative Democrat and switched to the Republican party prior to his 1972 campaign for Senate. He has been frequently cited as a segregationist, if not outright racist. He did however, take interest in human rights concerns. Once in the Senate he became a strong and loud voice against communism and for a strong ballistic missile program. His stand on issues, both domestic and foreign, evolved over the course of his career. Helms refused to compromise when he thought that the United States was going to secede independence or when he perceived a weakening position and he relished being known as “Senator No”. During the Clinton Administration Helms became Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and in 1994 he took seat in the more powerful Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee he used his power to oppose the Chemical Weapons Convention and Anti-Ballistic Missile Programs. Helms forced the United States into a foreign affairs reorganization by holding up the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1993. He fought for a Theatre Missile Defense system in Europe and for using the military to solidify the might of the United States. Helms strongly supported anti-communism/socialism efforts around the globe. His 1996 Helms-Burton Act took a hardline stand against Cuba. Helms was vociferous in fighting for fair trade with Canada, Russia, China, Japan, and others. Helms was born in Monroe, NC on October 18, 1921. He was educated in Monroe Schools, at Wingate Junior College, now Wingate University, and at Wake Forest University. Helms dropped out of Wake Forest to become a newspaper reporter and radio news reporter, working for both the Raleigh Times and the News & Observer. In 2002, Helms chose to not to run for reelection. In 2005, he published his memoir, Here’s Where I Stand: A Memoir. Helms died July 4, 2008 and is buried in Raleigh. Record Type Textual System of Arrangement Records that are responsive to this FOIA request were found in these collection areas—Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM Alpha Files, Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM Alpha Project, Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM Subject Files, Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM (OP), Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM (Various Offices), Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files, Clinton Presidential Records: Automated Records Management System Email, and Clinton Presidential Records: Tape Restoration Project Email, The White House Office of Records Management Office (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. The Automated Records Management System (ARMS) is a database that contains email records of the Executive Office of the President. This system maintained unclassified Presidential email. The ARMS database is comprised of six sub-series of email records called "buckets." The buckets generally represent a specific White House office. The buckets are titled: NPR for National Performance Review, OPD for Office of Policy Development, POTUS for President of the United States, WHO for White House Office, CEA for Council of Economic Advisers, and Default for emails not associated with an office. The OPD bucket contains email created or received by an individual with an Office of Policy Development (OPD) White House user account. The WHO bucket contains email created or received by individual with an Executive Office of the President White House user account not identified as CEA, NPR, or OPD. The Default bucket contains email created or received by unknown or un-recognized email accounts. Email found within the Default bucket often includes email created or received by offices or individuals outside the Executive Office of the President. ARMS emails are arranged by topic, there-under by bucket, and there-under chronologically by creation date. The Tape Restoration Project (TRP) is a database consisting of restored emails from the Automated Records Management System (ARMS) from July 1994 through June of 2000. The TRP is a database that contains email records of the Executive Office of the President. This system maintained unclassified Presidential record email. The TRP database is comprised of the same six sub-series of email as in ARMS. TRP emails are arranged by topic, there-under by bucket, and there-under chronologically by creation date. FOIA 2006-1363-F (Segment 2) includes WHORM records from these subject codes: CA Civil Aviation CO006 Angola, People’s Republic of CO023 Bosnia & Hercegovina CO038 China CO038-01 China, Republic of (Formosa – Taiwan) CO039 Colombia CO045 Cuba, Republic of CO077 India CO080 Iraq, Republic of CO081 Ireland CO090-01 Korea, People’s Democratic Republic of (North) CO112 Mexico CO139 Russia CO148 Serbia – Montenegro CO155 Somalia, Democratic Republic of CO164 Syrian Arab Republic CO176 Ukraine CO183 Vietnam, Socialist Republic of FG001 President of the United States FG001-07 Appointments Granted, Presidential FG001-08 Presidential Telephone Calls FG006-01 White House Office FG006-03 Chief of Staff FG006-13 White House Office on Environmental Policy FG010 Cabinet FG011 Department of State FG014 Department of the Army FG020 Department of Commerce FG031 Congress of the United States, The FG342-03 Agency for International Development FI010-01 Excise Tax – Estate – Gift – Excess Profit FI010-02 Income Tax FO Foreign Affairs FO003-02 Mutual Security – Foreign Aid HE001-01 AIDS IM Immigration – Naturalization IT011 Free Europe, Inc. IT067 North Atlantic Treaty Organization JL001 Amnesty – Clemency – Pardons JL003 Criminal Matters MA026 Freedom Awards (All) ME001-02 Birthday Greetings ME002-03 Governmental Groups (Foreign and Domestic) ND017 Weapons – Ordnance – Munitions OS001 Space Flight PE002 Employment – Appointments PR003 Administration Support (Incoming) PR013-12 Sponsorship, Request for Presidential PU Publications PU001-07 Clippings to the President TA Trade TA004-16 Electronics. Access 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. Copyright 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 (17 U.S.C. Chapter 1) which governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Provenance 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). Processed by Staff Archivist, 2017. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released. Last Modified Date 2018-08-01 Container List View all digitized files in the National Archives Catalog (NAC) The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to 2006-1363-F Segment 2: Box 1 Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: Alpha File [Helms, Jesse] [May 26, 1993] [Helms, Jesse] [July 16, 1993] [Helms, Jesse] [October 13, 1993] [Helms, Jesse] [January 10, 1994] [Helms, Jesse] [February 17, 1994] [Helms, Jesse] [March 1, 1994] [Helms, Jesse] [April 7, 1994] [Helms, Jesse] [April 13, 1994] [Helms, Jesse] [June 9, 1994] [Helms, Jesse] [August 26, 1994] [Helms, Jesse] [September 28, 1994] [Helms, Jesse] [September 28, 1994] [Helms, Jesse] [October 6, 1994] [Helms, Jesse] [March 2, 1995] Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: Alpha Project 24678 [Helms, Jesse] [November 12, 1993] 24678 [Helms, Jesse] [January 6, 1994] Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: Subject File Category Case Number CA 177292 177306 CO006 140330SS CO023 132199SS 166614SS CO038 047569SS 145981SS 264813SS 273617SS CO038-01 292308SS 400239 CO039 184376SS CO045 171262SS CO045 175679SS 179441SS 187251SS 199913SS 201337 201546SS 204058SS 207783SS 220618SS 230257SS CO072 108182SS 302015SS CO077 070003SS 281629SS CO080 256874SS 269315SS 405761 CO081 243204SS 257852SS 304870SS 311506SS CO090-01 059930SS CO097 167271SS CO112 236432 CO139 178894SS 264232SS 294663SS 425341 CO148 280520SS 301527SS CO155 105253SS CO164 053814SS 209494SS CO176 093086SS CO183 095212SS FG001 219154SS FG001-07 292110SS [Meeting with Jesse Helms Regarding Foreign Relations Funding]2 Box 2 FG001-08 261955SS FG006-01 039400 091520 FG006-03 044875 [Helms, Jesse] 079482 [Helms, Jesse] FG006-13 103129 FG010 001011SS FG011 197398SS FG014 096700SS FG020 216795 FG031 039944SS 073062SS FG342-03 288696 FI010-01 057319 FI010-02 405815 FO 302057SS FO003-02 159890SS 233668SS HE001-01 128069 IM 224227SS IT011 073543SS IT067 295366SS JL001 285838SS JL003 242617SS MA026 038068 [Helms, Jesse – Presidential Medal of Freedom] ME001-02 043802 [Helms, Jesse] 082888SS [Helms, Jesse] 134112SS [Helms, Jesse] 190908SS [Helms, Jesse] ME002-03 061649 ND017 233678SS 301147SS OS001 295453SS PE002 071849 [Folder #10 – Helms, Jesse] 076392 [Folder #15 – Helms, Jesse] 082786 [Folder #18 – Helms, Jesse] 094501 [Folder #14 – Helms, Jesse] 095869 [Folder #16 – Helms, Jesse] 102058 [Folder #12 – Helms, Jesse] 111515 [Folder #4 – Helms, Jesse] 119699 [Folder #9 – Helms, Jesse] 178773 [Folder #1 – Helms, Jesse] PR003 090839 PR013-12 092616 PU 246606 PU001-07 301846SS [Washington Post, Our Exit Strategy, by Jesse Helms] TA 133213 175254 203732 TA004-16 106011SS Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: (OP) 213287 [Helms, Jesse – Roberta Hunter] [April 1, 1997] 220523 [Helms, Jesse] [April 21, 1997] 221538 [Helms, Jesse] [May 22, 1997] 239998 [Helms, Jesse] [October 21, 1997] Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: (OP) 246820 [Helms, Jesse (Honorable)] [December 12, 1997] 247721 [Helms, Jesse] [January 24, 1997] 257311 [Helms, Jesse – U.S. Senate] [March 16, 1998] 262415 [Helms & Faircloth – Damon Pike] [May 1, 1998] 270633 [Helms, Jesse] [July 9, 1998] 273517 [Helms, Jesse] [July 23, 1998] 273517 [Helms, Jesse] [August 3, 1998] 286732 [Helms, Jesse] [September 21, 1997] 304768 [Helms, Jesse] [May 12, 1999] Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: (Various Offices) 223825 [Helms, Jesse] [April 14, 1997] Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files Chief of Staff Ickes, Harold [Correspondence and Newsclips]: Helms-Burton [OA/ID 9158] O’Connor, Jennifer Responses to S. 908 (Helms Bill) [OA/ID 8163] Panetta, Leon & Bowles, Erskine [February 4, 1997 – Incoming to Erskine Boyce Bowles – Author/Source: Senator Jesse Helms – Short Description: Memo to Berger re: Chemical Weapons Convention] [loose] [OA/ID 15109] Podesta, John Folder #1 [July 28, 1997 – Letter from Senators Olympia Snowe & John Chafee to Senator Chief of Staff Podesta, John Jesse Helms – Nomination of Governor Bill Weld to Serve as Ambassador to Mexico [OA/ID 11245] Folder #5 [Feb. 3, 1998 – Statements by Senator Helms and General Powell Offer Opportunity for Editorials on Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty from the National Security News Service] [OA/ID 13947] Communications Gearan, Mark Folder #10 [Statement by Jesse Helms] [OA/ID 5162] Counsel’s Office Aronowitz, Michelle Mexico City Policy – Helms Letter [OA/ID 24519] Breuer, Lanny Judiciary Helms Rec’d [OA/ID 23189] Box 3 Rodrigo, Nisha Briefing Book on the Helms School Prayer Amendment [1] [OA/ID 18218] Briefing Book on the Helms School Prayer Amendment [2] [OA/ID 18218] Shurman, Kara & Pfolmm, Kirsten NSC [National Security Council] Referral from Helms [OA/ID 20837] Weiner, Robert & Marcus, Dan Helms/Hagel Letter [OA/ID 17537] Wilson, Jason [Questions for Senator Helms – Greenhouse Gas Projections] [unfoldered] [OA/ID 19694] Domestic Policy Council Howard, Heather – Subject Files Helms Amendment Emergency Contraception in School Clinics [OA/ID 103172] RU-486 Helms Letter China Manufacturer [OA/ID 103175] McCown, Gaynor – Printed Materials [The Helms School Prayer Amendment] [OA/ID 103006] Legislative Affairs Ballentine, Roger [June 12, 1998 – Helms Says Clinton Tried to Protect China by Waiving Curbs on Satellite Exports – by Eric Schmitt] [loose] [OA/ID 14315] Fowler, Donnie [Hearings]: Sen. [Senator] Helms [OA/ID 5717] Patel, Devanshu Helms, Jesse – NC [North Carolina] [1] [OA/ID 20419] Helms, Jesse – NC [North Carolina] [2] [OA/ID 20419] Subject Files Helms, Jesse – NC [North Carolina] [OA/ID 6113] Information Re: Meeting with Jesse Helms (R-NC) [OA/ID 18365] Sen. [Senator] Jesse A. Helms (R [Republican] - NC [North Carolina]) – Mail [OA/ID 11144] Sen. [Senator] Jesse A. Helms (R [Republican] – NC [North Carolina]) – Profiles/Contacts – Helms [OA/ID 11144] Legislative Affairs Subject Files Sen. [Senator] Jesse A. Helms (R [Republican] – NC [North Carolina]) – Senator Helms Requests [OA/ID 11144] National AIDS Policy Office Summers, Todd Issues – Needle Exchange – Helms Amendment – SAMHSA [Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration] [OA/ID 21080] National Economic Council Rosen, Dan Helms v. National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) [1] [OA/ID 23980] Helms v. National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) [2] [OA/ID 23980] Presidential Personnel General Files Folder #1 [Jesse Helms – Laurence Levine] [OA/ID 10291] 244707 Folder #1 [Rita Hayes – Jesse Helms] [OA/ID 10633] 244865 Folder #2 [Michael Haltzel – Jesse Helms] [OA/ID 10633] Folder #6 [Irwin Belk – Jesse Helms] [OA/ID 9424] Folder #36 [Michael Haltzel – Jesse Helms] [OA/ID 17355] Folder #44 [Michael Haltzel – Sen. Jesse Helms] [OA/ID 17355] McMahan, Natasha Folder #11 [Carol Moseley-Braun – Jesse Helms] [OA/ID 19886] Folder #11 [Michael Haltzel – Jesse Helms] [OA/ID 19886] Folder #17 [Carol Moseley-Braun – Jesse Helms] [OA/ID 19887] Przeworski, Bethany Folder #4 [Peter Cleveland – Jesse Helms] [OA/ID 11642] Folder #8 [John Greenlee – Jesse Helms] [OA/ID 11652] Folder #15 [Michelle Maynard – Jesse Helms] [OA/ID 14273] Public Liaison Herman, Alexis & Moy, Ruby Folder #7 [Newspaper Clips re: Helms-Burton, July 22, 1996] [OA/ID 7681] Scheduling Office General Files 295000 [Helms, Jesse – National High School Model] [February 19, 1999] [OA/ID 12915] Special Envoy for the Americas McLarty, Mack SOA [State of Affairs] – Cuba/Helms-Burton [OA/ID 11834] Staff Secretary General Files Reply to Request from Majority Leader Lott and Senator Helms for Assistance to Bolivia (Also from Charles M. Brain/Legislative Affairs) [OA/ID 20389] President Has Seen Files Folder #3 [Note from Roger W. Johnson, GSA [General Services Administration] Administrator, Re: Exchange with Senator Helms [OA/ID 20387] Box 4 Clinton Presidential Records: Automated Records Management System [Email] OPD [OA/ID 250,000] [Jesse Helms] [03/19/1999 – 09/14/2000] WHO [OA/ID 500,000] [Jesse Helms] [04/01/1994 – 01/17/2001] Default [OA/ID 1,100,000] [Jesse Helms] [06/20/1996 – 07/08/1999] Clinton Presidential Records: Tape Restoration Project [Email] Default [OA/ID 1,100,000] [Jesse Helms] [02/16/1995 – 01/09/1997] Content Available Online