The U.S. Presidency and national security directives: An overview

The president of the United States issues a variety of directives to communicate to his staff and to the nation. One such directive is commonly referred to as a national security directive. National security directives have been used, in some form, by every president since Truman. Frequently classified national security directives can have wide-ranging impact on foreign and domestic policy and provide insight into the strategies of an administration. The use of national security directives and their availability is the subject of this article. The first part of the article provides a history of national security directives, by president. The second part offers suggestions on locating the text of directives.