Although the Korean War officially ended in 1953, more than twenty years later, the Korean Peninsula appeared ready to once again erupt in conflict.
One of the most dramatic international incidents of the Ford presidency was when the Cambodian Khmer Rouge attacked then seized the American container ship the SS Mayaguez on May 12, 1975.
In November 1988, Governor Clements placed a plaque at Pointe du Hoc in Normandy, France to commemorate the 1944 seizure by Texan Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder and the U.S. Army’s 2nd Ranger Battalion of German artillery on the cliff.
Clements’ service under Presidents Nixon and Ford produced a great deal of valuable documents relating to defense, intelligence, national security, diplomacy, and statecraft.
Clements Papers Project
Clements’ service under Presidents Nixon and Ford produced a great deal of valuable documents relating to defense, intelligence, national security, diplomacy, and statecraft.
William P. Clements, Jr. served as Deputy Secretary of Defense service under Presidents Nixon and Ford. In that capacity, he worked to shape some of the most profound decisions related to national security during this important produced a great deal of valuable documents relating to defense, intelligence, national security, diplomacy, and statecraft.
Through the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. Peter O’Donnell, Jr., the Clements Center set out to gather the many documents related to Clements’ time as Deputy Secretary of Defense. Researchers with the Clements Center scanned nearly 30,000 pages gathered from the Reagan, Nixon, Ford, and Bush Presidential Libraries, as well as the National Archives, Library of Congress, and the Center for Legislative Archives. Additionally, researchers authored hundreds of declassification review requests, which has led to the declassification of hundreds, if not thousands, of pages of documents that will enrich the historical record.
Beyond records preservation, this digitization project will make previously unconnected documents available in a single place where historians, students or any interested person may be able to access and make use of the collection of historical papers relating to Clements distinguished federal service.
The Clements Papers Project was made public in late October 2015 and is now a tremendous resource for scholars, practitioners, and the public. Please visit ns.clementspapers.org for more information.
For more information about the project, please email [email protected].