The National Security Archive, located on the campus of George Washingon University, is at the forefront of requesting declassification of government documents. Using the Freedom of Information Act, the NSA has wrested tens of thousands of classified materials and brought them into the daylight for public access/scrutiny. With the passing of Henry Kissinger, the NSA has issued Briefing Book #848 – Henry Kissinger: The Declassified Obituary containing dozens of memos, telcons, and reports that highlight his many roles in government deliberations.

This briefing book also contains links to over thirty previously published briefing books on various aspects of his diplomatic career – all based on formerly classified documents. These works are goldmines of information and give an introduction into the behind-the-scenes- workings of government and its diplomatic officers.

The passing of Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev brings to mind the meetings and interchanges between him and President Reagan on arms reduction. These developments can be traced in Foreign Relations of the United States, 1981–1988, Volume V, Soviet Union, March 1985–October 1986, and Foreign Relations of the United States, 1981–1988, Volume VI, Soviet Union, October 1986–January 1989.

This short history from the State Departent’s office of the Historian provides some context. The National Security Archive offers In Memoriam: Mikhail Gorbachev 1931-2022 with links to additional sources/briefing books. And the Wilson Center’s United States-Soviet Relations contains hundreds of documents, many of them translated.