Donald Rumsfeld’s Snowflakes, Part I: The Pentagon and U.S. Foreign Policy, 2001-2003 adds 6,272 documents and 20,975 declassified pages to the Digital National Security Archive’s collection, providing researchers with an unparalleled, hour-by-hour account of the office of the Secretary of Defense during the first term of the George W. Bush Administration, from 2001 to 2003. This collection complements a growing collection of Archive documents on the era of 9/11, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Part II, which covers later years of Rumsfeld’s tenure from 2004 to 2006 will be published in 2021.
“Snowflakes” is the term given to the missives that became the controversial Secretary of Defense’s trademark form of daily communication. The mostly never-before-seen material in this set offers an unprecedented look into nearly everything that came across his desk, including communications and coordination with the highest levels of government, during a dynamic period of U.S. history that continues to influence global politics to this day. Where available, staff responses to Rumsfeld’s instructions and queries are also incorporated into the collection.
The wide variety of “Snowflakes” highlighted in this rich collection follow the U.S. response to the September 11 attacks and the ensuing global war on terror. Readers will find material that was circulated in the Pentagon in the days following 9/11, handwritten notes from the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, documents from the hunt for bin Laden, the Secretary’s communications with the CIA, records regarding legal controversies surrounding Guantanamo, all leading up to and through the invasion and occupation of Iraq in early 2003.
Time Span Number of Documents
2001............................................ 1,193
2002............................................ 2,679
2003............................................ 2,400
Among the important topics covered by these documents are: