“Snowflakes” is the term given to the missives that became the trademark form of daily communication from Donald Rumsfeld, the controversial US Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush. ProQuest and the National Security Archive have recently published a new collection of these declassified, mostly never-before-seen memos.
The material in this set offers an unprecedented look into nearly everything that came across Rumsfeld’s desk, including communications and coordination with the highest levels of government during a dynamic period of US history that continues to influence global politics today. Where available, staff responses to Rumsfeld’s instructions and queries are also incorporated into the collection.
The materials inDonald Rumsfeld’s Snowflakes, Part I: The Pentagon and U.S. Foreign Policy, 2001-2003were obtained by the National Security Archive after litigation with the Department of Defense under the Freedom of Information Act (with pro bono assistance from the law firm of Skadden Arps).
These documents were featured prominently in The Washington Post’s massive 2019 exposé on the Afghanistan war, “The Afghanistan Papers.”
The first references to “Snowflakes” appeared in media accounts in early 2001 and the memos soon gained almost mythical status. Occasional leaks to The Washington Post and other outlets gave readers glimpses into their contents, but the first significant set did not appear until the publication of Rumsfeld’s memoir,Known and Unknown, in 2011.
The wide variety of “Snowflakes” highlighted in this collection follow the US’s response to the September 11, 2001 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 Osama 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.
A partial listing of topics covered by the declassified “Snowflakes” includes:
Spanning 20,975 pages,Donald Rumsfeld’s Snowflakes, Part I: The Pentagon and U.S. Foreign Policy, 2001-2003provides 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.补充一个集合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.
Previous, related DNSA publications includeU.S. Intelligence Community After 9/11,Targeting Iraq, Part 1: Planning, Invasion, and Occupation, 1997-2004,Terrorism and U.S Policy, 1968-2002and U.S. Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction: From World War II to Iraq.