Every Monday since 2 August 1965 the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), has published the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. The "Comp," as it is generally referred to, contains statements, messages, executive orders, proclamations, and sundry other presidential materials released by the press secretary at the White House during the previous week. It is distributed by the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
Beginning with the Eisenhower administration in 1953, the Federal Register has published annually the Public Papers of the President, which today contain the cumulated contents of the "Comp," except for executive orders and proclamations. Retrospective editions for the Hoover and Truman administrations have also been issued. Below is a list of these and other collections of presidential documents. Editions marked with an asterisk are projects conducted under the auspices of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPR), a statutory body affiliated with NARA. The NHPR, prodded originally by President Harry S. Truman, is charged to collect, preserve, and publish the public and private writings of prominent Americans, including notably those of the presidents.
Early Compendia
American State Papers: Documents, Legislative and Executive, of the Congress of the United States. 38 vols. Washington, D.C., 1832โ1861.
Richardson, James D., ed. A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents. 20 vols. New York, 1917.
George Washington
Library of Congress microfilm. 124 reels.
Fitzpatrick, John C., ed. The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745โ1799. 39 vols. Washington, D.C., 1931โ1944.
*Abbot, W. W., et al., eds. The Papers of George Washington. 44 vols. of 75 expected. Charlottesville, Va., 1983โ.
John Adams
Adams Family Papers. Massachusetts Historical Society microfilm. 608 reels.
Adams, Charles Francis, ed. The Works of John Adams. 10 vols. Boston, 1850โ1856.
*Butterfield, L. H. et al., eds. The Adams Family Papers. 34 vols. of 100 expected. Cambridge, Mass.
Thomas Jefferson
Library of Congress microfilm. 65 reels.
Ford, Paul Leicester, ed. The Works of Thomas Jefferson. 12 vols. New York, 1904โ1905.
Lipscomb, A. A., and A. E. Bergh, eds. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson. 20 vols. Washington, D.C., 1903โ1904.
*Boyd, Julian et al., eds. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. 28 vols. of 83 expected. Princeton, N.J., 1950โ.
James Madison
Library of Congress microfilm. 28 reels.
Hunt, Gaillard, ed. The Writings of James Madison. 9 vols. Washington, D.C., 1900โ1910.
*Hutchinson, William T. et al., eds. The Papers of James Madison. 23 vols. of 60 expected. Chicago and Charlottesville, Va., 1962โ.
James Monroe
Library of Congress microfilm. 11 reels.
Garrison, Curtis W., ed. James Monroe Papers in Vi rginia Repositories. 13 reels. Charlottesville, Va., 1969.
Hamilton, Stanislaus M., ed. The Writings of James Monroe. 7 vols. New York, 1898โ1903.
John Quincy Adams
Adams Family Papers. Massachusetts Historical Society microfilm. 608 reels.
*Butterfield, L. H. et al., eds. The Adams Family Papers. 34 vols. of 100 expected. Cambridge, Mass.
Andrew Jackson
Library of Congress microfilm. 78 reels.
Moser, Harold D. et al., eds. The Papers of Andrew Jackson. Microfilm edition. 39 reels. Wilmington, Del., 1986.
*Smith, Sam B. et al., eds. The Papers of Andrew Jackson. 5 vols. of 17 expected. Knoxville, Tenn., 1980โ.
Martin Van Buren
*West, Lucy Fisher, Walter L. Ferree, and George W. Franz, eds. The Papers of Martin Van Buren. Microfilm edition. 55 reels, 134-page guide. Alexandria, Va., 1987.
William Henry Harrison
Library of Congress microfilm. 3 reels.
John Tyler
Library of Congress microfilm. 3 reels.
James K. Polk
Library of Congress microfilm. 67 reels.
Quaife, Milo M., ed. The Diary of James K. Polk During His Presidency, 1845โ1849. 4 vols. Chicago, 1910.
*Weaver, Herbert et al., eds. The Correspondence of James K. Polk. 9 vols. of 11 expected. Nashville, Tenn., 1969โ.
Zachary Taylor
Library of Congress microfilm. 2 reels.
Millard Fillmore
*Smith, Lester W., ed. Millard Fillmore Papers. Microfilm edition. 68 reels, 47-page guide. Buffalo, N.Y., 1975.
Franklin Pierce
Library of Congress microfilm. 7 reels.
James Buchanan
Moore, John Bassett, ed. The Works of James Buchanan. 12 vols. Philadelphia, 1908โ1911.
*West, Lucy Fisher, ed. James Buchanan Papers. Microfilm edition. 60 reels, 35-page guide. Philadelphia, 1974.
Abraham Lincoln
Library of Congress microfilm. 97 reels.
Basler, Roy P., ed. Works of Abraham Lincoln. 9 vols. New Brunswick, N.J., 1953โ1955.
Andrew Johnson
Library of Congress microfilm. 55 reels.
*Graf, LeRoy P. et al., eds. The Papers of Andrew Johnson. 16 volumes. Knoxville, Tenn., 1967โ2000.
Ulysses S. Grant
Library of Congress microfilm. 32 reels.
*Simon, John Y., et al., eds. The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant. 22 vols. of 25 expected. Carbondale, Ill., 1967โ.
Rutherford B. Hayes
Williams, Charles F., ed. Diary and Letters of Rutherford B. Hayes. 5 vols. Columbus, Ohio, 1922โ1926.
*Smith, Thomas, ed. The Rutherford B. Hays Papers. Microfilm edition. 301 reels, 56-page guide. Fremont, Ohio, 1982.
James A. Garfield
Library of Congress microfilm. 177 reels.
Brown, Harry J., and Frederick D. Williams, eds. The Diary of James A. Garfield. 4 vols. East Lansing, Mich., 1967โ1981.
Chester A. Arthur
Library of Congress microfilm. 3 reels.
Grover Cleveland
Library of Congress microfilm. 164 reels.
Benjamin Harrison
Library of Congress microfilm. 151 reels. Speeches of Benjamin Harrison, The. New York, 1892.
William McKinley
Library of Congress microfilm. 98 reels.
Theodore Roosevelt
Library of Congress microfilm. 485 reels.
Morison, Elting, and John Blum, eds. The Papers of Theodore Roosevelt. 8 vols. Cambridge, Mass., 1951โ1954.
William Howard Taft
Library of Congress microfilm. 658 reels.
Woodrow Wilson
Library of Congress microfilm. 540 reels.
*Link, Arthurs. et al., eds. The Papers of Woodrow Wilson. 69 vols. Princeton, N.J., 1966โ1994.
Warren G. Harding
*Lentz, Andrea, ed. Wa rren G. Harding Papers. Microfilm edition. 263 reels. Columbus, Ohio, 1970.
Calvin Coolidge
Library of Congress microfilm. 190 reels.
Herbert Hoover
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Herbert Hoover. 6 vols. Washington, D.C., 1929โ1933.
Hoover-Wilson Correspondence, The. Ames, Iowa, 1974.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Rosenman, Samuel I., ed. Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt. 13 vols. New York, 1938โ1950.
Harry S. Truman
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Harry S. Truman. 8 vols. Washington, D.C., 1948โ1953.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower. 8 vols. Washington, D.C., 1953โ1961.
*Chandler, Alfred D., Jr., et al., eds. The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower. 21 volumes. Baltimore, 1970โ.
John F. Kennedy
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy. 3 vols. Washington, D.C., 1961โ1963.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson. 10 vols. Washington, D.C., 1963โ1969.
Richard Nixon
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Richard Nixon, 1969โ1974. 6 vols. Washington, D.C., 1969โ1974.
Gerald R. Ford
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Gerald R. Ford, 1974โ1977. 6 vols. Washington, D.C., 1974โ1977.
Jimmy Carter
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Jimmy Carter, 1977โ1981. 9 vols. Washington, D.C., 1977โ1981.
Ronald Reagan
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1981โ1989. 15 vols. Washington, D.C., 1981โ1989.
George Bush
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George Bush, 1989โ1993. 8 vols. Washington, D.C., 1989โ1993.
William J. Clinton
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 1993โ. 4 vols. to date. Washington, D.C., 1993โ1996.
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