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Arms Control and Disarmament Agency

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U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA)
Agency overview
FormedSeptember 26, 1961
Preceding agency
DissolvedApril 1, 1999
Superseding agency

The U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) was an independent agency of the United States government that existed from 1961 to 1999. Its mission was to strengthen United States national security by "formulating, advocating, negotiating, implementing and verifying effective arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament policies, strategies, and agreements".

In so doing, ACDA ensured that arms control was fully integrated into the development and conduct of United States national security policy. ACDA also conducted, supported, and coordinated research for arms control and disarmament policy formulation, prepared for and managed U.S. participation in international arms control and disarmament negotiations, and prepared, operated, and directed U.S. participation in international arms control and disarmament systems.

1961 creation

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Scholars discussing issues of American defense posture and European security during a 1969 ACDA meeting at Lake Mohonk, New York

The Arms Control and Disarmament Agency was established by the Arms Control and Disarmament Act, Pub. L. 87–297, 75 Stat. 631, enacted September 26, 1961.[1] The H.R. 9118 bill was drafted by presidential adviser John J. McCloy.[2][3] Its predecessor was the U.S. Disarmament Administration as part of the U.S. Department of State from September 9, 1960, though President Dwight D. Eisenhower never appointed a director and John F. Kennedy named McCloy as its first director until ACDA's formation.[4][5][6]

Early mission

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Cover of a 1977 ACDA report on the history of arms control agreements

In the 1970s emphasis of the agency was placed upon gaining an understanding of the strategic weapons capabilities of the Soviet Union and People's Republic of China. The electronic reconnaissance capability of the United States was expanded through federal agency research and private contract research, utilizing radio frequency as well as optical technologies. The theory of this mission was that a clearer understanding of other nations' strategic capabilities was an important initial step in prevention of nuclear war.

1997 reorganization

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In 1997, the Clinton administration announced the partial integration of ACDA with the State Department as part of the reinvention of the agencies which implement the nation’s foreign policy.

The ACDA director served as both the under secretary of state for arms control and international security affairs and a senior adviser to the president and the secretary of state for arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament. He communicated with the president through the secretary of state. In his capacity as senior advisor to the president, the under secretary attended and participated, at the direction of the president, in National Security Council (NSC) and subordinate meetings pertaining to arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament and had the right to communicate, through the secretary of state, with the president and members of the NSC on arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament concerns.[citation needed]

1999 end

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People working for ACDA were eligible to receive honor awards for their efforts

As of April 1, 1999, ACDA was abolished and its functions merged into the Department of State.[7][1] This was done pursuant to Pub. L. 105–277 (text) (PDF), 112 Stat. 2681, enacted October 21, 1998.[7] The functions of the ACDA director were replaced by the office of the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs and by the office of the Senior Advisor to the President and the Secretary of State for Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament. ACDA's bureaus, along with the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, were moved to the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security to form four bureaus: Political-Military Affairs, Bureau of Arms Control, Bureau of Nonproliferation, and the Bureau of Verification and Compliance. Additional reorganizations of the arms control function took place in subsequent years, and as of 2023, those functions are carried out by the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, and the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.[7]

List of directors

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The directors of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency were:[1]

Special Assistant to the President for Disarmament

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Name Start End President(s)
Harold Stassen March 19, 1955 February 15, 1958 Dwight D. Eisenhower
(1953–1961)

Director of the Disarmament Administration

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Name Start End President(s)
Jack McCloy January 27, 1961 October 6, 1961 John F. Kennedy
(1961–1963)

Directors of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency

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  Denotes acting capacity.
Name Start End President(s)
William Foster October 6, 1961 December 31, 1968 John F. Kennedy
(1961–1963)
Lyndon B. Johnson
(1963–1969)
Gerard Smith February 7, 1969 January 4, 1973 Richard Nixon
(1969–1974)
Fred Iklé July 10, 1973 January 19, 1977
Gerald Ford
(1974–1977)
Paul Warnke March 14, 1977 October 31, 1978 Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
George Seignious December 4, 1978 January 3, 1980
Ralph Earle January 3, 1980 January 15, 1981
Eugene Rostow June 30, 1981 January 12, 1983 Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
James George[8]
Acting		 January 13, 1983 April 22, 1983
Kenneth Adelman April 22, 1983 December 12, 1987
William Burns April 1, 1988 March 15, 1989
George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
Ronald Lehman May 12, 1989 January 20, 1993
John Holum November 22, 1993 April 1, 1999 Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Directors of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency". Office of the Historian. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  2. ↑ Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "John F. Kennedy: "Letter to the President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House Proposing the Establishment of a United States Disarmament Agency," June 29, 1961". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara.
  3. ↑ Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "John F. Kennedy: "Letter of Commendation to John J. McCloy, Adviser to the President on Disarmament.," October 6, 1961". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara.
  4. ↑ Times, W. h Lawrence Special To the New York (January 3, 1961). "Kennedy Appoints McCloy As His Disarmament Chief; Names Banker to Lead Major Drive for Weapons Control -- Picks L.F. O'Brien as Aide on Patronage and Congress KENNEDY CHOOSES M'CLOY AS AN AIDE". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  5. ↑ "A Splendid Appointment". The New York Times. January 4, 1961. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Historical Documents - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 "Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. (9/26/1961 - 4/1/1999) Organization Authority Record". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Designation of James L. George as Acting Director of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency". Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
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