William S. Cohen Papers | Senate Defense Materials

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MS 106.3.3.5.2 James Dykstra 1979-1990 5 boxes

Jim Dykstra worked on Cohen's staff dealing with defense-related issues, foreign affairs, and intelligence. With the defense materials in this subseries Dykstra assisted with matters related to the SASC subcommittees on Manpower and Personnel (1979-1987) and Sea Power and Force Projection (Cohen was chair 1981-1987) along with DoD reorganization and armed services spending oversight in the Government Affairs Committee. In 1982, the Manpower subcommittee held hearings on the Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act, cosponsored by Cohen, to authorize payment from military pensions to the former spouses of members of the armed services. The measure passed as part of the Department of Defense Authorization Act.

The Senate Armed Services Committee conducts hearings to review presidential nominations for defense-related positions in the government. In 1989, President Bush nominated John Tower to be Secretary of Defense. The hearings included harsh investigations into Tower's personal life which resulted in allegations of abusive public drinking and womanizing. Many of the allegations were unsubstantiated, and Cohen was an outspoken supporter of his Senate colleague. Cohen questioned the processes by which the Senate approves presidential nominees.

Arranged alphabetically. Materials include transcripts of hearings conducted by Senate committees, staff memos, correspondence from constituents, Dear Colleague letters, talking points, news clippings, reports, and briefing books. Some of this material may have been created by Cohen staff members Mike Hastings and Jeff Minsky.

Folder Titles

Anti ballistic missile, 1982.
Articles and features, 1989-1990.
Budget questions to Department of Defense, fiscal, 1984-1985.
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), conventional force study, 1984-1985.
Chemical weapons, 1983-1989.
Civil Aeronautics Board, Ray Bell case, 1979, 2 folders.
Civil defense, 1982-1983.
Cohen: honors, thanks, etc., 1980-1983.
Correspondence, defense, 1982-1986.
Cruise missile, 1982-1984.
Defense, general, 1983-1985.
Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA), 1979.
Defense organization, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1983-1985, 2 folders.
Defense organization, Senate Armed Service Committee, 1983-1986, 2 folders.
Defense questions asked of Senator Cohen, 1981-1982.
Defense reorganization, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), 1983-1984.
Defense spending, 1981-1983.
Defense spending and procurement, 1983-1985, 2 folders.
Drug abuse in the military, 1983-1985.
Extremely low frequency (ELF) communication system, 1980-1981.
General Electric engines, alternate fighter engine, 1984.
Government Affairs hearing, procurement, 1981.
KC-135 tanker aircraft, 1979-1984.
Manpower Subcommittee questions, 1979-1983, 2 folders.
Medical issues, military, 1980.
Miscellaneous military issues, 1982.
Military and the media, 1984.
Military personnel issues, 1980-1985, 2 folders.
Military preparedness, 1980-1984.
Military reform, 1982-1984.
Strategic weapons, MX missile, 1981-1983, 2 folders.
Naval Security Group, Winter Harbor, Maine, 1979-1980.
NAVSTAR global positioning system, 1981.
Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), 1981-1983, 2 folders.
Reserves, Maine National Guard, 1980-1985.
Reserves, National Guard Technicians, 1982.
ROLAND all-weather short-range air defense system, 1979.
Sea power, AEGIS cruisers, 1981-1984.
Sea power, air power, 1981-1983.
Sea power, anti-submarine warfare, P-3 aircraft, 1984.
Sea power, AV-8B aircraft program, 1979-1980.
Sea power, battleships, 1981-1982.
Sea power, C-5 and C-17 aircraft, 1981-1984, 2 folders.
Sea power, general, 3 folders.
Sea power, Sealift program, 1982-1984.
Sea power, shipyard security, 1982.
Sea power, submarines, 1981-1984.
Senate Armed Services Committee-general, staff members, 1979-1984.
Shipbuilding, 1980.
Spare parts, defense, 1983.
Strategic Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (C3I).
Strategic weapons, general, 1980-1981.
Strategic weapons, Midgetman Missile, 1987.
Strategic weapons, Over the Horizon, Backscatter (OTH-B) Radar System, 1983-1990.
Survivor benefit pensions, 1979-1984.
Tactical aircraft, F-20 fighter, 1984-1985.
Tactical weapon systems, 1982.
Tower, John, nomination, Secretary of Defense, 1989.
Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act, 1981-1984.


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Revised: 03/19/2019