President George W. Bush authorized the use of torture. President Barack Obama directed the extrajudicial killing of an American citizen in Yemen. What President Donald Trump will do remains to be seen, but it is broadly understood that a president might test the limits of the law in extraordinary circumstances—and does so with advice from legal counsel. Advising the President is an exploration of this process, viewed through the experience of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Robert H. Jackson on the eve of World War II. The book directly and honestly grapples with the ethical problems inherent in advising a president on actions of doubtful legality; eschewing partisan politics, it presents a practical, realistic model for rendering—and judging the propriety of—such advice. Jackson, who would go on to be the chief US prosecutor at the Nuremberg war crimes trials, was the US solicitor general from 1938–1940, US attorney general from 1940–1941, and Supreme Court justice from 1941–1954. William R. Casto uses his skill and insight as a legal historian to examine the legal arguments advanced by Roosevelt for controversial wartime policies such as illegal wiretapping and unlawful assistance to Great Britain, all of which were related to important issues of national security. Putting these episodes in political and legal context, Casto makes clear distinctions between what the adviser tells the president and what he tells others, including the public, and between advising the president and subsequently facilitating the president’s decision. Based upon the real-life experiences of a great attorney general advising a great president, Casto’s timely work presents a pragmatic yet ethically powerful approach to giving legal counsel to a president faced with momentous, controversial decisions.

For the past 50 years a select group of scientists has provided advice to the US President, mostly out of the public eye, on issues ranging from the deployment of weapons to the launching of rockets to the moon to the use of stem cells to cure disease. The role of the presidential science adviser came under increasing scrutiny during the administration of George W. Bush, which was highly criticized by many for its use (and some say, misuse) of science. This edited volume includes, for the first time, the reflections of the presidential science advisers from Donald Hornig who served under Lyndon B. Johnson, to John Marburger, the previous science advisor, on their roles within both government and the scientific community. It provides an intimate glimpse into the inner workings of the White House, as well as the political realities of providing advice on scientific matters to the presidential of the United States. The reflections of the advisers are supplemented with critical analysis of the role of the science adviser by several well-recognized science policy practitioners and experts. This volume will be of interest to science policy and presidential history scholars and students.

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The commission, consisting of nine highly placed public officials, scientists, educators, science advisers and science writers, looked at science advising as a presidential question, rather than one of science policy. The core proposition of this report is that the president needs a strong system of science advising which includes a skilled chief science adviser assisted by well-qualified staff and with ready access to nongovernmental sources of advice and knowledge. Furthermore, the commission recommends that a new president consider a spectrum of possible roles for this very flexible staff position and select the roles that best satisfy his needs rather than accept a particular historical model of science advice. A major responsibility of a science adviser is to give the president access to the expertise he needs from the science and engineering community inside and outside government. Co-published with the Miller Center of Public Affairs.

Congress established the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) through the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization & Priorities Act of 1976. The act states that "the primary function of the OSTP Director is to provide, within the Executive Office of the President (EOP), advice on the scientific, engineering and technological aspects of issues that require attention at the highest level of Government. Scientific and technical knowledge and guidance influences not just policy related to science and technology, but also many of today's public policies as policymakers seek knowledge to enhance the quality of their decisions. This book examines the several organisations which, when requested by the federal government or Congress, provide formal science and technology policy advice. In addition, this book provides a basic understanding of science and technology policy including the nature of S&T policy, how scientific and technical knowledge is useful for public policy decision-making, and an overview of the key stakeholders in science and technology policy. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.

In 1966 Richard Nixon hired Patrick J. Buchanan, a young editorial writer at the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, to help lay the groundwork for his presidential campaign. Fiercely conservative and a whiz at messaging and media strategy, Buchanan continued with Nixon through his tenure in office, becoming one of the president’s most important and trusted advisors, particularly on public matters. The copious memos he produced over this period, counseling the president on press relations, policy positions, and political strategy, provide a remarkable behind-the-scenes look into the workings of the Nixon White House—and a uniquely informed perspective on the development and deployment of ideas and practices that would forever change presidential conduct and US politics. Of the thousand housed at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, presidential scholar Lori Cox Han has judiciously selected 135 of Buchanan’s memos that best exemplify the significant nature and reach of his influence in the Nixon administration. Here, in his now-familiar take-no-prisoners style, Buchanan can be seen advancing his deeply conservative agenda, counterpunching against advisors he considered too moderate, and effectively guiding the president and his administration through a changing, often hostile political environment. On every point of policy and political issue—foreign and domestic—through two successful campaigns, Nixon’s first term, and the fraught months surrounding the Watergate debacle, Buchanan presses his advantage, all the while honing the message that would push conservatism ever rightward in the following years. Expertly edited and annotated by Han, Advising Nixon: The White House Memos of Patrick J. Buchanan offers rare insight into the decision-making and maneuvering of some of the most powerful figures in government—with lasting consequences for American public life.

Since the beginning of the federal government, Presidents have called upon executive branch officials to provide them with advice regarding matters of policy and administration. While Cabinet members were among the first to play such a role, the creation of the Executive Office of the President (EOP) in 1939 and the various agencies located within that structure resulted in a large increase in the number and variety of presidential advisers. All senior staff members of the White House Office and the leaders of the various EOP agencies could be said to serve as advisers to the President. This book provides background information and selected views on the role of some of these appointees and discusses some of the constitutional concerns that have been raised about presidential advisers.

This volume aims to attract attention to the necessity for quality advice on science and technology issues to the president of the United States, to the Congress, and to the judiciary. It emphasizes reconsideration and improvement of existing organizations and mechanisms, mindful of the need to adapt to changing circumstances. Golden has gathered facts and opinions useful to a wide range of people: government officials and staffs in all three branches; journalists; scholars and students of political science, science policy, and the history of science policy; members of the industrial and financial communities; and the concerned citizenry. The eighty-five prominent experts include both of President Reagan's science advisors, President Gerald R. Ford, congressional leaders, and distinguished members of the judiciary.