11.60 linear feet of textual records; 1 photograph

These files were sent from the Office of the President to the Archives, with the exception of the briefings prepared for the China trip of 1980 that were transferred to the Archives from the Joint Bank-Fund Library on 27 October 1993.

This series contains the briefings prepared for President McNamara's official trips. It includes notes by McNamara, some handwritten; correspondence with senior staff and government officials; and staff reports on visits.

The briefings consist of schedules, airport statements, government lists and biographies, lists of topics for discussion, basic data and maps, background information on the political and economic situation and the Bank's operations in the country visited and, for Part II countries, aid programs and IDA contributions. Schedules, statements, biographies, and topics for discussion are often annotated by McNamara, some heavily. If the trip included more than one country, the first file may include general information on the region. While most files contain a full briefing, a few files include only the list of persons visited or a schedule.

The 1980 files on an African trip include a file of Mrs. McNamara's activities. The series includes one photo from McNamara's trip to Peru in 1976.

These files are valuable for any researcher looking at the Bank's relationship with a country. The rich analytical material in the briefing file pulls together the Bank's information on a country at a particular date which, when supplemented with McNamara's notes, give a snapshot of the country's stage of development and its political climate.

Records are arranged chronologically.

Records are subject to the World Bank Policy on Access to Information.

Records are subject to the Copyright Policy of the World Bank Group.

• See Records of the office of the President -- Records of President Robert S. McNamara -- Contacts - Member Countries files (WB IBRD/IDA EXC-10-4549S), for reports on visits.

Internal World Bank Group Archives rules based on ISAD(G).

14 June 2006