During the Carter Administration, the National Security Council (NSC) created Presidential Review Memoranda (PRM) and Presidential Directives (PD) as part of the foreign policy development process. The names of these documents, which indicate stages in the decision-making process, were changed, although the mechanics of NSC review remained similar to previous administrations. The PRM replaced the National Security Study Memorandum (NSSM), and the PD supplanted the National Security Decision Memorandum (NSDM). PRMs identified topics to be researched by the NSC, defined the problem to be analyzed, set a deadline for the completion of the study, and assigned responsibility for it to one of the two NSC committees. If the selected committee were the Policy Review Committee (PRC), a member was designated to serve as study chairman. The study chairman assigned an ad hoc working group to complete the study, which was ultimately reviewed by the responsible committee (either the PRC or Special Coordination Committee). When the committee was satisfied that the study had incorporated meaningful options and supporting arguments, the study’s conclusions went to the President in a 2- or 3-page memorandum, which in turn formed the basis for a Presidential Directive.

Asterisk key: 
- 0 asterisk - the document has been declassified and released in full
* - 1 asterisk - the document has been declassified and released in part
** - 2 asterisks - the document has not been reviewed for release or release has been denied in full

NumberDocument TitleDate
PD 1Establishment of Presidential Review and Directive Series/NSC20 Jan 77
PD 2The National Security Council System20 Jan 77
PD 3Disposition of National Security Decision Memoranda11 Feb 77
PD 4The Law of the Sea Policy Review re PRM/NSC 1808 Mar 77
PD 5Southern Africa09 Mar 77
PD 6Cuba15 Mar 77
PD 7*SALT Negotiations23 Mar 77
PD 8Nuclear Non-proliferation24 Mar 77
PD 9*Army Special Operations Field Office in Berlin30 Mar 77
PD 10*Instructions for Tenth Session of Standing Consultative Commission20 Apr 77
PD 11Micronesian Status Negotiations05 May 77
PD 12*US Policy in Korea05 May 77
PD 13Conventional Arms Transfer Policy13 May 77
PD 14*Disposition of National Security Action Memoranda and National Security Decision Memoranda10 Jun 77
PD 15Chemical Warfare16 Jun 77
PD 16Law of the Sea Guidance16 Jun 77
PD 17Reorganization of the Intelligence Community04 Aug 77
PD 18US National Strategy24 Aug 77
PD 19Electronic Surveillance Abroad and Physical Searches for Foreign Intelligence Purposes25 Aug 77
PD 20*US SALT Position09 Sep 77
PD 21Policy Toward Eastern Europe13 Sep 77
PD 22ABM Treaty Review07 Oct 77
PD 23Standing Consultative Commission10 Nov 77
PD 24Telecommunications Protection Policy16 Nov 77
PD 25Scientific or Technological Experiments with Possible Large-scale Adverse Environmental Effects
and Launch of Nuclear Systems into Space		14 Dec 77
PD 26*FY 1978 - 1980 Nuclear Weapons Stockpile Plan27 Dec 77
PD 27Procedures for Dealing with Non-military Incidents19 Jan 78
PD 28*US Policy on Chemical Warfare Program and Bacteriological / Biological Research Program25 Jan 78
PD 29*Nuclear Weapons Deployment Authorization for FY 1978-197931 Jan 78
PD 30Human Rights17 Feb 78
PD 31**Technical Surveillance for Foreign Intelligence Purposes24 Feb 78
PD 32Horn of Africa24 Feb 78
PD 33Arms Control for Anti-satellite Systems - ASAT10 Mar 78
PD 34Micronesian Status Negotiations07 Apr 78
PD 35Section 1-1403 of Executive Order 1203619 Apr 78
PD 36US - USSR Talks on Conventional Arms Restraint28 Apr 78
PD 37National Space Policy11 May 78
PD 38Comprehensive Test Ban20 May 78
PD 39Instructions to US Delegation to ASAT Talks with the Soviets Commencing on June 8 in Helsinki06 Jun 78
PD 40US - USSR Talks on Conventional Arms Restraint15 Jul 78
PD 41US Civil Defense Policy29 Sep 78
PD 42Civil and Further National Space Policy10 Oct 78
PD 43US - China Scientific and Technological Relationships03 Nov 78
PD 44*FY 1979 - 1981 Nuclear Weapons Stockpile05 Jan 79
PD 45Instructions to the US Delegation to the ASAT Talks with the Soviets Commencing January 23 in Bern22 Jan 79
PD 46US / Foreign Programs of Cooperation Involving Nuclear Weapons (Correction Memo)———
PD 47US / Foreign Programs of Cooperation Involving Nuclear Weapons27 Mar 79
PD 48*Ballistic Missile Submarine Commitments to NATO04 Apr 79
PD 49Micronesian Status Negotiations06 Jun 79
PD 50Arms Control Decision Process14 Aug 79
PD 51*Nuclear Weapons Deployment Plan10 Sep 79
PD 52US Policy to Cuba04 Oct 79
PD 53National Security Telecommunications Policy15 Nov 79
PD 54Civil Operational Remote Sensing16 Nov 79
PD 55*Intelligence Special Access Programs - Establishment of Apex Program10 Jan 80
PD 56*FY 1980 - 1982 Nuclear Weapons Stockpile27 Feb 80
PD 57*Mobilization Planning03 Mar 80
PD 58*Continuity of Government30 Jun 80
PD 59*Nuclear Weapons Employment Policy25 Jul 80
PD 60*Nuclear Weapons Deployments26 Sep 80
PD 61*FY 1981 - 1983 Nuclear Weapons Stockpile24 Oct 80
PD 62*Modifications in US National Strategy15 Jan 81
PD 63*Persian Gulf Security Framework15 Jan 81