Records of the White House Office of Records Management (George H.W. Bush Administration)

This series contains materials primarily relating to the question of whether or not Puerto Rico should be admitted as a state. President Bush carries on a dialogue with a number of prominent Puerto Rican politicians-Rafael Hernandez Colon, Miriam J. Ramirez de Ferrer, Luis A. Ferre, and Arturo J. Gusman. In addition, there is information concerning S. 244-Puerto Rico Status Referendum Act, which generates a considerable amount in the way of draft testimony and draft reports from assorted departments and agencies, such as the United States Trade Representative, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Health and Human Services. Other subjects covered in lesser detail include Puerto Rico's place in Bush's anti-drug war, progress achieved by the island's Caribbean Development Program, and measures that should be taken to preserve Puerto Rico's rain forests. Finally, mention should be made of a Presidential memorandum issued by 1991 which took the place of a similar note put out by JFK in 1961. By the terms of this piece of paper, Puerto Rico would henceforth be treated as a state.