Title: U.S. Naval Forces: The Peacetime Presence Mission (CBO Background Paper)

Authors: Dov S. Zakheim and Andrew Hamilton (Under the Supervision of David S.C. Chu)

Publisher: Congress of the United States, Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

Format: Softcover / Official Congressional Briefing Paper

Publication Date: December 1978 (First Edition / Advance Copy)

Up for sale is a museum-caliber artifact of Cold War military policy and Capitol Hill legislative history: the original December 1978 Congressional Budget Office background paper, "U.S. Naval Forces: The Peacetime Presence Mission." Written by legendary defense analysts Dov S. Zakheim and Andrew Hamilton, this seminal report calculated the logistical, budgetary, and structural demands required to keep American carrier strike groups permanently forward-deployed across the Pacific and Mediterranean to contain Soviet aggression.

This specific copy is an exceptionally rare, pre-release legislative document featuring a bold, official ink stamp on the front cover: "EMBARGOED UNTIL DEC 17, 1978 4:00 PM."

Unprecedented Triple-Provenance & Letter Archive Included:

Tucked inside the volume are two original, historic pieces of institutional correspondence on official letterheads that fully map out the text's top-level chain of custody:

  1. Original Typed Letter from Alice M. Rivlin to Senator John Glenn: Signed by CBO founding Director Alice Rivlin, this letter formally transmits the embargoed naval report to the legendary astronaut turned Senator, John Glenn, in direct response to his subcommittee's official request.

  2. Original Typed Letter from David S.C. Chu to Roy Werner: Signed by David Chu (Director of National Security and International Affairs, later Under Secretary of Defense), this letter transits the background working materials directly to Roy Werner, Senator John Glenn's primary military and foreign policy advisor.

Condition: 

This 1978 Congressional background paper is in very good vintage condition. The interior pages remain clean, bright, and securely bound. The front cover features a fascinating, crisp historical 'Embargoed' stamp with a handwritten time notation. Both covers show typical age-related toning/browning around the margins, with the back cover exhibiting a pronounced rectangular sun-shadow outline from decades of shelf storage, Structurally excellent with minimal edge wear.

⚜️ Distinguished Provenance: From the Library of Carl W. Ford, Jr.

This exceptional copy comes directly from the personal library of Carl W. Ford, Jr., one of the United States' premier Cold War intelligence officials and East Asian specialists. His distinguished career in public service and national security includes serving as:

Note on Provenance Verification: A cropped copy of the original estate sale flyer (Vintage Vibes Flyer Honorable Carl W. Ford.jpg) has been included in the photo gallery as visual verification of this book's origin from the Ford estate.  

📚 Looking for More Rare Asian History & Intelligence Ephemera?

This volume is part of a premier, 100-book collection acquired directly from the private reference library of the Honorable Carl W. Ford, Jr. over the July 4th, 2026 weekend. His lifetime collection features an extraordinary depth of Asian history books, rare publications, political documents, and cultural memorabilia spanning decades of international service.

Over the coming days, I will be listing many more scarce volumes from this incredible estate.  View my other listings: Please check my other items to browse the collection as it goes live.

Combined Shipping: I am happy to combine shipping on multiple book purchases to save you money.