On February 1, 1975, National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger informed the departments of Defense, Interior, and State that President Gerald R. Ford had decided that the U.S. should seek agreement with Guamanian representatives on a commonwealth relationship no less favorable than that which we are negotiating with the Northern Marianas. This presidential decision was based on a year-long classified study by these agencies, which concluded that the national security and defense interests of the U.S. required that Guam’s legitimate complains about its political status be promptly addressed.