The West Wing

Council on Foreign Relations

Description

President Bartlet attends Council on Foreign Relations meetings, which dictate White House schedules and trigger subsequent travel plans like the trip to Camp David with the First Lady. Staff reference these events when coordinating briefings and staffing amid press inquiries, underscoring the council's pull on administration priorities during routine foreign policy engagements. The gatherings anchor daily logistics around elite discussions on international affairs.

Event Involvements

Events with structured involvement data

2 events
S4E13 · The Long Goodbye
Night Briefing — Jokes, Dodges, and the Real Reason

The Council on Foreign Relations is invoked as the reason for the President and First Lady's travel to Camp David, establishing the institutional backdrop that requires late-night briefings and helps explain why C.J. is on duty.

Active Representation

Mentioned through C.J.'s opening briefing line as the meeting prompting presidential travel.

Power Dynamics

An external elite organization that shapes the President's schedule and indirectly pressures staff logistics.

Institutional Impact

Its scheduling creates operational demands on the White House, necessitating after-hours press coverage and influencing staff availability.

Organizational Goals
Conduct important foreign policy discussion with the President and First Lady Provide a forum whose schedule affects executive travel and staffing
Influence Mechanisms
Setting elite agendas that generate presidential travel Institutional prestige that dictates presidential participation
S4E13 · The Long Goodbye
Toby Forces C.J. to Dayton

The Council on Foreign Relations is mentioned as the reason the President and First Lady will travel to Camp David, which in turn establishes the staffing context that leaves C.J. handling late-night briefings. The organization therefore indirectly shapes staffing and narrative tempo.

Active Representation

Mentioned via C.J.'s briefing line about the President's schedule, functioning as a calendar-driven force.

Power Dynamics

Exerts institutional pull on executive scheduling; its agenda indirectly determines press office workload.

Institutional Impact

By setting the President's travel, it stretches White House staffing and creates conditions for C.J. to handle the briefing alone, revealing how external institutional obligations impact personal workload.

Organizational Goals
Convene high-level foreign policy discussion Maintain elite engagement and visibility Influence executive travel and scheduling
Influence Mechanisms
Calendar scheduling that forces presidential travel Institutional prestige that commands attendance Creating agenda items that affect staff allocations