Roy Weintraub's suggested lacuna of HET work on the NBER focuses on the
last 25 years. However, I think the work of Malcolm Rutherford on the
NBER,
which is archivally based, deserves some mention. Admittedly, my impression
is that Rutherford's work focuses on NBER pre-Feldstein, but my
recollection is that he has given some attention to the transition from
the John Meyer era at NBER to that of Feldstein.

Two pieces on NBER currently listed on Malcolm Rutherford's website are:

"'Who's Afraid of Arthur Burns?' The NBER and the Foundation," Journal of
the History of Economic Thought, June, 2005, Vol.27: 109-139

and an entry on "NBER" in the New Palgrave 2nd edition forthcoming 2008.

I certainly would not disagree with Roy Weintraub's suggestion that there
is fruitful work to be done on the more recent history of the NBER. But I
do think work on the earlier history of the NBER should be acknowledged.

David Mitch