ARTHUR A. FLETCHER FILES, 1976

Arthur Fletcher assumed the position of Deputy Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs in February, 1976. Prior to this appointment, Fletcher had gained national recognition through service in private and public sectors. His activity in the Republican Party earned him the position of State Vice-Chairman of the Kansas Republican State Committee, 1954-1956. From 1965 to 1966, he served as Director of the Washington Manpower Development Project in Pasco, Washington. Fletcher worked at the Hanford Atomic Energy facility in Richmond, Washington, from 1967-1969, as an Employee Relations Specialist. In 1969, he was appointed Special Assistant to the Governor of Washington. The following two years, Fletcher served as Assistant Secretary of Labor in Washington, DC. After leaving the Department of Labor, he was the Executive Director of the United Negro College Fund until 1973. He organized and became President of Arthur A. Fletcher and Associates, Inc., a personnel placement and management consultant firm in Washington, D.C. While President of this firm, Fletcher supported Ford's nomination for Vice President at the hearings of the House Judiciary Committee in 1973.

As Deputy Assistant to the President, Fletcher reported to the Executive Director for Domestic Affairs, James M. Cannon. His responsibilities entailed reviewing proposals, conferring with government and corporate leaders, and meeting with Congress and federal officials. Fletcher served during the last year of the Ford administration, which was also an election year, and his papers reflect his efforts in the reelection campaign. He did not have a predecessor and did not forward any documents to the White House Central Files.

Arriving in the White House during an election year, Fletcher spent much of his time participating in speaking engagements. He spoke throughout the nation discussing Ford's domestic policies. His papers reflect the wide audiences which solicited his appearance. During his speaking engagements, he conferred with community leaders and private citizens on national, local, and personal matters. Proposals were presented to him by persons seeking funds from various federal agencies for such interests as the elderly, housing and mass transit.

Comments between Fletcher and the White House staff on speaking engagements, urban issues and administrative proceedings are recorded throughout the papers. In suggestions made for the Ford- Carter Debates, Fletcher outlined key points of the busing and black unemployment controversies. The files include reports, memoranda, and news clippings focusing on the background of the crisis in New York City. In addition, there are communications between Fletcher and various small businesses. Small business viewed Fletcher as the liaison between their offices and the bureaucracy.

The black community kept the Deputy Assistant informed of ongoing activities. Fletcher frequently visited black universities and colleges to solicit advice and perceive problems. Educational, social, and political organizations had direct access to his office and received immediate attention. Fletcher's papers show efforts made by blacks in large corporations, small businesses and neighborhood groups to obtain assistance with and solutions to urban problems.

Related Materials (December 1979)
Related materials are scattered throughout the holdings of the Ford Library. See especially White House Central Files Categories BE 7 (Small Business) and HU 2 (Equality).