Assistant Press Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Office of the Press Secretary

Fairly routine files concerning various foreign policy issues, President Ford's trips abroad, visits of heads of foreign governments, and operation of the White House press office. Also includes more substantive briefing materials for Ford's meetings with heads of foreign governments, but these are currently security classified and closed.

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    A veteran press officer in the foreign affairs field, Edward Savage came to the White House press office as a consultant on detail from the State Department. In December 1974 he was named assistant press secretary for foreign affairs, a position he held until his resignation in June 1975. In this capacity Savage met daily with press secretary Ron Nessen to discuss developments in foreign affairs and served as liaison with the foreign press. He worked closely with foreign embassies on details of visits by heads of their governments and in press arrangements when President Ford traveled abroad. Savage's resignation was due at least in part to his frustration over the National Security Council's refusal to allow him a more significant role in foreign policy news guidance.

    The Savage files consist of correspondence, memoranda, press releases, transcripts of interviews and testimony, briefing guidance, briefing books, presidential press guidance, printed material, and clippings. These materials relate to various foreign policy issues, President Ford's trips abroad, visits of heads of foreign governments, and the operation of the White House press office. Open materials on presidential trips and visits of foreign leaders include correspondence and memoranda relating to arrangements for the press corps, press releases, public statements, briefing materials, and schedules. The bulk of the more substantive briefing materials, which concern Ford's meetings with foreign officials, are currently security classified and closed to research.

    Related Materials (August 1986)
    Related materials can be found in the files of press office colleagues and the Ron Nessen papers.

    Extent

    2.8 linear feet (ca. 5,600 pages)

    Record Type
    Textual
    Donor

    Gerald R. Ford (accession number 77-107)

    Last Modified Date
    Collection Type
    Access

    Open. Some items are temporarily restricted under terms of the donor's deed of gift, a copy of which is available on request, or under National Archives and Records Administration general restrictions (36 CFR 1256).

    Processed by

    Helmi Raaska, August 1986
     

    Biography

    Edward J. Savage

    1922 - Born, Rochester, New York

    1947 - B.A., University of Rochester

    1950 - B.S., foreign service, Georgetown University

    1950-55 - Foreign Service officer, public affairs, Germany

    1956 - Press attache, American Embassy, Colombo, Ceylon

    1957-60 - Press officer, State Department

    1960-63 - Press attache, American Embassy, Helsinki, Finland

    1964-66 - Assistant director, United States Information Agency

    1966-69 - Public affairs officer, American Embassy, Beirut, Lebanon

    1969-71 - Counselor, press affairs, American Embassy, Saigon, Vietnam

    1971-74 - Public affairs adviser, Bureau of European Affairs, State Department

    Oct.-Nov. 1974 - Consultant, White House press office

    Dec. 1974-June 1975 - Assistant press secretary for foreign affairs, White House press office