ELISKA HASEK FILES, 1974-1977

The Presidential Messages Office (PMO) provided the President with written messages of commendation to the public, expressing his greetings and good will (see Appendix A). Director Eliska Hasek authored statements and messages in the styles of Presidents Johnson and Nixon in her prior White House experience. She joined the Ford administration in August, 1974. The Hasek collection includes the files of Associate Director Michael S. Johnson who joined PMO during the 1976 campaign. PMO operated as part of an enlarged White House Editorial Office under the supervision of Counsellor Robert Hartmann, received 200 requests a week, and produced a significant portion of congratulatory presidential messages emanating from the White House. Hasek and Johnson reported directly to the head of the research/presidential messages division of the Editorial Office, Hartmann's deputy Gwen A. Anderson.

At the request of prominent national groups or individuals, Hasek composed the president's written acknowledgment and commendations for achievements or national holidays to be read at public events or otherwise distributed. Johnson wrote in response to requests for messages with political content for inclusion at partisan events. He once stated the office wrote presidential messages to Congress which were attached to legislation, but there is no evidence of this in the Hasek collection.

Hasek handled requests individually. She screened and investigated recipients, ensuring the appropriateness of a message from the President to them. Thoughtful preparation and scrupulous editing preserved the purity and accuracy of each message's content. After staffing drafts for editing and careful tracking to meet deadlines, she reviewed completed messages before signing by presidential autopen. The autopen was secured in Hasek's office, and she screened correspondence that the Editorial Staff sometimes sent for signature.

Material in the Hasek files is incomplete, thin and routine. Administrative memoranda are absent; procedural information available mostly in tracking logs kept from 1971-76. The chronological series, containing predominantly 1976 material presumably served as quick reference and would have been retired had there been another Ford term. PMO sent completed letter cases of all messages 1974-76 to Central Files for storage and easy access to its background material.

Originally attached to the Gwen A. Anderson files, the routine and incomplete Johnson material was joined to Hasek's files during archival processing.

Related Materials (January 1990)
Related material is found in the collections of Director of Research and Presidential Messages Gwen Anderson, Counsellor Robert Hartmann and in White House Central Files categories:

ME Messages
PL Political Affairs
HO Holidays
PR Public Relations
MA Medals-Awards
SP Speeches

Material related to the subjects of messages is found extensively throughout the Library's holdings. Material related to the Editorial Office is found in the collections of Executive Director Paul Theis/Special Assistant Robert Orben, and Research Director Charles McCall. Information on Hasek is found in the White House Central Files category FG-6-11-1/Hasek, in the Central Files Name File/Hasek, and in the Ford Library Vertical File.