Directors of Press Advance, Press Secretary's Office

The Press Advance Office handled logistical planning and support for media covering the President's foreign and domestic trips. A small subject file includes useful folders on the 1976 campaign and advance procedures. Case files for foreign trips are occasionally substantive. Domestic trip files are very routine with rare exceptions, e.g. New Hampshire, 1976.

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    Scope and Content Note

    Eric Rosenberger and his successor, Douglass Blaser, directed White House press advance. Press advance was assistance to the White House press corps, the local press, and press office staff during all presidential trips outside the White House. Such assistance might include: visas, credentialling, air and ground transportation, lodging, camera lighting, press positions, equipment and space for filing stories, and organization of press pools.

    Most of the Rosenberger-Blaser Files, especially domestic trip case files, abundantly reflect these routine logistical activities. Some case files, however, do contain materials of greater research value, e.g. State Department cables regarding foreign trips, occasional memoranda on local political conditions, and clippings of local press coverage. A general subject file includes useful information on the 1976 campaign, press relations problems and goals, office organization, and advance work "philosophy" among other matters.

    The press advance staff was small and used field volunteers during domestic trips. It was part of the Press Secretary's Office, and its head reported to the Deputy Press Secretary. Predictably, it had coordination problems with the much more important but separate Office of Scheduling and Advance, which did the advance work for the presidential party.

    Related Materials (July 1984)
    At this writing, archivists have identified no other files narrowly focussed on press advance. However, the files and paper of colleagues in the Press Secretary's Office will contain related material in varying degrees, as will WHCF category PR-Public Relations. A few items on Rosenberger and Blaser may be found in WHCF Name File and WHCF subcategory FG 6-11-1/(name).

    Material on the many facets of presidential trips, including advance work, may be found at WHCF category TR-Trips. The files of "Red" Cavaney, who directed advance work for the presidential party, extensively treat all aspects of advance work but they are currently unprocessed and unavailable.

    Extent

    20.0 linear feet (ca. 37,000 pages)

    Record Type
    Textual
    Donor

    Gerald R. Ford (accession number 77-89)

    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

    David Horrocks, July 1984
     

    Biography


     

    Eric Rosenberger


    1944 - Born

    1967 - B.A., Harvard College

    1967-72 - Various private industry positions

    1968 - Member, Massachusetts Nixon-Agnew Committee

    Oct. 1972 - Became volunteer advanceman for the Committee for Re-election of the President

    Dec. 1972 - Joined Nixon Inaugural Committee as a subcommittee assistant director

    Feb. 1973 - Became consultant for Office of Economic Opportunity. Began volunteer advance work for First Family.

    Nov. 1973 - Joined White House staff as advanceman for First Family

    Dec. 1973 - Became advanceman for Vice President Ford, "on loan" from White House staff

    March 1974 - Appointed director of White House press advance

    June 1976 - Resigned, returned to Boston to work in family firm, Woodfield Farm

     

    Douglass Blaser


    1942 - Born in Logan, Utah

    1965 - B.S., Utah State University

    1965-68 - Allstate Insurance Co., Los Angeles

    1968 - Became marketing manager, Mattell Inc.

    1972 - Joined Vice President Agnew's staff as an advanceman

    1973 - Became Executive Assistant to the Director, National Park Service

    April 1976 - Joined White House press advance staff

    June 1976 - Appointed director of press advance

    Jan. 1977 - Resigned