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.
Series Description and Container List
Container List
Collection Overview
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.
Details
20.0 linear feet (ca. 37,000 pages)
Access
Copyright
Gerald Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain.
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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