FREDERIC W. SLIGHT FILES, (1969-73) 1974-77

This collection contains letters, memoranda, published articles and drafts, clippings, publications, planning calendars, and press releases compiled by Frederic Slight during his service as staff assistant to Counsellor to the President Anne Armstrong and as a special assistant in the Office of Communications. The files contain very few documents from the period Slight served in the Office of Public Liaison.

Counsellor Armstrong established the first White House Office of Women's Programs in 1973 to provide a liaison between President Nixon and women and women's groups. It sought to recruit women appointees to high level government positions and to assist in gaining greater employment opportunity for women in the Federal sector through regulation and legislation. Ms. Armstrong continued her service in the Ford administration through December 1974, at which point Mr. Slight was assigned to the Office of Public Liaison.

The Slight Files document Armstrong’s work with Women, but to a greater degree her work with minority groups, especially Spanish speaking Americans. Much of the collection consists of background information and data related to Federal employment of these groups. A limited amount of material covers White House actions and programs. Also included in the collection are documents related to the Cabinet Committee on Opportunities for Spanish Speaking People and the Civil Service Commission. Much of the material dates from the Ford administration, but some documents are from the Nixon administration.

In October 1975, Frederic Slight transferred to the Press Secretary’s Office, and remained there through the end of the Ford administration. In this office he was responsible for coordinating responses to requests for Presidential statements and responses to questionnaires from the media, especially magazines, and organizations. These were either declined, or if accepted, sent to particular White House office for response, given responses from previously released material (e.g., speeches), or answered by the communications staff. Slight was also responsible for drafting fact sheets on Ford administration policies, programs, and achievements, which were used heavily during President Ford’s 1976 campaign.

Related Materials (June 2014)
Related materials include Anne Armstrong Files, Robert Quartel Papers (President Ford Committee Answer Desk Coordinator), Fernando De Baca Files, Thomas Aranda, Jr., Files (Hispanic Affairs, Office of Public Liaison), Patricia Lindh and Jeanne Holm Files (Women's Affairs, Office of Public Liaison).