MARTIN R. HOFFMANN PAPERS, (1962) 1971-1977 (1991)

In 1971, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Chairman James Schlesinger asked Martin Hoffmann, who had previous Washington experience as a congressional staff member, to leave a private sector position to serve as AEC General Counsel. Hoffmann served in this role until 1973 when Schlesinger became Secretary of Defense. Hoffmann joined him at the Department of Defense and served successively as Special Assistant, General Counsel, and Secretary of the Army. Although the collection contains some materials from before and after his service in these two Federal agencies, Hoffmann’s six years in the Nixon and Ford administrations are its primary focus.

The Hoffmann Papers do not contain a complete record of his work in the AEC or DoD. He left the bulk of his files with the agencies when he departed. The collection consists of duplicates of agency records (such as chronological reading files and speech files), personal materials (such as personal correspondence and desk calendars), and selected subject files on topics of special interest to Hoffmann.

Materials from Hoffmann’s two years with the AEC include outgoing memoranda and correspondence in the Chronological File and personal correspondence and topical files in the General Subject File. Most of this material concerns the atomic energy industry or the legal, environmental, or legislative matters on which he advised the members of the Commission.

The collection contains relatively little from Hoffmann’s service as Special Assistant to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense. Due to the nature of this position, the materials concern bits and pieces on many topics. There is some significant material on the confirmation hearings for the appointment of James Schlesinger as Secretary of Defense.

As General Counsel of the Department of Defense, Hoffmann played a more major role in the Department and had more focused duties. The collection documents his role as an advisor on legal and legislative matters. Significant files concern such topics as conflict of interest allegations against Deputy Secretary William Clements, possible racial discrimination in the appointment of a military attaché to Chile, disposal of obsolete and excess chemical warfare materials from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a lawsuit involving the appointment of General Alexander Haig to the civilian position of White House Chief of Staff, arms sales to Iran, and surface-to-air missile development. The collection is also useful for examining the role of James Schlesinger as Secretary of Defense and contains many of his speeches, press conferences, interviews, articles, etc.

The most significant portion of this collection concerns Hoffmann’s work as Secretary of the Army. The materials concern fiscal and other management issues, the All-Volunteer Army, reviews of weapons system acquisition processes, resolution of a West Point cheating scandal, possible unionization of the military, and the 1977 transition to the Carter administration.

Hoffmann continued his interest in the Army and other defense matters after he left the government. The collection contains speeches and some folders on defense matters into the 1980s. There is also an entire series of correspondence, briefing materials and meeting transcripts relating to Hoffmann’s service on the DoD Secretary’s Commission on Base Realignment and Closure in 1988.

Related Materials (September 2003)
The Library has only scattered folders on the Atomic Energy Commission and its successor, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Key files are White House Central Files Subject Files categories AT, FG 78 and FG 384 and the Domestic Council files of Glenn Schleede. However, none of this material dates from the period in which Hoffmann served on the AEC staff.

Materials relating to the Department of Defense include Central Files category FG 13, the papers of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs William Greener, the Defense Department News Summaries, and scattered other folders. Collections concerning the U.S. Army include Central Files categories FG 14 and ND and the papers of Secretary of the Army Howard “Bo” Callaway.

The papers of DoD Secretary Melvin Laird (1969-1972) and the many sub-collections created by National Security Advisers Henry Kissinger and Brent Scowcroft and their staffs are currently being processed. Researchers should inquire of their status.