When Gerald Ford succeeded to the Presidency on August 9, 1974, one of his first acts was to appoint his long-time friend and former law partner Philip Buchen as chief White House legal advisor and give the position Cabinet status. During his administration, Ford relied upon Buchen for advice on a wide range of issues, legislation, and actions. Like Counsellors to the President John Marsh and Robert Hartmann, Buchen handled a variety of assignments not always covered by his specific job description. The extensive files accumulated by Buchen during h
One of President Ford’s initial acts after taking his oath of office, on August 9, 1974, was to name longtime friend and former law partner, Philip W. Buchen, chief White House Counsel. Ford elevated this position to Cabinet status one month later. As Counsel to the President, Buchen provided legal advice to the President and the White House staff, supervised a staff of attorneys in handling legal matters of the President or his staff, and served as a White House liaison with varied government agencies.
Leach was a lawyer, with a M.B.A. from Stanford University, who came to the Domestic Council from a private investment banking firm in Chicago.
The Special Assistant to the President for Women advised the President on women's issues, handled White House liaison with women's organizations and oversaw the work of the Office of Women's Programs (OWP) headed by Karen Keesling. Presidential Counsellor Anne Armstrong created the small office in the Nixon White House in February 1973 and brought it into the Ford administration. The office provided liaison between the President and women as a special interest group, encouraged recruitment of women for top-level government positions and initiated and assisted in the development of
Patricia S.
In September and October 1974, Paul W. McCracken served a three-week appointment as consultant to Kenneth Rush, Counsellor to the President for Economic Policy. Rush was also Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Conference on Inflation, formed jointly from the executive and congressional branches. L.
Paul Miltich, Gerald Ford's press secretary since 1966, was named assistant press secretary to the President in August 1974. Under Jerald terHorst, Miltich was responsible for supervising the correspondence section of the Press Office; producing position papers which were then distributed to newspapers, television and radio stations throughout the country; channeling opinion- editorial (Op-Ed) pieces written by executive departments and agencies to major daily newspapers; supervising the preparation of the White House News Summary; and helping the President p
Paul Miltich became press secretary to House Minority Leader Gerald Ford in 1966 and continued in that role through the remainder of the congressional years and the Ford vice presidency. When Mr.
Paul Myer, former administrative assistant to U.S. Congressman Herman Badillo, began working for the Domestic Council on August 1, 1975, was promoted to Assistant Director on November 23, 1975, and then to Associate Director on September 30, 1976. Myer was part of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, headed by Stephen G. McConahey. Myer's area of responsibility was almost entirely in General Revenue Sharing, but he was given a liaison responsibility for congressional relations on February 2, 1976.
Pamela Needham came to the White House as a summer intern while attending Mount Holyoke College. Later, she returned as a member of the speech writers' research staff. Needham was promoted to Director of Research before joining the Domestic Council.
Patrick E. O'Donnell joined the Congressional Relations Office in August 1973, during the Nixon administration. He held the position of special assistant for legislative affairs (Senate) until resigning in February 1976, and Joseph S. Jenckes succeeded him. Both men served directly under the deputy assistant for legislative affairs (Senate), Tom C. Korologos through 1974 and then William T. Kendall.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was established in July 1970. The Office's primary responsibility was to assist the President in preparing the budget and to keep the President informed on the progress of government agencies with respect to legislation proposed, and projects initiated or completed. OMB also provided coordination so that overlapping legislation was reviewed by all Federal organizations potentially affected.
The news summary was a compilation and distillation of printed and electronic media news articles and editorial opinion, distributed daily to the President and about 130 White House staff. During the Ford administration the news summaries were edited successively by Lyndon Allin, Philip Warden, James Shuman and Agnes Waldron. Details on the summary and its production can be found in the finding aids for the files of Shuman and Waldron.
The Administrative Office Files document management and budgetary issues involved in the operation of the President Ford Committee. To a lesser degree, the extant files reflect the deputy chairman of administration's auxiliary responsibility to coordinate the Committee's support operations. In terms of reporting relationships, the deputy chairman had oversight responsibility for the PFC's research, scheduling, communications, volunteer, and convention planning operations.
The Chairman's Office Files provide documentation of administrative, fiscal and strategic issues handled by Howard (Bo) Callaway and his immediate staff from the formation of the election committee in June 1975 until Callaway resigned in March 1976. These extant files do not reflect the activities of Roger C.B.
The General Counsel's Office Files are an important resource for examining the legal issues involved in the operation of a presidential campaign committee. In addition the collection extensively documents the development of the Federal Election Commission, its role in regulating campaign finances, and PFC receipts and expenditures. Smaller, but important, segments concern aspects of PFC operations beyond the work of the legal staff, including notes on some high-level meetings and weekly reports of the Political Office field coordinators.
The Delegate Office coordinated efforts to solicit support for President Ford among uncommitted delegates selected to attend the Republican National Convention. Since the race for the Republican nomination between Ford and Ronald Reagan remained close at the end of the primary season, this effort proved crucial in providing the President with enough votes to receive the nomination.
The President Ford Committee's in-house advertising agency, Campaign '76 Media Communications, Inc., incorporated in December 1975. The agency's records document the creative inception, production, and placement of advertising on behalf of President Ford, from the design of a campaign logo in September 1975 until agency staff filed final reports with the Federal Election Commission in March 1977.
People for Ford (PFF) was the volunteer arm of the President Ford Committee formed during the general election to develop outreach efforts to special voter groups. Directed by long-time Republican National Committee activist Elly Peterson, the PFF staff targeted women, African-Americans, professional groups, ethnics, farmers, Jews, senior citizens, and young people for particular attention.
The Political Office Files document strategic and organizational issues during the primary and general presidential campaigns. The files are particularly valuable for documentation on PFC organizing and campaign activities at the state and local levels. They are less reflective of campaign planning at the national level.
Press Secretary Peter Kaye formed the PFC's small in-house Press Office in October, 1975. Kaye directed the organization's radio, television, and news activities through the primary campaign, reporting to the PFC Chairman. He resigned in July, 1976, when the Press Office was subsumed under a larger Communications Division, headed by newly-appointed Deputy Chairman for Communications William I.
LIST OF CONTENTSIntroductionList of SeriesOffice FilesChairman's OfficeOffice of AdministrationPolitical OfficeGeneral Counsel's OfficeCampaign '76 Media Communications, Inc.People for Ford OfficePress OfficeResearch OfficeDelegate OfficeVice Presidential Nominee OfficeTreasurer's OfficeRelated Audiovisual MaterialList of Processing ArchivistsINTRODUCTION
Fredric W. Slight left the White House staff on September 22, 1975, and very shortly thereafter took up the newly created position of PFC research coordinator. Although he initially worked alone, by the heart of the primary season Slight had a staff of four assistants.The Research Office, which at various times reported administratively to either the Deputy Chairman for Administration or the Political Office, handled a variety of tasks:
The Treasurer’s Office Files document the fiscal and budgetary issues handled by Robert Moot and his successor, Royston Hughes. The Treasurer’s Office initially reported to the PFC Finance Committee headed by David Packard. In April 1976, the PFC reorganized and the Treasurer’s Office then reported directly to PFC Chairman James Baker. After the Republican National Convention in August 1976, Royston Hughes succeeded Moot as Treasurer, while serving concurrently as the Deputy Chairman for Administration.
The Vice Presidential Campaign Office collection is primarily a reference file. It consists almost entirely of several small, routine, and likely incomplete, files, the bulk of which is contained in a large background book. Material of interest to researchers are selected Dole speech and interview transcripts, the Senator's voting record, and position papers on various campaign topics.The collection is otherwise lacking in substantial research material.
History of the Presidential Handwriting FilePresident Lyndon Johnson's staff started the practice of maintaining a separate handwriting file. Gertrude Fry copied the practices of the Johnson White House when she joined the Nixon staff and continued to be responsible for the file under President Ford.
Pamela Powell came to the Nixon White House in February 1973 as an assistant to Counsellor Anne Armstrong. She remained on the staff through the Ford administration. In both administrations, and under both job titles, her responsibilities were very similar. President Nixon had charged Counsellor Armstrong with responsibility for youth affairs, and as her assistant, Powell participated in the activities she later came to direct. When Anne Armstrong resigned in December 1974, President Ford transferred the liaison functions of her office to a rec
Overview of the OfficeThe mission of the Presidential Personnel Office (PPO) was to provide the President with outstanding candidates for appointment for all Presidentially-appointed positions in the Federal Government. Also, from time to time, the Office provided the President with recommended policy guidance for his use in instructing Federal department and agency heads on conduct of personnel activities in their organizations.PPO responsibilities included the following:
This file consists almost entirely of the reading copies of President Ford's 1,051 public messages. They are arranged chronologically. Related and supporting materials appear occasionally and include preliminary drafts and, less frequently, background material.
Most telephone calls placed or received at the White House were handled by the main White House switchboard. Calls could also be made or received over a signal line (the White House Communications Agency switchboard). In addition, the White House Communications Agency maintained a separate secure line for handling security sensitive calls. Both switchboards kept their own separate logs of calls which they handled; the Ford Library, however, does not have logs for telephone calls made over the secure line.
The Peter H. Sorum Papers consist of materials relating to the work done by Sorum and other members of the White House Advance Office (part of the Scheduling and Advance Office) in preparation for out-of-town trips taken or events attended by members of the First Family.The collection focuses primarily on events attended by Mrs.
The Paul A. Theis Papers are mainly a collection of materials accumulated during Theis’ 1960-74 tenure with the Republican National Congressional Committee where he served first as director of the radio-television division and subsequently as Director of the Division of Public Relations. Paul Theis served as Executive Editor in the White House Editorial Office from August, 1974 until January, 1976. The work of this office is better represented in the Theis-Orben Files.
These are the combined files of Paul Theis and his successor Robert Orben, who were the immediate heads of the White House speechwriting unit. Until Theis departed in January 1976, he had additional responsibilities as executive editor for the entire Office of Editorial Staff. Discussed below under separate headings are: organization and function of the Office of Editorial Staff; the speechwriting process; and the scope of the content of the Theis‑Orben files.
The presidential paperwork logs (daily item by item listings of material crossing the President's desk) were compiled in the office of the Staff Secretary. That office coordinated the routine flow of paperwork to and from the President. Log entries were primarily made by staff assistant Dianna Gwin through early June 1975 and thereafter by Trudy Fry, head of the Special Files Unit. The logs appear to be complete for items which the President placed in his outbox. Many items which ended up in the outbox, however, were not logged in through the S
The Daily Diary is a minute‑by‑minute log of President Ford's official and social activities, noting attendees at meetings and persons to whom he spoke by telephone, and where and when these contacts took place. The sections below describe the Daily Diary, the index compiled by the Ford Library staff, the electronic version of the Diary, and related materials among the Ford Library's holdings.
PRESIDENT FORD COMMITTEE RECORDS: Actualities Audiotapes
PRESIDENT FORD COMMITTEE RECORDS: Audiovisual Material Removed from the Textual Records
PRESIDENT FORD COMMITTEE RECORDS: General Election Radio Spots Audiotapes
PRESIDENT FORD COMMITTEE RECORDS: Primary Election Radio Spots Audiotapes
PRESIDENT FORD COMMITTEE RECORDS: Campaign Commercials Videotapes