PAMELA NEEDHAM FILES, 1974-75

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.

In 1973, Pamela Needham was appointed Staff Assistant for Health, Social Security and Welfare in the Human Resources area of the Domestic Council. Under the supervision of Associate Director James H. Cavanaugh, she coordinated fact‑finding analyses on health, social security and welfare issues. She attained the position of Assistant Director before departing in June 1975.

In 1973, Pamela Needham was appointed Staff Assistant for Health, Social Security and Welfare in the Human Resources area of the Domestic Council. Under the supervision of Associate Director James H. Cavanaugh, she coordinated fact‑finding analyses on health, social security and welfare issues. She attained the position of Assistant Director before departing in June 1975.

As Assistant Director, Needham assembled information, drafted issue statements and handled referrals. The memoranda, reports and publications in this collection reveal that Needham's duties also entailed reviewing proposals, arranging meetings and coordinating the flow of information between the White House staff, departments and interest groups.

Needham helped to formulate policies by conducting pre‑State of the Union investigations on welfare reform and national health insurance. The material on welfare reform exemplifies the manner in which the alternatives to domestic policies were evaluated. The memoranda indicate how Needham outlined the impact of options being considered by the Administration. The support and opposition to aspects of welfare reform policies were identified for the White House staff and the President.

Financing the social security program is the major topic in the social security files. The Advisory Council on Social Security furnished much of the background material and recommendations for revising the social security program.

Consumer issues also were assigned to Needham. She compiled information on consumer regulatory reform for the White House staff. Needham's files contain materials on a proposed legislative program for the 94th Congress aimed at improving representation of consumer interests.

There are documents in Needham's files dating from the Nixon Administration which focus on welfare reform and Aid to Families with Dependent Children. After June 1975, Sarah C. Massengale inherited Needham's duties concerning health, social security and welfare. Dawn Bennett‑Alexander assumed responsibility for consumer affairs which Needham had managed.

Related Materials (June 1980)
Related collections include White House Central Files Subject File categories HE (Health), BE (Business) and WE (Welfare). Other Domestic Council collections containing materials on topics handled by Needham include the files of Spencer Johnson, Sarah Massengale, and Dawn Bennett-Alexander.