ROBERT GOLDWIN PAPERS, 1973-78

Robert Goldwin, a former professor of political science and director of public affairs conferences at the University of Chicago and Kenyon College, served in the White House as Special Consultant to the President. Before assuming that position, Goldwin was an assistant to Donald Rumsfeld, Ambassador to NATO. When Rumsfeld took over from Alexander Haig as Ford's chief of staff, Goldwin assisted him at the White House until November 1975, when Rumsfeld became Secretary of Defense. Goldwin then reported to Richard Cheney, Rumsfeld's former deputy and successor. In addition to his White House duties, Goldwin continued to work with Secretary Rumsfeld on occasional projects and speeches.

Goldwin described his White House role as being "an outsider on the inside" and "an idea collector." He was responsible for insuring the flow of information and ideas to the President from people outside of government. His most well-publicized activity was as the organizer of a series of White House seminars attended by the President, government officials, and academic experts. The seminars were held as informal discussions of the 1975 State of the Union address, crime, affirmative action, ethnicity, unemployment, and the world food situation.

Seminars were but one aspect of Goldwin's liaison with the academic community. He traveled frequently to university campuses for seminars and speaking engagements, relaying ideas and suggestions to the Domestic Council, appropriate government agencies, or occasionally, to the President. In addition, he was always on the lookout for qualified people for presidential appointments and was especially involved in the selection of the Librarian of Congress and the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Goldwin was also a point of contact within the administration for many organizations concerned with higher education, the arts, the humanities, and a variety of issues affecting the Jewish community in the United States.

Occasionally, Dr. Goldwin prepared or edited drafts of major presidential speeches, including the State of the Union addresses in 1975 and 1976, and a major policy address on crime in April 1975. He also suggested themes for the nation's Bicentennial celebration and proposed a statement of national vision for the President to articulate in anticipation of the 1976 presidential campaign.

The Goldwin Papers provide a unique perspective for researchers interested in how ideas outside government can influence the thinking of a president and his staff. The collection includes scholarly articles, notes from White House seminars, and correspondence with prominent thinkers nationwide. In some cases, a researcher can track an idea from its genesis in a journal article or White House seminar to eventual inclusion in a presidential speech or statement.

While most of the collection documents Goldwin's various responsibilities as a special consultant to the President, there are also materials reflecting his work for Donald Rumsfeld during Rumsfeld's tenure as Ambassador to NATO and Secretary of Defense. These include speech drafts, information compiled to prepare Rumsfeld for his confirmation hearings as Secretary of Defense, and a lengthy memorandum outlining Rumsfeld's position on arms sales.

An accretion of papers received in 2004 comprises the last two boxes of the collection. These papers include subject files relating to Ford’s decision to reorganize his Cabinet and White House staff, commonly known as “The Halloween Massacre,” as well as Goldwin’s memos, notes, research, and presidential speech preparation on topics such as crime, higher education, moderate Republicanism, and détente. A significant portion of this accretion is made up of presidential speech files, consisting of drafts, press releases, memos, and handwritten notes on themes ranging from crime, the 1976 presidential campaign, veto power, civil rights, and education.

Related Materials (January 2005)
The Goldwin Files in the White House Operations Office include two additional feet of material generated during Goldwin's White House tenure. Much of this file concerns his liaison role with various education organizations, his drafts for several presidential speeches, and documents his extensive contact with prominent Americans on a variety of domestic issues. Other related material includes the Domestic Council staff files of David Lissy on education and Jewish affairs and Sarah Massengale on cultural affairs; the White House Central Files category for education (ED); the files of the speechwriting and editorial staffs for various presidential addresses, including the reading copies of Presidential Speeches and Statements, as well as the White House Central Files category for speeches (SP).

A small, related collection of Goldwin papers is at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.