ROBERT QUARTEL PAPERS, 1975-76

While working as a Presidential Clemency Board (PCB) staff member and volunteering for the President Ford Committee (PFC), Fred Slight, Research Director of the PFC, offered Robert Quartel the position of Answer Desk Coordinator in the Research Office. Quartel accepted the position and held it until the end of the campaign. Quartel’s responsibilities involved vetting all policy statements for the campaign. When Fred Slight left his position after the 1976 Republican National Convention and was replaced by Bob Teeter, Quartel took on a larger role within the Research Office. Quartel and his group of approximately 100 volunteers compiled polling data, gathered information for the debates, and acquired and analyzed political intelligence. They used this research to create talking points for surrogates, write position statements, provide information to the electorate, and compile issue books for delegates to the 1976 Republican National Convention.

The collection offers insight into the operations of the PFC Research Office by illustrating the types of information gathered and used to draft public messages. These materials included clippings from mainstream newspapers, specialized political news digests, and White House documents, including press releases and briefing materials. Some of the materials illustrate the development of campaign strategy and internal operations and decision-making of the Research Office. This small amount of materials is found primarily in the subject file, but is also scattered throughout the chronological file.

The presence of extensive correspondence from the public inquiring about President Ford’s stance on particular issues, as well as his goals and achievements, illustrates public interest in particular foreign and domestic policy issues. The public frequently inquired about: the economy, energy, crime, agriculture, civil rights, abortion, gun control, the Panama Canal treaty, and foreign relations with Israel and Rhodesia.

Related Materials (December 2012)
The Ford Library's most closely related collection is the President Ford Committee Records. Consult the Library's Core Collections on the 1976 Presidential Campaign for other related records. For additional materials on the Presidential Clemency Board, consult the papers of PCB Chairman Charles Goodell and PCB Director Robert Horn, and White House Central Files file code JL-1 (Judicial - Legal Matters: Amnesties - Clemencies - Pardons).