ROGER D. SEMERAD PAPERS, 1974-76

Roger D. Semerad was appointed staff assistant to the Domestic Council by President Nixon in May 1974 and continued in this position during the Ford administration until September 1975. He was appointed by the President as Executive Director of the President's Advisory Committee on Refugees in May 1975 and left the administration when he completed his duties in January 1976.

As staff assistant in the Domestic Council, Semerad had responsibility for the areas of education, labor, and veterans affairs. Semerad's activities included legislative analysis and development of decision options; preparation of briefing papers; interaction and liaison work with citizen and special interest groups; and interagency troubleshooting and coordination of special events. David Lissy was named as Semerad's successor in September 1975 and continued with these activities until the end of the administration.

The President's Advisory Committee on Refugees was established in May 1975 to help deal with the influx of refugees brought about by the collapse of the South Vietnamese government. The Committee's responsibilities included advising the President on health and environmental matters related to the re-settlement, and the general well-being of the refugees and their families in their new American communities. In addition, the Committee sought to reduce redtape, organize regional meetings and conferences, serve as a contact for individual work opportunities and channel private resources to resettlement efforts.

The materials in this collection include only those items Mr. Semerad took with him when he left government service in 1976. Semerad turned over all his other Domestic Council files to David Lissy. These are now a part of the Ford Presidential Papers, in the Domestic Council files of David Lissy.

There is very little material in this collection that relates to Semerad's tenure as executive director of the President's Advisory Committee on Refugees. The records of the President' Advisory Committee on Refugees and the Interagency Task Force on Refugeesare available at the National Archives in Record Group 220. There are categories concerning both of these groups in the White House Central Files Subject File (FG 413 and ND 18-2).

Related Materials (June 1982)
The remainder of Semerad's materials can be found as part of the David Lissy Files. The records of the President's Advisory Committee on Refugees and the Interagency Task Force on Refugees are available at the National Archives in Record Group 220. There are categories concerning both of these groups in the White House Central Files Subject File (FG 413 and ND 18-2) and the Theodore Marrs Files.