STANLEY SCOTT PAPERS, (1969) 1971-1977

Stanley S. Scott was an experienced journalist and public relations specialist when he joined the Nixon White House staff in June 1971. As an assistant to Director of Communications Herbert Klein, Scott worked on White House liaison with the minority newspapers, TV stations, and radio stations. He helped to publicize administration initiatives of special interest to African-Americans and was involved in the effort to gain the support of Black voters for President Nixon in the 1972 campaign. In many of his projects, Scott worked closely with Robert J. Brown, then serving as the Assistant to the President for Minority Affairs.

Brown left the White House staff at the beginning of President Nixon's second term in 1973, so the President appointed Stan Scott to take over Brown's duties. In his new position, Scott handled all aspects of liaison with Black Americans and Black organizations. His duties included corresponding with individuals and organizations, speaking at national and local meetings, and arranging White House briefings.

The Office of Minority Affairs was part of the Office of Public Liaison, which handled White House liaison with interest groups. William J. Baroody, Jr. headed the Office of Public Liaison. Stan Scott's assistant in the Office of Minority Affairs was John C. Calhoun.

After the transition to the Ford administration, Scott was especially active in bringing together groups of Black leaders to meet with the new President. He remained in the Ford White House until October 1975 when he left to become Assistant Administrator for Africa at the Agency for International Development. Calhoun succeeded him as Assistant to the President for Minority Affairs.

The Scott Papers document his work in both White House positions, but contain only a small amount of material from his work with the Agency for International Development. His materials from the Office of Communications focus on relations with minority press and media outlets, especially his interactions with Black newspaper publishers. Also included are reports on an administration-wide communications review and a minority news dissemination plan for Cabinet departments.

Even while he was working in the Office of Communications, however, Scott's interests and activities ranged well beyond his media role. The collection contains significant files on such topics as minority business, minority contracts, Federal support for Black colleges, and attempts to appeal to Black voters in the 1972 election.

The collection contains numerous documents addressed to or written by Robert J. Brown, including some that date from before Scott joined the White House staff. It is unclear whether Brown turned these materials over to Scott in a batch upon his departure from the White House staff or just sent them piecemeal as Scott needed to see them.

Scott's folders dating from the period during which he served as Assistant to the President for Minority Affairs (1973-1975) are much broader in scope. As the highest-ranking Black official in the White House, he received contacts from many organizations and individuals seeking assistance, information, or meetings with government officials. Major topics include the administration's response to a drought in Africa, appointment of Blacks to positions in the administration, White House interactions with the Congressional Black Caucus and other Black organizations, Federal civil rights activities, equal employment opportunity, and minority business programs.

The small file on the Agency for International Development focuses on Scott's appointment and swearing-in and contains only a few scattered items on his work for that agency.

Related Materials (September 2001)
The Domestic Council files of Arthur Fletcher, Deputy Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs, document his work on urban affairs, minority business, and other issues of special interest to Black Americans during 1976. The files of Richard Parsons and Norman Ross, two other African-Americans on the Domestic Council staff, concern topics ranging from voting rights and school desegregation to natural resources and immigration. The campaign records of the President Ford Committee, President Ford's campaign committee for the 1976 election, contain extensive materials on efforts to appeal to Black voters. See especially the files of Robert Keyes and the Black Desk in the People for Ford division.