W. ALLEN MOORE FILES, 1975-77

W. Allen Moore served on the Ford administration Domestic Council as Associate Director for Policy and Planning; and later, as Associate Director for Operations. The greatest portion of the files concerns social security and welfare reform topics from 1976. The files are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically therein.

Following several years of work as an economist and management consultant, Moore joined the Domestic Council in October 1975 as a consultant to the Domestic Policy Review Group. He handled program and materials preparation and cabinet member coordination for the Public Forums on Domestic Policy, headed by Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller. Once the work of the forums was complete, Moore became Associate Director for Policy and Planning, aiding newly appointed Deputy Director for Policy and Planning, Arthur F. Quern, in long range policy studies. Both Moore and Janet Brown served as coordinators for the various policy studies and in the preparation of the reports. In addition, Moore was project manager for studies, along with Quern, on welfare reform, and, along with Spencer Johnson, on social security. In September 1976, Moore was promoted to Associate Director for Operations and moved to the West Wing, assuming primary responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Domestic Council staff, as well as some continuing issues-related responsibilities.

There are no papers from Moore's first position as consultant and few reflecting his last as Associate Director for Operations. The files begin with Moore's appointment as Associate Director of Policy and Planning in February 1976, and reflect, almost exclusively, his involvement with social security and welfare reform. They include earlier background material from Quern. The papers are especially strong in the development of the President's positions and decisions, including draft decision and briefing memoranda, and draft and final copies of legislation. The request for these analyses of issues were generated by Arthur Quern and James Cannon, with whom Moore worked closely, and the results were funneled back through Cannon to the President. Moore worked closely with the social security trustees, the Secretaries of Treasury, Labor and Health, Education and Welfare; he seldom dealt with the public. The major social security concerns reflected in the papers are the retirement test and short and long term financing, including decoupling, or the removal of double adjustment for inflation. There is also some scattered information on other welfare and social services issues and the proposed Expo '81.

Related Materials (April 1982)
Materials relating to Moore's responsibilities may be found in other Domestic Council staff files, especially in the files of Arthur Quern, whom he assisted, and Moore's successor as Associate Director of Policy and Planning, Dean Overman. Information relating to Moore's prior position as consultant on the Public Forums may be found in the Rayburn D. Hanzlik files. Both social security and welfare reform are included in the White House Central File Welfare category.