WHITE HOUSE TELEGRAPH & TRAVEL SECTION: SAMPLE OF TELEGRAMS, 1974-77

As a permanent operating unit of the Office of the Chief Executive Clerk [1], the White House Telegraph and Travel Section arranged travel for White House staff, assisted with travel arrangements for the White House press corps, and received and dispatched all telegrams for the White House Office. The collection has no information on these duties, but does contain a sample of telegrams taken from a complete set of incoming and outgoing telegrams maintained by the Telegraph and Travel Section.

In receiving and dispatching the telegrams, the Telegraph and Travel Section generated three copies of each. The original went to the White House office sending, receiving, or distributing the telegram; the second copy to the White House Central Files; and, the third stayed in the Telegraph and Travel Section. The Section kept their own set of telegrams, even though the White House Central Files staff deemed it unnecessary, because it was much easier to retrieve copies if asked [2]. The Section retained the telegrams for approximately three months before placing them in storage. The telegrams were shipped to the Ford Library as part of the White House Central Files Bulk Mail File and later segregated by Library staff into a separate collection, totaling 50 linear feet.

The Ford Library decided to sample and dispose of the bulk of the collection because copies are located in several other collections. The decision to retain a sample was prompted by the collection's arrangement of all topics in a single chronological sequence, which is unique and may have modest value. Archivists sampled all boxes of incoming and outgoing telegrams and randomly selected approximately 75 pages from each box and placed them in individual folders.

Although the telegrams have been arranged and described, the collection has not been reviewed. Access cannot be granted to any folder until it has been reviewed by Library staff. Library staff will entertain reasonable requests for review of folders, provided archivists are given sufficient advance notice to process the requests.

Related Materials (February 1995)
Copies of the telegrams are located in the White House Central Files (WHCF) Name File, the WHCF Subject File, the WHCF Bulk Mail File, and individual staff files.

1. The Office of the Chief Executive Clerk is composed of permanent operating units established to support the President and members of his staff. The Office provides for the orderly processing of documents and correspondence within the White House Office and organizes and supervises clerical and administrative services and procedures. See White House Staff Manual, pages A-1 and A-2 (available in reference room).

2. Telephone interview with Gary Wright, November 17, 1994. Mr. Wright served as Assistant to the Chief, White House Telegraph and Travel Section, during the Ford administration.