WILLIAM E. TIMMONS FILES, 1969-74

The William E. Timmons Files consist of memoranda, correspondence, briefing papers, notes and reports on legislation compiled by Timmons and his assistant Powell Moore from August to December 1974, and Timmons' routine personal correspondence from 1969 to 1974.

During the first five months of the Ford administration, Timmons continued to head the White House Congressional Relations Office, as he had done since 1970. He was the main contact point for often routine requests from individual senators and representatives to the White House. Timmons also transmitted and explained the administration's legislative goals and advised the President on congressional activities.

Timmons supervised six staff assistants. Max Friedersdorf, Vernon Loen and Eugene Ainsworth kept close tabs on the House of Representatives while Tom Korologos and Patrick O'Donnell worked with the Senate. Powell Moore assisted Timmons directly by monitoring the status of pending legislation and recently passed bills, and notifying the House and Senate of high level appointments, disaster relief action and major federal grants. In late 1974 Timmons, Korologos and Ainsworth quit government service to form a Washington, DC public relations firm. President Ford appointed Friedersdorf to succeed Timmons.

Timmons' files document his activities well. While there is little record of the significant volume of telephone calls between Capitol Hill and the White House, the files provide an overview of the key legislative issues of the early Ford administration. Particularly well documented is liaison with Congress on specific bills such as amnesty for draft evaders, cargo preference, federal pay deferral, and Nixon papers and tapes. Also documented is congressional advice on the selection and confirmation of Nelson Rockefeller as Vice President and President Ford's travel for congressional candidates in 1974. Timmons maintained close contact in writing with his assistants, especially Tom Korologos. Their notes and memos are often candid records of the tit for tat of executive-congressional relations.

A large portion of the Congressional Relations Office's time was spent notifying Members of Congress on White House personnel actions, including seeking suggestions, obtaining clearances, and urging prompt congressional action. Timmons' files document his mostly routine activities in this area.

Powell Moore maintained a separate file on his responsibilities, but because he often reported directly to Timmons in writing, Timmons' files are interspersed with information about Moore's activities and those of other Congressional Relations Office staff.

Related Materials (June 1985)
Material on the responsibilities and activities of the Congressional Relations Office is located in the files of Timmons' office colleagues, especially Max Friedersdorf and Vernon Loen. The files of individual White House staff will contain information on specific pieces of legislation and executive-congressional relations in their respective policy areas.

The White House Central Files subject categories on the House and the Senate (FG 30 to FG 39) contain cross references, briefing papers, correspondence, and memoranda on White House contacts with the Congress. The Legislation Case Files (White House Permanent Operating Offices) contain information on every public and private bill sent to the White House for action.