WILLIAM J. BAROODY, JR., PAPERS, 1961-88

William J. Baroody, Jr., began his career in Washington in 1961 as legislative assistant and press secretary to Republican congressman Melvin Laird. He also served as research director for the House Republican Conference in 1968 and 1969.

Baroody followed Laird to the Pentagon in 1969 and served as his aide during Laird's post as Secretary of Defense. In 1973, Laird resigned from the post and recommended Baroody for a staff position in the White House. President Nixon appointed him as the head of the Office of Public Liaison (OPL), which was assigned to managing contacts between the White House and American interest groups. He also played a role in White House attempts to improve public perception of the Nixon administration following the Watergate scandal. After Nixon's resignation, Baroody remained as the head of the office under President Ford.

Upon the departure of Anne Armstrong from the White House in December 1974, President Ford merged the liaison functions of her office with those of Baroody's office and several independent liaison efforts to form a consolidated Office of Public Liaison. Baroody and his staff handled most interest group liaison for the remainder of the administration. The OPL listened to group concerns and communicated them to the President or the appropriate agency. They explained the administration's positions and programs to groups, and pursued a media outreach effort to make the public aware that there were people in the White House ready and eager to listen to their views. They were also involved in President Ford's 1976 campaign. Their goal was to project an image of an open, inclusive White House.

After leaving the White House in 1977, Baroody served as Vice President and President of American Enterprise Institute (AEI) until 1986. Under his direction, AEI became a major contributor in developing many Reagan Administration policies. Baroody also served on several government and private boards and commissions, including the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Scope and Content of the Baroody Papers
The collection is useful for studying both Baroody's work as an aide to Melvin Laird, 1961-73, and his later service in the Nixon and Ford Administrations.

One focus of the materials from the Laird years is the 1964 Republican platform and campaign. Baroody assisted Laird (who served as chairman of the Republican Platform Committee) in the development of the platform. Other Laird congressional materials include research files drafts of some of his published writings. There are also several series dating from Laird's time as Secretary of Defense, which offer insight into national security policy and the operations of that office.

The Baroody Papers are also useful for studying White House liaison with interest groups during the Nixon and Ford presidencies, especially White House briefings and White House conferences. The collection contains extensive information on the White House Conferences on Domestic and Economic Affairs. There are also materials detailing the role of the Office of Public Liaison in gauging public opinion and concerns. Documents concern a large number of issues such as consumer affairs, economics, foreign policy, urban development, minority concerns, Watergate, and political campaigning. Other materials concern the management of the OPL and the responsibilities of that office.

The OPL was very involved with President Ford's 1976 campaign. The collection contains numerous materials regarding Ford's speeches and interviews, White House statements regarding the campaign, and reports on Jimmy Carter's campaign. Baroody took an active role in advising senior staff as to how Ford should portray himself.

A large portion of the collection dates from the years following Baroody's government service (ca. 150 feet). These materials are not yet processed and are therefore unavailable for research.

Related Materials (March 2007)
The Library also has a collection of William Baroody Files, donated as part of President Ford's papers at the end of the administration. They focus entirely on the operation of the Office of the Public Liaison and its interactions with various interest groups during the Ford administration.

The Baroody Papers are closely related to the Melvin Laird Papers, also in the Ford Library. The two collections were stored together in Washington after each man left Government service. Due to errors made when the collections were separated, parts of some series appear in both collections. Therefore any researcher interested in the events of 1961-77 should plan on using both the Laird and Baroody Papers.