Gerald R. Ford Library

1000 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI  48109-2114

www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov

 

 

 

 

GERALD R. FORD

Vice-Presidential Papers:

Files, 1973-74

 

 

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

 

The collection includes material on Ford's congressional career and Vice Presidential confirmation; miscellaneous domestic and foreign policy issues; scheduling, travel and speeches; office organization; and constituent casework and public opinion mail.  However, material on the Watergate affair and relations with the Nixon White House is scattered, and material on the Presidential transition is very limited.

 

QUANTITY

105.2 linear feet (ca. 210,400 pages)

 

DONOR

Gerald R. Ford (accession numbers 77-42, 77-45, 77-55, 77-63, 77-107, 77-127, 77-134, 78-16, 78-73)

 

ACCESS

Open.  Some items are temporarily restricted under terms of the donor's deed of gift, a copy of which is available on request, or under National Archives and Records Administration general restrictions (36 CFR 1256).

 

COPYRIGHT

President Ford has donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.  The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them.  Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain.

 

Prepared by William McNitt, October 1980 (Revised February 1995)

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INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

The Ford Vice Presidential Papers include materials created and received by Gerald R. Ford and his staff between October 13, 1973 and August 9, 1974.  During the first two months Ford was still House Minority Leader, but his staff decided to begin the Vice Presidential file upon nomination rather than waiting until he was sworn in.  Therefore the collection documents the last few weeks of Ford's Congressional career and his eight months as Vice President.

 

This description of the Vice Presidential Papers consists of sections on the Ford Vice Presidency, the organization and duties of his staff, the arrangement and content of the papers, and related materials held by the Library.

 

 

The Ford Vice Presidency

Upon the resignation of Vice President Spiro T. Agnew on October 10, 1973, President Richard Nixon began soliciting suggestions for a new Vice President.  After only two days, he announced the nomination of Congressman Gerald R. Ford.  Under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution this nomination required confirmation by both houses of Congress.

 

Eight days later President Nixon fired Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox in the "Saturday Night Massacre."  Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy William Ruckelshaus resigned over the Cox firing.  Because of the outrage over the dismissal of Archibald Cox, many members of Congress became convinced that the new Vice President would soon succeed to the Presidency.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a detailed investigation of Ford's background and turned the results over to Congress.  Members of Congress questioned Ford carefully and examined his record more closely than they might normally have done for one of their colleagues.  The final votes in support of the Ford nomination were 92‑3 in the Senate and 387‑35 in the House.  On December 6, 1973, before a joint session of Congress, Gerald Ford took the oath of office as the 40th Vice President of the United States.

 

The only Vice Presidential duty provided in the Constitution is serving as President of the Senate, but President Nixon soon assigned additional duties to Mr. Ford.  He attended meetings of the Cabinet and National Security Council and served as Vice Chairman of the Domestic Council, Chairman of the Committee on the Right of Privacy, and Chairman of the Energy Action Group.  Ford's participation in most of these organizations consisted merely of attending meetings, but under his leadership the Domestic Council Committee on the Right of Privacy began operations, hired a staff, prepared several studies, and presented proposals.  The Vice President chose his former law partner from Grand Rapids, Philip Buchen, to head the Privacy Committee staff.

 

During the 1974 congressional and gubernatorial campaigns, Vice President Ford served as principal party spokesman making numerous trips to assist Republican candidates for office.  While Vice President, Gerald Ford represented the administration by making over 200 formal speeches and traveling approximately 110,000 miles.

 

The Vice President also added to his knowledge of foreign policy and intelligence matters through daily briefings from the C.I.A., regular meetings with Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger, and weekly briefings from National Security advisor Henry Kissinger or his deputy.

 

While Ford was learning his new job, President Nixon's situation continued to deteriorate.  In a special election on February 18, 1974, Richard Vander Veen won Ford's old House seat -- the first Democratic victory in Michigan's Fifth Congressional District in 64 years.  The results of this and other special Congressional elections in the spring of 1974 weakened the President's political position.

 

On May 9, 1974 the House Judiciary Committee began impeachment hearings against President Nixon.  Philip Buchen, unknown to Ford, soon began the planning for a Presidential transition.  In late July the Judiciary Committee voted three articles of impeachment against the President.  Faced with a rapidly deteriorating situation, the President resigned on August 9, 1974 and Vice President Gerald R. Ford became the 38th President of the United States.

 

The Ford Vice Presidential Staff

Until Gerald Ford's confirmation as Vice President on December 6, 1973, his staff consisted of the dozen or so individuals who had served him for many years as a Congressman.  During the confirmation hearings several old friends and associates volunteered their assistance and President Nixon also made available the White House speechwriters and advance staff to assist Ford on trips.

 

After December 6, Vice President Ford's staff grew rapidly.  Three key people from his Congressional staff, Robert Hartmann, Mildred Leonard, and Paul Miltich, became Chief of Staff, Personal Assistant and Press Secretary, respectively.  Later that month Ford hired William Casselman as Legal Counsel, Warren Rustand to handle scheduling and advance work, Kenneth BeLieu for legislative affairs, and Bill Roberts as Deputy Press Secretary.  The military aides, several clerical and administrative people, and Walter Mote as Assistant to the President of the Senate were holdovers from the Agnew staff.

 

Vice President Ford continued to make use of the White House speechwriters and advance staff during the first two months of his Vice Presidency, but that arrangement ended after he delivered a controversial speech supporting the President to the American Farm Bureau Federation on January 15, 1974.  Ford received much criticism for that speech from the media and from some of his old friends and supporters.  He then created his own speechwriting staff, hiring Milton Friedman to handle the initial drafting of speeches.

 

By February 1974, Ford had a staff of over sixty persons and was no longer dependent on White House assistance.  Richard Burress had replaced Kenneth BeLieu in handling legislative affairs and he had hired John Marsh and Gwen Anderson to handle defense matters and political liaison respectively.

 

The sudden growth of Ford's staff led to administrative tangles owing partly to Chief of Staff Robert Hartmann's lack of administrative experience.  The Vice President decided to hire L. William Seidman of Grand Rapids to study the organization of the Vice Presidential staff and recommend improvement. Seidman's study led to the implementation of a new staff organization in the spring of 1974 (see next page for a copy of the organization chart).

 

Under the new organization, the Chief of Staff handled liaison with the senior White House staff, Cabinet officers, agency heads, state governors, Congressional leadership, and the Chairman of the Republican National Committee.  Hartmann also supervised personnel matters and the Vice President's personal staff, and had editorial oversight of all speeches, remarks and formal statements.

 

The reorganization plan divided the operational staff into three areas, each headed by an Assistant to the Vice President.  Richard Burress was in charge of legislative and domestic affairs and had responsibility for liaison with the executive branch, members of Congress, and state and local government.  John Marsh handled defense and international affairs, including liaison with the State Department, the Defense Department, and National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Veterans Administration, and foreign embassies.  He also supervised the work of the military assistants and had responsibility for Vice Presidential travel and logistic support.  Bill Seidman assumed responsibility for administration and services.  He supervised five Deputy Assistants who handled scheduling and appointments, liaison with the Republican party and other non‑governmental organizations, administration, media affairs, and research.

 

The Ford Vice Presidential Papers

Because Ford remained a Congressman until December 6, the organization of the Ford papers did not immediately change.  His secretaries continued to file most correspondence and other documents in the General and Case File and the Issues File.  As had always been the case, Robert Hartmann and Paul Miltich maintained separate files relating to their areas of responsibility.

After January 1, 1974, the staff divided the General and Case File into the General File and the Case/Individual File and seven other staff members established separate files.  The General File, the Issues File and the Case/Individual File served as a "central files" for much of the routine correspondence.  The staff files contain working papers and correspondence relating to the specific responsibilities of each staff member.  In addition, the Vice Presidential papers originally included approximately 53 linear feet of public opinion mail including correspondence answered by form and letters never answered.  The Ford Library has retained a small sample of this public opinion mail and disposed of the rest.

 

The Vice Presidential papers document in detail the work of Gerald Ford and his staff in answering mail, handling constituent casework, scheduling and advancing trips, speechwriting, handling administrative and personnel matters, relating with Republican party organizations, campaigning for Republican candidates, meeting with foreign and diplomatic officials, and liaison with the Congress.  There is little here to document the less public aspects of the Vice Presidency such as the many briefings received by Ford, his meetings with President Nixon, or the meetings of the Domestic Council, the Cabinet, the National Security Council or other bodies on which Ford served.  Little material on the Watergate investigations and impeachment appears, with the exception of public opinion in correspondence, references in speeches, and occasional items in the staff files.

 

The Michigan Historical Collections of the University of Michigan received five cubic feet of Vice Presidential Papers from Gerald Ford in 1974, as part of a large shipment of Congressional Papers.  The University transferred these materials to the Ford Library under terms of the Ford letter of gift to the U.S. Government in 1977.  The Library received the rest of the Vice Presidential Papers directly from President Ford.

 

 

Related Materials (February 1995):

The Ford Scrapbook Collection includes three volumes of newspaper clippings, programs and occasional documents concerning his activities during the Vice Presidency.  John Marsh's White House files contain a small file of Ford's schedules and telephone logs from late July and early August 1974.  The Robert Hartmann Papers contain 4.4 linear feet of additional materials from the Vice Presidency.  Barry Roth's unprocessed White House files contain his chronological file for the Vice Presidency and Executive Protective Service appointment records for the Vice President's office.

 

The Betty Ford Papers include her correspondence and other papers relating to her activities in 1973 and 1974 while her husband served as Vice President.  Only selected portions of that collection are open to research yet, however.

 

Significant quantities of audiovisual materials and gifts and memorabilia from the Vice Presidency can be found in the appropriate units of the Ford Library and Museum.  The Ford Library book collection has The New York Times, Newsweek, Time, U.S. News and World Report, Fortune, and the National Journal on microfilm for all or part of the Ford Vice Presidency.  A vertical file of clippings, pamphlets, magazine articles and other material on Ford's career is also available.


 

Series Descriptions

 

1-9                Correspondence Control (Index) File, 1973-74 (3.6 Linear Feet)

The Control File consists of carbon copies of all outgoing letters arranged alphabetically by name of the correspondent.  The file location of the complete correspondence is written in the upper right-hand corner.

This file indexes all mail individually answered by Vice President Ford or his staff, but does not index mail answered with a form letter or unanswered mail.  In addition, it does not index letters of congratulations received by Ford upon his nomination and confirmation (some are in the General File and others in the Public Opinion Mail).

Before January 1974, the staff filed constituent casework in the General File.  They did not change any of the control sheets when they removed the case files and made them into a separate series.  When the Ford Library received the Vice Presidential Papers, there were separate control files for 1973 and 1974.  Archivists combined these two sequences during processing.

The Ford Library staff has not reviewed this file.  For that reason researchers should consult with an archivist to arrange for the review of those sections they wish to use.

Compiled by William McNitt, December 1979

 


10-22    Issues File, 1973‑74 (5.2 Linear Feet)

The Issues File contains correspondence between Ford and his staff, the general public, and government officials on a variety of topics concerning the Federal government.  Among the larger files are defense, the economy, health, labor, social security, and taxes.  The Multiple Issues segment contains correspondence on more than one subject.  The Presidential file consists entirely of correspondence in support of or against President Nixon.  The Vice Presidential Endorsement file contains letters to Congressman Peter Rodino and Senator Howard Cannon from other Congressmen and labor and religious leaders endorsing Ford for Vice President.

Staff members drafted acknowledgments to the correspondence for the Vice President's signature.  On occasions when Ford was out of town, various staff members signed the responses.  The staff referred many letters to other Federal departments and agencies to draft a response for the Vice President's signature.  The series is arranged alphabetically by subject.

Compiled by Kenneth G. Hafeli, December 1979

 


23-36    Case/Individual File, 1973‑74 (5.6 Linear Feet)

The bulk of this file consists of routine requests by constituents for assistance in dealing with government agencies, along with the responses from the Ford office and the agencies.  The requestors asked the Vice President to intervene in cases involving missing or incorrect pension or social security checks, attempts to qualify for medical and education benefits, personnel matters (especially in the armed services), and other problems.

Also included in this file are occasional unanswered letters concerning matters other than casework.  Apparently the staff filed such letters in this series when no appropriate category could be found in the General File or the Issues File.

This file is arranged alphabetically by the name of the person needing assistance or, in the case of the unanswered letters, by the name of the correspondent.  The Ford Library has not reviewed this file.  For that reason researchers should consult with an archivist to arrange for the review of those segments they wish to use.

Compiled by William McNitt, November 1979

 


37-58    General File, 1973‑74 (8.8 Linear Feet)

The General File served as a central file for correspondence between Ford (or his staff), the public, and government officials on topics of a routine nature.  While the staff handled much of the material, the Vice President or his personal assistant Mildred Leonard dealt with correspondence from personal acquaintances.  This series also contains correspondence and reports concerning organizations to which the Vice President belonged by statute, among them the Domestic Council Committee on the Right of Privacy, the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, and the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.

Among the larger files in the series are those concerning Vice Presidential appearances, congratulatory messages to and from the Vice President, greetings, staff positions, recommendations, Republican campaigns, requests for autographs and photographs, and thank you letters. The General File is an amalgam of a smaller subject file, the Ford Personal File, and the Vice Presidential Official File.  It is arranged alphabetically by subject.

Compiled by  Kenneth G. Hafeli, December 1979

 


59-71 & 206  Office of the Assistant for Defense and International Affairs:

John O. Marsh Files, 1973‑74 (5.2 Linear Feet)

The Assistant for Defense and International Affairs was John O. Marsh, a former Congressman from Virginia and Assistant Secretary of Defense.  He joined the Ford staff on January 29, 1974, and remained until moving to the White House staff in August.

Marsh's duties included collecting and evaluating information concerning national security, maintaining classified materials, supervising travel and logistics, and monitoring defense and foreign affairs legislation in Congress.  In addition, his office served as liaison to the Departments of Defense and State, the National Security Council, the intelligence community, the Veterans Administration, international organizations, foreign missions resident in Washington, and foreign visitors.  The Vice President's military aides also worked out of this office, handling much of the routine work such as drafting replies to correspondence.

The materials consist of correspondence, speeches, personnel files, briefing materials concerning foreign affairs and diplomatic visits, schedules, programs, flight manifests and itineraries, and billing records.  They are organized in six subseries: Subject File, Chronological File, Meetings with Foreign and Diplomatic Officials, Vice Presidential Events, Thank You Letters for Vice Presidential Trips, and Trip File.

Compiled by  Kenneth G. Hafeli, September 1979

 

59‑64 & 206 Subject File, 1973‑74.  (2.2 linear feet)

Correspondence, memoranda, speeches and resumes, relating to defense issues and military and foreign affairs, including the Central Intelligence Agency, National Guard and Reserve Affairs, Korea, MIA‑POW, Vice Presidential Correspondence and Vice Presidential Remarks. 

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

 

64Chronological File, 1973‑74.  (0.2 linear feet)

Carbon copies of outgoing correspondence and memoranda, written by Marsh or his military aides, with an occasional incoming letter or background item attached.

Arranged chronologically.

 


65                     Vice Presidential Meetings with Foreign and Diplomatic Officials, 1973‑74.  (0.4 linear feet)

Memorandums of conversations, memos, and briefing materials related to meetings between Ford and foreign heads of state, diplomats, and ambassadors.  Most of the material deals with foreign affairs, with only a small amount concerning domestic affairs appearing.

Arranged chronologically.

 

66‑67           Vice Presidential Events, 1973‑74.  (0.6 linear feet)

Briefing memos, schedules, and occasional correspondence relating to requests for and preparations involving appearances made by the Vice President.

Arranged chronologically.

 

67‑68           Thank You Letters for Vice Presidential Trips, 1973‑74.  (0.6 linear feet)

Lists of persons to be thanked for their assistance on Vice Presidential trips, carbon copies of letters sent, and an occasional program from a particular event.

Arranged chronologically by date of trip.

 

69‑71           Trip File, 1973‑74.  (1.2 linear feet)

Schedules, passenger lists, flight manifests, flight itineraries, briefing notes, news media billings, in flight expense forms, seating chart from trips made by the Vice President, and correspondence to media organizations requesting reimbursement for passage aboard Air Force II.

Arranged chronologically by date of trip.

 


72-73            Office of the Assistant for Legislative and Domestic Affairs:

Richard T. Burress Files, 1974 (0.8 Feet)

Richard T. Burress joined the Vice President's staff to handle legislative and domestic affairs in February 1974, replacing Kenneth E. BeLieu.  After Ford became President, Burress served as an assistant to Vice President designate Rockefeller until November 1, 1974, when he returned to the Hoover Institution as associate director and senior Fellow.

Burress' primary duties were collecting and independently evaluating information on domestic issues from Congress, the Executive Branch, state and local governments, and boards, committees, and commissions with which the Vice President was associated.  He appears to have assembled much of the material to help Ford respond to questions or expressions of opinion from members of the public.

Materials include correspondence, copies of letters sent by the Vice President, internal memoranda, proposals, pamphlets, statements of purpose, briefing papers, and printed materials on such topics as health care, the role of minorities, energy, the economy, and administrative matters.  The papers are arranged alphabetically by subject.

The files of assistant to the President of the Senate, Walter Mote, and the legal counsel for the Vice President, William Casselman, contain related materials.

Compiled by  Christine Ferretti, May 1979

 


74-99            Office of the Legal Counsel:

William E. Casselman Files, 1973‑74 (10 Linear Feet)

William E. Casselman joined the Vice Presidential staff in December 1973 after serving as general counsel for the General Services Administration since 1971.  Casselman served as legal adviser throughout Ford's tenure as Vice President.  He then became Counsel to the President in the Ford White House.  His staff during the Vice Presidency consisted of legal assistant Barry Roth and staff assistant Brenda Wilson.  This office advised Ford on questions of administrative and fiscal law, including personnel regulations, security, archival procedures, appropriations authority, standards of conduct, litigation, and recommendations on appointments to the federal judiciary.

Casselman also shared responsibility with Richard Burress, Assistant for Legislative and Domestic Affairs, for domestic policy analysis and provided support to Ford in his role as vice chairman of the Domestic Council.  Casselman coordinated issue development within the Domestic Council, helped resolve policy differences between federal agencies and the Council and assisted the Vice President in developing and addressing issues of interest.  The office acted as liaison between departments and agencies and the Vice President on domestic policy, providing a source of information and analysis independent of the Domestic Council.

These files reflect Casselman's responsibilities for providing the Vice President with legal services and advice on domestic policy issues.  A subject file documents his work on privacy legislation, employee standards of conduct, energy problems, American Indian rights and similar issues that the Vice President addressed.  The official correspondence file contains copies of outgoing correspondence and information on the daily operations of the office, personnel changes and other matters of secondary importance.  There is considerable overlap and duplication in the two series.  A third series contains photocopies from General Services Administration office files concerning purchases of office furniture in certain GSA regions.

Other papers on domestic policy issues during the Vice Presidential period may be found in the files of the Assistant to the Vice President for Legislative and Domestic Affairs and in the various Domestic Council collections of the Presidential period.  The files of Chief of Staff Robert Hartmann contain extensive information on Ford's confirmation hearings.

Compiled by Paul Conway, September 1979

 


74‑88          Subject File, 1973‑74.  (5.8 linear feet)

Correspondence and memoranda to and from Vice Presidential staff, federal officials and the public; draft speeches and reports, studies, court cases and other papers reflecting Casselman's responsibilities for providing legal advice on administrative policy matters.  Also included are materials on Casselman's activities concerning domestic policy, including drafting legislation on health, energy and personal privacy.  Carbon copies of some outgoing memoranda and correspondence also appear in the official correspondence series.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

 

88‑93          Official Correspondence, 1973‑74.  (2.0 linear feet)

Copies of outgoing correspondence and memoranda with attached reports and draft replies; printed materials, notes and other papers exchanged between Casselman and Ford, federal officials, assistants and the public concerning routine administrative matters, scheduling and domestic policy issues such as energy, American Indians and sports.  Also included is information on personnel changes, Vice Presidential archives, standards of conduct, privacy and other legal matters.  Much of the material is unique to this series, but duplicate correspondence, memoranda and reports are also in the subject file.  Cross-reference headings typed in the upper right corner of covering letters are supposed to indicate subject file locations for the full correspondence, but the system is generally unreliable.

Arranged chronologically.

 

93‑98          GSA Furniture Purchases File, 1970-73.  (2.2 linear feet)

Copies of correspondence, supply, requisition and bidding forms, contracts and other papers retained in Casselman's files after Ford's confirmation hearings.  The material primarily relates to purchases of Steelcase, Inc. furniture and office supplies for placement in various General Services Administration regional facilities and in Ford's congressional l district offices.  Also included is some general correspondence with GSA on furniture purchases and supply requisition.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

 

99                    [Box empty due to reorganization of the collection]

 


100-107         Office of the Assistant to the President of the Senate:

Walter L. Mote Files, 1973‑74 (3.2 Linear Feet)

Walter L. Mote, Assistant to the President of the Senate, was a carry‑over from the staff of Vice President Spiro T. Agnew.  He remained on the Vice Presidential staff until January 1975, when he retired from government service.  His staff consisted of H. Spofford Canfield, Josephine Wilson, and several secretaries.

This office handled legislative mail, compiled twice daily briefing sheets on Congressional activity, maintained records for Vice Presidential scheduling, fulfilled autograph and photograph requests, and arranged White House tours.  They also kept the Speaker of the House, Architect of the Capitol, and other Congressional officials informed of Ford's activities in his role as President of the Senate and notified Senators and Congressmen of Vice Presidential visits to their home districts.

Mote's subject file contains correspondence from Senators and Congressmen, morning and evening reports on the activities of the Senate, and referrals on correspondence sent to the Vice President concerning other departments and agencies.  His case file contains constituent correspondence dealing with a variety of subjects.

Vice Presidential schedules are also located in the files of L. William Seidman and Warren S. Rustand.  The files of the Assistant for Legislative and Domestic Affairs concern contacts with Congress on specific issues.  Later material on activities related to the Congress can be found in the White House files of Max Friedersdorf.

Compiled by  Kenneth G. Hafeli, September 1979

 

100‑103      Subject File, 1973‑74.  (1.6 linear feet)

Correspondence, invitations, requests for endorsements, appointments, autographs, and photographs; referrals from various departments and agencies, drafts of correspondence, daily reports on House proceedings, morning and evening reports, and the Vice President's daily schedule.  The material covers a variety of subjects, including condolences, congratulations, education, energy, housing, social security, and veterans affairs.

Arranged alphabetically.

 


104‑10