Gerald R. Ford Library

1000 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI  48109-2114

www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ROBERT J. HORN

Executive Secretary, Presidential Clemency Board:

Papers, 1974-75

 

 

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

 

       Materials on the administration of the Presidential Clemency Board covering such matters as budget/finance, personnel, training, board organization and workflow, and public comments. Documents include regulations, meeting minutes, training manuals, decision lists, and pardon recommendations.

 

QUANTITY

8.8 linear feet (ca. 17,600 pp)

 

DONOR

Robert J. Horn (accession numbers 91-38 and 92-27)

 

ACCESS

Open. Some items are temporarily restricted under terms of Mr. Horn's deed of gift, a copy of which is available on request. Advance consultation is required for some folders so that archivists may complete routine review for privacy or other restricted information.

 

COPYRIGHT

Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. In addition, Mr. Horn has donated to the United States of America his copyright interest in any other of his writings that might be included in this collection.  The copyright interest to materials written by other individuals or organizations is presumed to remain with them.

 

Prepared by William McNitt, August 1991; Revised by Joshua Cochran, December 2005 [s:\bin\findaid\horn, robert - papers.doc]


BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

 

 

 

Robert Jack Horn

 

August 23, 1943                    Born, New York, NY

 

1964                                    B.B.A. in Public Administration, City College of New York

 

1967                                    J.D., Fordham University Law School

 

1967-68                                Part-time legislative aide to Congressman Theodore R. Kupferman of New York

 

1968-69                                Attorney with Perrin, Nachman and Stella of New York, NY

 

1969-71                                Attorney, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

 

1971-72                                Senior program analyst, Office of the Assistant Commissioner for Programs, Housing Production and Mortgage Credit of the Federal Housing Administration, Department of Housing and Urban Development

 

1972-74                                Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Housing Management, Department of Housing and Urban Development

 

1974-75                                Executive Secretary, Presidential Clemency Board (on detail from HUD)

 

1976-82                                Named Special Assistant to Governor William G. Milliken of Michigan and head of the state's Washington office. 

 

1983-01                                Director of the Washington office of Detroit Edison. He subsequently became Assistant Vice-President of Federal Affairs for DTE, and a Corporate Officer.

 

1987-94                                Member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council

 

2000                                    Served as lead attorney for George W. Bush’s recount effort in Broward County, Florida.

 

2001-Present                        Attorney, partner at Patton Boggs in Washington, D.C.


INTRODUCTION

 

            On September 16, 1974, President Gerald Ford announced the formation of the Presidential Clemency Board, charged with creating a program of conditional clemency for those accused of draft or military absence offenses during the Vietnam War. The Board, chaired by former New York Senator Charles Goodell immediately began to develop the program and hire a staff.  They borrowed Robert Horn from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to serve as Executive Secretary to the Board.

 

According to the Board's final report, the Executive Secretary did not direct the work of the staff, but was part of what it referred to as the "Senior Staff." Horn handled administrative matters such as access lists, budget and finance, personnel matters, and office space, and was responsible for recording meeting minutes. He saw to it that Board decisions were implemented, advised the Board Chairman and the General Counsel on general matters of policy, and suggested procedures for expediting case processing and maintaining case records. Finally, he acted on behalf of the Board with staff and outside agencies when issues of a non-legal nature arose.

 

            The Horn Papers cover the period from October 1974 to September 1975. While portions of the collection concern rules, regulations and procedures developed by Board members and staff, the bulk documents administrative matters such as budget, finance, personnel, and office space. Other documents give a sense of the final product that the board achieved, namely the case summaries, their recommendations to the President, and the decision lists.  Upon the Board’s termination in September 1975, its remaining administrative duties were transferred to the U.S. Attorney General.

 

            An initial series of the Horn Papers containing approximately 1200 pages was processed and opened in August 1991 (boxes 1-2). A subsequent accretion of papers that includes meeting minutes, pardon recommendations, decision lists, and personnel files, was processed and opened for research in December 2005 (boxes 3-17). A small portion of the accretion remains unprocessed (boxes 18-23) due to extensive privacy concerns.

           

Related Materials (As of December 2005):

            The papers of Clemency Board Chairman Charles Goodell contain extensive materials on the Board and the clemency program, as do White House Central Files categories FG 6-28 (Presidential Clemency Board) and JL 1 and its subdivisions (Amnesties - Clemencies - Pardons). White House staff files containing significant documentation include those of Philip Buchen, Bobbie Kilberg, Theodore Marrs, John Marsh, and Geoffrey Shepard. A bound copy of the Clemency Board’s Final Report to the President is housed in the Library’s book collection.

 

            The National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, MD house the records of the Presidential Clemency Board as Record Group 429.10 (RG 429.10).

 

Series Descriptions

 


1-2           Presidential Clemency Board Subject File, 1974-75.  (0.6 linear feet)

Memoranda, correspondence, press releases and publications.  The materials concern the operation of the Board, including rules, regulations and procedures developed by the board members and staff, and administrative matters such as budget/finance, personnel, and office space. This series was processed and opened to research in 1991. Other series were processed and opened in 2005.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

 

3-11  Presidential Clemency Board Subject File Accretion, 1974-1975. (3.4 linear feet)

Memoranda, correspondence, publications, and training manuals. The materials concern the operation of the board, including rules, regulations, procedures, and administrative matters such as budget/finance, personnel, training, organization, press relations, and public comments. (Note: Review of this series for opening is not yet complete, but if you contact the Library in advance of your visit, we may be able to open specific individual folders for research use.)

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

 

11-12       Presidential Clemency Board Meeting Minutes, 1974-1975 (0.4 linear feet)

Minutes of the Clemency Board’s meetings from October 1974 to September 1975. Minutes contain discussions of the board’s practices, organization, case loads, and other administrative issues.

Arranged chronologically. 

 

12-14       Presidential Clemency Board Recommendations to the President 1974-1975   (1.0 linear feet)

Memoranda, pardon lists issued by the White House, and case summaries of applicants giving details of their cases.  Case summaries are anonymous and only identify applicants by case number. This series begins with the second set of recommendations from December 21, 1974. Copies of the first set of recommendations from November 25, 1974 can be found in box 6 of the Charles Goodell Papers. Many of the documents housed in this series are duplicates of those found in the White House Central Files JL series, and the Charles Goodell Papers. (Note: Review of this series for opening is not yet complete, but if you contact the Library in advance of your visit, we may be able to open specific individual folders for research use.)

Arranged chronologically.

 

15-16       Presidential Clemency Board Decision Lists, 1974-1975   (0.6 linear feet)

Worksheets, memos, and decision lists chronicling the status of applicants’ cases with regard to the PCB. Decision lists are anonymous and only identify applicants by case number. (Note: Review of this series for opening is not yet complete, but if you contact the Library in advance of your visit, we may be able to open specific individual folders for research use.)

Arranged chronologically.

 

16-17       Presidential Clemency Board Staff Name File, 1974-1975   (0.6 linear feet)

Memoranda, letters, forms, resumes, and other personnel files for PCB members and staff. (Note: Review of this series for opening is not yet complete, but if you contact the Library in advance of your visit, we may be able to open specific individual folders for research use.)

Arranged alphabetically by staff member

 

18-23       Presidential Clemency Board Chronological File, 1974-1975 (2.2 linear feet)

                 This series remains unprocessed and closed to research.

 

Container List


Box 1     Presidential Clemency Board Subject File

Access List/Passes

American Civil Liberties Union Comments on Proposed Clemency Board Procedures and Substantive Standards

Board Members

Budget/Finance

Clemency Law Reporter (1)‑(2)

Miscellaneous

Personnel

Precedents for Aggravating and Mitigating Factors

Presidential Pardoning Power

Report to the President (Publication)

 

Box 2     Presidential Clemency Board Subject File

Rules, Regulations and Procedures Briefing Book, December 1974 (1)‑(6)

Space/Parking/Office/Supplies

Submissions to the President

 

Box 3     Presidential Clemency Board Subject File Accretion

 (Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

Absences Related to Vietnam Service [11/19/1974]

Accident File

Administrative-- Facilities and Equipment

Affidavits

Alternatives to Pardon [Capt. Euler Memo-10/29/74]

Amnesty: A Brief Historical Overview [CRS Publication]

Application Form to Clemency Program

Application Kits

Appointment Affidavits—Board Members

Archives/File Management –1975

Biographies of Board Members

Budget

Camp David Retreat [Sept. 2-4, 1975]

Case Processing Steps for Clemency Board - Draft

Case Summary Production (1)- (3)

Changes in Clemency Board Procedures

Clemency/Amnesty Legal Coordinating Office

Clemency Law Reporter, Volume 1, no. 1 [6/2/75]

Clemency Law Reporter, Volume 1, no. 2 [6/11/75]

Clemency Law Reporter, Volume 1, no. 4 [7/2/75]

Clemency: The President’s Program Problems [CRS publication]

Coffee Fund and Records

 

Box 4     Presidential Clemency Board Subject File Accretion

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

Continuing Consequences of Offender Status

Correspondence

Correspondence without Return Addresses

Dockets

Fact Sheet

Federal Register (1)-(2)

Final Report—Draft (1)-(3)

Final Report—Draft Outline [7/6/75]

Final Report—Working Papers, Undated (1)-(4)

 

Box 5     Presidential Clemency Board Subject File Accretion

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

Final Report, Working Papers, Undated (5)-(6)

Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938-- DOJ Publication

Form Letters (1)-(2)

Foundation Church

Furloughed Persons

General Accounting Office

General Services Administration

Goodell Assessment of PCB - Memo to President Ford

Hearings Before the Senate Subcommittee on Administrative Practices [12/18/1974] (1)-(3)

Housing and Urban Development

Lawyers, Clients, and Ethics [publication]

              

Box 6     Presidential Clemency Board Subject File Accretion

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

Lawyer Referral Service

Mailings—January 1975

Miscellaneous

Management Information Forms

Marine Corps

Master Case File

Master List—Name Corrections

Memo on Application of Aggravating and Mitigating Factors by the PCB [4/22/75]

Memos—From Robert Horn (1)—(2)

Military Abbreviations and Acronyms

Military Cases

National Council of Churches

New England Journal of Prison Law—Volume 1, no. 1 [Spring 1974]

New York County Lawyers

Office of Management and Budget Survey Report

OEOB—Dining Room Facility

Organizational Charts

Organization and Operation—ACLU Comments

Organization and Operation—Implementation Plan (1)—(2)

 

Box 7     Presidential Clemency Board Subject File Accretion

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

Organization and Operation—Interagency Team Survey (1)-(2)

Organization and Operation—National Legal Aid and Defender Association Comments

Organization and Operation—Public Comments

Organization and Operation—Public Law Education Institute Comments

Organization and Operation—Washington Star article 5/27/1975

Overview of Military Justice

Parking Spaces

Personnel File, PCB Staff—General (1)-(4)

Personnel File, PCB Staff— A-D

Personnel File, PCB Staff— E-G

Personnel File, PCB Staff— H-J

Personnel File, PCB Staff— K-M

 

Box 8     Presidential Clemency Board Subject File Accretion

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

Personnel File, PCB Staff— N-R

Personnel File, PCB Staff— S-Z

Photographs [transferred to AV]

Policy Considerations Affecting Discipline/Administration Treatment of Deserters

Presidential Clemency Board Members

Presidential Clemency Board Performance [Lenin and Associates Memo 10/28/74 ]

Presidential Pardons: Power and Benefits

Presidential Photos [transferred to AV]

Press Clippings (1)-(3)

Professional Staffing Requirements

Project 100,000

Projected Clemency Actions-Flow Chart

Proposed Case Preparation-10/28/1974

Proposed Organizational Structural Process

Recommendation Factors in Individual Cases

Regulations (1)-(2)

Report of the Interagency Team

Report of the Interagency Team-Draft

 

Box 9     Presidential Clemency Board Subject File Accretion

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

Requests for Obtaining Records

Resumes (1)-(5)

Role of the Public Information Office

Selective Service System—Reconciliation Service Manual (1)-(2)

Society for Ethical Culture

Southworth v. Gabriel and Goodell

Speaking Engagements—AEI 5/27/1975

Standard Operating Procedure—Record Disposal

 

Box 10   Presidential Clemency Board Subject File Accretion

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

Status Reports—Application Totals (1)-(2)

Status Reports-Team Administration

Tax Forms-Board Members—6/24/1975

Telegrams

Telephone Directories and Messages

Telephone Log 11/5/1974-5/1/1975 (1)-(2)

Temporary Secretarial Help

Time and Attendance Records

Training Handbook (1)-(3)

Travel Voucher Forms [folder received empty]

Urgent Need for DoD Marginal Performer Discharge Program-GAO Report

War Resisters Information Center

White House Military Aides Office

White House Standards of Conduct (1)-(2)

Work Copies of File Lists

 

Box 11   Presidential Clemency Board Subject File Accretion

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

Work Plan-Draft

Worksheets—PCB

Youth Correction Act

Presidential Clemency Board Meeting Minutes

Memos RE: Board Meetings

October 7-8, 1974

October 23-24, 1974

October 30, 1974

November 7, 1974

November 22-23, 1974

December 5-6, 1974

December 12-13, 1974

January 9-10, 1975

February 6-8, 1975

March 6-8, 1975

April 3-4, 1975

May 8-10, 1975

May 22-24, 1975

June 4, 6, 7, 1975

June 13, 1975

June 17-18, 1975

June 23, 1975

 

Box 12   Presidential Clemency Board Meeting Minutes

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

June 25, 1975

July 2, 1975

July 3, 1975

July 8, 1975

July 11, 1975

July 12, 1975 [Special Subcommittee on Alternative Service]

July 14, 1975

July 15, 1975

July 25, 1975

July 31, 1975

August 6-8, 1975

August 13, 1975

August 20-21, 1975

August 23-24, 1975

August 28, 1975

August 30, 1975

August 31, 1975

September 4, 1975

September 8-9, 1975

Presidential Clemency Board Recommendations to the President

Second Set of Recommendations—12/21/1974

Third Set of Recommendations—3/26/1975 (1)—(3)

Fourth Set of Recommendations—5/5/1975 (1)-(4)

 

Box 13   Presidential Clemency Board Recommendations to the President

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

Fifth Set of Recommendations –5/26/1975 (1)—(3)

Sixth Set of Recommendations- 6/27/1975 (1)-(7)

Seventh Set of Recommendations- 7/29/1975 (1)-(3)

 

Box 14   Presidential Clemency Board Recommendations to the President

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

Seventh Set of Recommendations to the President—7/29/1975 (4) – (15)

 

Box 15   Presidential Clemency Board Decision Lists

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

Board and Panel Assignments

Decision Forms

October 1974

November 1974 [analysis of tentative board decisions 11/20/1974]

December 1974

January 1975

February 1975

March 1975

April 1975

May 1975 (1)- (2)

June 1975 (1) – (6)

July 1975 (1) – (4)

 

Box 16   Presidential Clemency Board Decision Lists

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

July 1975 (5)-(6)

August 1975 (1)- (5)

September 1975

Presidential Clemency Board Staff Name File

Adams, Ralph

Agnich, Fred J.

Baskir, Larry

Broder, Neil

Buck, Richard S.

Chaney, Larry

Craig, Timothy Lee

Dickson, Kenneth W.

 

Box 17   Presidential Clemency Board Staff Name File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library’s review queue.)

Dougovito, James

Finch, Robert H.

Ford, W. Antoinette

Ford, Jeanette

Gordon, John

Handwerger, Gretchen

Hawthorne, Earl

Hesburgh, Father Theodore

Hickman, David

Horn, Robert [Housing and Urban Development]

Jordan, Vernon

Klein, Bill

Kodak, Bob

Lally, Francis J.

Lohff, John

MacQueeney, Vincent P.

Maye, James

Meinking, Marilyn [folder arrived empty]

Morrow, E. Frederic

Mott, Charlie

Nickolas, Nia [press officer]

O’Connor, Aida

O’Hare, Tom (1)-(2)

Poole, Jim

Puller, Lewis

Riggs, Harry

Robinson, Barry

Tessler, Mark

Tropp, Richard

Vinson, Joan [media]

Walt, General Lewis W.

Wells, Sally

 

Boxes 18-23   Presidential Clemency Board Chronological File [Unprocessed and Closed to Research]