|
|
Gerald R. Ford Library1000 Beal Avenue,
www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov |
|
|
Gerald R. Ford Library1000 Beal Avenue,
www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov |
Press Secretary's Office
RON
NESSEN
Press
Secretary to the President:
Files,
1974-77
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION
An incomplete set of files concerning his work as Press Secretary to President Ford. This collection includes transcripts of press briefings, case files on media interviews, correspondence with the media and an incomplete subject file. The bulk of his files can be found in a separate collection ‑ the Ron Nessen Papers.
QUANTITY
32.4 linear feet
(ca. 64,800 pages)
DONOR
Gerald R. Ford
(accession numbers 77-91, 77-128, 82-48, and 83-32)
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
Gerald Ford has
donated to the
Prepared by Leesa E. Tobin,
August 1983
[s:\bin\findaid\nessen, ron - files.doc]
BIOGRAPHICAL
INFORMATION
Ronald
H. Nessen
1952‑54 Student,
1954‑59 Part‑time
student,
1954‑55 Radio newscaster,
WARL,
1955‑56 Writer,
1956‑62 Reporter and
editor, United Press International,
1962‑74 Television news
correspondent, NBC News. During
this time he served as White House correspondent (1962‑1965), foreign
correspondent in Vietnam and other countries, and news reporter covering such
topics as the 1968 election, urban affairs, and the vice presidency (1973‑1974)
1974‑77 Press Secretary to
the President, The White House
1977‑80 Freelance writer
and lecturer
1980‑84 Senior Vice
President, Marston & Rothenberg Public Affairs,
Inc.,
1984‑ Vice
President, Mutual Broadcasting System
INTRODUCTION
Ron Nessen
was appointed White House Press Secretary on
Organization and
Function of the Office of the Press Secretary
As Press
Secretary to the President from
While the duties
of the Press Secretary were many and varied, the major responsibility of
everyone in the Press Office was to respond to questions from the news media
relating to the President and his official actions and activities. Although the President articulated official
policy and his appointees spoke on his behalf on subjects over which they had
jurisdiction, the day‑to‑day news concerning the President and his
policies was relayed through regular briefings for the White House press corps
and responses to daily queries.
The main source
for news and information from the White House was the Press Secretary's daily
briefing. The briefing began with
announcements concerning the President's activities and the floor was then
opened for the press corps to question the Press Secretary. In addition to the regular daily briefing,
special briefings were held to announce new programs or to bring before the
press corps administration spokesmen on major issues.
In addition, the
Press Office was responsible for arrangements needed for the news media at presidential
functions where the press was in attendance.
This included news conferences, formal and informal events and
ceremonies, and coverage of dignitaries and officials who visited the President
in his office. If there were space
limitations for the press at any event involving the President, it was the
responsibility of the Press Office to select a "pool" of reporters
and photographers who made their reports and photos available to all. The Press Office was also responsible for
preparing press releases regarding the activities of the President, such as
speeches, messages, nominations, daily schedules and appointments.
Much of the
Press Secretary's time was spent as an administrator. Nessen was also
responsible for other divisions within the Press Office which handled specific
activities. The Office of Press Advance
handled arrangements for press coverage when the President traveled. Of the 3,000 accredited reporters about 100
to 150 normally traveled with the President outside
The Office of
Television Advisors, headed by Robert Mead, handled the arrangements for
presidential radio and television appearances.
This office also advised the President on the use of the television
medium.
The Office of
the White House Photographer, headed by David Kennerly,
was attached to the press section but was transferred to the Office of the
White House Operations under Donald Rumsfeld's
direction in 1975.
The largest
subdivision within the office of the Press Secretary was the Office of
Communications. An independent entity
during the Nixon administration, the Communications Office during the Ford administration
handled the scheduling of media appearances by the President and administration
spokesmen outside Washington, prepared the President's daily news summary,
responded to requests for information from the out‑of‑town press,
and maintained a close working relationship with the public affairs officers of
various executive branch departments and agencies. Deputy Press Secretary Gerald Warren and
Assistant Press Secretary Margita White,
successively directed this office until June 1976 when the operation was
reconstituted and headed by David Gergen until the
end of the administration.
In addition to Nessen's responsibilities as the President's spokesman and
administrator of the Press Office, he also acted as a senior editorial and
communications advisor on the President's immediate staff. Nessen or one of
his deputies conferred with the President regularly concerning how issues
should be presented to the press to effectively promote administration
policies.
Scope and
Content of the Nessen Files
This inventory
describes the files Ron Nessen left in the White
House in 1977 to become part of Gerald Ford's presidential materials. They are called the Nessen
Files. There is a separate and much
larger collection known as the Nessen Papers,
consisting of very closely related materials donated to the Library by Mr. Nessen in 1980.
The heart of the
Nessen Files are the daily briefing transcripts, and
especially case files on presidential interviews which typically include
requests, background and transcripts.
This "Presidential Media Interviews" series is not quite
complete, however. Several presidential
interviews do not appear here but are available in the Nessen
Papers.
The related
series "Media Requests for Interviews with the President" documents only
some requests. Other requests for
interviews with the President are scattered in several locations, but the
majority are in the White House Central Files Subject File category Publicity ‑
News Leaks (PR 16).
Other portions
of the Nessen Files include somewhat fragmentary
subject and correspondence files, reference files, drafts of press releases,
and transcripts of Sunday public affairs interview shows. Other related collections in the Ford Library
at this writing include all of those in the Office of the Press Secretary. The audiovisual holdings of the Library also
include a complete set of video tapes of President Ford's press conferences and
audiotapes of Nessen's daily briefings. There is a subject indexed set of White House
press releases in the White House Permanent Operating Offices.
Related
Materials (August 1983):
See especially
the Ron Nessen Papers, the files of members of the
Press Secretary's staff, and White House Central Files Subject File category PR
(Public Relations).
Series
Descriptions
1‑23 Press Secretary's Press Briefing
Transcripts, 1974-77. (9.2
linear feet)
Complete set of
transcripts of the Press Secretary's daily briefings. Occasionally, a special additional briefing was
held to announce a new program or to bring before the White House press corps
an administration spokesman on a major issue.
Most briefings were held in the White House press briefing room, but
briefings were also held outside
Briefings are
numbered consecutively and arranged chronologically. An incomplete index appears in
24 Presidential Press
Conference Transcripts, 1974-76. (0.4
linear feet)
Complete set of
transcripts of President Ford's press conferences. Videotapes of the press conferences are
available in the Library audiovisual collection.
Arranged
chronologically.
25‑33 Presidential Media Interviews,
1974-76. (3.6 linear feet)
Case files of
correspondence, memoranda, schedule proposals, briefing papers, interview
transcripts, press releases, and printed materials relating to interviews that
President Ford granted to media representatives. The file is fairly complete, but a few are
missing ‑ see also a file of media interviews in the Nessen
Papers.
Arranged
chronologically.
34‑35 Outgoing Correspondence with the
Media, 1974-76. (0.8
linear feet)
Carbon copies of
outgoing correspondence with the media dated no later than
Arranged
alphabetically by state and thereunder
chronologically. A small country file of
similar material follows.
36‑43 Subject File, 1974-77. (3.2 linear feet)
Memoranda,
referrals, correspondence, National Security Council briefing papers, background
papers and interview transcripts.
Subjects include selected state visits, press corps Christmas card list,
civil emergency procedures, 1976 elections, Inter‑American Development
Bank, economic issues, press office operations and referrals of public
correspondence to appropriate government agencies. Also included are transcripts of briefings
and interviews with the President, Betty Ford, Donald Rumsfeld,
Henry Kissinger, James Baker and Nelson Rockefeller not released to the press
at the time. Note:
There are nineteen additional feet of Nessen's
subject file in the Nessen Papers.
Arranged
alphabetically by subject.
44‑45 White House Staff Memoranda, 1974. (0.6 linear feet)
Copies of
memoranda between Nessen and members of the White House
staff outside the press office. Much of
the material is administrative and concerns daily operation of the press
office. Occasionally a personal memo is
included. There are several memoranda to
the President. Note: This file includes
copies of memoranda from 1974 only. The
complete set of Nessen's White House Staff Memos is
part of the Nessen Papers.
Arranged
by correspondent or subject, when that subject is a person.
45 Press Office Staff
Memoranda, 1974. (0.2 linear feet)
Copies
of memoranda between Nessen and members of the press
office staff. Much of the material
relates to press office operations and arrangements for briefings and
trips. Also included are Nessen's notes of meetings with various staff members. Note: This file include
copies of memoranda from 1974 only. The
complete set of Nessen's Press Office Staff Memoranda
is a part of the Nessen Papers.
Arranged
by correspondent or by subject, when that subject is a person.
46‑47 Media Requests for Interviews with
the President, 1974-76. (0.8 linear
feet)
Partial
compilation of copies of requests for presidential interviews, and carbons of
responses from Ron Nessen and Randall Woods, Deputy
Director of the Office of Communications.
Earliest requests date from August 1974 with the bulk dating from the
spring of 1976. Requests include those
from newspapers, radio and television stations and magazines. Interview requests appear to have been kept
on file to be considered for acceptance during the presidential campaign in
1976. Compiled on a state‑by‑state
basis and then again during the early primaries and the Republican
Convention. For those granted see the
series "Presidential Media Interviews." Originals of these requests and backup
correspondence are filed in the White House Central File Subject File
designation, Publicity ‑ News Leaks (PR 16).
Arranged
alphabetically by state and thereunder
chronologically.
48‑52 Press Secretary's Chronological
File, 1974-77. (1.8
linear feet)
Carbon copies of
correspondence, much of it form letters, from the Press Secretary to the
public. Included are letters signed by
Jerald TerHorst, John W. Hushen
(acting Press Secretary) and Ronald Nessen. Letters were sent in
response to comments from the public concerning press conferences, the Rockefeller
nomination, inquires concerning jobs, questions concerning press office
operations and requests for photos. No
incoming correspondence is included.
Arranged
chronologically.
52 J. William Roberts
Chronological File, 1974-76. (0.2 linear feet)
Correspondence
and memoranda of J. William Roberts, Assistant to the Press Secretary. Incoming material is often attached to the
outgoing response. Subjects include
arrangements for press pools on presidential trips, invitations to speak,
requests from the public for information, press coverage of state visits,
complaints from members of the press corps, and personal correspondence to
friends in the media.
Arranged
chronologically.
53‑54 Press Release Subject File,
1974-76. (0.8 linear feet)
Copies
of selected White House press releases arranged by subject. The file is not inclusive.
Arranged
alphabetically by subject and thereunder
chronologically.
55‑62 Draft Presidential News Releases,
1974-77. (3.2
linear feet)
Drafts
and final copies of presidential statements, speeches, and announcements of
appointments. Some of these releases were
drafted by press office staff but most originated with the editorial staff and
were sent to the press office to be released.
Occasionally included is a speech draft which does not appear in any
other White House staff office file.
Also included are press pool reports sent to the press office for
posting. There are a substantial number
of these for President Ford's trip to
Arranged
chronologically.
63‑71 Sunday Interview Show Transcripts,
1974-76. (3.6 linear feet)
Transcripts
of the three major Sunday interview shows for the period of the Ford
Administration. Very few transcripts for Issues
and Answers, Meet the Press and Face the Nation are missing.
Transcripts are
arranged by show and thereunder chronologically.
72‑75 Federal Statistical System Weekly
Briefing Notes, 1975-76. (1.6 linear
feet)
Nessen's incomplete set
of Weekly Briefing Notes prepared for the President and the Vice President by
the Federal Statistical System measuring at regular intervals various social
and economic indicators. Occasional
special reports are included on such subjects as crime and criminal justice and
conditions and status of minority groups in
Arranged
chronologically.
76‑81 Publications File, 1974-77. (2.4 linear feet)
Reports,
journals, magazines and pamphlets. Incomplete sets and single issues of national publications and
journals on topics of local interest.
Also included are publications of radio and television stations, private
industry, cities and states, professional organizations, and government
departments and agencies. Some materials
are filed by subject, others by title and the remainder by the name of the
agency or company which published them.
Arranged alphabetically by folder title
Container List
Index to Press
Secretary Briefings, A‑G
Index to Press
Secretary Briefings, H‑O
Index to Press
Secretary Briefings, P‑Z
8/74 - 10/76
3/10‑15/75
‑ John Hersey, "New York Times"
