Gerald R. Ford Library 1000 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2114 www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov

White House Operations

RICHARD B. CHENEY

Deputy Assistant to the President;

Assistant to the President for White House Operations:

Files, 1974‑77

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Files concerning numerous domestic and foreign policy issues, investigations of the intelligence community, Supreme Court and other personnel appointments, 1974 and 1977 transitions, and the 1976 presidential election, especially the campaign for the Republican nomination.

QUANTITY

8.4 linear feet (ca. 16,800 pages)

DONOR

Gerald R. Ford (accession numbers 77‑102, 77‑107, 77‑117, and 78‑61)

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Gerald R. Ford has donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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 H. McNitt, August 1985

[s:\bin\findaid\cheney, richard - files.doc]

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Richard Bruce Cheney

January 30, 1941 Born, Lincoln, Nebraska

1965 B.A., University of Wyoming

1966 M.A., University of Wyoming

1966 Staff aide to Governor Warren Knowles (R-Wisconsin)

1966‑68 Graduate student, University of Wisconsin

1969 Congressional Fellow, American Political Science Association - served on the staff of U.S. Representative William A. Steiger (R-Wisconsin)

1969‑1970 Special Assistant to Donald Rumsfeld, Director, U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity

1970‑71 Deputy to Counsellor to the President Donald Rumsfeld, The White House

1971‑73 Assistant Director for Operations, Cost of Living Council

1973‑74 Partner, Bradley, Woods & Co. investment advisory firm

Sept. 1974-Nov. 1975 Deputy Assistant to the President for White House Operations

Nov. 1975-Jan. 1977 Assistant to the President for White House Operations ("Chief of Staff")

1977‑78 Partner, Bradley, Woods & Co.; public policy consultant, Washington, DC and Casper, WY

1979- U.S. Representative from Wyoming

1981- Chairman, House Republican Policy Committee

INTRODUCTION

During the Ford administration, Richard Cheney held the positions of Deputy Assistant and Assistant to the President for White House Operations, titles commonly referred to by the news media and others as "Deputy Chief of Staff" and "Chief of Staff." He initially served as deputy to Donald Rumsfeld and succeeded him in November 1975 when Rumsfeld became Secretary of Defense. This collection contains material concerning Cheney's work in both positions.

Discussed below under separate headings are the organization and functions of the White House Operations Office, the scope and content of the Cheney files, and related materials in the Ford Library.

Organization and Functions of the White House Operations Office

The Assistant to the President for White House Operations worked with the President and senior staff to insure the smooth operation of the White House, chaired daily senior staff meetings, managed the flow of information to and from the President, coordinated the personnel appointments process, and handled liaison with political groups. He also supervised the work of the following staff offices:

Staff Secretary

Cabinet Secretary

Scheduling and Advance

Presidential Personnel

White House Photographers

President's Office (personal staff of the President)

Originally the staff of the White House Operations Office consisted only of the Assistant to the President, the Deputy Assistant, Special Consultant Robert Goldwin, and their secretaries. Foster Chanock, H. James Field, and James Reichley joined the staff between October 1975 and May 1976, with most of their duties relating to the presidential election campaign. After Cheney became the Assistant to the President in November 1975, the deputy position remained vacant until the appointment of James Cavanaugh in July 1976.

Scope and Content of the Cheney Files

The Cheney files consist partly of materials created by or addressed to Cheney and partly of materials addressed to the President by other White House staff members, campaign committee officials, friends of the President, government officials, and Republican leaders. The President apparently transmitted most of these documents to Cheney for his information or handling.

The two topics most heavily documented in the Cheney files are the 1976 presidential campaign and the 1975 investigations of the intelligence community.

The bulk of the campaign materials (over two linear feet) concern President Ford's efforts to obtain the Republican nomination, May 1975-August 1976. Included are such items as a virtually complete set of progress reports from President Ford Committee chairmen Howard "Bo" Callaway and Rogers Morton, July 1975-July 1976; letters from Republican leaders giving campaign advice; handwritten messages from the President to Cheney; and the President's handwritten notes concerning telephone calls to Republican convention delegates, June-August 1976.

Materials on the intelligence investigations (over one linear foot) concern such topics as William Colby's report to the President in December 1974 on alleged abuses by the Central Intelligence Agency, the establishment and operation of the Rockefeller Commission, congressional investigations, and proposed presidential actions to reform the intelligence community.

Researchers interested in the intelligence investigations or other topics relating to national defense and foreign affairs questions should be aware that archivists have withdrawn numerous classified documents during processing. These are not currently available for research, but researchers may initiate requests for agency review for possible declassification.

The amount of material on most topics other than the campaign or the intelligence investigations is fairly small. The collection concerns a wide range of domestic and foreign policy issues, personnel appointments (including the nomination of John Paul Stevens to the Supreme Court), and the 1974 and 1977 transitions. What the files lack in quantity, they often make up for in quality. Many folders contain the originals of significant documents addressed to the President and/or notes exchanged between Cheney and the President.

One area that is not well documented in this collection is the large number of meetings that Cheney attended. Although the senior staff met on a daily basis, only a few scattered notes by Cheney on the discussions appear in the files. Similarly, there are few notes from Cheney's meetings with the President and other individuals.

Related Materials (August 1985):

The files of Alexander Haig relate to his work as Chief of Staff during August and September 1974. The Library has no collection of Donald Rumsfeld files covering his work in this position. The files of Cheney's assistants James Field, Robert Goldwin, and James Reichley are available for research.

Related materials on the intelligence investigations can be found in White House Central Files category ND 6 and in several collections in the Congressional Relations Office, especially the files of Vernon Loen and Charles Leppert.

Collections containing material on the 1976 presidential campaign are described on the Ford Library handout "The 1976 Presidential Election: A Guide to Manuscript Collections Available for Research."

Series Descriptions

1‑13 General Subject File, 1974‑77. (5.2 linear feet)

Memoranda, correspondence, handwritten notes from the President to Cheney, briefing papers, option papers, decision memoranda, recommended telephone call forms, reports, testimony, hearing transcripts, press releases, schedules, and clippings. These materials concern a wide variety of domestic and foreign policy issues and personnel appointments. Over one foot of material relates to the 1975 investigations of the intelligence community. Other topics include: federal budgets, common situs picketing legislation, organization and operation of the Domestic Council, economic and energy issues, Panama Canal treaty negotiations, role of Vice President Nelson Rockefeller in the administration, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, nomination of John Paul Stevens to the Supreme Court, 1974 and 1977 transitions, and the final weeks of the war in Vietnam.

Arranged alphabetically by topic.

14‑16 President Ford Committee Weekly Reports to the President, July 1975-July 1976. (0.9 linear feet)

Originals (and occasional copies) of detailed reports on the campaign submitted to the President by PFC Chairmen Howard "Bo" Callaway and Rogers Morton. The reports cover such topics as organization and staffing of the PFC, state campaign organizations, legal matters, delegate selection, fundraising, press contacts, advocate schedules, campaign advertising, and campaign leaflets. Reports #3 and #4, covering late July and early August 1975, were missing when the collection was received, but have been added from other sources. The PFC apparently discontinued these reports after the middle of July 1976.

Arranged chronologically.

16‑19 Campaign Subject File, 1975‑76. (1.4 linear feet)

Memoranda, correspondence, handwritten notes from the President to Cheney, briefing papers, recommended telephone call forms, and clippings. Although some material relates to the fall campaign against Jimmy Carter, the bulk of the series concerns the campaign for the Republican nomination. Topics include: campaign advice from Republican leaders, organization and operation of the President Ford Committee and its advertising division, Campaign '76 Media Communications, Inc.; meetings with and telephone calls to convention delegates (including the President's handwritten notes re the telephone calls); and the presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.

Arranged alphabetically by topic.

19‑21 Correspondence File, 1974‑76. (0.9 linear feet)

Correspondence, mostly between Cheney and businessmen, local officials, and the general public. The series consists mostly of carbon copies of outgoing letters and attached photocopies of incoming letters. The originals of many of the incoming letters appear in the White House Central Files. Although occasional items from the early part of the administration are included, the bulk of the series dates from Cheney's service as Assistant to the President after November 1975. The correspondence concerns legislation, invitations, congratulations, personnel matters, and the 1976 presidential campaign. Some specific topics on which a significant amount of material appears are: bilingual education program budget cut, common situs picketing legislation, National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Act, maximum allowable cost program, antitrust legislation, and the Energy Conservation and Oil Policy Act.

Arranged alphabetically by correspondent.

Container List

Box 1 General Subject File

Abortion

Advance Schools, Inc.

Agency for International Development

Agriculture Secretary (1)‑(3)

Ambassador to Spain

Ash, Roy

Aviation Noise Control

Bailey, Pearl

Baum, William W.

Belin, David

Budget (FY1977) ‑ Agriculture and Small Agencies (1)‑(2)

Budget (FY1977) ‑ HUD

Budget (FY1977) ‑ NASA

Budget ‑ General

Busing

Cabinet

Cambodia

Camp David

Capitol Hill Club

Cargo Preference

China ‑ Ford Visit

China ‑ Possible Elliot Richardson Trip

China ‑ Report on Mao Tse‑tung

China ‑ Richard Nixon Trip

Civil Aeronautics Board ‑ Personnel Changes

Civil Aeronautics Board ‑ Publication of Decisions

Civil Aeronautics Board ‑ Transportes Aereos Portugueses Decision

Civil Defense Policy

Box 2 General Subject File

Coal Strike

Cole, Sterling

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

Commission on the Organization of Government for the Conduct of Foreign Policy

Report

Common Situs Picketing ‑ General

Common Situs Picketing ‑ Transcripts of Hearings (1)‑(9)

Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe

Box 3 General Subject File

Congress ‑ Falsifying Committee Transcripts

Corruption in Government Legislation (S.495)

Crime Message

Cuba ‑ Military Intervention in Africa

Defense ‑ Briefing on Installation Reductions and Closures

Defense ‑ General

Defense ‑ Hearings on Donald Rumsfeld's Nomination

Delaney, Patrick

Domestic Council ‑ Meeting, June 10, 1976

Domestic Council ‑ Reorganization

Domestic Council ‑ Review Group on Regulatory Reform

Domestic Council ‑ Study of Federal Social Programs

Domestic Council ‑ Vice President's Role

Domestic Council and OMB Directorships

Dow Chemical

Dunlop, John (1)‑(2)

Economic ‑ Deficit Financing and Capital Markets

Economic ‑ General

Economic And Energy Proposals

‑ Congressional Leadership Breakfast, Jan. 16, 1975

‑ Spokesman's Briefing Book, Jan. 27, 1975 (1)‑(3)

‑ Spokesman's Briefing Book, Jan. 29, 1975

‑ Spokesman's Briefing Book, Jan. 31, 1975 (1)‑(2)

Box 4 General Subject File

Economic And Energy Proposals

‑ Spokesman's Briefing Book, Jan. 31, 1975 (1)‑(2)

Economic Intelligence Weekly

Economic Policy Board Meeting, Dec. 21, 1974

Economic Policy Board Meeting, Sept. 16, 1976

Economic Policy Review (1)‑(3)

Economic Review

Economic Summit ‑ Puerto Rico

Economic Summit ‑ Rambouillet, France

Education for the Handicapped

Electronic Surveillance Legislation

Energy

‑ General

‑ International Oil Developments Reports

‑ Morbark Industries

‑ Natural Gas Shortfall (1)‑(2)

‑ Nuclear Power

‑ Oil Price Decontrol

Box 5 General Subject File

Energy

‑ Personnel Changes

‑ Synthetic Fuels

Energy Policy Options Paper

Energy Resources Finance Corporation (1)‑(2)

European Community Subsidized Cheese Transshipments

Federal Trade Commission

Feldman, Trude

Food Aid (PL480)

Food Stamps Reform

Ford, Betty

Fortune Magazine Bicentennial Issue

Funeral Delegations

General Revenue Sharing

General Services Administration

Graham, Billy

Grain Sales to the Soviet Union

Gramshammer, Pepi

Grand Canyon National Park Enlargement Act

Gun Control

Hoffman, Milton

Housing

Immigration of Soviet Union Refugees Living in Italy

Indochina Refugees

Intelligence Subseries

Appointment of CIA Director

Colby Report

Colby Testimony (1)

Box 6 General Subject File

Intelligence Subseries

Colby Testimony (2)

Congressional Investigations (1)‑(3)

Decision Book (1)‑(4)

Intelligence ‑ General

Meeting to Review Decision Book

New York Times Articles by Seymour Hersh (1)‑(2)

Olson, Frank

Options Paper

Box 7 General Subject File

Intelligence Subseries

President's Actions Draft Report (1)‑(2)

President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board

President's Meeting with Richard Helms

Release of Documents to the Church Committee (1)‑(2)

Reorganization

Report by James J. Angleton

Report on CIA Assassination Plots (1)‑(2)

Rockefeller Commission ‑ General

Rockefeller Commission ‑ Implementation of Recommendations

Rockefeller Commission Report ‑ Final (1)

Box 8 General Subject File

Intelligence Subseries

Rockefeller Commission Report ‑ Final (2)‑(4)

Rockefeller Commission Report ‑ General

Rockefeller Commission Report ‑ Working Copy

Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin

Issues Briefing Book, Nov. 1975 (1)‑(2)

Issues Briefing Book, Oct. 1976 (1)‑(5)

Box 9 General Subject File

Kahn, Herman (1)‑(2)

Kissinger, Henry ‑ Removal of Documents from the White House

Kluczynski, John

Laird, Melvin

Law of the Sea Negotiations

Lebanon Crisis

Legislation ‑ General

Lewis, James ‑ Immigration Request

Library of Congress

Luce, Clare Booth

Mayaguez Crisis

McCrary, Tex

Mexico ‑ Proposed Meeting with Jose Lopez Portillo

Microwave Study ‑ American Embassy ‑ Moscow

Middle East

Milliken, William E.

New Hampshire Senate Seat

New York City Financial Crisis

Office of Telecommunications Policy

Olympics

Panama Canal ‑ Ellsworth Bunker Congressional Testimony

Panama Canal ‑ General

Panama Canal ‑ Photographs of the 1964 Incident

Paris Air Show

Parks Proposal

Passman, Otto

Penny, Don

Personnel ‑ General

Personnel ‑ Presidential Personnel Office Director

Postal Rate Commission

Postal Service Legislation

President ‑ Assassination Attempt

President ‑ Ford Vision of the Good Society

President ‑ Golf

President ‑ Media Contacts

President ‑ Meeting with the Pope

President ‑ Miscellaneous Notes to Dick Cheney

Box 10 General Subject File

President ‑ Request for Tickets to the 1977 Inauguration

President ‑ Schedule

President ‑ Succession Arrangements

President ‑ Telephone Calls

President ‑ Television Ratings Summary

President ‑ Trips

Presidential Clemency Board

Presidential Commission on School Integration

Privacy Legislation

Railroads

Republican National Committee

Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee

Reserve Officers Association Mid‑Winter Conference

Rockefeller, Nelson ‑ Meeting with the President, June 4, 1976

Rockefeller, Nelson ‑ Progress Report on Assignments

Rockefeller, Nelson ‑ Role as Vice President

San Diego, CA ‑ Proposed Federal Correctional Facility (1)‑(3)

Sandman, Charles

Savings Bonds

Secret Service

Securities and Exchange Commission

Senior Staff Meeting, Nov. 14, 1974

Small Business Leaders Meeting with the President

Social Security Finances

Social Security Tax

Solzhenitsyn, Alexander

State Department Personnel Changes

State of the Union Address, 1975

Box 11 General Subject File

State of the Union Address, 1976

State of the Union Address, 1977

Steel Price Adjustments

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks ‑ Briefing Paper

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks ‑ General

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks ‑ Options Paper

Student Loan Program

Summary of Presidential Nominations and Appointments, Mar. 1976 (1)‑(2)

Summary of Presidential Nominations and Appointments, Apr. 1976 (1)‑(2)

Supreme Court Nomination

‑ Background on Recommended Candidates

‑ Letters to the President

‑ Opinions of John Paul Stevens on Environmental Questions

Tax Cut / Spending Limitation Proposal

Tax Exempt Status of Private Educational Institutions

Television Series on the American Presidency

Tennessee Valley Authority

Box 12 General Subject File

Transition (1974)

‑ Possible Candidates for Appointment to Positions (1)‑(2)

‑ Suggestions from the Cabinet and Agency Directors (1)‑(2)

‑ White House and Cabinet Personnel Report

Transition (1977)

‑ Analysis of White House Organization (1)‑(3)

‑ Briefing Book for Second Ford Administration (1)‑(2)

‑ General

Transportation Secretary

Trident Submarine

Truck Brake Regulations

Truck Regulatory Reform

Tulley, John Patrick

U.S. Military Academy

Unemployment Statistics

United Nations Ambassador

United Parcel Service Strike

United Service Organizations

Vail Trip

Vice Presidential Staff Salary Increases

Box 13 General Subject File

Vietnam ‑ Correspondence from Richard Nixon to Nguyen Van Thieu

Vietnam ‑ General

Vietnam ‑ Question and Answer Briefing Sheets

Vocational Rehabilitation Bill

Voting Rights Act Extension

Waggoner, Joe

Welfare Reform ‑ Caspar Weinberger Proposal (1)‑(2)

Welfare Reform ‑ Ronald Reagan Letter and Report

White House Public Forums on Domestic Policy Report (1)‑(5)

White House Social Events List

Box 14 President Ford Committee Weekly Reports to the President

July 15, 1975 - February 28, 1976

Box 15 President Ford Committee Weekly Reports to the President

March 6 - June 17, 1976

Box 16 President Ford Committee Weekly Reports to the President

June 28 - July 13, 1976

Campaign Subject File

Baker, Howard ‑ Meeting with the President, Sept. 13, 1976

Belin, David

Butz, Earl

Campaign Communications Strategy (1)‑(3)

Campaign Strategy ‑ Advice to the President

Carter, Jimmy

Connally, John

Conservative Third Party

Convention ‑ General

Convention Delegates

‑ General

‑ Maryland

‑ New Jersey

‑ New York

‑ Virgin Islands

Debates

Dole, Robert

Federal Election Campaign Act

Ford, Jack

Goldwater, Barry

Graham, Billy

Green, Edith

House and Senate Wednesday Groups

Longley, James

Marsh, John

Box 17 Campaign Subject File

MIA Task Force

Morton, Rogers

National Republican Congressional Committee Fundraising Letter

National Republican Congressional Committee Speech Kit (1)‑(2)

Paulucci, Jeno

Polling

President

‑ Financial Disclosure

‑ Investigations of his Finances

‑ Letter of Support from Republican Congressmen

‑ Miscellaneous Notes to Dick Cheney

‑ Telephone Calls (1)‑(8)

Box 18 Campaign Subject File

President

‑ Telephone Calls (9)

President Ford '76 Factbook (1)‑(3)

President Ford Committee

‑ Advertising Policy

‑ Advisory Committee Meeting

‑ Establishment (1)‑(5)

‑ Fundraising

‑ General

‑ Lee Nunn Resignation as Political Director

‑ Lists of Officials and Staff, Nov. 1975

Box 19 Campaign Subject File

Primary Campaign Media Interview Rehearsals, April 14, 1976

Reagan, Ronald

Rhodes, John

Rockefeller, Nelson

Spokesmen Program

State Campaign Information

‑ California

‑ Connecticut

‑ Delaware

‑ Florida

‑ Georgia

‑ Illinois

‑ Indiana

‑ Iowa

‑ Kansas

‑ Michigan

‑ Minnesota

‑ Mississippi

‑ Missouri

‑ Nebraska

‑ New Hampshire

‑ New York

‑ North Dakota

‑ Ohio

‑ Oklahoma

‑ Oregon

‑ Pennsylvania

‑ South Carolina

‑ Texas

‑ Utah

‑ Virginia

Vice President

Volpe, John

Young Republican Conferences

Correspondence File

A‑B

Box 20 Correspondence File

C‑L

Box 21 Correspondence File

M‑Z