|
|
Gerald R. Ford Library1000 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2114www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov |
|
|
Gerald R. Ford Library1000 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2114www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov |
Congressional
Relations Office
VERNON
C. LOEN and CHARLES LEPPERT
Deputy
Assistants to the President
for
Legislative Affairs (House):
Files,
1974-77
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION
The
collection documents White House contacts with members of the U.S. House of
Representatives, 1974‑77, regarding legislation, personnel appointments,
and routine requests and courtesies.
Significant materials appear on most major energy issues which were the
subject of considerable congressional debate.
A few defense and foreign policy issues, including the intelligence
investigations, the Sinai agreement, military aid for Turkey and the end of
American involvement in Vietnam and Cambodia are also documented here.
QUANTITY
17.6 linear feet
(ca. 35,200 pages)
DONOR
Gerald R. Ford
(accession numbers 77-59 and 77-107)
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donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished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,
September 1984
[s:\bin\findaid\loen, vernon and leppert, charles - files.doc]
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Vernon Carroll
Loen
Oct. 18, 1931 Born, Howard, SD
1949‑53
1953 Salesman,
Sears, Roebuck and Co., Sioux Falls, SD
1954‑58 Clerk, U.S.
Senator Francis Case
1958‑61 Clerk, U.S.
Representative Benjamin Reifel
1969‑73 Administrative
Assistant, U.S. Representative Albert Quie
1973‑76 Congressional
Relations Office, White House
1976‑77 Assistant to the
Associate Administrator for External Affairs, NASA
1977‑81 Administrative
Assistant to U.S. Representative James Abdnor
1981‑? Administrative Assistant
to U.S. Senator James Abdnor
BIOGRAPHICAL
INFORMATION
Charles Leppert,
Jr.
Oct. 31, 1932 Born, Johnstown,
Pennsylvania
1950‑51 Saint Francis
College, Loretto, PA
1951‑54
1954‑58 Active Duty, U.S.
Marine Corps Reserve
1958‑61
1961‑65 Private Practice
of Law,
1965‑75 Minority Counsel,
Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs,
U.S. House of Representatives
1975‑77 Congressional
Relations Office, White House
1977‑80(?) Staff Director,
Republican Policy Committee, U.S. House of Representatives
NOTE ‑ for
biographical sketches of the Special Assistants who worked in this office see
the Ford Library vertical file under each of their names.
INTRODUCTION
The Loen and Leppert files document White
House liaison with the House of Representatives, 1974‑1977. Max Friedersdorf was in charge of House
liaison through December 1974, and he was succeeded by Vernon Loen (Jan. 1975 ‑
March 1976) and then Charles Leppert (April 1976 ‑ Jan. 1977). This collection includes material produced by
all three and their assistants.
The
Congressional Relations Office lobbied for the administration's point of view
on proposed legislation, informed the President and his staff of congressional
views and the status of legislation, assessed the potential outcome of key
congressional votes, and arranged meetings and telephone calls between the
President and members of the House. Much
of the staff's time, however, was consumed by more routine tasks such as
clearing personnel appointments with the Minority Leader's office; responding
to Congressional mail concerning personnel appointments; monitoring
congressional invitations to White House
social events; notifying congressional offices of disaster declarations,
government grants and presidential trips; and handling congressional requests
for photographs, birthday and anniversary greetings for constituents, and
Kennedy Center tickets.
This collection
documents, at least in part, all of these congressional liaison functions. The materials concerning legislation and
issues show interactions between the Congressional Relations staff and the
President, other White House staff, and agency officials. Occasional assessments of congressional
opinion and legislative status are also included. For the most part however, the collection
does not document the lobbying of members of Congress on specific legislation,
much of which was apparently carried out orally.
The
Congressional investigations of abuses by the intelligence community,
especially the organization and operation of the House Select Committee on
Intelligence (the Pike Committee), is well documented. Approximately 2,000 pages concern this
subject. Significant materials appear on
most major energy issues facing the Ford administration and several other
domestic issues which were the subject of considerable congressional debate. A few foreign policy questions which required
congressional action such as the Sinai Agreement, military aid for Turkey, and
the end of American involvement in Vietnam and Cambodia are also documented
here. This collection also includes much
material relating to the involvement of the Congressional Relations Office in
personnel matters. Included are mail
logs, responses to congressional mail, and materials showing the clearance of
each appointment with House Minority Leader John Rhodes. Formal briefing papers and schedule
proposals, with some related correspondence and memoranda, document the role of
this office in arranging meetings between the President and members of the
House. The vast majority of these
meetings were routine in nature, however, and did not relate to issues or
legislation.
Related
Materials (September 1984):
Most collections
at the Ford Library contain some information on relations with congressmen and
issues which engaged House attention.
Especially noteworthy are the files of Loen and Leppert's colleagues in
the Congressional Relations Office and files of Counsellor John March, to whom
the office head reported. In White House
Central files, categories LE (Legislation) and FG 37 (Congress and its several
parts) provide some overview of White House relations with Congress.
Series
Descriptions
1‑27 General Subject File,
1974-77. (10.8 linear feet)
Memoranda to and
from White House staff and agency officials; fact sheets; proposed bills; press
releases; vote tallies; correspondence to and from members of Congress,
congressional staff and the public; committee reports; clippings, and
publications. The materials concern
legislation, issues, bill signing ceremonies, the organization and operation of
Congress, congressional requests, disaster declarations, grant notifications,
presidential trips, and State of the Union addresses. In terms of issues and legislation, many of
the larger files concern energy issues such as coal leasing, Energy Policy and
Conservation Act, natural gas deregulation, Naval Petroleum Reserves, Nuclear
Fuels Assurance Act (uranium enrichment), oil import fees, strip mining and
synthetic fuels. Other well documented
issues include: Arab Boycott, Clean Air Act amendments, intelligence
investigations (especially the work of the House Select Committee on
Intelligence), public works employment act, revenue sharing, the Sinai
agreements of 1975, taxes, trade, military aid to Turkey, the war in Vietnam
and Cambodia, and voter registration.
Arranged
alphabetically by subject.
28 Presidential Meetings with
Congressional Leaders, 1974-76. (0.2
linear feet)
Briefing papers,
memoranda and lists concerning Presidential meetings with the Republican
leadership or bipartisan leadership of Congress.
Arranged
Chronologically.
28‑31 Presidential Meetings with Members
of the House of Representatives, 1974-76.
(1.4 linear feet)
Schedule
proposals, briefing papers, memoranda and correspondence concerning the
President's meetings with members of Congress, either individually or in groups. Many of these meetings were routine in nature
and merely allowed a congressman to introduce to the President prominent
constituents such as the local "Apple Queen." However, some meetings
related to issues and legislation.
Arranged
chronologically.
32 Eugene Ainsworth
Chronological File, Aug.-Dec. 1974. (0.1
linear feet)
Copies of
outgoing correspondence and memoranda.
Only a small part of this file relates to legislation or issues, while the
bulk consists of responses to requests for photographs or birthday greetings,
schedule proposals, routine briefing papers, and correspondence concerning
personnel matters and gifts to the President.
Arranged
chronologically.
32 Douglas Bennett Chronological
File, Jan.-June 1975. (0.3 linear feet)
Copies of
outgoing correspondence and memoranda.
Some relates to legislation and issues, but much concerns personnel
matters, Kennedy Center tickets, photograph requests, schedule proposals, and
routine briefing papers.
Arranged
Chronologically.
33‑36 Vernon Loen Chronological File,
1974-76. (1.6 linear feet)
Copies of
outgoing correspondence and memoranda.
While some documents concern legislation or summarize congressional
views on issues, the bulk concerns personnel matters, gifts, schedule
proposals, pen letters, telephone call recommendations, Kennedy Center tickets,
photograph requests and birthday and wedding anniversary greetings requests.
Arranged
chronologically.
37‑38 Patronage Logs, 1974-76. (0.7 linear feet)
Logs showing
personnel appointments, congressional mail concerning appointments,
resignations, and clearance of appointments with House Minority Leader John
Rhodes.
Arranged
alphabetically by type of log.
38‑39 Patronage Subject File, 1974-76. (0.2 linear feet)
Routine
memoranda, correspondence and clippings concerning a few specific personnel
appointments and general procedures.
Arranged
alphabetically by type of log.
39‑43 Patronage Clearances File,
1975-76. (1.9 linear feet)
Presidential
Personnel Office memoranda to the President concerning candidates for
positions, with annotations showing when House Minority Leader John Rhodes was
informed of the proposed appointment and what his reaction was.
Arranged
alphabetically. If only one candidate is
mentioned the material is filed under that person's name. When several candidates were under
consideration, the documents are filed under the key word in the position title
(i.e. National Advisory Council on Indian Education under "I" for Indian).
44 Patronage
Chronological File, Oct.-Dec. 1974. (0.4
linear feet)
Carbon copies of
outgoing memoranda and correspondence relating to personnel matters. The location of the missing portion of this
file is not known.
Arranged
chronologically.
Container List
Abortion
Action Memoranda
Log
Africa Policy
Agriculture
(1)-(2)
Ainsworth,
Eugene ‑ Personal
Airport and
Airways Development Act
Alaska Native
Land Claims ‑ S. 1469
Alaska Natural
Gas Transportation Act
Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms Bureau Reorganization
Alpine Lakes
Wilderness Act ‑ H.R. 7792
American
Telephone and Telegraph Subpoena, 6/76 (1)‑(2)
Amnesty
Angola
Animal Health
Research ‑ H.R. 11873
Animal Trapping
Legislation
Appropriations
Committee
Appropriations ‑
White House and Domestic Council Budgets
Arab Boycott ‑
General (1)-(2)
Arab Boycott ‑
Morton Contempt Citation
Arctic Countries
Mutual Interest Exchange Conference
Arms Control and
Disarmament Agency Authorization
Army Corps of
Engineers
Asian
Development Bank
Auto Emissions
(1)-(2)
Aviation Act of
1975 ‑ H.R. 7017
Bankruptcy Act
Amendments ‑ PL94‑143 (1)-(2)
Bicentennial
Bill Signing
Ceremonies (1)-(6)
Bills ‑
Log of Deadlines and Actions
Bills Received
at the White House (1)‑(2)
Bills Received
at the White House (3)-(4)
Bills Signed by
the President (1)-(4)
Black Caucus
Black Lung
Benefits Reform Act ‑ H.R. 10760
Broadcast
License Renewal Bill
Budget (1)-(2)
Busing ‑
H.R. 1465
Cabinet Members
Campaign Reform
Cargo Preference
‑ Oil
Cattlemen,
Dairymen, etc.
Child Day Care
Standards ‑ H.R. 9803
Child Nutrition
Reform Act
Children ‑
Legislation
Civil
Aeronautics Board Executive Order
Civil Rights ‑
Back Pay Settlements
Clean Air Act
Amendments (1)-(4)
Coal (1)-(5)
Coast Guard
Procurement Bill ‑ H.R. 11670
Coastal Zone
Management Act
Commerce ‑
Third Flag Bill ‑ H.R. 7940 (1)-(2)
Committees ‑
House (1)-(2)
Common Situs
Picketing ‑ H.R. 5900
Community
Services Act
Congress ‑
Congratulatory and Sympathy Messages
Congress ‑
General
Congress ‑
Invitations to White House Social Events (1)‑(2)
Congress ‑
94th Session (1)-(2)
Congressional
Holidays
Congressional
Ratings
Congressional
Relations Office
Congressional
Requests ‑ Gene Ainsworth File (1)-(3)
Congressional
Requests
Congressional
Rural Caucus
Congressional
Staff ‑ Invitations to White House Social Events
Congressional
Travel
Consumer Protection
Agency (1)-(2)
Consumer
Representation Plans
Crime
Legislation
Debt Ceiling
Legislation
Defense (1)-(2)
Deferrals and
Rescissions (1)-(3)
Developmental
Disabilities Services and Facilities Construction Act
Diego Garcia
Disaster
Declarations (1)
Disaster
Declarations (2)-(5)
Domestic Council
Drug Abuse
Drug Safety
Legislation
Eagles Nest
Wilderness Area ‑ S. 268
Earthquakes
Economic
Opportunity, Office of
Economic Policy
Board
Economic
Program, 1975
Economic Summit ‑
Puerto Rico
Economy (1)-(2)
Education
Election, 1974
Election, 1976
Electric Utility
Plants
Electronic
Surveillance
Emergency
Employment Projects Amendments ‑ H.R. 11453
Energy
Development Impact Assistance
Energy
Independence Authority ‑ H.R. 2650 (1)
Energy
Independence Authority ‑ H.R. 2650 (2)
Energy
Legislation ‑ General (1) ‑(2)
Energy ‑
Oil Decontrol (1)-(2)
Energy Policy
and Conservation Act (1)-(3)
Energy ‑
President's Message to Congress
Energy ‑ President's
Program (1)-(2)
Energy Research
and Development Administration
Energy
Transportation Security Act
Environmental
Exchange Group
Environmental
Protection Agency
Environmental
Study Conference
Eucharistic
Congress, ‑ Presidential Speech
Executive
Privilege
Export‑Import
Bank
Fair Trade Law
Federal
Deposits, Non‑Interest‑Bearing ‑ H.R. 1016
Federal Election
Campaign Act Amendments (1)-(7)
Federal
Employees ‑ Hatch Act ‑ H.R. 8617
Federal
Employees ‑ Pay Raises
Federal Energy
Administration ‑ Extension
Federal Energy
Administration ‑ Legislative Summary
Federal Energy
Administration ‑ Middle Distillates
Financial
Institutions Act ‑ S. 1267
Financial
Support Fund
Fire Prevention
and Control Act ‑ H.R. 11989
Fisheries
Legislation ‑ 200 Mile Limit (1)-(4)
Food Stamps
Ford, Betty and
Susan
Foreign
Assistance (1)‑(2)
Foreign
Diplomatic Missions, Protection of
Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act
Foreign Military
Sales
Forest and Range
Land Renewable Resources Planning Act Amendments
Full Employment
and Balanced Growth Act (Humphrey‑Hawkins Bill)
General
Accounting Office ‑ Inventory of Information Resources at the White House
Government
Reform Act
Grain Sales to
the Soviet Union
Grant
Notifications (1)
Grant
Notification (2)‑(15)
Grant
Notifications (16)‑(23)
Handgun
Legislation (1)-(2)
Health
Health,
Education and Welfare, Department of
Helsinki
Agreement
Highways
Home Rule ‑
District of Columbia
Homeowners
Relief Act ‑ P.L. 94‑50
House Democratic
Caucus
House ‑
Democratic Lists and Biographies
House ‑
Lists of Members
House ‑
Republican Lists and Biographies
House Rules
Housing Authorization
Vote
Immigration and
Nationality Act Amendments
Income
Assistance Simplification Act
Income Tax
Returns, Committee on Government Operations Access to
Insecticide,
Fungicide and Rodenticide Act ‑ P.L. 94‑140
Intelligence
‑ Bills
Introduced as of 4/11/75
‑
Clippings
‑ Colby
Report
‑
Congressional Oversight Proposals
‑
Coordinating Group Agendas
‑ General
Intelligence
‑ House
Select Committee: Establishment of (1)‑(2)
‑ House
Select Committee: General
‑ House
Select Committee: Handling and Release of Classified Documents
‑ House
Select Committee: Report and Recommendations (1)‑(3)
‑ House
Select Committee: Rules
‑ House
Select Committee: Subpoenas ‑ General
‑ House
Select Committee: Subpoenas ‑ Kissinger (1)‑(3)
‑ House
Select Committee: Subpoenas ‑ Proceedings (1)‑(2)
Intelligence
‑ House
Select Committee: Subpoenas ‑ Proceedings (3)
‑ House
Select Committee: Testimony of Samuel Adams
‑
Interception of Non‑Verbal Communications by FBI and NSA
: General (1)‑(4)
: Hearings
Transcripts (1)‑(4)
‑ Joint
Committee on (Proposed)
‑ Kennedy
Assassination
‑
Reorganization (1)‑(2)
Intelligence
‑
Rockefeller Commission: Subpoena Powers
‑ Senate Select
Committee: Testimony of General Lew Allen of NSA
Inter‑American
Development Bank
Intergovernmental
Emergency Assistance Act ‑ P.L. 94‑143
Interior
Department
International
Development and Food Assistance Act ‑ P.L. 94‑161
International
Economic Report, 1976
International
Financial Institutions, Funding for
Job Creation Act
‑ H.R. 8053
Jones Act Waiver
Labor ‑
H.E.W. Appropriations
Laguna Niguel,
CA ‑ Report on GSA Acquisitions of Property
Land Use Policy
Act
Law Enforcement Assistance
Administration Authorization Bill
Lebanon,
Evacuation of
Legislation ‑
General (1)‑(3)
Library and
Information Services, White House Conferences on
Lobbying,
Regulation of
Loen, Vernon ‑
Personal
Magna Charta
Legislation
Management and
Budget, Office of
Marianas Islands
Commonwealth (1)
Mayaguez Crisis
Meat Import
Quotas
Micronesia
Migrations and
Refugees Assistance Act ‑ P.L. 94‑23
Military
Commissaries
Military
Construction Authorization
Milk Price
Supports ‑ S.J. Res. 121
Missing Persons
in Southeast Asia (MIA's)
Motor Carrier
Reform Act
National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Science
Foundation
National
Security
Natural Gas (1)‑(5)
Naval Petroleum
Reserves (1)‑(2)
Naval Petroleum
Reserves (3)
Navy Purchase of
Airplanes
New Federalism
New River
Legislation
Nixon, Richard
No‑Fault
Insurance
Nuclear Policy
Statement, 10/28/76
Nuclear Fuel
Assurance Act
: American
Nuclear Energy Council Newsletters and Mailings
: Congressional
Roll Call Votes
: ERDA
Authorization Bill ‑ H.R. 13350
: ERDA Briefings
: ERDA Response
to Joint Committee on Atomic Energy Questions
: Fact Sheet and
Q.& A.'s (1)‑(2)
: FY 1976
Appropriation Language
: GAO Report (1)
Nuclear Fuel
Assurance Act
: GAO Report (2)
: General (1)‑(5)
: Joint
Committee on Atomic Energy Hearings
: President's
Message to Congress, 6/26/75
Oil Import Fees
(1)‑(4)
Oil Pollution Liability
and Compensation Act
Oil Pricing Act
Olson, Frank ‑
Private Relief Bill for Family of: S. 3035
Olympics (1980) ‑
Federal Assistance for
Outer
Continental Shelf Oil Leases
Packers and
Livestock Act Amendments ‑ H.R. 8410
Packers Bonding
Bill ‑ H.R. 4070
Panama Canal
Negotiations
Parens Patriae
Bill (Antitrust) ‑ H.R. 8532
Pennsylvania
Avenue Development Corporation ‑ S. 1689
Postal
Reorganization Act Amendments ‑ H.R. 7718
Poultry
Producers Meeting at the White House, 9/26/74
Predator Control
(1)‑(2)
President ‑
Financial Statement, 2/12/76
President ‑
Politics (1)‑(3)
President ‑
Schedules 1974 (1)‑(2)
President ‑
Telephone Call Recommendations, 1974‑75
President ‑
Transportation Costs
President ‑
Trips (1)‑(3)
President ‑
Trips (4)‑(10)
Presidential
Appointees ‑ Swearing‑in Ceremonies
Presidential
Assistance Protection Act ‑ H.R. 1244
Price Reduction
Act
Privacy Act
Public
Broadcasting, Corporations for ‑ Appropriations
Public Works
Employment Act (1)‑(4)
Questionable
Corporate Payments Abroad, Task Force on
Railroad
Retirement Act Amendments ‑ H.R. 15301
Railroad
Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act
Railroad Rolling
Stock Rental Income, Taxation of ‑ H.R. 5559
Railroads ‑
General
Reclamation
Authorization Act ‑ S. 151
Regulatory
Reform
Retirement
Annuities for Government Employees
Revenue Sharing
(1)‑(3)
Rice Act ‑
H.R. 15263
Romania ‑
Treatment of Minorities
Romero ‑
Barcelo, Carlos
Safe Drinking
Water Act
Science and
Technology Policy, Office of ‑ H.R. 10230
Security
Assistance and Arms Export Control Act (1)‑(3)
Selective
Service Budget Cuts
Sinai Agreement
Small Business
Social Security
Solar Energy Research
Space Week
Proclamation
Special
Prosecutor Legislation ‑ S. 495
Specialty Steel
Speech Material
Starling and
Blackbird Control ‑ P.L. 94‑207
State Department
State of the
Union Address, 1975 (1)‑(3)
State of the
Union Address, 1976
Stockpiles
(Defense)
Strip Mining (1)‑(4)
Strip Mining (5)‑(6)
Sugar Imports
Summer Youth
Employment Programs
Summit
Conference on Inflation, 1974 ‑ General
Summit
Conference on Inflation, 1974 ‑ List of Invitees (1)‑(2)
Sunshine Law
Swimming Pool at
White House
Swine Flu (1)‑(2)
Synthetic Fuels
(1)‑(5)
Synthetic Fuels
(6)‑(7)
Taxes (1)‑(4)
Thomas Jefferson
Day ‑ H.J. Res. 670
Tobacco Price
Support ‑ H.R. 9497
Toxic Substances
Control Act
Trade ‑
Generalized System of Preferences
Trade
Legislation (1)‑(3)
Trade
Negotiations, Special Representative for
Transportation ‑
General
Transportation ‑
Mass Transit
Treasury
Department
Truck Trailer
Manufacturing Industry
Unemployment
Compensation ‑ H.R. 10210
Urban
Development and Neighborhood Revitalization Committee
Veterans
Vetoes ‑
General
Vetoes ‑
List
Vetoes ‑
Presidential Statements
Vietnam and
Cambodia (5)
Vote Check
Voter
Registration (1)‑(4)
Voting Rights
Act ‑ P.L. 94‑203
Water Pollution
Whip Notices,
Polls and Listings
White House ‑
General
White House ‑
Staff Biographies (1)‑(3)
Windfall Profits
Tax
Wiretapping and
Electronics Surveillance
Youth Camp
Safety Act
Meetings, 1974‑76
(1)‑(5)
Presidential
Meetings with Members of the House of Representatives
2/74 ‑
2/75
3/75 ‑
7/75
8/75 ‑
3/76
4/76 ‑
11/76
Ainsworth
Chronological File
Aug. ‑ Dec
1974
Douglas Bennett
Chronological File
Jan. ‑
June 1975
Aug. 1974 ‑
March 1975
April ‑
July 1975
Aug. ‑
Nov. 1975
Dec. 1975 ‑
March 1976
Appointments by
Name (1)‑(5)
Clearances
Mail Log by
Member of Congress (1)‑(7)
Mail Log by
Member of Congress (8)‑(10)
Mail Log by Name
Recommended (1)‑(6)
Resignations
Boorstin, Daniel
‑ Nomination and Librarians of Congress
Coleman, William
‑ Nomination as Secretary of Transportation
Congressional
Correspondence (1)‑(3)
Congressional Recommendations
(1)
Congressional
Recommendation (2)
Hathaway,
Stanley ‑ Nomination as Secretary of the Interior
Personnel ‑
General (1)‑(2)
Presidential
Personnel Office
White House
Fellowships
A‑C
C‑H
H‑M
M‑S
S‑Z
Patronage
Chronological File
Aug. - Dec. 1974
