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Gerald R. Ford Library1000 Beal Avenue,
www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov |
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Gerald R. Ford Library1000 Beal Avenue,
www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov |
Counsellors to the President
Counsellor
to the President for Political Affairs:
Files,
1975-76
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION
Material concerning the work of Morton and his assistant Timothy Austin in advising the President in the period between February and April 1976. As a Counsellor to the President, Morton often advised the President on a variety of issues, but his files focus on political affairs, especially White House liaison with the Republican National Committee and the President Ford Committee and the Ford ‑ Reagan contest for the Republican presidential nomination.
QUANTITY
2.4 linear feet
(ca. 4,800 pages)
DONOR
Gerald R. Ford
(accession number 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
Prepared by Sandra Raub, May 1984
[s:\bin\findaid\morton, rogers - files.doc]
BIOGRAPHICAL
INFORMATION
1937 A.B.,
business and political science,
1937‑38
1938 Served
briefly in the U.S. Navy
1939‑51 With Ballard and
Ballard, the family flour milling business in
1941‑45
1951‑71 After Ballard and
Ballard merged with the Pillsbury Company, Morton served as Vice President,
1951‑53, and as a Director, 1953‑71.
1963‑71
1968 Nixon floor
manager, Republican National Convention
1969‑71 Chairman,
Republican National Committee
1971‑75 Secretary of the
Interior
1974‑76 Chairman, Energy
Resources Council
May‑Dec.
1975 Secretary of
Commerce
Feb.‑Apr.
1976 Counsellor
to the President
Apr.‑Aug.
1976 Chairman, President
Ford Committee
Sept.‑Nov.
1976 Chairman, Ford
campaign steering committee
1976‑79 Personal boat‑building
business
INTRODUCTION
When Rogers Morton was appointed as Counsellor to the President on February 2, 1976, the White
House stated that he would serve as Counsellor to the
President with Cabinet rank responsible for providing advice on domestic and
economic issues; member of the Economic Policy Board, Energy Resources Council,
and Domestic Council; and principal White House liaison with the President Ford
Committee (PFC) and the Republican National Committee (RNC).
While Morton had
wide‑ranging responsibilities as Counsellor,
the bulk of the files consist of material on political matters compiled or
created by Morton and his staff (especially his assistant Timothy Austin). The files principally cover the period of the
1976 primary campaign, but include a few documents up to the time of the
November election. Most of the material
consists of memoranda exchanged between the Morton staff and members of the
RNC, PFC, and White House staff discussing political strategy. Included is material on political opinion and
issues in the states; proposed contacts (meetings, letters, telegrams, and
telephone calls) with state Republicans; and media coverage of the campaign,
particularly the development of political advertising such as pamphlets and
radio and television commercials.
The Morton
appointment was controversial as many felt that public money should not be
spent to pay the salary of a political adviser.
Morton only held this post for a two‑month period, however. President Ford named him as chairman of the
President Ford Committee at the beginning of April 1976, following the
resignation of Howard "Bo" Callaway.
After Morton's
departure, his assistant Timothy J. Austin remained on the White House staff
until the beginning of May 1976 when he, too, moved to the President Ford
Committee. Material accumulated by
After Morton and
Austin had left the White House, their duties were assumed by other White House
staff, particularly Richard Cheney.
These files were apparently maintained and occasionally added to by Jana
Hruska Fagan until the November election. Fagan, who had served as confidential
assistant to Morton and Austin, continued to hold the same position under
Cheney.
Related
Materials (May 1984):
Related material on the 1976 campaign may be
found in White House Central Files categories PL (Political Affairs), PR 7‑2
(Presidential Telephone Calls), TR 3/ST #/1976 (Campaign Trips by State), and
SP 3‑1 (Campaign Speeches). Other
collections concerning the campaign include the files of James Reichley and the papers of Michael Raoul‑Duval. The files of Domestic Council staff members
and members of the Press Secretary's Office and Editorial Staff also contain
scattered files on the campaign. The
Wanda Phelan Files and Charles McCall Files include useful accumulations of
clippings, published interview transcripts, articles, and speech texts
concerning both the Ford and Carter campaigns.
Series
Descriptions
1‑3 Subject
File, 1976. (1.2 linear feet)
Memoranda,
correspondence, drafts of campaign pamphlets and radio and television
commercials, press releases, and occasional speeches, newspaper clippings, and
printed material. Topics include:
potential campaign issues such as abortion, busing, energy, and unemployment;
Morton's appointment as Counsellor; and strategy
during the 1976 primary campaign.
Included is discussion of proposed political contacts such as meetings
with Congressmen, and letter and presidential telephone calls to state
officials; and material on media coverage of the campaign and the development
of political advertising. Also filed
here is a small amount of Morton's personal correspondence which had been
maintained by White House Central Files.
Arranged
alphabetically by subject.
4‑6 State File, 1975-76. (0.9 linear feet)
Memoranda,
correspondence, and occasional newspaper clippings. Included are copies of President Ford
Committee surveys of political opinion in the states; briefing materials on
issues and conditions in the states; recommended letters, telegrams, and
telephone calls to state Republicans; offers of assistance and requests for
employment.
Arranged
alphabetically by state.
6 Chronological
Files, 1976. (0.3 linear feet)
Outgoing
memoranda and correspondence of Rogers Morton and his assistant Timothy
Austin. Included are replies to letters
from the public such as letters of support and offers of assistance, requests
for employment, and invitations; and memoranda to White House and President
Ford Committee staff concerning political matters.
Arranged by
individual (Austin and Morton) and thereunder
chronologically.
Container List
Abortion ‑
Proposed Constitutional Amendments
Advocates
Program
Bicentennial
Youth Conference
Busing ‑
Congress: Former
Members of
Congress:
Members of
Congress:
Presidential Meetings with
Delegates
Energy Matters
Ethnic Americans
Federal Election
Commission (1)‑(2)
Federal Election
Commission ‑ Morton Appointment as Counsellor
Food Policy
Foreign Policy
Ford, Gerald R. ‑
GOP Events as Minority Leader
Forum and
Associates Meetings
Gun Control
Indian Affairs
Job Creation
Morton,
‑
Biographical Sketch
‑
Correspondence, A‑M
Morton,
‑
Correspondence, N‑Z
‑
Invitations
‑ Meet the
Press Appearance,
‑ Speeches
National
Dividend Plan
Nessen, Ron
Nicholson,
William
Northeast
Republican Conference,
Older Americans
President Ford
Committee
‑ Advisory
Committee
‑ Answer
Desk
‑
Callaway, Bo
‑ Campaign
'76 Media Communications, Inc. (1)‑(5)
President Ford
Committee
‑ Campaign
'76 Media Communications, Inc. (6)
‑ Finance
Committee
‑ General
‑ Research
‑ Staff
Lists
‑
Volunteers
Presidential
Forum (League of Women Voters)
Presidential
Travel
Primaries
Q & A's
Republican ‑
General
Republican
National Committee
Republican National
Committee ‑ Meeting,
Republican
National Convention
Republican
Platform
Republican
Senatorial Campaign Committee
State of the
Strategy
Sugar Policy
Telephone Call
Recommendations (Presidential)
Unemployment
Women
Young Republican
Leadership Conference, 1/28/76‑2/1/76
Foreign
Chronological
Files
Austin, Timothy,
1/76‑4/76
Morton,
