PRESIDENT FORD COMMITTEE RECORDS
General Counsel's Office Files
The General Counsel's Office Files
are an important resource for examining the legal issues involved in the
operation of a presidential campaign committee.
In addition the collection extensively documents the development of the
Federal Election Commission, its role in regulating campaign finances, and PFC
receipts and expenditures. Smaller, but
important, segments concern aspects of PFC operations beyond the work of the
legal staff, including notes on some high‑level meetings and weekly
reports of the Political Office field coordinators.
The General Counsel was the legal
adviser to the President Ford Committee.
His office, consisting of two lawyers and their secretaries, played an
extremely important role in the 1976 presidential campaign.
The major differences between the
PFC General Counsel's role and the role of lawyers in previous presidential
campaigns were caused by the passage of the Federal Election Campaign Act
Amendments of 1974. This legislation,
signed into law by President Ford on October 15, 1974, established the first
spending limits ever for candidates in presidential primary and general
elections, provided for disclosure and reporting of campaign contributions and
expenditures, introduced public financing for general election campaigns and
matching funds to cover part of the costs of primary campaigns, and created a
Federal Election Commission (FEC) to develop specific regulations implementing
the law and enforce its provisions.
Because of delays in the appointment
and confirmation of FEC members, the Commission did not begin its work until
just before initial efforts to organize the PFC began. This meant that the PFC, like several other
1976 campaign committees, had to begin the process of running a campaign while
frequently asking the FEC for guidance on procedures or filing complaints about
possible violations by other campaign committees. The PFC General Counsel and his assistant
handled these interactions with the FEC, while also working on more traditional
campaign committee attorney tasks such as lawsuits, delegate challenges,
contracts with consulting firms and staff members, coordinating the work of the
PFC state legal counsels, and ballot security.
During the early months of the Ford
campaign,
The files of the General Counsel's
Office comprise a key resource for studying the changes in campaigning for
President deriving from the implementation of the new campaign laws. The files also contain extensive files on the
development of the FEC and its rules and regulations, including case files on
each FEC meeting (usually attended by Visser or Ryan
whose handwritten notes on the meeting or memoranda to the record often appear
in the file). The General Counsel's
Office Files also include significant materials on the Supreme Court decision
in January 1976 which invalidated portions of the Federal Election Campaign Act
and the development of the 1976 amendments to that law.
Visser or
Ryan usually attended meetings of the Committee's Executive Committee, Advisory
Committee, and Convention Cordinating Group. Although their material on those meetings is
not extensive, it often includes either handwritten or typed notes on the
discussions or memoranda listing assignments made to various staff members.
Materials on various lawsuits,
contracts and other legal work conducted by the office also appears.
Related Material
(June 1990):
The files of Philip Buchen, Counsel to the President, contain materials on a
number of campaign‑related legal questions, including the Federal
Election Campaign Act Amendments of 1974 and 1976 and White House interactions
with the Federal Election Commission concerning proposed rulings and
regulations. The staff files of John
Marsh, Edward Schmults, and Rogers Morton also
contain related materials, especially on the 1976 campaign law amendments. The White House Central Files Subject File
contains material in categories FG 387 (Federal Election Commission) and PL
(Political Affairs).
D1‑D15 General Counsel's Office: Political
File, 1975‑77. (6.0 linear feet)
Memoranda, correspondence, reports,
Congressional bills, legal briefs and motions, contracts and agreements, notes
taken at meetings, press releases and clippings. Small, but significant, files concern the
meetings of the PFC Advisory Committee, Executive Committee, and Convention
Coordinating Group. Other materials
concern such aspects of the campaign as ballot security, contracts with polling
firms and other companies providing services to the PFC, clearance of text for
campaign ads and brochures, operation of the PFC advertising group (Campaign
'76 Media Communications, Inc.), potential Republican National Convention
delegate challenges, guidance and instructions for persons involved in
fundraising or the allocation of expenses, complaints about activities by
Ronald Reagan's campaign in Texas, and the work of the PFC treasurer and
Political Office field coordinators.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
D16‑D30 General Counsel's Office: Federal
Election Commission Subject File, 1975‑76. (5.8 linear feet)
Memoranda, correspondence, reports,
Congressional bills, notes, FEC advisory opinions, court briefs, congressional
bills, press releases, and publications. The materials concern such topics as
FEC reports submitted by the PFC and other campaign committees, the Supreme
Court decision invalidating portions of the Federal Election Campaign Act and
the passage of new amendments to that law, drafting FEC regulations, and
complaints filed against various campaign committees.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
D30‑D35 General Counsel's Office: Federal
Election Commission Meetings File, 1975‑76. (2.2 linear feet)
Case files on FEC meetings containing
memoranda, correspondence, reports, agendas, minutes, and notes. The materials
concern such topics as FEC organization and operation, drafting of regulations,
and issuance of advisory opinions.
Although some earlier material appears, the meetings best documented
fall in the periods from September 1975 to February 1976 and late May to
September 1976. The Supreme Court
decision invalidating portions of the Federal Election Campaign Act left the
Commission powerless to act during March, April, and part of May 1976.
Arranged chronologically by the meeting date.
D36‑D40 General Counsel's Office: General
Subject File, 1975‑76. (2.0 linear
feet)
Memoranda, correspondence, congressional
bills, reports, legal briefs, and publications concerning court cases,
legislation and actions of federal agencies.
Topics include lawsuits by minor parties and independent candidates
desiring to be included in the 1976 campaign debates, attempts to revise the
Federal Communication Commission's "Equal Time Doctrine," Hatch Act
reform legislation, the activities of a advisory group of lawyers who studied
delegate selection procedures for the PFC, and the work of the PFC's state legal counsels.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
D41‑D45 General Counsel's Office: State Legal
File, 1975‑76. (2.0 linear feet)
Correspondence, memoranda, affidavits, notes, rules,
committee reports, resolutions, by‑laws, agendas, lists of nominees and
delegates, vote tabulations, programs, ballot instructions, proof ballots,
contracts, invoices, checks, and certificates. The materials document exchanges
between the General Counsel's Office and state PFC legal counsels, other state
PFC officers, local Republicans, federal and state agencies, and private law
firms. The series relates primarily to
interpretation of and compliance with federal and state campaign laws and
Republican Party rules in the operations and procedures of local PFC offices,
party precinct caucuses, and state conventions.
Contents of some folders are routine, while challenges and disputes in
other states yield substantial and interesting material. The Ford Library did not receive any folders
for
Arranged
alphabetically by state.
D46‑D48 General Counsel's Office:
Administrative Subject File, 1975‑76.
(1.2 linear feet)
Routine memoranda, correspondence, leases, and
resumes concerning such PFC administrative matters as budget and fiscal
control, federal wage and hour laws, headquarters security, office rental,
state bank accounts and possible candidates for employment.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
D49‑51 General Counsel's Office: State
Receipt File, 1975‑76. (1.2 linear feet)
Routine cover memoranda from the General
Counsel's Office to state Secretaries of State.
The memoranda originally enclosed copies of amendments to Federal
Election Commission registration forms, statements of organization, and reports
of receipts and expenditures. The
recipients removed these attachments, annotated the memoranda to indicate the
material had been received, and returned them to the PFC as receipts.
Arranged alphabetically by state.
D1 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Advisory
Committee
Advocates ‑
Cabinet and Congressional: Guidelines, etc. (1)‑(2)
Allocation of
Campaign Expenses ‑ Advocates
American
Association of Political Consultants Panel
American
Political Report (1)‑(2)
Arthur Anderson
and Company
Ballot
Certifications ‑ General Election (1)‑(2)
D2 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Ballot Security ‑
General (1)‑(3)
Ballot Security ‑
Ballot Security ‑
Ballot Security ‑
Nixon/Agnew Campaign
Ballot Security ‑
Publications
Ballot Security ‑
Block, Arthur
Brataas, Nancy
(Telephone Campaign Consulting Firm)
‑ Contract
‑ General
‑ Proposal
Campaign '76
Media Communications, Inc.
‑ Allocation of Costs
D3 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Campaign '76
Media Communications, Inc.
‑ CBS
‑ Commercial Release Forms
‑ Copy Clearance: Ads and Brochures
(1)‑(5)
‑ General (1)‑(4)
‑ Personnel
‑ Reports on Reagan Advertising
D4 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Campaign '76
Media Communications, Inc.
‑ Screen Actors Guild Contract (1)‑(3)
‑ SFM Media Service Corporation
‑ Television Network Contracts (1)‑(2)
‑ Weekly Budget Reports
‑ WGN Complaint (1)‑(4)
Campaign Materials
‑ General Election (1)‑(2)
D5 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Campaign
Materials ‑ Primary Election (1)‑(2)
Carter Campaign ‑
Carter Personal Finances (1)‑(2)
Carter Campaign ‑
Clippings
Carter Campaign ‑
General (1)‑(3)
Common Cause
Contracts and
Agreements (1)‑(3)
D6 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Contracts and
Agreements (4)‑(5)
Convention
‑ Challenges:
‑ Challenges: General (1)‑(2)
‑ Challenges:
‑ Challenges:
‑ Challenges:
‑ Challenges:
‑ Challenges:
‑ Challenges:
‑ Challenges:
‑ Challenges:
‑ Challenges:
‑ Challenges:
‑ Challenges:
‑ Contracts (1)‑(3)
D7 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Convention
‑ Coordinating Group (1)‑(2)
‑ Delegates: List
‑ Delegates: Selection Procedures ‑
Library of Congress Studies (1)‑(3)
‑ Delegates: Travel and Subsistence
Payments
‑ General (1)‑(4)
D8 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Convention
‑ Legal (1)‑(3)
‑ Schedules (1)‑(2)
‑ State Certifications of Delegates
(1)‑(7)
D9 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Dole, Robert
Donnelly (Reuben
H.) Corporation ‑ Consulting Contract
Drafts of Contracts,
Agreements and Guidelines (1)‑(3)
Evans ‑
Novak Political Report (1)‑(2)
Executive
Committee Notes and Minutes
Expense
Exclusion Forms
Fact Sheets (1)‑(4)
Fair Campaign
Practices Code
Fundraising
‑ Checklist for Fundraisers (1)‑(2)
D10 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Fundraising
‑ Direct Mail (1)‑(3)
‑ General (1)‑(3)
‑ Instructions for State Finance
Chairmen (1)‑(2)
‑ Program in the 1972 Campaign
‑ Reagan/Republican National
Committee Film
‑ Report
‑ State Finance Chairmen (1)‑(2)
‑ Telephone Solicitations
Guidelines for
Campaign Workers
D11 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Heartland
Material (1)‑(2)
Important Dates ‑
Presidential Preference Primaries (1)‑(2)
Inaugural
Committee Costs
Incorporation of
the President Ford Committee
Indictments
against Reagan and Hayakawa
Inside News
(President Ford Committee Newsletter)
Liquidation
Trust
Market Opinion
Research Agreements (1)‑(4)
D12 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Market Opinion
Research Agreements (5)‑(7)
People for Ford
‑ American Business Volunteers for
President Ford (1)‑(3)
‑ Black Desk
‑ General (1)‑(2)
‑ Newsletters
‑ Speaker's Kit
‑ Youth: Food Service and Insurance
Claims
Political ‑
Miscellaneous (1)‑(3)
D13 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Political ‑
Miscellaneous (4)‑(7)
Polls and
Surveys ‑ Results (1)‑(3)
Press
Press Releases ‑
PFC
Press Releases ‑
White House
Reagan Candidacy
(1)‑(3)
D14 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Reagan ‑
Republican
National Committee
‑ Filings with the Federal Election
Commission
‑ General
‑ Meeting 6/23‑26/76 (1)‑(2)
‑ Relationship With PFC After
Convention
‑ Rules
Right Report
Senate Watergate
Report
Southern States
Republican Conference
State Campaign
Spending Allocations
D15 General Counsel's Office: Political File
Treasurer's
Reports (1)‑(5)
Unauthorized
Ford Campaign Organizations
Weekly Reports ‑
Field Coordinators (1)‑(5)
Weekly Reports ‑
Legal Office
Weekly Reports ‑
President Ford Committee
Women for Ford
Youth Program ‑
Ford
D16 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Advisory Opinion
Requests
‑ Campaign Contributions from a
Partnership
‑ Campaign '76 Media Communications,
Inc.
‑ Expenditure Limitations
‑ General
‑ Personal Services
‑ PFC Accounting and Reporting
Instructions and Procedures (1)‑(2)
Advisory
Opinions ‑ General (1)‑(2)
Audit of the
President Ford Committee
Buckley v. Valeo
‑ Brief for the Attorney General (1)‑(2)
‑ Court of Appeals Decision
‑ General
D17 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Buckley v. Valeo
‑ Memorandum in Support of an
Injunction
‑ Motions
‑ Text of the Supreme Court Decision
(1)‑(4)
Campaign Guide
Citizens for Reagan Complaint
Concerning Arrangements for the Republican National Convention
Compliance Action ‑ Sheika Gramshammer
Contributions or Expenditures By
National Banks, Corporations, or Labor Organizations
Docket
Federal Election
Campaign Act Amendments of 1974
Federal Election
Campaign Act Amendments of 1976
‑ American Association of Political
Consultants Recommendations
‑ Background and Legislative History
(1)‑(2)
D18 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Federal Election
Campaign Act Amendments of 1976
‑ Compilation of Federal Election
Laws (1)‑(2)
‑ Conference Committee Report (1)‑(3)
‑ General (1)‑(3)
‑ Hays Bill (1)‑(4)
D19 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Federal Election
Campaign Act Amendments of 1976
‑ Pell Bill
‑ Presidential Statements
‑ S.3065 (1)‑(3)
‑ Section By Section Comparison
‑ Text of Bill
‑ Wiggins Substitute Bill
Federal Election
Campaign Act of 1971 ‑ Legislative History
Federal Election
Campaign Laws
Federal‑State Election Law
Survey ‑ Analysis of State Legislation, Federal Legislation and Judicial
Decisions
D20 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Filings
‑ Bayh,
Birch
‑ Bentsen, Lloyd
‑ Carter, Jimmy (1)‑(2)
‑ Church, Frank
‑ Connally,
John
‑ Democratic Presidential Campaign
Committee (1)‑(7)
‑ Harris, Fred
‑ Jackson, Henry (1)
D21 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Filings
‑ Jackson, Henry (2)‑(3)
‑ McCarthy,
‑ Reagan, Ronald: 10/75‑12/75
(1)‑(4)
‑ Reagan, Ronald: 1/76 (1)‑(3)
D22 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Filings
‑ Reagan, Ronald: 2/76 (1)‑(5)
‑ Reagan, Ronald: 3/76
‑ Reagan, Ronald: 6/76 (1)‑(2)
‑ Sanford, Terry
‑ Shapp,
Milton
‑ Shriver, Sergeant
‑ Udall, Morris
‑ Wallace, George
Forms (1)‑(3)
D23 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Major Provisions
of the Federal Election Law (Publication)
News Releases From the FEC
Opinions of
Counsel (1)‑(2)
President's Certification
for General Election Funding
Primary Matching
Funds (1)‑(4)
D24 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Primary Matching
Funds (5)
Registration
Form and Amendments (1)‑(9)
Regulations
‑ Allocation of Expenses
‑ Contribution and Expenditure
Limitation
D25 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Regulations
‑ Corporate and Labor Organizations
Activity (1)‑(2)
‑ Disclosure, Limitations and
Independent Expenditures (1)‑(2)
‑ General Election Financing
‑ Government Contractors
‑ Office Accounts
‑ Primary Matching and Advisory
Opinions
‑ Proposal to Congress
Report on
Contributors to the PFC
Reports on
Receipts and Expenditures (PFC) ‑ Memoranda
Reports on
Receipts and Expenditures (PFC) ‑ Summary (1)‑(2)
D26 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Reports on
Receipts and Expenditures (PFC) ‑ 6/75‑12/75
D27 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Reports on
Receipts and Expenditures (PFC) ‑ 1/76‑9/76
D28 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Reports on
Receipts and Expenditures (PFC) ‑ 10/76‑11/76
D29 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Reports on
Receipts and Expenditures (PFC) ‑ 12/1976 (1)‑(4)
Title 2
Regulations (Reporting and Disclosure) ‑ General (1)‑(4)
Title 2
Regulations (Reporting and Disclosure) ‑ Old Drafts (1)‑(3)
D30 General Counsel's Office: FEC Subject File
Title 2
Regulations (Reporting and Disclosure) ‑ Testimony at Hearings (1)‑(2)
Union
Expenditures ‑ 1976 Election (1)‑(2)
Volunteer Guide
General Counsel's Office: FEC Meetings
File
Federal Election
Commission Meetings, 4/22/75‑9/15/75
D31 General Counsel's Office: FEC Meetings File
Federal Election
Commission Meetings, 9/18/75‑10/14/75
D32 General Counsel's Office: FEC Meetings File
Federal Election
Commission Meetings, 10/16/75‑11/13/75 (1)
D33 General Counsel's Office: FEC Meetings File
Federal Election
Commission Meetings,
D34 General Counsel's Office: FEC Meetings File
Federal Election
Commission Meetings, 12/16/75‑1/22/76
D35 General Counsel's Office: FEC Meetings File
Federal Election
Commission Meetings, 1/29/76‑2/26/76 and 5/21/76‑9/23/76
D36 General Counsel's Office: General Subject File
Advisory
Committee on Protection of Presidential Candidates
American Bar
Association (Publications)
Beall v. Sarbanes
Case ‑
Campaign
Practices Report
Common Situs Picketing Bill
Federal
Communications Commission ‑ Equal Time Doctrine (1)‑(3)
D37 General Counsel's Office: General Subject File
Federal
Communications Commission ‑ Equal Time Doctrine (4)‑(6)
Federal
Communications Commission ‑ Licensee Obligations
Federal Criminal
Code (1)‑(2)
Federal
Employees Political Participation ‑ Hatch Act (1)‑(3)
Fundraising ‑
Fred Wilson Matter
General
Correspondence (1)‑(2)
D38 General Counsel's Office: General Subject File
Hamel, Park,
McCabe and Saunders ‑ Legal Opinions
Injunctions ‑
Political Campaigns (Published Article)
Internal Revenue
Service (1)‑(2)
Lawyers Panel on
Delegate Selection (1)‑(6)
Maddox, Lester
Martin, Terry
Martin‑Trigon v. Ford Case ‑ Use of Federal Matching Funds
Mason, James
D39 General Counsel's Office: General Subject File
McCarthy v.
Carter Case ‑ Campaign Debates (1)‑(7)
McCarthy, Eugene
J. (1)‑(2)
Miscellaneous
Research (1)‑(2)
D40 General Counsel's Office: General Subject File
Miscellaneous
Research (3)
Morgan, Marc
Morton, Ron ‑
Campaign Finance: National Bank of
Peyser, Peter
Pierson, Ball
and Doud ‑ Legal Fees
Ripon Society ‑
Rule 30 (1)‑(2)
Secchia, Peter
Secretaries of
State
State Campaign
Laws
State Legal
Counsels ‑ General (1)‑(2)
State Legal
Counsels ‑ Possible Litigation Against PFC
Voter
Registration Act
Voting Rights
and Qualifications
D41 General Counsel's Office: State Legal File
D42 General Counsel's Office: State Legal File
D43 General Counsel's Office: State Legal File
D44 General Counsel's Office: State Legal File
D45 General Counsel's Office: State Legal File
Virginia (Folder
not received by Ford Library)
D46 General Counsel's Office: Administrative Subject File
Authorization to
Incur Expenses ‑ Filed Copies (1)‑(2)
Budget and
Fiscal Control (1)‑(2)
Employee
Withholding
Federal Wage and
Hour Laws (1)‑(4)
Forms
Kastle Systems ‑
Security
Lease ‑
Leases ‑
State Offices: General Election (1)‑(2)
D47 General Counsel's Office: Administrative Subject File
Leases ‑
State Offices: General Election (3)
MCI
Communications Company
Memoranda ‑
Callaway, Bo
Memoranda ‑
Chairman's Office
Memoranda ‑
Cochran, James
Memoranda ‑
Political Office
Memoranda ‑
Staff (1)‑(3)
Memoranda ‑
Treasurer's Office
Resumes ‑
General (1)‑(4)
D48 General Counsel's Office: Administrative Subject File
Resumes ‑
General (5)
Resumes ‑
Legal (1)‑(6)
Staff Expense
Allocations
State Bank
Accounts (1)‑(5)
Stationery, Mailings,
Reply Cards, and Contributor Cards
Stock Transfer
Authorization
Workers
Compensation Policy
D49 General Counsel's Office: State Receipt File
Multi‑State
General Mailings and
D50 General Counsel's Office: State Receipt File
D51 General Counsel's Office: State Receipt File