SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Materials on White House and Department of Defense relations with the news media, and on President Ford’s campaign committee for the 1976 presidential election. Included is information on press briefings, liaison with the media during presidential trips, the organization and operation of the White House and DOD press offices, and the campaign advocates program in the general election campaign against Jimmy Carter.

QUANTITY
7 linear feet (ca. 14,000 pages)

DONOR
William I. Greener, Jr. (accession number 1995-NLF-003)

ACCESS
Open. Some items may be 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
Mr. Greener donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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, April 2001
[s:\bin\findaid\greener, william - papers.doc]

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

William Isaac Greener, Jr.

Feb. 18, 1925 - Born in Memphis, TN

1943-1945 - 1st Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps

1947 - B.S., University of Missouri

1951-1970 - United States Air Force – served in various public affairs positions, ending up as a Lieutenant Colonel and Deputy Chief of the Public Affairs Division

1967 - M.S., Boston University

1970-1972 - Assistant to the Commissioner for Public Affairs, Internal Revenue Service (also served as Deputy Special Assistant to the Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of the Treasury from May to July 1972)

Aug.-Nov. 1971 and 1972-1973 - Assistant Director for Congressional and Public Affairs, Cost of Living Council

1973-1975 - Assistant to the Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Housing and Urban Development

Feb.-April 1975 - Assistant to the Director for Public Affairs, Office of Management and Budget

April-Dec. 1975 - Deputy Press Secretary to the President

Dec. 1975-July 1976 - Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Defense

Aug.-Nov. 1976 - Director of Communications, President Ford Committee

INTRODUCTION

William Greener had a long career in public affairs positions with the United States Air Force until 1970. After that he handled media relations for civilian agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, Cost of Living Council, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Office of Management and Budget.

In April 1975, Greener joined the White House staff as Deputy Press Secretary. In this position, he handled tasks assigned to him by Press Secretary Ron Nessen, represented Nessen at meetings, and substituted for Nessen as needed in such roles as conducting press briefings. He traveled frequently with the President on both domestic and foreign trips, often handling the details of liaison with the news media while Nessen was busy acting as a spokesman for the President.

Soon after White House Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld left the White House to become Secretary of Defense, he asked Greener to join his staff. President Ford nominated Greener as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs in December 1975 and the Senate quickly confirmed this nomination. Greener acted as chief spokesman for the Department of Defense and also planned Secretary Rumsfeld’s contacts with the press.

In July 1976, President Ford asked Greener to join his presidential campaign committee. As Director of Communications for the President Ford Committee during the Republican Convention and the fall campaign against Jimmy Carter, Greener supervised the work of the press secretary and the campaign advocates office. The latter office provided briefing materials and campaign updates to advocates (First Family, Cabinet, Republican officials) who were campaigning on behalf of President Ford.

The Greener Papers document all three of his Ford administration positions. A small subject file, a correspondence file, and a large file on presidential trips concern his work as Deputy White House Press Secretary. Included are copies of transcripts for Greener’s press briefings and documents on special projects that he handled. The file on presidential trips is large and very detailed, but mostly duplicative of material appearing in the Nessen Papers and other Library collections.

Materials on Greener’s brief service as spokesman for the Department of Defense include press briefing transcripts, notes on public affairs staff meetings, materials on DOD public information policies, and press releases and news coverage on Secretary Rumsfeld’s statements during his trip to Europe and Africa in June 1976. Much of the material on Greener’s work with the campaign committee consists of briefing papers and talking points on campaign issues, updates on campaign developments, candidate quotebooks, and schedules for the candidates and for campaign advocates.

Related Materials (April 2001)
Closely related collections concerning White House relations with the news media include the Ron Nessen Files and Papers and the working files of various members of the Press Office staff. The President Ford Committee Records contain the files of PFC Press Secretary Pete Teeley and other PFC officials with whom Greener worked.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

White House Subject File, April-December 1975.  (Box 1, 0.3 linear feet)
Memoranda, notes, press releases, press briefing transcripts, schedules, and reports. In addition to the work of the White House Press Office, the series concerns the May 7, 1975 Cabinet Meeting, the Rockefeller Commission report on the CIA, and a report on President Ford’s first year in office.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically thereunder.

View container list for this series

White House Correspondence File, April-December 1975.  (Boxes 1-2, 0.3 linear feet)
Correspondence and memoranda that concern the operation of the White House Press Office, relations with news media representatives, and personal matters.

Arranged chronologically.

View container list for this series

Presidential Trips File, April-December 1975.  (Boxes 2-11, 3.7 linear feet)
Schedules, memoranda, background information, reports by advancemen, media pool reports, press releases, news summaries, press briefing transcripts, and press wire reports. The materials concern interactions with members of the news media during the planning and execution of domestic and foreign trips by the President. Foreign trips include President Ford’s two trips to Europe during the summer of 1975, the economic summit in Rambouillet, France, and his trip to the Far East (China, Indonesia, and the Philippines) 1975.

Arranged chronologically by the date of the trip.

View container list for this series

Department of Defense Subject File, December 1975-July 1976.  (Boxes 11-12, 0.5 linear feet)
Memoranda, correspondence, meeting notes, press briefing transcripts, and press wires. The materials concern Greener’s work as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. One major topic is Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s trip to Portugal, Belgium, Kenya, and Zaire in June 1976.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

President Ford Committee Subject File, August-November 1976.  (Boxes 13-16, 1.5 linear feet)
Correspondence, memoranda, briefing papers and briefing books, press releases, newspaper clippings, and press wire stories. The materials concern relations with the news media and the work of campaign advocates (First Family, Cabinet, Congressional Republicans, etc.).

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Campaign Advocates Daily File, September-November 1976. (Boxes 17-18, 0.7 linear feet)
Schedules (for campaign advocates, President Ford Committee officials, President Ford, Bob Dole, Jimmy Carter, and Walter Mondale), PFC newsletters, issue papers, and talking points. The materials document the work of the PFC Communications Office in keeping campaign advocates briefed on campaign developments and campaign issues.

Arranged chronologically.

View container list for this series

CONTAINER LIST

Box 1 - White House Subject File

• Cabinet Meeting, May 7, 1975 - Greener Notes
• Camp David Meeting on Press Office Improvements, October 18, 1975
• CIA Report (Rockefeller Commission Report), June 1975 (1)-(2)
• Greener - Congratulatory Letters, April 1975
• Greener - Miscellaneous
• Greener - Schedules, April-September 1975
• Greener - Notes, April-July 1975
• Greener - Press Briefings: Notes for, July-December 1975
• Greener - Press Briefings: Transcripts, July-November 1975 (1)-(2)
• Mayaguez Incident - Chronology, May 1975
• President Ford's First Year - Report, August 1975
• Presidential Interviews and Meetings with the Media, September 1975
• White House Correspondents Call List, April 1975
• White House Fact Sheets
• White House Press Releases Concerning the Appointments of William Saxbe as Attorney General and Leon Jaworski as Special Prosecutors, November 1, 1973

Box 1 (Continued) - White House Correspondence File

• Correspondence, April-July 1975

Box 2 - White House Correspondence File

• Correspondence, August-December 1975
• Presidential Trips File
• April 18, 1975 - New Hampshire and Massachusetts (1)-(2)
• April 23, 1975 - New Orleans, LA (1)-(3)
• April 25, 1975 - Yale University, New Haven, CT
• May 3, 1975 - Norfolk, VA (USS Nimitz Commissioning Ceremony)

Box 2 (Continued) - Presidential Trips File

• Correspondence, August-December 1975

Box 3 - Presidential Trips File

• April 18, 1975 - New Hampshire and Massachusetts (1)-(2)
• April 23, 1975 - New Orleans, LA (1)-(3)
• April 25, 1975 - Yale University, New Haven, CT
• May 3, 1975 - Norfolk, VA (USS Nimitz Commissioning Ceremony)

Box 4 - Presidential Trips File

• May 28, 1975 - June 4, 1975 - Europe: Press Notes (6)-(8)
• May 28, 1975 - June 4, 1975 - Europe: Press Wires
• May 28, 1975 - June 4, 1975 - Europe: Salzburg Press Kit
• May 28, 1975 - June 4, 1975 - Europe: Schedules (1)-(2)
• June 4, 1975 - Fort Benning, GA
• July 3, 1975 - Cleveland and Cincinnati, OH (1)-(3)
• July 11-13, 1975 - Illinois and Michigan (1)-(3)

Box 5 - Presidential Trips File

• July 26, 1975 - August 4, 1975 - Europe: Foreign Media Reaction
• July 26, 1975 - August 4, 1975 - Europe: General (1)-(5)
• July 26, 1975 - August 4, 1975 - Europe: News Summaries (1)-(2)
• July 26, 1975 - August 4, 1975 - Europe: Pocket Schedule (1)-(2)
• July 26, 1975 - August 4, 1975 - Europe: Press Notes, Vol. 1 (1)-(4)

Box 6 - Presidential Trips File

• July 26, 1975 - August 4, 1975 - Europe: Press Notes, Vol. 2 (1)-(4)
• August 10, 1975 - Fort Chaffee and Fort Smith, AR
• August 10-23, 1975 - Vail, CO (1)-(5)
• August 18-19, 1975 - Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois (1)-(3)

Box 7 - Presidential Trips File

• August 18-19, 1975 - Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois (4)
• August 24-25, 1975 - Montana, Illinois, and Wisconsin (1)-(2)
• August 30, 1975 - Maine and Rhode Island (1)-(3)
• September 4-5, 1975 - Washington, Oregon, and California (1)-(3)
• September 11, 1975 - New Hampshire (1)-(3)

Box 8 - Presidential Trips File

• September 12-13, 1975 - Missouri, Kansas, and Texas (1)-(3)
• September 19-22, 1975 - Oklahoma and California (1)-(4)
• September 30, 1975 - October 1, 1975 - Illinois and Nebraska (1)-(3)
• October 4, 1975 - West Virginia and New Jersey

Box 9 - Presidential Trips File

• October 7, 1975 - Knoxville, TN
• October 14, 1975 - Hartford, CT (1)-(2)
• October 30-31, 1975 - St. Louis, MO (Jim Lynn Trip)
• November 1, 1975 - Jacksonville, FL (1)-(2)
• November 7, 1975 - Massachusetts (1)-(4)
• November 11, 1975 - Charleston, WV (1)-(2)
• November 14, 1975 - North Carolina and Georgia (1)-(2)

Box 10 - Presidential Trips File

• November 14-17, 1975 - France: Pocket Schedule
• November 14-17, 1975 - France: Press Notes (1)-(6)
• November 29, 1975 - December 8, 1975 - Far East: China
• November 29, 1975 - December 8, 1975 - Far East: China - Photographs (Transferred to the audiovisual collection)
• November 29, 1975 - December 8, 1975 - Far East: China - Publications
• November 29, 1975 - December 8, 1975 - Far East: Foreign Media Reaction
• November 29, 1975 - December 8, 1975 - Far East: Greener Notebook
• November 29, 1975 - December 8, 1975 - Far East: Hawaii
• November 29, 1975 - December 8, 1975 - Far East: Indonesia

Box 11 - Presidential Trips File

• November 29, 1975 - December 8, 1975 - Far East: News Summaries (1)-(2)
• November 29, 1975 - December 8, 1975 - Far East: Pocket Schedule (1)-(2)
• November 29, 1975 - December 8, 1975 - Far East: Press Notes, Vol. 1 (1)-(4)
• November 29, 1975 - December 8, 1975 - Far East: Press Notes, Vol. 2 (1)-(2)
• Binder Used by Greener to Carry Trip Materials, 1975

Box 11 (Continued) - Department of Defense Subject File

• Binder Used by Greener to Carry Documents, 1976
• Defense Budget, February-April 1976
• Department of Defense - Public Information Policy, January 1976
• Greener, William - Nomination as Assistant Secretary of Defense, December 1975
• Greener, William - Notes to Public Affairs Staff, January-February 1976
• Greener, William - Resignation from the Department of Defense, July 1976
• Office of Information for the Armed Services - Transfer, February 1976

Box 12 - Department of Defense Subject File

• Press Briefing Transcripts, January-June 1976
• Press Guidance
• Public Affairs Staff - Meeting Notes, January-July 1976 (1)-(2)
• Rumsfeld, Donald - General
• Rumsfeld, Donald - Photographs of Swearing-In Ceremony as Secretary of Defense, November 1975 (Transferred to the audiovisual collection)
• Rumsfeld, Donald - Plan for Scheduling Events and Trips, 1976
• Rumsfeld, Donald - Trip to Europe and Africa, June 8-19, 1976: Belgium
• Rumsfeld, Donald - Trip to Europe and Africa, June 8-19, 1976: General
• Rumsfeld, Donald - Trip to Europe and Africa, June 8-19, 1976: Kenya (1)-(2)
• Rumsfeld, Donald - Trip to Europe and Africa, June 8-19, 1976: Portugal
• Rumsfeld, Donald - Trip to Europe and Africa, June 8-19, 1976: Zaire (1)-(2)

Box 13 - President Ford Committee Subject File

• Advocates Briefing Book, September 27, 1976 (1)-(3)
• Book - "Jimmy Carter's Betrayal of the South" by Jeffrey St. John
• Campaign Advocate Travel, September 8, 1976
• Carter, Jimmy - Quotes on Defense and Foreign Affairs (1)-(2)
• Debate, September 23, 1976 (1)-(2)
• Debate, October 6, 1976 (1)-(2)
• Debate, October 22, 1976
• "Ford's Plan to Beat the Odds" - U.S. News and World Report, August 30, 1976

Box 14 - President Ford Committee Subject File

• Greener, William - Correspondence, August-November 1976 (1)-(7)
• Meeting in Vail, Colorado, August 1976
• Merlino, F. Joseph - Proposal for Checkmating Carter's "Concrete" Proposal, September 1976
• Mondale, Walter - Quotebook (1)-(2)
• National Republican Congressional Committee Speech Kit (1)-(3)

Box 15 - President Ford Committee Subject File

• Newspaper Clippings and Wire Stories
• President Ford '76 Factbook, May 21, 1976 (1)-(3)
• President Ford '76 Factbook, September 8, 1976 (1)-(3)
• President Ford '76 Factbook, September 8, 1976 - Supplementary Information on Eastern Europe and on Party Platforms, October 1976
• President Ford Committee - Notebook (Staff Lists, Delegate Counts, Finance Reports, etc.), June 1976 (1)-(4)
• President Ford Committee - Press Releases
• President Ford Committee - Staff, June-August 1976
• President Ford Committee - Volunteer Manual, September 1976 (?)

Box 16 - President Ford Committee Subject File

• Presidential Trips, September 25, 1976 - Mississippi River Steamboat
• Presidential Trips, October 9, 1976 - Texas
• Presidential Trips, October 15-16, 1976 - Illinois Whistlestop Train Trip
• Presidential Trips, October 21, 1976 - New York City (Alfred E. Smith Dinner)
• Republican Convention - General (1)-(2)
• Republican Convention - Press Plan/Media Coverage (1)-(2)
• Republican Convention - Schedules
• White House Press Releases, July-November 1976

Box 17 - Campaign Advocates Daily File

• Campaign Advocate and Candidate Schedules, Newsletters, and Briefing Papers on Issues, September 11 - October 11, 1976

Box 18 - Campaign Advocates Daily File

• Campaign Advocate and Candidate Schedules, Newsletters, and Briefing Papers on Issues, October 12 - November 1, 1976