SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Case files containing background materials and drafts for speeches and testimony from his work in both the Department of the Treasury and the Department of the Navy. In addition, the collection includes a chronological file of his outgoing Treasury memoranda and correspondence, routine personal correspondence, and Treasury Department news summaries from the Carter administration.

QUANTITY
12.3 linear feet (ca. 24,600 pages)

DONOR
David R. Macdonald (accession number 88-38)

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
David Macdonald donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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, May 1991
[s:\bin\findaid\macdonald, david - papers.doc]

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

David Robert Macdonald

Nov. 1, 1930 - Born, Chicago, IL

1952 - B.S., Cornell University

1955 - J.D., University of Michigan Law School

1955-57 - U.S. Army

1957-62 - Attorney, Kirkland, Ellis, Hodson, Chaffetz & Masters, Chicago, IL

1962-74 - Partner, Baker & McKenzie, Chicago, IL

1962-- Member, Committee of Visitors, University of Michigan Law School

1974-76 - Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement, Operations, and Tariff Affairs

1976-77 - Under Secretary of the Navy

1977-81 - Partner, Baker & McKenzie, Chicago, IL and on the board of directors of the Chicago Crime Commission

1977-79 - National Chairman, University of Michigan Law School Fund

1981-83 - Deputy U.S. Trade Representative

1983-- Partner, Baker & McKenzie, Chicago, IL (Washington Office)

INTRODUCTION

The Macdonald papers partially document his work in the Department of the Treasury between April 1974 and September 1976 and his subsequent brief tenure with the Department of the Navy until the end of the Ford administration. The primary focus is on foreign trade and tariff matters and federal law enforcement activities, although the collection includes information on a number of other issues. Described below under separate headings are Macdonald's role in the administration, the scope and content of his collection, and related materials in the Ford Library.

Macdonald's Role in the Administration
As Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement, Operations, and Tariff Affairs, Macdonald supervised the work of the following bureaus and offices:

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
• Bureau of Engraving and Printing
• Bureau of the Mint
• Consolidated Law Enforcement Training Center
• U.S. Customs Service
• U.S. Secret Service

His office also had primary cognizance over the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the INTERPOL National Central Bureau.

Macdonald's office administered the Countervailing Duty Law, the Anti-Dumping Act and other laws governing trade and tariff matters as well as laws pertaining to the control of foreign assets in this country or trade sanctions against other countries. Another function was the coordination of Department of the Treasury law enforcement matters, including the formulation of law enforcement policies and cooperation on law enforcement matters with other Federal agencies. He also oversaw the enforcement of firearms and explosives laws, Treasury anti-narcotics programs, the Secret Service's work protecting the President and others, and the production of paper money and coins.

Late in the Ford administration, Macdonald became Under Secretary of the Navy. In that role he functioned as the deputy and principal assistant to Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf in handling matters concerning the organization, administration, and operation of the Department of the Navy.

The Macdonald Papers
This collection does not include official records of the offices in which Macdonald served, only those materials which most federal agencies consider either personal in nature or extra copies (i.e., speech files, personal correspondence, and chronological files of memoranda and letters). The bulk concerns the Department of the Treasury and his personal interests; only a few folders concern the Navy.

The most significant materials are the case files on his speeches, testimony and trips. Most files include speech drafts, finished speeches, and memoranda and reports gathered to assist in writing the remarks. The latter documents are especially useful in examining the specific issues handled by his office. For instance, the files concerning his testimony on gun control legislation contain important documentation on that issue.

Macdonald's chronological file of outgoing memoranda and correspondence details many of his interactions with his own staff, the bureaus and offices which reported to him, Secretary of the Treasury William Simon, officials in other agencies, individuals outside the government who were interested in the issues which he handled, and personal friends and relatives. While the file contains no incoming documents and is by no means a complete record of the activities of his office, it provides some useful information on all aspects of Macdonald's work.

Some items in the chronological file and the bulk of the subject file concern purely personal business and family matters. The subject file does include some folders of background material on a few issues from his Treasury service, however.

Related Materials (May 1991)
Much related material appears in the White House Central Files Subject File. Categories of interest include FG 12 (Department of the Treasury) and its subdivisions covering the offices supervised by Macdonald, TA (Trade) and its subdivisions, JL 6 (Law Enforcement), and numerous other categories concerning the issues on which he worked.

Information on trade matters also appears in the Library's economic collections, especially the Council of Economic Advisers records and L. William Seidman files. The files of members of the Counsel's Office include additional information on law enforcement and Secret Service matters.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

General Subject File, 1974-77.  (Boxes 1-5, 2.0 linear feet)
Routine correspondence, reports, and briefing materials. Most correspondence concerns personal matters, such as contacts with friends or congratulations received upon his appointment to positions. Other folders contain compilations giving background information on topics relating to his Department of the Treasury responsibilities, primarily foreign trade. The series is apparently incomplete as most folder titles begin with the letters P through Z.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Chronological File, 1973-76.  (Boxes 6-14, 3.4 linear feet)
Copies of outgoing correspondence and memoranda concerning all aspects of his work in the Department of the Treasury. The major topics are trade and tariff matters. Smaller amounts of material concern other issues and the organization and operation of the offices and bureaus which he supervised. The Ford Library staff combined a small (ca. 800 pages) file identified as a "Reading File" into this series during processing. Documents originally located in the "Reading File" are on blue paper.

Arranged chronologically.

View container list for this series

Speeches, Testimony and Trips File, 1974-77.  (Boxes 15-25, 4.1 linear feet)
Case files on individual public appearances or trips containing speeches, speech drafts, testimony, correspondence, memoranda, briefing papers, reports and clippings. While a few files contain only press release versions of speeches or testimony, most also contain drafts and background materials gathered to assist in the speech writing process. Many concern foreign trade and tariff matters, but others relate to such topics as law enforcement, drug abuse, presidential protection and gun control. A few speeches date from his service as Under Secretary of the Navy and concern naval matters.

Arranged chronologically by the date of the event.

View container list for this series

Treasury Department News Summaries, July 1977-April 1978. (Boxes 26-32, 2.8 linear feet)
News summaries prepared by the office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs containing articles and editorials concerning the Department of the Treasury and issues (e.g., economics or trade) of interest to Treasury officials. All date from the period after Macdonald left Washington and therefore concern the activities and issues of the Carter administration. These may have been sent to Macdonald to keep him updated on various issues.

Arranged chronologically.

View container list for this series

CONTAINER LIST

Box 1 - General Subject File

• Anti-Dumping Investigations - Compilation of Adjustments and Issues (1)-(5)
• Congratulations on Appointment - Treasury Department (1)-(4)
• Congratulations - Under Secretary of the Navy (1)-(3)
• Countervailing Duties - DISC

Box 2 - General Subject File

• GATT Plus Proposal (Publication)
• Illegal Corporate Payments and Arab Boycott Briefing Book (1)-(4)
• Internal Revenue Service - Court Decisions in Tax Cases (1)-(4)
• P - Personal
• Petroleum Imports - Report on Section 232 Investigation
• Political Activities
• R - Personal (1)

Box 3 - General Subject File

• R - Personal (2)
• Resignations - Treasury and Navy
• S - Personal (1)-(4)
• Schools - Macdonald Children
• Shultz, George - Reception
• Simon, William - Memos
• Social Correspondence - Navy
• Staff Meetings - Pending Lists (1)-(3)
• Subcommittee Report on Antitrust and Anti-Dumping

Box 4 - General Subject File

• T - Personal
• Trade Reform Act - Congressional Publications (1)-(9)

Box 5 - General Subject File

• Trade Reform Act - Congressional Publications (10)-(11)
• Transition - DOD "Plum List"
• Treasury Credit Union
• Treasury Farewell Luncheon
• Treasury Historical Association
• Treasury Papers - Publication (1)-(5)
• U - Personal
• University of Michigan Law School Committee of Visitors, 10/25-26/74 (1)-(2)
• V - Personal
• W - Personal
• Winnetka Bank
• XYZ - Personal

Box 6 - Chronological File

• May 1973-September 1974

Box 7 - Chronological File

• October 1974-January 1975

Box 8 - Chronological File

• February-May 1975

Box 9 - Chronological File

• June-August 1975

Box 10 - Chronological File

• September-November 1975

Box 11 - Chronological File

• December 1975-February 1976

Box 12 - Chronological File

• March-May 1976

Box 13 - Chronological File

• June-July 1976

Box 14 - Chronological File

• August-September 1976

Box 15 - Speeches, Testimony and Trips File

• 4/24/74 - Confirmation Hearings Statement
• 6/13/74 - Hearings on Monitoring and Surveillance Practices (1)-(3)
• 8/8/74 - Hearings on the Consolidated Federal Law Enforcement Center (1)-(2)
• 9/10/74 - American Importers Association (1)-(2)
• 9/19-25/74 - INTERPOL General Assembly (1)-(2)
• 10/2/74 - Working Group on Terrorism Briefing re INTERPOL Meeting
• 10/4/74 - Washington International Business Council Luncheon
• 10/9-10/74 - Regional Directors Conference
• 10/19-23/74 - American Bar Association (Cancelled)

Box 16 - Speeches, Testimony and Trips File

• 10/30/74 - Farm Leaders
• 11/6/74 - Economic Club of Chicago
• 12/3/74 - Hearings on the National Wiretap Commission (1)-(4)
• 1/30-31/75 - American Bar Association National Institute on Customs, Tariff and Trade (1)-(6)

Box 17 - Speeches, Testimony and Trips File

• 1/30-31/75 - American Bar Association National Institute on Customs, Tariff and Trade (7)-(8)
• 2/4/75 - Senate Youth Program
• 3/11/75 - International Law Council of the Federal Bar Association
• 3/13/75 - Hearings on Protective Intelligence Operations of the Secret Service (1)-(2)
• 3/17/75 - Hearings on an Increase in Uniformed Officers in the Executive Protective Service
• 3/19/75 - WEMA Capital Caucus (1)-(2)
• 4/23/75 - Hearings on Proposed Firearms Legislation (1)-(4)

Box 18 - Speeches, Testimony and Trips File

• 4/23/75 - Hearings on Proposed Firearms Legislation (5)-(6)
• 5/6/75 - Hearings on INTERPOL Membership
• 5/6/75 - Hearings on U.S. Mint Buildings
• 5/18/75 - Commemoration of Historic Galena Customs House
• 5/24/75 - Federal Criminal Investigators Association
• 5/28-31/75 - U.S./European Community Consultations on Wine
• 6/11/75 - Hearings on the Cuban Embargo
• 6/11/75 - World Trade Institute conference on the Trade Act of 1974 (1)-(2)
• 6/18/75 - Canadian Export Association
• 6/19/75 - Hearings on Rhodesian Chrome (1)-(2)

Box 19 - Speeches, Testimony and Trips File

• 7/22/75 - Retail Trade Conference
• 7/24/75 - Hearings on Proposed Firearms Legislation (1)-(2)
• 9/24/75 - Hearings on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Funding (1)-(4)
• 9/30/75 - Hearings on Secret Service Protective Measures
• 10/14-15/75 - Gypsum Association
• 10/17-19/75 - European Community Consultations
• 10/23-25/75 - University of Michigan Law School Committee of Visitors
• 10/30/75 - Inter-Association Trade Group
• 11/3/75 - Speech on the Role of Profits in the American Economy, Rockford, IL

Box 20 - Speeches, Testimony and Trips File

• 11/8-15/75 - Multilateral Trade Negotiations (1)-(2)
• 11/17/75 - Legal Club of Chicago
• 11/18/75 - Hearings on Trade
• 11/19/75 - German-American Chamber of Commerce (1)-(2)
• 11/20/75 - Directors of Agencies Participating in Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Programs
• 11/25/75 - Mid-America Committee
• 12/18/75 - Customs Academy Graduation
• 1976 - Lincoln Day Addresses
• 1/7/76 - Northwestern Mutual Life Management Group
• 1/28/76 - White House Meeting on Firearms (1)-(2)

Box 21 - Speeches, Testimony and Trips File

• 1/28/76 - International Business-Government Counsellors Briefing Conference (1)-(3)
• 1/29/76 - Hearings on Foreign Trade (Secretary William Simon Testimony)
• 2/11/76 - Annual Assay Commission
• 2/24/76 - Hearings on INTERPOL
• 2/26/76 - WEMA Capital Caucus
• 2/27/76 - Hearings on the New Denver Mint Building (1)-(5)

Box 22 - Speeches, Testimony and Trips File

• 3/11/76 - International Trade Club, Chicago
• 3/12/76 - U.S./Brazil Trade Consultative Sub-group
• 3/12/76(?) - Unidentified Speech on Trade Policy
• 3/24/76 - Hearings on Tariff Schedules (1)-(3)
• 3/29/76 - Law Enforcement Training Officers Seminar
• 3/31/76 - National Cargo Security Conference (1)-(2)
• 4/2/76 - National Chamber of Commerce Working Group
• 4/6-8/76 - GATT Subsidies/Countervailing Duties Meeting (1)-(3)
• 4/22/76 - Evanston Republican Women's Club
• 4/28/76 - Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America

Box 23 - Speeches, Testimony and Trips File

• 4/28-29/76 - U.S./European Community Bilateral Consultations (1)-(2)
• 5/7-13/76 - Trip to Brazil for Trade Consultations (1)-(4)
• 5/25/76 - Polish-U.S. Economic Council
• 6/3/76 - Customs Service Graduates
• 6/4/76 - Andrew Vance Testimonial Dinner
• 6/7/76 - Fertilizer Institute
• 6/28/76 - Hearings on the Bank Secrecy Act (1)-(2)

Box 24 - Speeches, Testimony and Trips File

• 6/28/76 - Hearings on the Bank Secrecy Act (3)-(4)
• 7/14/76 - Project Cue Luncheon
• 7/26-27/76 - European Community Wine Consultations
• 7/28/76 - Hearings on Narcotics Trafficking Legislation (1)-(5)
• 8/3/76 - Hearings on the Customs Modernization Act (1)-(3)

Box 25 - Speeches, Testimony and Trips File

• 8/11-12/75 - Working Group, Cabinet Committee for Drug Law Enforcement
• 8/24/76 - Hearings on Drug Abuse
• 10/13/76 - Navy's 201st Birthday
• 10/15/76 - Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award
• 11/12/76 - Midcontinent Trust Conference, Cincinnati, OH
• 11/23/76 - Naval Attaches
• 12/7/76 - Honoring Congresswoman Leonor Sullivan
• 12/8-9/76 - Federal Executive Institute Workshop on the Roles of Assistant Secretaries (1)-(4)
• 2/2/77 - Hearings on the Navy Budget
• 2/15/77 - Briefing on Erosion of Military Benefits
• 3/23/77 - Public Service Intern Program

Box 26 - Treasury Department News Summaries

• July 15 - August 22, 1977

Box 27 - Treasury Department News Summaries

• August 23 - September 21, 1977

Box 28 - Treasury Department News Summaries

• September 22 - November 3, 1977

Box 29 - Treasury Department News Summaries

• November 4 - December 7, 1977

Box 30 - Treasury Department News Summaries

• December 8, 1977 - January 23, 1978

Box 31 - Treasury Department News Summaries

• January 24 - March 6, 1978

Box 32 - Treasury Department News Summaries

• March 7 - April 26, 1978