SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Subject and chronological files concerning his work on the development of domestic policy in the area of drug abuse, privacy, small and minority businesses, housing and urban affairs, Olympic sports, the Postal Service, telecommunications policy, regulatory reform, and legal matters.

QUANTITY
18 linear feet (ca. 36,000 pages)

DONOR
Gerald R. Ford (accession number 77-34)

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Gerald Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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 Dennis M. Lakomy, March 1980
[s:\bin\findaid\may, lynn - files.doc]

INTRODUCTION

Lynn May received a B.A. degree in history from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in 1964, and completed course requirements for a PhD in history at UCLA in 1972. From May 1972 to April 1974 he was special assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. In April 1974 he became staff assistant to Geoffrey C. Shepard, Associate Director, General Government, of the Domestic Council. When Shepard left the Domestic Council on March 3, 1975, May became Assistant Director to Richard D. Parsons who succeeded Shepard. In May 1975 areas of responsibility were reformulated and Parsons became Associate Director for Justice, Crime, Civil Rights, and Communications, with May continuing as his assistant. In January of 1976 May was appointed Associate Director for Housing, Community Affairs, and Communications in which position he served until the end of the administration.

As assistant to Domestic Council Associate Director Geoffrey Shepard, May worked in the areas of drugs, privacy, small and minority business programs, the Department of Commerce, and the Justice Department. An important drug topic was the reorganization of the Special Action Office for Drug Abuse and the future direction of the federal drug abuse effort. In the privacy area May took part in the Domestic Council Committee on the Right of Privacy which developed initiatives for safeguarding personal privacy and coordinated the formulation and implementation of the Privacy Act of 1974. His responsibilities for small and minority business included programs of both the Small Business Administration and the Department of Commerce Office of Minority Business Enterprise. Other important Commerce topics were fire safety and maritime shipping. A significant Justice Department program was the National Crime Information Center, a combined state, local and federal law enforcement data network using dedicated computers and message switching.

As assistant to Associate Director Richard Parsons, May was responsible for communications, postal service, regulatory reform, illegal aliens, and continued with privacy, small business, and the law enforcement data network. A significant communications project was the organization of the Office of Telecommunications Policy, which functioned as the President's principal advisor on telecommunications policy, cable television, CB radios, and telephone systems. The organizational background and legislation of the postal service were important topics. Substantive regulatory reform issues included the Robinson-Patman Act, and the Domestic Council Review Group on Regulatory Reform, in which May took part, but for which Paul Leach had primary responsibility.

After becoming Associate Director, May was responsible for housing and urban development, Olympic Sports, disaster assistance, and continued with communications and postal service. He inherited most of the housing and urban development files from Tod R. Hullin; many contain only copies and printed material. Significant topics include community development, home financing assistance, Detroit, National Growth Report, and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration. Substantive Olympic Sports issues were the 1976 Summer Olympics, 1980 Winter Olympics to be held at Lake Placid, and the President's Commission on Olympic Sports. From August 16, 1976, to January 20, 1977, May was assisted by George T. Kidd, Assistant Director, who was detailed from the Office of Telecommunications Policy. Kidd's areas of responsibility included disaster assistance, communications, postal service, and the General Services Administration. Kidd's chronological file is part of the May papers.

May's functions were primarily the same both as Assistant and Associate Director, including domestic policy formulation and White House liaison for Cabinet Departments, government agencies, and special interest groups. Among his specific duties were the preparation of information, decision, and action memoranda, and Presidential statements and questions and answers. He developed agendas and arranged meetings for the President, government officials, and special interest groups, or met with such groups himself. May wrote issues papers, policy proposals, and draft responses to letters, and occasionally gave speeches to special interest groups.

These papers include files inherited from Tod Hullin (1973-76), Richard Parsons (1975-76), and Geoffrey Shepard (1974-75). Some materials date from the Nixon Administration. Most of the files consist of copies or printed materials and apparently were accumulated by May for reference purposes. Original memoranda and correspondence that do appear are to and from many of the Domestic Council staff, Cabinet and Agency officials, special interest groups, and individuals.

Related Materials (March 1980)
Related materials in the Ford Library include the Domestic Council files of Tod Hullin, Richard Parsons, and Geoffrey Shepard. Materials on housing and community development issues, documenting the service of George Romney as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the first term of the Nixon administration (1969-72), are available at the Bentley Historical Library of the University of Michigan. Some of May's material on illegal aliens is in WHCF under OA9281.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Commerce Department Subject File, 1974-75.  (Boxes 1-3, 1.0 linear feet)
Reports, handbooks, brochures, notes, memoranda, correspondence, talking points, statements, printed materials, and other information on the Department of Commerce and its programs, including fire, safety, minority business, and maritime shipping. Some papers date from 1973; occasional materials are to and from Shepard and Parsons.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.

View container list for this series

Drug Abuse Subject File, 1974-75. (Boxes 3-4, 0.6 linear feet)
Memoranda, articles, statements, reports, copy letters, schedule proposals, agendas, talking points, questions and answers, notes, press releases, and other items, all concerning Federal government involvement with the control of drug abuse. Included is information on the Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention. Some transmittals are to and from Geoffrey Shepard; occasional papers date from 1973.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.

View container list for this series

Housing and Urban Development Subject File, 1973-76. (Boxes 5-20, 6.2 linear feet)
Memoranda, reports, press releases, articles, correspondence, notes, statements, occasional Congressional documents, Presidential talking points, questions and answers, fact sheets, bills, agendas, charts, and other printed materials. Most of these files were inherited from Tod R. Hullin; many are copies or printed material. Substantive topics include community development, home financing assistance, Detroit, National Growth Report 1974 and 1976, and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration. Correspondents include David Meeker, Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development, HUD, and Andre Buckles, Staff Assistant for Community Development of the Domestic Council.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.

View container list for this series

Office of Telecommunications Policy Subject File, 1974-76. (Boxes 20-25, 2.0 linear feet)
Memoranda, reports, correspondence, articles, press releases, notes, statements, occasional questions and answers, and Congressional documents. The OTP functioned as the President's principal advisor on telecommunications policy. Major topics included cable television, CB radios, telephone systems, and a study of the OTP. Correspondents include Geoffrey Shepard, Richard Parsons, James Cannon, Executive Director of the Domestic Council, Paul W. MacAvoy of the Council of Economic Advisors and various officials of the OTP.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.

View container list for this series

Postal Service Subject File, 1974-76. (Boxes 25-26, 0.6 linear feet)
Memoranda, press releases, fact sheets, articles, reports, bills, statements, Congressional documents, occasional schedule proposals, agendas, and other materials concerning the organization, operation, and legislative history of the U.S. Postal Service.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.

View container list for this series

Privacy Subject File, 1974-76. (Boxes 27-29, 1.0 linear feet)
Memoranda, correspondence, statements, articles, reports, Congressional documents, occasional agendas, notes, bills, and other papers concerning the citizens' right to privacy. Correspondents include Geoffrey Shepard, Richard Parsons, and officials on the Domestic Council Committee on the Right of Privacy.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.

View container list for this series

Regulatory Reform Subject File, 1975. (Boxes 29-31, 0.8 linear feet)
Memoranda, reports, press releases, articles, correspondence, notes, occasional bills, agendas, schedule proposals, statements, speeches, and other papers, some dating from 1976. May participated in the Domestic Council Review Group on Regulatory Reform.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.

View container list for this series

Small Business Administration Subject File, 1974-75. (Boxes 31-32, 0.6 linear feet)
Memoranda, articles, brochures, reports, correspondence, statements, occasional agendas, schedule proposals, and other information concerning the Small Business Administration. Occasional items date from the Nixon Administration, and one item from 1976.

Arranged by subject and thereunder chronologically.

View container list for this series

General Subject File, 1974-76. (Boxes 32-41, 3.6 linear feet)
Memoranda, correspondence, brochures, reports, press releases, draft letters, statements, articles, occasional fact sheets, bills, schedule proposals, notes, issue papers, questions and answers, and other materials concerning a variety of issues handled by May, both as Assistant Director and Associate Director. Most of the papers are copies or printed material, a few date from 1973, and some were inherited from Tod Hullin and Richard Parsons. Substantive subjects include the Justice Department, National Crime Information Center, the Olympic Games, the General Services Administration, and Sex Equality-Title IX. The Olympic Games files are almost entirely Tod Hullin material.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.

View container list for this series

May Chronological File, 1974-77. (Boxes 42-45, 1.3 linear feet)
Copies of correspondence, memoranda, schedule proposals, questions and answers, and other items produced by May and sent to other Domestic Council staff, government agencies, special interest groups, and individuals. Occasional related materials are attached.

Arranged chronologically.

View container list for this series

Kidd Chronological File, 1976-77. (Box 45, 0.1 linear feet)
One folder of copies of correspondence and memoranda produced by George T. Kidd.

Arranged chronologically.

View container list for this series

CONTAINER LIST

Box 1 - Commerce Department Subject File

• Background
• Budget (Commerce Department)
• Business Conditions Report
• Community Economic Development
• Copyright Law Revision
• Domestic and International Business Administration
• Economic Adjustment Act of 1974
• Experimental Technology Incentives Program
• Fire Prevention and Control (1)-(2)
• General

Box 2 - Commerce Department Subject File

• Legislation
• Maritime Administration
• Office of Minority Business Enterprise (1)-(4)

Box 3 - Commerce Department Subject File

• Office of Minority Business Enterprise (5)-(6)
• Patent Reform
• Presidential Briefings (NOAA, USTS, etc.)
• United States Travel Service

Box 3 (Continued) - Drug Abuse Subject File

• Administration Initiatives
• Alcohol and Drug Abuse Education Act Amendments of 1974
• Articles
• Conference - Drug Abuse Prevention
• Department of Defense Urinalysis Suspension
• Domestic Council Drug Abuse Review Group
• Drug Abuse - General (1)

Box 4 - Drug Abuse Subject File

• Drug Abuse - General (2)
• Drug Abuse Prevention Week
• Drug Enforcement Administration
• Heroin
• Marihuana (1)-(2)
• "Medical Times" - Drug Abuse
• Opium/Turkey
• Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention (1)-(3)

Box 5 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• "America's Housing Needs: 1970 to 1980"
• Annual Report (HUD)
• Article Request
• Articles
• Background
• Better Communities Act
• Budget (1)-(2)
• Budget (1977) and Spring Planning Review
• Budget (1978) and Spring Planning Review
• Building Materials
• Carpet Certification
• Chicago
• Civil Service Commission Charges Against H.U.D..

Box 6 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• Community Development Background (1)-(2)
• Community Development - New Communities
• Community Development - Simplifying Planning Assistance
• Community Development Block Grant Program
• Condominiums
• Consumer Representation (HUD)
• Detroit (1)

Box 7 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• Detroit (2)
• Detroit - Meeting with the President, 4/30/75
• Detroit - "Moving Detroit Forward"
• Domestic Council
• Emergency Home Purchase Assistance Act of 1974 - S.3979
• Emergency Home Purchase Assistance Act Amendments of 1975 (S.1342)
• Emergency Housing Act of 1975 - H.R.4485 (1)

Box 8 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• Emergency Housing Act of 1975 - H.R.4485 (2)-(4)
• Emergency Housing Act of 1975 - H.R.5398
• Fair Housing and Affirmative Action
• Fair Housing/Ethnicity (1)-(2)

Box 9 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• Federal Disaster Assistance Administration
  - Background (1)-(2)
  - Disaster Recommendations/Declarations/Denials
  - Earthquakes
  - Guam: Typhoon Pamela
  - Teton Dam Disaster (1)-(2)
• Federal Home Loan Bank System
• Federal Housing Administration (FHA)

Box 10 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA)
• Federal Planning Assistance - Coordination and Consolidation (1)-(2)
• Financial Institutions (1)-(2)
• Flood Disaster Protection Act

Box 11 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• Floods - National Flood Insurance
• Foreclosure
• Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA)
• Greater Houston Builders and Contractors Association
• HABITAT
• Homeownership
• Home Owners Loan Corporation (S.660)
• Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 - S.3066 (1)-(2)

Box 12 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 - S.3066 (3)-(4)
• Housing Assistance - Section 8 and 202
• Housing Assistance - Section 223(f)
• Housing Assistance - Section 235 (1)-(2)
• Housing Assistance - Section 235: Option Paper
• Housing Assistance - Section 236
• Housing Authorization Act of 1976 (S.3295)
• Housing Message - September 19, 1973
• Housing Message - May 10, 1974
• Housing Review Group

Box 13 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• Housing Starts and Production
• Issue Papers
• Land Use Control
• Leased Housing
• Legislation - General
• Long Range Economic Recovery
• Miscellaneous (HUD)
• Mobile Homes
• Mortgage Bankers Association of America

Box 14 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• Mortgage Credit/Brock Proposal
• National Association of Building Manufacturers
• National Association of Home Builders (1)-(2)
• National Association of Housing Redevelopment Officials
• National Association of Realtors
• National Community Development Bank
• National Corporation for Housing Partnerships
• National Governor's Conference
• National Growth Report, 1974 (1)

Box 15 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• National Growth Report, 1974 (2)
• National Growth Report, 1976 (1)-(4)

Box 16 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• National Growth Report, 1976 (5)
• National Growth - "The Costs of Sprawl"
• National Growth - State Response to Growth and Change
• National Housing Conference
• National Housing Goal
• National Institute of Building Sciences
• Neighborhood Preservation
• New Communities (1)-(2)

Box 17 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• New York (City and State)
• Pensions and Mortgages
• President's Committee on Urban Development and Neighborhood Revitalization
• (1)-(5)
• Public Works Employment Act of 1975 - H.R.5247

Box 18 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• Questions and Answers (HUD)
• Rationalization of Federal Planning Assistance
• Real Estate Settlement Costs
• Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1975 (S.2327)
• Redlining
• Regulation Reform Initiative
• Research and Policy Development (HUD)
• Rural Housing
• Speeches on Housing
• State Housing Finance Agencies and Coinsurance
• State of the Industry - HUD Status and Trends

Box 19 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• State of the Union 1974
• State of the Union 1975 (1)-(2)
• State of the Union 1976
• Statistics - Housing
• "The Supply of Mortgage Credit 1970-1974""
• Tandem Mortgage Purchase Funds
• Tax Credit
• Urban Homesteading
• Variable Interest Rate Mortgages (1)

Box 20 - Housing and Urban Development Subject File

• Variable Interest Rate Mortgages (2)-(3)
• Vice President's Briefings

Box 20 (Continued) - Office of Telecommunications Policy Subject File

• Amtrak Metroliner Phone Service
• Aspen Institute
• Background - Telecommunications (1)-(2)
• Cable Television and Regulation (1)

Box 21 - Office of Telecommunications Policy Subject File

• Cable Television and Regulation (2)-(7)

Box 22 - Office of Telecommunications Policy Subject File

• Cable Television and Regulation (8)-(9)
• Cable Television Meetings - Domestic Council Review Group
• Canadian - U.S. Broadcast Issues
• CB Radios (1)-(2)
• Common Carrier Telephone - Bell System (AT&T) Views
• Common Carrier Telephone (1)

Box 23 - Office of Telecommunications Policy Subject File

• Common Carrier Telephone (2)
• Communications Satellite - ATS-F
• COMSAT (Satellite)
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting (1)-(2)
• Federal Telecommunications System (FTS)
• General
• Legislation
• National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System
• New Rural Society Project

Box 24 - Office of Telecommunications Policy Subject File

• Pacific Telecommunications Conference (1)-(3)
• Radio Deregulation
• Study of the Office of Telecommunications Policy (1)-(3)

Box 25 - Office of Telecommunications Policy Subject File

• Study of the Office of Telecommunication Policy (4)-(5)
• Telephone Espionage
• VHF Television Expansion

Box 25 (Continued) - Postal Service Subject File

• Background - Postal Service
• Board of Governors
• Commemorative Stamp Requests
• Commission on Postal Service
• Correspondence
• Electronic Mail
• Legislation (1)-(2)

Box 26 - Postal Service Subject File

• Organizational Background - Postal Service (1)-(5)
• Post Office Closings
• Postal Subsidies
• Presidential Meeting
• Private Express Statutes (mail monopoly)

Box 27 - Privacy Subject File

• Background - Privacy (1)-(2)
• Child Support Amendment Act of 1974
• Computer Networks
• Consumer Privacy Code
• Domestic Council Committee on the Right to Privacy (1)-(2)
• Freedom of Information Act Amendments H.R. 12471 (1)-(2)

Box 28 - Privacy Subject File

• Miscellaneous - Privacy
• Nixon Administration
• Privacy Act of 1974 H.R. 3418 (1)-(3)
• Privacy Act of 1974 H.R. 16373
• Privacy Protection Study Commission
• Seminar on Privacy - December 15-17, 1974
• State of the Union, 1975 and 1976

Box 29 - Privacy Subject File

• Sunshine Act S.5
• Taxpayer Privacy (1)-(3)

Box 29 (Continued) - Regulatory Reform Subject File

• Airlines
• Articles
• Background - Regulatory Reform

Box 30 - Regulatory Reform Subject File

• Congressional Representatives, Meetings with (1)-(2)
• Consumer Representatives
• Correspondence - Regulatory Reform
• Domestic Council Review Group
• Independent Regulatory Agencies - Meetings With
• Labor Department (1)-(2)
• Policy Statements (1)

Box 31 - Regulatory Reform Subject File.

• Policy Statements (2)
• Regulatory Reform and Domestic Commerce
• Robinson-Patman Act (1)-(2)
• Speeches, Draft
• State and Local Task Force
• Truck Regulation

Box 31 (Continued) - Small Business Administration Subject File

• ACTION/SCORE
• Background
• Bicentennial Commission for Small Business and the Professions
• Correspondence - Small Business
• Disasters
• Groups and Associations

Box 32 - Small Business Administration Subject File

• Legislation - Small Business
• Minority Business Program
• Mushroom Industry
• Presidential Goals and Objectives
• Small Business Leaders - Meetings With
• Small Business Policy
• Small Business Week, 1975

Box 32 (Continued) - General Subject File

• Action Memorandums
• Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1974

Box 33 - General Subject File

• Animal Health Research (American Veterinary Medical Association)
• Antitrust (1)-(2)
• Appointment Approval
• Black Caucus
• Canning Lid Shortage
• Consumer Affairs, Office of
• Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (DCPA)
• Domestic Council

Box 34 - General Subject File

• Equal Rights Amendment
• Executive Development
• Export Council
• Federal Employee Association
• Federal Executive Boards
• Federal Paperwork Commission
• Federal Property Council
• Federal Reserve System
• Federal Savings Bond Program
• Federal Statistical and Group Information
• General Accounting Office
• General Services Administration
  - Audiovisual Procurement
  - Background (1)-(2)

Box 35 - General Subject File

• General Services Administration
  - Energy Conservation
  - Federal Procurement Policy
  - Legislation (1)-(2)
  - Monthly Activities Report
  - Nixon Historical Materials
• Graphic Analysis
• Justice Issues
• Justice - National Crime Information Center (1)-(3)

Box 36 - General Subject File

• Justice - NCIC Message Switching (1)-(2)
• Justice - Presidential Regional Briefings (1)-(2)
• Justice - Spring Planning Review
• Illegal Aliens
• Law Enforcement Assistance Administration
• National Bureau of Standards
• National Credit Union Administration

Box 37 - General Subject File

• Olympic Games - Lake Placid, Winter, 1980 (1)-(4)
• Olympic Games - Montreal, Summer, 1976 (1)-(2)
• Olympic Sports, President's Commission on (1)

Box 38 - General Subject File

• Olympic Sports, President's Commission on (2)-(7)

Box 39 - General Subject File

• Overseas Private Investment Corporation
• Pan American Games, 1979
• Productivity
• Protection of Diplomats and Consulates
• Questions and Answers - General
• Referrals (1)-(2)
• Regional Briefings - Presidential
• Revenue Sharing
• Schedule Proposals - Presidential and Vice Presidential
• Secret Service

Box 40 - General Subject File

• Security and Exchange Commission
• Security Classification of Information
• Sex Equality - Title IX (1)-(5)
• Small Agency Review

Box 41 - General Subject File

• State of the Union
• Telephone Memoranda
• Treasury - General
• Treasury - Legislation
• Veterans Administration - Spring Planning Review, 1977
• Vice President Briefing Paper
• Watch List
• Weekly Activities Report
• Wiretap Commission

Box 42 - May Chronological File

• April - December 1974

Box 43 - May Chronological File

• January - December 1975

Box 44 - May Chronological File

• January 1976 - October 1976

Box 45 - May Chronological File

• October 1976 - January 1977

Box 45 (Continued) - Kidd Chronological File

• August 1976 - January 1977