SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Materials concerning White House liaison with the news media, excluding the White House Press Corps. Included is information on media briefings and receptions, press interviews with the President, local and regional press conferences, and coordination of Federal Government public relations efforts.

QUANTITY
14.0 linear feet (ca. 28,000 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
President Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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 William McNitt, July 1987; Revised September 1992
[s:\bin\findaid\warren, gerald and white, margita - files.doc]

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Gerald Lee Warren

Aug. 17, 1930 - Born, Hastings, Nebraska

1951-52 - Reporter, Lincoln Star, Lincoln, Nebraska

1952 - B.A., University of Nebraska

1952-56 - Pilot, U.S. Navy

1956-61 - Reporter and later assistant city editor, San Diego Union

1961-1963 - Traveling representative, Copley News Service

1963-68 - City editor and later assistant managing editor, San Diego Union

1969-1975 - Deputy Press Secretary, The White House

1975- - Editor, San Diego Union

Margita Eklund White

June 27, 1937 - Born in Linkoping, Sweden

1959 - B.A. in Government, University of Redlands, California (Magna Cum Laude)

1960 - M.A. in Political Science, Rutgers University

1960 - Assistant to the press secretary, Richard Nixon Presidential Campaign

1961-62 - Administrative assistant, Whitaker and Baxter advertising agency, Honolulu

1963 - Minority press secretary, Hawaii House of Representatives

1963-64 - Research aide, U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater; research associate, Republican National Committee

1965-66 - Research assistant and writer, Free Society Association

1967-69 - Research assistant to columnist Raymond Moley

1969-73 -Assistant to Herbert G. Klein, Director of Communications, The White House

1973-75 - Assistant Director for Public Information, United States Information Agency

1975-76 - Assistant Press Secretary; Director, Office of Communications, The White House

1976-79 - Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission

1979-82 - Director, then Vice Chair, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.

1979-88 - Communications consultant and corporate director

1988- - President, Association for Maximum ServiceTelevision, Inc., and corporate director.

INTRODUCTION

This collection contains the working files of two directors of the White House Office of Communications, Gerald Warren and Margita White, concerning news media liaison and coordination of Federal Government public relations efforts. Discussed below under separate headings are the organization and functions of the White House Office of Communications, the scope and content of the Warren and White files, and related materials in the Ford Library.

Organization and Functions of the White House Office of Communications
Created during the Nixon administration, the Communications Office sought to provide almost 3,000 editors and broadcasters outside of Washington with copies of speeches, reports, fact sheets, and other information on administration programs. It also coordinated administration public relations campaigns, acted as White House contact for media organizations and individual newspapers and radio and television stations, supervised public affairs activities in the Federal agencies, arranged special briefings, set up interviews between newsmen and public officials, produced the daily news summary, and compiled briefing books for the President's media encounters.

The Nixon Communications Office often acted independently of the Press Secretary's Office and eventually became deeply involved in the White House public relations response to the growing Watergate scandal. One of Press Secretary Jerald ter Horst's first acts after the change of administrations in August 1974 was to announce the departure of Communications Office Director Kenneth Clawson. Ter Horst also dispersed Communications Office functions to various assistant press secretaries.

In November 1974, ter Horst's successor Ron Nessen gathered together many of the old Communications Office functions and assigned them to Gerald Warren. They initially avoided using the name Office of Communications for this entity, and Warren's title was announced as Deputy Press Secretary for Information Liaison. Over time the name Office of Communications reappeared. Eventually, several functions, such as production of the news summary, which were supervised by Assistant Press Secretary Paul Miltich until his departure from the White House in March 1975, came under Warren's direction.

Warren hired Margita White as his assistant in January 1975. In July of that year, she succeeded him as Director of the Communications Office upon his departure from the White House. White, assisted by her new deputy Randall Woods, served in this position until her appointment to the Federal Communications Commission in July 1976.

Her duties were then assumed by David Gergen, Special Counsel to the President, who once again expanded the role of the office and frequently reported directly to White House Chief of Staff Richard Cheney rather than Ron Nessen.

Scope and Content of the Warren and White Files
The Warren and White files document the work of the Communications Office in two of its main roles - White House liaison with the news media and coordination of Federal Government public affairs efforts.

The collection contains extensive materials on more than 60 media events such as White House briefings and receptions, press interviews, and the President's meetings with editorial boards and media executives in Washington or at regional media breakfasts. Included are transcripts of many of the meetings, especially press interviews and Q&A sessions. Much of the material, however, is routine in nature and consists of correspondence arranging the event, lists of participants, or letters transmitting photographs to participants.

The collection also includes copies of the frequent communications office mailings to the media. These mailings contained copies of speeches by the President, Vice President, Cabinet officers, and other administration officials along with fact sheets on administration legislative proposals.

Materials concerning the coordination of administration public relations efforts include plans for publicizing administration proposals through the media, drafts of opinion and information articles by administration officials for submission to newspaper Op-Ed pages and correspondence with the press attempting to place them, and background materials and agendas for meetings with agency public affairs officers. The file on Op-Ed articles includes materials from the last six months of the Nixon administration as well as the Ford Presidency.

Although the Communications Office prepared the daily news summary and also briefing books for media encounters, Warren and White's files include little on these topics. See instead the files of James Shuman, Agnes Waldron, and David Gergen.

Documents on issues are limited to background materials and transcripts of statements by the President and other administration officials in connection with briefings, interviews, or press conferences, with occasional press plans for publicity for administration proposals. The largest files concern economic and energy issues or issues of special interest to the media such as the Freedom of Information Act. During most interviews or press conferences in 1976 many of the questions concerned the Presidential election.

Related Materials (September 1992)
The files of virtually all other staff members in the Press Secretary's Office are open for research. Closely related collections include the files of David Gergen, Paul Miltich, and news summary editors James Shuman and Agnes Waldron. Another key collection is the papers of Press Secretary Ron Nessen who supervised Warren and White's work. Margita White donated a small collection of related personal papers to the Library in 1992.

Additional material on media relations is available in WHCF category PR 16 (Publicity) and its subcategories. John Maltese's book Spin Control: The Office of Communications and the Management of Presidential News (University of North Carolina Press, 1992) is an important source of information on the work of this White House Office.

Gerald Warren has donated a large collection of personal papers concerning his work in the Nixon and Ford administrations to the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Subject File, 1974-76.  (Boxes 1‑29, 11.3 linear feet)
Memoranda, correspondence, briefing papers, interview transcripts, schedules, lists, resumes, and clippings. The materials especially concern arrangements for White House briefings and receptions for media organizations; Presidential trips, especially to regional media breakfasts; press interviews; press plans for administration proposals; drafting of a report on the administration's accomplishments during the first year; mailings to the media; opinion and information pieces drafted by administration officials for submission to newspapers; and meetings of department and agency public affairs officers.

Arranged alphabetically by topic.

View container list for this series

State Media File, 1974-76. (Boxes 29‑35, 2.7 linear feet)
Correspondence consisting mainly of media interview requests and responses. Also included is some correspondence concerning invitations to media conferences and events and lists of newspaper editors and broadcasters.

Arranged alphabetically by state.

View container list for this series

CONTAINER LIST

Box 1 - Subject File

• American Agricultural Editors Association Briefing, 1976/03/30 (1)‑(2)
• American Newspaper Publishers Association ‑ Briefing and Luncheon, 1975/06/11 (1)‑(2)
• American Newspaper Publishers Association ‑ General
• American Press Institute ‑ Briefings for Seminars (1)‑(4)
• American Revolution Bicentennial ‑ ARBA Information Packets (1)‑(2)

Box 2 - Subject File

• American Revolution Bicentennial ‑ ARBA Information Packets (3)‑(4)
• American Revolution Bicentennial ‑ Exposition on Science and Technology (1)‑(3)
• American Revolution Bicentennial ‑ Federal Agency Bicentennial Task Force
• American Revolution Bicentennial ‑ General (1)‑(2)
• American Revolution Bicentennial ‑ Media Lists (1)‑(2)
• American Revolution Bicentennial ‑ Wagon Train Pilgrimage
• American Society of Newspaper Editors ‑ Briefing and Reception, 1976/04/13
• American Society of Newspaper Editors ‑ General
• American Society of Newspaper Editors ‑ Presidential Address and Reception, 1975/04/16
• Article Requests

Box 3 - Subject File

• Association of Editorial Cartoonists Reception, 1976/05/06 (1)‑(2)
• Atlanta ‑ President's Trip, 1975/02/04 (1)‑(5)
• Biographies of Administration Officials
• Booth Newspapers Breakfast, 1976/05/15
• Boston Globe Interview, 1976/02/21
• Boston Herald American Interview, 1976/02/04 (1)‑(2)

Box 4 - Subject File

• Boston Herald American Interview, 1976/02/04 (3)
• Budget ‑ FY1977 (1)‑(3)
• California Newspaper Correspondents Interview, 1976/06/01
• California Press Association Tour and Briefing, 1976/06/22
• California/Oregon/Nevada Trip, 1976/05/22‑25
• Case, Robert ‑ Interview, 1976/07/20
• Center for the Study of the Presidency National Student Symposium
• Chicago Tribune Interview, 1976/03/10
• Clipping Request File
• Close Up Education Program

Box 5 - Subject File

• Columnists Briefings
• Concord, NH ‑ President's Trip, 1975/04/18 (1)‑(4)
• Consumer Representation Plans and Conferences
• Council of Economic Advisers ‑ Economic Report (1)‑(3)

Box 6 - Subject File

• Council on International Economic Policy ‑ International Economic Report (1)‑(2)
• Domestic Council Review Group on Regulatory Reform
• Drug Problem ‑ President's Response to Questions from the San Antonio Light
• Economic Briefings
• Economic Policy Board
• Energy (1)‑(3)
• Energy Conservation Education Program (1)

Box 7 - Subject File

• Energy Conservation Education Program (2)‑(4)
• Energy Independence Authority (1)‑(2)
• Energy Research and Development Administration
• Energy Resources Council (1)‑(2)
• Ethnicity
• Family Weekly Interview, 1976/06
• Federal Energy Administration (1)‑(2)

Box 8 - Subject File

• Florida Newspaper Interviews, 1976/02/18 and 1976/03/03 (1)‑(2)
• Ford ‑ First Year Report (1)‑(8)
• Foreign Television Anchormen Meeting, 1976/07/02

Box 9 - Subject File

• Freedom of Information Act (1)‑(3)
• Group Broadcast Executives Briefing and Reception, 1975/03/12 (1)‑(3)
• Harte ‑ Hanks Newspaper Editors Interview, 1976/04/19
• Hearst Publishers and Editors Interview and Reception, 1976/02/24 (1)‑(2)
• Houston ‑ President's Trip, 1975/02/10 (1)‑(3)

Box 10 - Subject File

• Inland Daily Press Association Briefing and Reception, 1976/02/25 (1)‑(3)
• International Press Institute
• Jewish Press
• Kentucky Media Interview, 1976/05/20
• Kiplinger Washington Letter
• Lansing Luncheon for Newspaper Editors, 1976/05/15
• Los Angeles Times Editorial Board Interview, 1975/09/20
• Los Angeles Times Washington Bureau Interview, 1976/06/04
• Magazine Publishers Association Briefing and Reception, 1975/11/12
• Mailing Lists (1)‑(2)

Box 11 - Subject File

• Mailing Operations (1)‑(2)
• Mailings, 1975/05 (1)‑(3)
• Mailings, 1975/06 (1)‑(4)
• Mailings, 1975/07 (1)‑(2)

Box 12 - Subject File

• Mailings, 1975/07 (3)‑(4)
• Mailings, 1975/08 (1)‑(3)
• Mailings, 1975/09 (1)‑(2)
• Mailings, 1975/10 (1)‑(3)
• Mailings, 1975/11

Box 13 - Subject File

• Mailings, 1975/12
• Mailings, 1976/01 (1)‑(2)
• Mailings, 1976/02 (1)‑(3)
• Mailings, 1976/03 (1)‑(4)
• Mailings, 1976/04 (1)

Box 14 - Subject File

• Mailings, 1976/04 (2)‑(3)
• Mailings, 1976/05 (1)‑(2)
• Mailings, 1976/06 (1)‑(3)
• Mailings, 1976/07
• Media Telephone Calls
• Miami ‑ President's Trip, 1975/02/25‑26 (1)‑(3)

Box 15 - Subject File

• Miami ‑ President's Trip, 1975/02/25‑26 (4)‑(6)
• Michigan Association of Broadcasters Reception, 1976/05/06
• Milwaukee ‑ President's Trip, 1975/08/25 (1)‑(2)
• Minneapolis ‑ President's Trip, 1975/08/19 (1)‑(3)
• Mississippi Broadcaster Association Briefing, 1976/05/05
• Nashville Banner Interview, 1976/04/07 (1)‑(2)

Box 16 - Subject File

• National Association of Broadcasters ‑ General
• National Association of Broadcasters ‑ Reception, 1975/06/18 (1)‑(2)
• National Broadcasters Editorial Association Briefing and Reception, 1976/06/09 (1)‑(2)
• National Journal Policy Forum
• National Newspaper Association ‑ Convention, 1975
• National Newspaper Association ‑ General
• National Newspaper Association ‑ National Newspaper Week
• National Newspaper Association ‑ Newsletter (1)‑(2)
• National Newspaper Association ‑ Reception, 1975/03/14 (1)‑(2)
• National Newspaper Association ‑ Reception, 1976/03/19 (1)‑(2)

Box 17 - Subject File

• National Newspaper Publishers Association Briefing, 1975/01/23
• Nessen, Ron ‑ Letters Drafted by the Office of Communications
• New England Society of Newspaper Editors ‑ Presidential Remarks and Press Conference, 1975/11/07 (1)‑(2)
• New Hampshire Editors Interview and Briefing, 1976/01/22 (1)‑(2)
• New Hampshire Times Questions
• New Jersey Media Press Conference, 1976/06/02
• Newspaper Farm Editors Association Interview, 1976/04/27
• North Carolina Editors Interview and Briefing, 1976/03/18
• Ohio Newspaper Interview, 1976/06/03
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ ACTION

Box 18 - Subject File

• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Agriculture Department (1)‑(2)
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Clemency Board
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Commerce Department (1)‑(3)
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Federal Aviation Administration
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Federal Energy Administration (1)‑(2)
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ General
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ General Services Administration (1)‑(2)

Box 19 - Subject File

• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Health, Education and Welfare (1)‑(3)
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Housing and Urban Development
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Interior Department (1)‑(4)
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Labor Department (1)‑(3)
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Office of Management and Budget
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Other Agencies
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Securities and Exchange Commission

Box 20 - Subject File

• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Small Business Administration
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Transportation Department (1)‑(3)
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ Treasury Department
• Op‑Ed Program ‑ White House Staff (1)‑(2)
• Oregon Newspaper Executives Q&A Session, 1976/05/22
• Orientation Program for Non‑Career Executives
• Panax Interview, 1976/05/15
• Polls
• Postal Rates (1)‑(2)
• President Ford Committee
• Presidential Telephone Calls
• Presidential Year End Review, 1975
• Proposed Media Events

Box 21 - Subject File

• Public Affairs Officers ‑ General
• Public Affairs Officers ‑ Meetings (1)‑(5)
• Public Broadcasting Service
• Public Forums
• Public Relations Society of America Annual Meeting, 1975 (1)‑(2)
• Puerto Rico Briefing

Box 22 - Subject File

• Radio and Television News Directors Association ‑ Briefing, 1975/01/24 (1)‑(3)
• Radio and Television News Directors Association ‑ Briefing and Reception, 1976/01/30 (1)‑(4)
• Reader's Digest Interview, 1976/07/22
• Reagan, Ronald (1)‑(2)
• Republican Congressional Press Group Tour, 1975/05/15
• Republican Governors

Box 23 - Subject File

• Republican National Committee
• Resumes, A‑L

Box 24 - Subject File

• Resumes, M‑Z
• Rhode Island Media Press Conference, 1976/05/28
• San Diego ‑ President's Trip, 1975/04/02 (1)‑(2)
• San Francisco Television Interview, 1975/09/22
• Saturday Evening Post ‑ President's Bicentennial Article
• Scripps‑Howard Newspapers Interview, 1975/11/13

Box 25 - Subject File

• Selling of the Government
• Sigma Delta Chi
• Sloat, Barbara
• Society of American Business Writers Tour, 1975/05/06
• South Bend ‑ President's Trip, 1975/03/17 (1)‑(3)
• Spokesmen
• Spotmaster (Radio Actualities) ‑ Agriculture Department (1)‑(4)
• Spotmaster (Radio Actualities) ‑ General
• Spotmaster (Radio Actualities) ‑ Housing and Urban Development

Box 26 - Subject File

• St. Louis Media Luncheon and Briefing, 1976/01/05
• State Dinners
• State of the Union Message ‑ 1975 (1)‑(3)
• State of the Union Message ‑ 1976 (1)‑(3)
• Strip Mining (1)‑(2)
• Student Seminars (1)‑(3)

Box 27 - Subject File

• Sub‑Cabinet Briefings
• Sunday Interview Shows
• Tax Cut (1)‑(2)
• Tax Cut/Budget Cut Proposal
• Tennessee Media Press Conference, 1976/05/21
• Texas Media Interviews, 1976/04/21‑22
• Treasury Department (1)‑(3)
• Turkish Aid
• United States Information Agency
• Uranium Enrichment Decision (1)‑(2)

Box 28 - Subject File

• Warren, Gerald ‑ Outgoing Correspondence, A‑Z (1)‑(4)
• Warren, Gerald ‑ Personal Correspondence, A‑Z (1)‑(4)
• Washington, DC ‑ Regional Media Briefing and Reception, 1975/06/25 (1)‑(2)
• White, Gordon E. ‑ Interview, 1976/07/09
• White, Margita ‑ Personal Correspondence
• White House Conferences

Box 29 - Subject File

• Women (1)‑(3)
• Youth Publications

Box 29 (continued) - State Media File

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California ‑ General
• California ‑ Newspaper Directory
• California ‑ Northern (1)‑(4)

Box 30 - State Media File

• California ‑ Southern (1)‑(4)
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia (1)‑(3)
• Florida (1)‑(2)

Box 31 - State Media File

• Florida (3)‑(4)
• Foreign Countries
• Georgia (1)‑(2)
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois (1)‑(5)
• Indiana (1)‑(2)

Box 32 - State Media File

• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts (1)‑(3)
• Michigan (1)‑(2)
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri (1)‑(2)

Box 33 - State Media File

• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York (1)‑(5)
• North Carolina (1)‑(2)

Box 34 - State Media File

• North Dakota
• Ohio (1)‑(4)
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania (1)‑(4)
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina (1)‑(2)

Box 35 - State Media File

• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas (1)‑(4)
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia (1)‑(2)
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin (1)‑(2)
• Wyoming