COLLECTION FINDING AID



DAVID C. HOOPES FILES, (1972) 1974-77

Special Assistant to the President
Staff Secretary’s Office



CONTENTS

Summary Description | Biographical Information | Introduction | Series Descriptions | Container List


SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Materials primarily related to the daily administration of White House Office spending, personnel actions and allocations, office space, passes, equipment, mess privileges and other perquisites, and more. Some material relates to other Executive branch personnel appointments or to administration of the Executive Office of the President. Additionally, there is an extensive set of formal briefing papers for Presidential meetings and events, arranged by date.

QUANTITY
26 linear feet (ca. 52,000 pages)

DONOR
Gerald R. Ford (accession numbers 77-102, 78-4, 78-22)

ACCESS
Advance consultation is required so that archivists may complete routine review of requested folders for restricted information.

COPYRIGHT
Gerald R. Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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 Jennifer Sternaman, July 1994
[s:\bin\findaid\hoopes, david - files.doc]


BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION


David C. Hoopes


August 15, 1942 - Born, Twin Falls, Idaho

1960 - 1966 - Brigham Young University, B.A., M.A.

1962 - 1964 - Missionary work, Montevideo, Uruguay

1967 - 1971 - University of Southern California, M.P.A., Ph.D. (Public Administration)

1968 - 1969 - President, Anthony Craig & Associates, Inc

1969 – 1971 - Consultant, Joint Committee on Reorganization of Large Urban Unified School Districts, California Legislature

1971 - 1973 - Staff Assistant, The White House

1973 - 1974 - Deputy Special Assistant to President, The White House

1974 - 1977 - Special Assistant to the President, The White House

1977 - 1979 - Member, President's Commission on Personnel Interchange

1977 - 1980 - Consultant

1981 - 1992 - Investment manager and manager of corporate relations, Bechtel Investments

1992 -- Financial consultant, Merrill Lynch & Co.


INTRODUCTION

David Hoopes joined the Nixon White House in April 1971. He worked as a staff assistant to the President until 1974, with responsibility for handling briefing papers and follow-up memos for President Nixon's meetings. During this time he was also given special projects to do for the Staff Secretary; in June 1974 he apparently joined the Staff Secretary's Office. Although his official title was Special Assistant to the President, he also adopted the title of "Deputy Staff Secretary." He remained within the Staff Secretary's Office during the entire Ford administration and, to an overwhelming extent, his files document his duties there.

The Staff Secretary's Office handled most aspects of White House administration, particularly paperwork flow, and assisted in the preparation of the President's schedule, follow-up on action requests, and special projects.

David Hoopes acted as an assistant to Staff Secretaries Jerry Jones then James Connor, handling the paperwork associated with daily administration of the White House. For example, his responsibilities included assigning perquisites (parking, transportation, staff mess, etc) and office space; as well as tracking personnel actions and issuing White House and Old Executive Office Building passes. Hoopes kept the papers associated with these activities in a large subject file. While the material faithfully reflects the routine duties, there also are interesting exchanges between Hoopes and senior White House staffers that reveal White House Office work flow, politics, and policy. Taken as a whole, the subject file shows insights about the presidential transition process, communication and work flow within the White House Office, and White House Office staffing patterns.

Along with the subject file, Hoopes kept a set of presidential briefing papers, arranged in chronological order. They were prepared by appropriate staff offices, then submitted to the Staff Secretary. The Staff Secretary's Office assured that briefing papers were delivered to the President in advance of meetings, and distributed to appropriate offices for information purposes. They range in topics and detail, but most cover issues for discussion and potential talking points. Briefing papers were routinely sent to the White House Central Files Subject File as well as distributed to various staff members. The Hoopes set, however, appears to be the most comprehensive and will be a valuable source to researchers interested in specific meetings on known dates.

Related Materials (June 1994)
The files of Jerry Jones and James Connor, Staff Secretaries for the Ford administration, closely relate to the Hoopes files. In addition, Hoopes has official files at the Nixon Presidential Materials Project; a copy of part of the Nixon Project finding aid is in the Ford vertical file under "Hoopes."


SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Subject File, 8/1974-1/1977.  (Boxes 1-37, 14.8 linear feet)
Memoranda, notes, personnel forms, logs, perquisite lists. Most of the material in the Subject File reflects the routine nature of Hoopes' duties within the Staff Secretary's Office. Records of personnel requests and actions, office staffing, and perquisite assignments dominate the series. Here are found materials relating to Hoopes' duties in administering White House policy on conduct and handling the use of such White House facilities as the pool and gym.

Arranged alphabetically.

View container list for this series

Hoopes Personal, 1/1972-11/1976.  (Box 38, 0.4 linear feet)
Correspondence, memoranda. This series documents contacts between Hoopes (in his White House role) and individuals or organizations with whom Hoopes had a personal relationship, notably the Church of Latter Day Saints. Very little of the material reveals anything of his family life or personal background.

Arranged chronologically.

View container list for this series

Briefing Papers, 1974-77.  (Boxes 39-58, 8 linear feet)
Briefing papers, and occasional memos, correspondence, and reports. Hoopes kept a chronological set of briefing papers, prepared for the President a day or two in advance of a scheduled meeting, photo opportunity, or ceremonial event (usually taking place at the White House). The briefing papers typically contain a brief summary of the issues to be discussed and outline possible talking points. Sometimes an attached report or memo will provide detailed background about specific topics or participants. The papers embody a wide range of topics, from ceremonial events and courtesy meetings to negotiations on such major issues, as foreign policy and economics.

Arranged chronologically.

View container list for this series

Chronological File, 8/1974-3/1976.  (Boxes 59-61, 1.2 linear feet)
Outgoing correspondence and memoranda. Most, if not all of this material duplicates that found in the Subject File series. Hoopes probably maintained this file for his own convenience. The material is highly routine.

Arranged chronologically.

View container list for this series

Hoopes Telephone Logs, 7/1974-12/1976. (Boxes 62-65, 1.6 linear feet)
This series consists of a handwritten, daily log of telephone calls Hoopes received and occasionally, placed. It is very difficult to tell whether the logs are complete or how they were used. Notes about the purpose of the call appear sporadically through the log.

Arranged chronologically.

View container list for this series


CONTAINER LIST

Box 1 - Subject File

Box 2 - Subject File

Box 3 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 4 - Subject File

Box 5 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 6 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 7 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 8 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 9 - Subject File

Box 10 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 11 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 12 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 13 - Subject File

Box 14 - Subject File

Box 15 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 16 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 17 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 18 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 19 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 20 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 21 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 22 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 23 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 24 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 25 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 26 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 27 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 28 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 29 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 30 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 31 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 32 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 33 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 34 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 35 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 36 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 37 - Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 38 - Hoopes Personal

Box 39 - Briefing Papers

Box 40 - Briefing Papers

Box 41 - Briefing Papers

Box 42 - Briefing Papers

Box 43 - Briefing Papers.

Box 44 - Briefing Papers

Box 45 - Briefing Papers

Box 46 - Briefing Papers

Box 47 - Briefing Papers

Box 48 - Briefing Papers

Box 49 - Briefing Papers

Box 50 - Briefing Papers

Box 51 - Briefing Papers

Box 52 - Briefing Papers

Box 53 - Briefing Papers

Box 54 - Briefing Papers

Box 55 - Briefing Papers

Box 56 - Briefing Papers

Box 57 - Briefing Papers

Box 58 - Briefing Papers

Box 59 - Chronological File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 60 - Chronological File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 61 - Chronological File

Box 62 - Telephone Logs

Box 63 - Telephone Logs

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 64 - Telephone Logs

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

Box 65 - Telephone Logs

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)