Sub-Series II: Administrative Assistants and Press Office Files,, 1952-1982.
Dates
- 1952-1982.
Scope and Contents
Administrative Assistants and Press Office Files includes those files that appear to have been maintained by various staff members responsible for supporting HAW in public relations, political affairs, and administrative matters, that is, all matters not directly related to legislation. These staff members included those with the titles of Administrative Assistant (also known at times as Executive Assistant) and Press Secretary, as well as those who were aides to these positions. Although many files appear to have been maintained by only one person, many others show evidence of having been handed down over time to successive staff members.
The subject-oriented files of Administrative Assistants and Press Office Files include a wide range of types of material. Many of the files contain reference documents and associated HAW press releases, remarks, and the like. A substantial amount of correspondence and staff notes is in the sub-series, as well as working files on publicity and political issues. Some significant materials on legislative matters are in the sub-series because of the broad role of the Administrative Assistant or because the legislation concerned the media. The sub-series includes much HAW-centered material including financial disclosures, radio transcripts, remarks, and the like.
Administrative Assistants and Press Office Files, taken as a whole, did not exist as an organized set of files in HAW's office. Rather, the sub-series was organized by the archivist to combine disparate groups, or sets, of folders found throughout the original collection. Accordingly, the scope and strengths of Administrative Assistants and Press Office Files varies sharply among the nine sets of folders comprising the sub-series. Following is a scope description of each set. (See the Arrangement section below for further description of how these sets were established and arranged.)
Set A appears to be the files of, primarily, Press Secretaries William (Bill) Oriol and Al Levin and Administrative/Executive Assistants Jim Leutze and Walter (Nap) Gardner. The set includes press releases, statements, clippings, and materials from various interest groups (e.g., SANE, NJEA, transit groups). Dating from the first half of the 1960s, well-represented topics in the set include HAW's positions on educational issues, HAW's interest in the anticipated economic conversion from defense spending (and concern about impact on New Jersey employment), mass transit legislation, and migratory labor legislation (including photographs of a 1960 trip to Florida and subcommittee press releases and progress reports). HAW's membership in the Quorum Club, a club linked to the Bobby Baker scandal, is the subject of a clippings file. The set also includes research performed on Republican fundraising in response to charges of impropriety related to Secretary of Labor Wirtz's sponsorship of a fundraising reception in 1963 for HAW.
Set B includes background and clippings files concerning civil rights. The set appears to have been maintained principally by Gardner, though it includes material from the early 1960s (i.e., before his tenure in 1963-64). The bulk of this set originally consisted of newsprint clippings from 1963; these were generally discarded by the archivist during processing. The retained material in the set includes select clippings photocopied by the archivist and material other than clippings related to HAW's activities in regard to civil rights and to New Jersey's participation in the 1963 March on Washington.
Set C are the files primarily of Francis B. Sayre, Jr., Chairman of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Commission (WWCM). These files likely came to HAW, who was Vice-Chairman of the Commission, from Sayre at the end of the Commission's work in 1966. To these, HAW's office interfiled their own WWMC material from Bill Oriol and others, at least to some extent, so the date range of the set extends into the mid-1970s, though the bulk is from the early 1960s. Materials include meeting minutes, appropriations, correspondence (especially regarding suggestions for the approach to a memorial, reflecting the controversy over whether to have a "living" (international study center) or "classical" (physical monument) memorial), draft and final report, and some administrative files.
Set D appears to be the files primarily of long-time assistant Walt Ramsay, who held the Administrative/Executive Assistant position and headed the Press Office at times. Accordingly, some files from others in the Press Office, including Mike McCurry, may be in this set as well. Significant material in the set includes that related to political affairs and HAW's leadership role in the Senate. This material includes: much correspondence from President Jimmy Carter to HAW, including some on legislative matters; Democratic Steering Committee material from 1968-1980, (mostly requests to HAW from other senators for committee assignments); 1981 correspondence from three contenders for the Democratic National Committee Chair; material on the judicial candidate advisory committee HAW set up in 1978 to help guide his recommendations for Federal judgeships; material on HAW's 1976 re-election campaign and the Presidential elections of 1976 and 1980; and notes and briefing materials for the Labor and Human Resources Committee's 1978 delegation to China (including notes, presumably of Ramsay, of HAW's discussion with a Chinese representative on various US-China matters).
Set E appears to be the files primarily of Mike McCurry of the Press Office. The set includes clippings, press releases, press notes, and other materials. Significant topics include information on HAW's legislative accomplishments from the 95th and 96th Congresses, transportation/mass transit, and securities (in relation to Sun Oil's attempt to take over New Jersey company Becton-Dickinson).
Set F appears to be files from HAW's Press Office. These generally relate to HAW bills or other issues of interest to HAW. The set includes some background material, but the bulk is comprised of documents concerning HAW's positions on various topics, including remarks, radio scripts, clippings, press releases, Committee staff briefing notes to HAW and to the Press Office, summaries of HAW legislative work, and co-signed letters. The set includes briefing notes from Candace (Candy) Campbell to HAW regarding upcoming interviews, appearances, and other publicity-related matters. A key topic, also found in the next set, concerns efforts by the NJ Coalition for Fair Broadcasting (of which HAW was co-Chair) to get a VHF television station in New Jersey.
Set G appears to be generally the files of Candy Campbell. The bulk of the set are documents related to efforts by the NJ Coalition for Fair Broadcasting (of which HAW was co-Chair) to get a VHF television station in New Jersey. Most of these documents were found by the archivist loose in their original boxes and appear to include also materials from legislative aide Marcia Wolf, Press Secretary Andy Rothman, and perhaps others. The set also includes a purportedly complete list of Democratic Party county organization leaders.
Set H is generally the files of Roberta (Bobbie) Dono, a long-time office aide. These files appear to be those from Dono's position as personal secretary for HAW. The set includes HAW financial disclosure filings and related non-public supporting documents. Other HAW-centered material in the set includes information on a testimonial dinner/1976 campaign fundraiser, an office layout plan, and HAW's 1982 daily schedules.
Set I are miscellaneous subject files found throughout the original collection, principally from the boxes of material taken from HAW's office in 1982, of a non-legislative/regulatory nature. Among the more significant items are: material on the inter-racial Committee of Concern community initiatives in Newark in 1967-68, Navy Seabees 25th anniversary package, preparatory materials and photos for a HAW "Welcome to Washington" booklet (late 1970s), and a compilation prepared by the Democratic National Committee of Nixon statements from 1960 forward.
Language of Materials
Undetermined .
Physical Description
(11.50 cubic feet)
Restrictions
Set H includes supporting documents regarding HAW's financial disclosure statements, including non-public details, such as tax returns, communications with trust attorneys and other sensitive personal matters. Although the material is open to researchers, these personal documents are restricted from photocopying or other reproduction.
Arrangement
Administrative Assistants and Press Office Files consists of nine sets of folders, each proceeding in rough chronological order, with the exception of Set I (which has miscellaneous materials from a wide date range).
Each set (except for Set I) consists of folders that appeared to the archivist to be closely related, that is, likely to have been maintained by one person or handed down by successive individuals having the same responsibilities over time. Such linkages were determined by reference to the physical proximity of the folders (i.e., folders boxed together by HAW's staff), intra-staff transmittal documents within the folders, original folder descriptions, subject themes, etc. Each set was assigned an alpha code from A to I by the archivist; folders belonging to a particular set are identified by use of the alpha code as a prefix in their folder descriptions. For example, all the folder descriptions with prefix "A:" belong to Set A.
Sets A-C were found in boxes sent to the Federal Records Center by HAW's staff. These sets were readily linked together by the archivist. Sets E-H, comprising most of Administrative Assistants and Press Office Files, came from the boxes of material taken from HAW's office when he left the Senate in 1982; their linkages are more tenuous at points. (Set D, Ramsay's files, came from both sources.) Accordingly, a researcher should bear in mind that the placement of materials within a set was a result of the archivist's interpretation and considered judgment as to the source of the material. It should also be recalled that this sub-series, as presented, did not exist in HAW's office, but was created by the archivist solely as a means of facilitating the organization and description of the material.
Except for Sets B (civil rights) and C (Woodrow Wilson), the sets were found by the archivist in no discernible order. Within each set, the archivist attempted to arrange the material by placing folders with common topics together and, in some instances, in alphabetical order by subject. Overall, though, arrangement within sets is minimal.
The original folders were retained for Set C because of their relatively good condition and useful labeling. Most material, however, was found in unlabeled folders, in re-used folders with multiple and incorrect descriptions, in dirty and damaged folders, and in folders with unclear or barely legible descriptions. Hence, most material was refoldered by the archivist. All original folder descriptions were recorded by the archivist on the new folders and in the container list. Where no descriptions existed on the original folders, the archivist supplied a description based on the content; these archivist-supplied descriptions are in [brackets]. Words added to original folder descriptions by the archivist to clarify content are also in [brackets].
Much of the material taken from HAW's office was loose, that is, not in folders or binders. The archivist arranged this material as seemed most appropriate given its subject content and context. All loose material was foldered and given an archivist-supplied description in [brackets]. Archivist Notes were placed in these folders, documenting for a user the fact that the folder's content consisted of material compiled by the archivist from loose matter.
Appraisal and Discard Information
Empty folders or those with non-substantive matter were discarded. Newsprint clippings were generally discarded. Government publications, especially oversized or thick items, were discarded if not needed for context for other materials. Archivist Notes describing the extent of discards were placed in any individual folders from which substantive material was discarded.
Part of the New Brunswick Special Collections Repository