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Accessions and Openings for the 1st Quarter 2008

View Accessions and Openings for all quarters since July 2001.

 

Presidential Libraries

ACCESSIONS

Herbert Hoover Library

The library received 22 periodicals and 2 books this quarter. In addition, the library received: 1) a child's dress from the 1900s from a trustee; 2) a fishing rod, reel, hooks and a Tiffany watch given by Herbert Hoover as gifts to his fishing guide in Florida; 3) Belgian American Educational Foundation files and booklets that were transferred from the BAEF archival collection; 4) a signed copy of Sixty Sketches of Iowa's Past and Present by William J. Wagner presented to Allan Hoover, transferred from the archival collections.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library

During the first quarter, the library accessioned 85 pages of recent manuscript acquisitions.

Notable archival acquisitions this quarter included three separate Eleanor Roosevelt autograph items, donated by Lenita J. Schroeder, Natalie Potell, and William Hause; a collection of printed materials related to the portrayal of Franklin Roosevelt in films, donated by Irv Letofsky; a collection of printed materials from the 1944 campaign, donated by Edith Spindel; and a letter from Lt. Robert Tschop to his fiancé dated April 12, 1945, recounting the news of FDR's death, donated by John Tschop.

During the quarter, 12 items were accessioned into the museum collection, including four new items and eight previously unaccessioned items that have been in the collection for many years. The new acquisitions include two 1941 USS Potomac stamp covers, donated by Stan Oliner; one 1946 first day of issue cover with FDR cachet and stamp, donated by Bradley B. Davis; and a gentleman's shirt set (including cuff links and shirt studs) that once belonged to FDR, donated by William L. Bernhard.

The printed materials collections added 15 new books, 39 periodicals, and 144 vertical file items during the quarter. Also accessioned into the collection were 45 previously unaccessioned books that were identified during the FDR Book Collection project.

Harry S. Truman Library

Twelve new artifacts were accessioned into the museum collection during the quarter.

The library acquired the Papers of Helen Wallace, cousin of Bess and Margaret Truman (less than one linear foot, ca. 1909–69), consisting of copies of correspondence, greeting cards, postcards, and photographs concerning the Wallace and Truman families. This collection is closed pending processing.

The library acquired the Papers of Francis H. Heller, associate of former President Truman and official of the Harry S. Truman Library Institute (less than one linear foot, ca. 1984–95), consisting of correspondence and other items relating to Truman and the Truman Library. This collection is closed pending processing.

The library acquired an accretion to the Papers of Francis F. Lincoln, a member of the American Mission to Greece under the Economic Cooperation Administration (less than one linear foot, ca. 1933–58), consisting of diaries, press clippings, and correspondence relating to his life and government service. This accretion is closed pending processing.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Library

Thirty-seven items were accessioned during the quarter as transfers from archival collections, consisting of items from the Maxwell Raab, Mamie Eisenhower, and Dwight D. Eisenhower Papers collections.

John F. Kennedy Library

The library accessioned 24 textual accessions totaling 37.5 cubic feet, including:

  • Seven accretions to the Personal Papers of Edward M. Kennedy. Staff files and personal memorabilia of Edward M. Kennedy, 1963–007. 4.75 feet. Closed.
  • An accretion to the Personal Papers of Joseph P. Kennedy, Ambassador. Contains Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., World War II ribbons, correspondence and brochure. 0.125 foot. Open.
  • An accretion to the White House Social File, Letitia Baldridge Files. Materials related to Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra White House concert (April 16, 1962). Correspondence, programs, news clippings. 0.125 cubic foot. Open.
  • An accretion to the personal papers of James Cannon, Writer and political advisor. Reel-to-reel audio tape (with four reel-to-reel and one cassette tape copies) of an interview with JFK and Ben Bradlee, January 5, 1960. Also included is a transcript. 0.125 cubic foot. Closed.
  • An accretion to the personal papers of Ernest Hemingway, writer. Outgoing letters (copies) from Ernest Hemingway to Harry Sylvester. 0.125 cubic foot. Open.
  • An accretion to the personal papers of William Josephson, lawyer. General Counsel, Peace Corps (1961–66). Files of the President of the Peace Corps Institute. 30 cubic feet. Closed.
  • Two accretions to the personal papers of Robert "Bob" Shrum, Political consultant, speechwriter to Edward M. Kennedy and other democratic presidential candidates. Final draft of book No Excuses, with CD, photographs, and framed items. 1.75 feet. Closed.
  • Eight accretions to the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection, including the papers of Kay Eaton (Malaysia), an accretion to Barbara W. Hodgdon's papers (Malawi), and 13 oral history interviews.
  • Two additions to the Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection, including papers from Milton Delano, sea captain, consisting of two framed pictures of scrimshaw with accompanying letters signed by Jacqueline and Ted Kennedy (open); and letters from Jacqueline B. Kennedy to Mrs. Thun about renting Brambletyde (the "Summer White House") in 1963 and 1964 (closed).
  • The Thun family donated the two wicker chairs used for President Kennedy's Labor Day 1963 interview with CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite.

A total of 90 photographic prints, 17.75 hours of audio, and 14.5 hours of moving image materials were accessioned and described.

Lyndon Baines Johnson Library

The library received an accretion of nine cubic feet of materials to the Personal Papers of Jack Valenti, Special Assistant to President Johnson. The accretion consists of manuscripts, home movies, reel-to-reel tapes, videocassettes, and dictabelts and is currently unavailable for research.

The library also received an accretion to the Personal Papers of Ben Wattenberg, White House staff assistant and author. This nine-cubic-foot accretion consists of his research and writing materials in the preparation of his publications and is currently unavailable for research.

The Audiovisual Department also accessioned 0.161 cubic feet of audio cassettes from the Personal Papers of Herbert Y. Schandler, 0.593 cubic feet of White House Press Office prints, and 0.504 cubic feet of slides from Mrs. Johnson's office.

The library accessioned 39 new items into the museum collection.

Richard Nixon Library

During this quarter, the library added video oral histories with Nixon energy and budget aide Frank Zarb, National Security Council staffer John Lehman, White House counsel Leonard Garment, Congressman John Brademas, journalist Carl Bernstein, Nixon associate and classmate Hubert Perry, journalist David Frost, Congressman William Cohen, labor and economic policy official Arnold Weber, budget official Walter Scott, civil rights aide Bobbie Kilberg, Defense Secretary James Schlesinger, and White House staffer Richard Cheney.

The curatorial department accepted four donations: two 1972 scrapbooks from Judith Haas; four Cardinal and White high school books from Whittier Union High School from 1929 to 1932 for curatorial reference; three presentation books to the museum director from a visitor from the Chinese Embassy, Zhang Maoming; and 1972 campaign souvenirs (a Nixon bottle, Agnew bottle and plate) given to Republican delegates from Duane "Dewey" Moore.

The archives department in Yorba Linda recently received a donation from former member of Congress Alan Steelman, who served in the House during Watergate. His donation includes a copy of the Submission of Recorded Presidential Conversations to the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives by President Richard Nixon 04/30/1974; a copy of the Confirmation of Nelson A. Rockefeller as Vice President of the United States (signed by Vice President Rockefeller); a copy of the confirmation of Gerald R. Ford as Vice President of the United States (signed by Vice President Ford); a copy of the Final Report of the Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities United States Senate 02/07/1973 (signed by all of the members of the committee); and a copy of the Report of the Committee on the Judiciary House of Representatives (signed by all of the members of the committee).

Gerald R. Ford Library

During the quarter the library completed work for 16 accessions, including accretions to the Melvin R. Laird Papers, the Department of Defense Historical Office's collection of Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's Public Statements, Composite Oral History Accessions, Composite General Accessions, and the Ford Library Audiovisual Administrative Files.

The library acquired a small collection of correspondence between Gerald Ford and constituent Melvin Medema, 1949–77 (21 pages). These letters mostly date from Ford's congressional career but also include a letters from Vice President and President Ford. They discuss topics such as health, military appropriations, grain sent to India, Hoover Commission, Taft-Hartley Act amendments, government spending, Vietnam, and busing.

Jimmy Carter Library

The library continues to receive material from President Carter's Office and from John Gunther Dean. The General Video Collection increased with 32 titles.

George Bush Library

During the quarter, the Bush Library received approximately 2.0 linear feet of textual material for accessioning. This material consisted of an accretion to the George Bush Post-Presidential Papers.

The museum has accessioned, cataloged, and stored 202 post-Presidential artifacts this quarter, with 37,074 post-Presidential artifacts processed to date. To date there have been 60,420 artifacts processed. The IO Collection Database is up and running with 3,662 records entered this quarter. The database to date has 31,050 records entered.

OPENINGS

Franklin D. Roosevelt Libraryy

Joseph P. Lash Papers: Four pages of diary entries from 1940 and 1941, previously closed for privacy reasons, were opened to researcher use.

Harry S. Truman Library

The library opened for research the Papers of Edwin W. Pauley, Personal Representative of the President on the Allied Commission on Reparations, 1945–47 (16 linear feet, 1928–96). The Pauley Papers include correspondence, printed materials, photographs, memorabilia, an autobiography, and other items relating to Pauley's service as Reparations Ambassador after World War II; his controversial nomination as Under Secretary of the Navy; his career as a businessman; and his association with Harry S. Truman.

The library opened for research the Papers of Philip M. Stern, an aide to Congressman Henry Jackson, Senator Paul Douglas, and Governor Adlai Stevenson (less than 1 linear foot, 1949–54). The Stern Papers include correspondence, printed materials, speeches and other items related primarily to the Democratic Party, Henry Jackson's service in Congress, the Presidential campaign of 1952, and the voting records of the 80th and 81st Congresses.

The library opened for research an accretion to the Papers of George M. Elsey, Administrative Assistant to the President, 1949–51. The accretion, comprising less than 1 linear foot of material, includes correspondence, handwritten notes, a log from the White House Map Room, and other items, dating from 1944 to 2007.

The library opened for research an accretion to the Screen Gems Collection, consisting of outtakes from the documentary film series, Decision: The Conflicts of Harry S. Truman, which was produced during the early 1960s. The accretion includes motion picture and sound recordings of Truman discussing various aspects of his life and Presidency.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Library

Over 45,000 pages were reviewed during the quarter. Reviewing was completed on the following collections that were opened for research this quarter: Gladys Harding Brooks Papers, 1914–69 and Maxwell M. Rabb Papers, 1938–58 and 1989.

John F. Kennedy Library

Finished processing an accretion to the Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 50 feet. Open.

Finished processing the papers of Douglas Henderson, economist, diplomat, government official. 30 feet. Open.

Lyndon Baines Johnson Library

The library reviewed 13,087 pages and declassified 9,856 of those pages.

The library opened approximately 30 hours of recordings of President Johnson's telephone conversations from 1967 this quarter. Of these hours, about 8.5 minutes were closed as national security information.

Richard Nixon Library

The Nixon Library opened a significant set of materials on November 28, 2007, as part of the mandatory review process. The November opening, which included 10,668 declassifed pages, was the Nixon Library's largest-ever release of documents declassified through mandatory review.

In addition to the mandatory review documents released in November, 4,800 pages of documents from the White House Central Files/Name Files were released, including correspondence with Mark Felt (Deep Throat), Robert Byrd, Bob Hope, Elvis Presley, Ronald Reagan, Richard Cheney, and Frank Sinatra; as were 83,000 pages of White House Staff Member and Office Files and White House Press Office Files; and 25,000 pages of documents from the Records of the Cabinet Committee on Education. In all, 122,800 pages of materials were released.

Gerald R. Ford Library

The library opened for research the J. Stanley Pottinger Papers (56 feet) with Valerie Hinojosa's completed PRESNET description and finding aid. This collection concerns Pottinger's work as Director of the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (1970–73) and as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (1973–77).

The library opened for research the Gerald R. Ford Demise/Funeral Events Vertical File Collection, 2006–2007, (2.5 cu. ft.) with archives specialist Nancy Mirshahs completed arrangement and description of the items. Included are clippings, publications, tributes, and online items collected in the aftermath of President Ford's death on December 26, 2006.

The library opened for research an additional series of the William J. Baroody Papers. The series concerns White House briefings arranged by the Office of Public Liaison for associations and groups during the Ford administration.

Jimmy Carter Library

The library opened eight series from White House Files and two donated collections. They include 1976 Campaign Files: Scott Burnett Series, Moira Eagan Series, and George Reg Series.

Ronald Reagan Library

The library received approval to open 97,328 pages this quarter in response to FOIA and systematic processing notifications. The majority of these pages were for systematic processing of the Speechwriting Speech Research Office.

 

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