Core Collections on Energy Policy
October 2008

In the wake of the 1973 Arab embargo of oil exports and resulting economic shocks, President Ford proposed several measures designed to achieve energy independence for the United States.  These involved controversial economic, fiscal, diplomatic, and environmental trade-offs.  Many elements from that proposal were included in the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975.  Other measures included creation of the Energy Research and Development Administration, actions to reduce energy use by the Federal government, support of the International Energy Agency, and economic summits.  

The Ford Library has extensive archival materials from this period, plus some earlier and later materials.  Core “open” collections are summarized below, but many additional “open” collections also hold valuable material.  This list omits pertinent collections that are currently closed as part of the Library’s processing backlog. Anyone may use these collections, and Library staff can provide database searches toward finding material on specific topics.

Research room hours are 8:45 am to 4:45 pm, Monday through Friday except Federal holidays. Telephone (734) 205-0555. E-mail ford.library@nara.gov.

View detailed inventories of the archival collections summarized below by clicking on the collection titles.

CANNON, JAMES M.:  FILES,  1975-77
Cannon was executive director of the Domestic Council Staff and Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs.  His files concern legislation proposals and policy formulation.  Two major topics are energy and nuclear policy. 

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER FILES,  1974-77
Many sub-collections comprise the files of National Security Advisers Henry Kissinger and Brent Scowcroft and their staff.  Energy policies and issues are reflected in files on U.S. relations with oil exporters, economic summits of the industrial democracies, and such issues as recycling petrodollars, “the consumer-producer dialog,” and use of nuclear power for peaceful purposes.  
 
PRESIDENTIAL HANDWRITING FILE: 1974-77
The collection covers most Ford Administration topics in the form of memoranda, letters, briefing papers, and reports that President Ford initialed or otherwise annotated along, with a small number of documents entirely in his hand.  Material pertaining to energy can be found in the subject files.

RAOUL-DUVAL, MICHAEL:  FILES,  1974-77
Raoul-Duval worked as a staff member on the Nixon Domestic Council and continued in that role under Ford.  Of particular interest are the Energy and Environment File, which documents the coordination of policy and legislation on energy and environmental issues during the Ford administration; meetings on policy; and the administration’s analysis of such policies.

SCHLEEDE, GLENN R.:  FILES,  1974-77
Schleede played a particularly active role in legislation related to science, energy, and environment.  He helped devise and coordinate policy on the Alaska pipeline, coal and natural gas usage, funding for energy research and development, the naval petroleum reserves, and nuclear power and policy.  Documentation on questions of nuclear energy is especially significant, particularly regarding the decisions and drafts in 1976 leading up to the Fri Report in September 1976 and President Ford’s statement on nuclear policy of October 28, 1976.

SEIDMAN, L. WILLIAM:  FILES,  1974-77
Seidman was the senior White House economic official and served as a member of numerous interagency bodies such as the Energy Resources Council.  His collection contains minutes of joint Economic Policy Board/Energy Resources Council executive committee meetings held during 1976, as well as material on energy issues, and the President’s energy program and the Energy Resources Council.  

SIMON, WILLIAM E.:  MICROFICHE OF PAPERS,  1972-77
Simon served as the Nixon administration’s Administrator of the Federal Energy Office, and then became Deputy Secretary and Secretary of the Treasury, where he continued to play an active role in energy matters.  The details of Simon’s involvement with energy and the economy are brought out most clearly in the subject files.  The energy crisis is the primary focus of the Deputy Secretary subseries of the subject files.  Here are located extensive files on the Oil Policy Committee and the Federal Energy Office.  Other files also show his continued involvement in energy policy.  View the finding aid on the Lafayette College website.

U.S. COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS:  RECORDS,  (1969) 1974-77
The collection is a rich resource, documenting the direct involvement of the CEA in economic policymaking; contacts with business leaders, lobbyists, and economists from universities, federal agencies, and international organizations.  Material related to energy can be found primarily in the files of CEA members  Alan Greenspan, boxes 37-56; Gary L. Seevers, boxes 71-75; William Fellner, box 83; and Paul W. MacAvoy, boxes 86-98, and 105-111.

U.S. ENERGY RESOURCES COUNCIL:  RECORDS,  1974-76
The ERC collection relates primarily to executive committee meetings and includes agenda notices, meeting minutes and summaries, and related background and option papers prepared by member agencies.  Also included are miscellaneous memoranda on energy topics and a few draft reports reflecting some of the work of ERC task forces.

U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL INSTITUTIONAL RECORDS:  1974–77
These are the formal, institutional records of the Ford-era NSC and its committees, working groups, panels, and administrative staff.  Material on energy can be found in the series on National Security Study Memoranda within boxes 31-52, and also National Security Decision Memoranda within boxes 53-71.

WHITE HOUSE CENTRAL FILES SUBJECT FILE:  1974-77
The Subject file contains memoranda, correspondence, briefing papers, and other documents created or received by the President and White House staff members.  Material on energy policy is scattered in a variety of subject categories: AT - Atomic Energy, BE - Business-Economics, CM - Commodities (especially CM 29 - Petroleum and Coal Products), CO - Countries (especially CO 128 Saudi Arabia), FG - Federal Government Organizations (agencies involved in energy matters such as the Federal Energy Administration), MC - Meetings and Conferences, NR - Natural Resources, SP - Speeches, and UT - Utilities.

ZARB, FRANK:  PAPERS,  1974-78
Zarb was the President’s chief energy adviser.  His papers include memoranda to the President, drafts of legislation, congressional testimony, and statistical reports on a variety of energy-related topics including coal conversion, liquefied natural gas, energy conservations, oil imports and production incentives.