Records on the Atlanta Child Murders

The materials in FOIA 2000-1165-F are a selective, not necessarily all inclusive, body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related materials. FOIA 2000-1165-F contains materials regarding Vice President George Bush's role as head of the Inter- Government Agency Task Force concerning the Atlanta Child Murders. Between mid-1979 and mid-1981 there were multiple slayings of black children and young adults in metropolitan Atlanta. The Atlanta Federal Task Force was created by Vice President George Bush upon the directive of newly elected 2000-1165-F 2 President Ronald Reagan. He coordinated the money, services, and professional support of federal agencies with the local and state efforts of officials, such as Atlanta's Mayor Maynard Jackson, Georgia Governor George Busbee, and others. This coordinated endeavor provided emotional and financial relief to the Atlanta community during this turbulent time. Vice Presidential Subject File category FG600-02 contains reports, memoranda, correspondence, news clippings, press releases, chronologies, itineraries, and briefings. The Staff and Office Files contain those of Mary Gall, Deputy Assistant for Domestic Policy, and Thad Garrett, Assistant to the Vice President on Domestic Policy. These files contain reports, memoranda, correspondence, news clippings, press releases, chronologies, itineraries, and briefings. Included in these materials is the "Report on Assistance to Atlanta for the Murdered and Missing Children Crisis" by the Atlanta Federal Task Force; "A Proposal for the Youth Development Program in Atlanta, Ga." by the Department of Labor's Comprehensive Employment and Training Administration (CETA); and "Background Information and Chronology of Activities on Missing/Murdered Children" by the Department of Public Safety. Memoranda address various meetings, reports, interviews, newspaper articles, and financial arrangements related to the abduction and murder of children in Atlanta. Correspondence includes letters of thanks to various members of the Task Force from Vice President Bush in addition to notes and letters to the Vice President from varied sources including agencies involved in providing assistance; United States senators expressing their anxiety and hope for federal action; and concerned citizens expressing thoughts and opinions about the situation. News clippings relate to the Atlanta child murders, the involvement of federal agencies in the investigation, and the Inter-Government Agency Task Force itself. Press releases include Vice President Bush's February 1981 statement regarding the Department of Justice's actions in the Atlanta investigation and the coordination of federal efforts to the city of Atlanta. Other press releases include the text of remarks by President Reagan in March 1981. Also found in these materials are numerous chronologies of the murders and the resulting actions from city, state, and federal entities. Itineraries of Admiral Daniel Murphy and Thaddeus Garrett, Jr.'s trip to Atlanta are also included. Informal briefings of telephone contacts, offers of assistance, and meetings discussing actions to be taken are part of this collection, as well as the formal "Missing & Murdered Children Briefing" from the Department of Public Safety and "Safe Summer '81 Financial Statement" from the City of Atlanta. There are also numerous inter-office memoranda, inter-agency correspondence, and staff briefings on murders and ensuing investigation. The correspondence and memoranda include documents from Charles Rinkevich, Admiral Daniel Murphy, Paul Coverdell, and Lee Brown, among others. Read less