Records on Civil Rights

The materials in FOIA 1999-0285-F [1] 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. 1999-0285-F [1] 2 FOIA 1999-0285-F contains materials on civil rights and the development of civil rights policy and the debate over civil rights legislation during the administration of President George H.W. Bush (1989 - 1993) and during his tenure as vice president (1981 - 1989). Although many Subject File categories contain information relevant to civil rights, several categories stand out because they contain a concentration of materials. Of particular note are three sub-categories processed in their entirety including FG017 (Department of Justice), FG026-01 (Civil Rights, Office of (Department of Education)), and FG093 (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights). Archivists also processed the entire category of Human Rights (HU) for this request. Please see detailed descriptions of these categories attached to this document or see the descriptions at the web page mentioned above. The WHORM Alphabetical Files contain information on thirty-seven prominent business, political, civic, and civil rights leaders specified by the person who filed this request. These include William Bell, Melvin Bradley, Carlos Campbell, Linda Chavez, Clay Claiborne, James H. Cleaver, William T. Coleman Jr., St. George I.B. Crosse, James Cummings, LeGree Daniels, Thelma Duggin, Arthur Fletcher, H. Minton Francis, Thaddeus Garrett Jr., B. Sam Hart, Alan Keyes, William Keyes, J.A. (Jay) Parker, Clarence Pendleton, Joseph Perkins, Samuel Pierce, J. Steven Rhodes, Stanley Scott, Harry M. Singleton, Daniel J. Smith, J. Clay Smith, Jerry Solomon, Louis Sullivan, Arthur E. Teele Jr., Franklin Thomas, Gloria Toote, Ricardo Urbina, Joan Wallace, Val Washington, Barbara Watson, Armstrong Williams, and Michael Williams. For the convenience of the researcher, each individual, together with all files relevant to that individual, is listed at the end of this finding aid. Please note, however, that these documents are filed within the larger FOIA request and have not been filed separately under each individual name. Hence, the researcher will find files concerning specific individuals listed twice; first within the larger FOIA request under the office and staff member who created the file, and again at the end of this finding aid under the each individual"˜s name. The Staff and Office Files contain newspapers, journal articles, magazine articles, memoranda, talking points, correspondence, legal briefs, transcripts, news summaries, draft legislation, statements of administration policy (SAP"˜s), case histories, and legislative histories covering a broad range of civil rights issues. Most of the materials are located in the Counsels Office Files of C. Boyden Gray, Fred Nelson, Nelson Lund, and Lee Liberman. Although these files cover a wide range of civil rights issues, the bulk of the Counsels Office files concern the proposed Civil Rights Act of 1990 and the Civil Rights Act of 1991. Although the confidential advice between presidential advisors has been removed in accordance with the Presidential Records Act, almost all correspondence between Senators and Congressmen concerning the Civil Rights Act of 1990 (Kennedy-Hawkins Bill) and the Civil Rights Act of 1991 remains open. Of particular interest are Nelson Lund"˜s files which contain correspondence between Senator John Danforth (R-MO) and White House officials detailing his attempts to broker a compromise between Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and the White House in an effort to avoid a presidential veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1990. Other files of interest in the Counsels Office include Fred Nelson"˜s files focusing on the "•business necessity"– language of the Civil Rights Act of 1990 which became a major point of disagreement between Senator Kennedy and the White House. Lee Liberman"˜s Civil Rights Legislation Files chronicle the development of the Bush administration"˜s civil rights policy and detail administration objections to the proposed Civil Rights Act of 1990. C. Boyden Gray"˜s files also contain information on the Civil Rights Act of 1990, Senator Danforth"˜s negotiations with the White House, and discussion of the administration"˜s civil rights strategy. Mr. Gray"˜s files also contain information on other civil rights issues including civil rights and the military, civil rights and education, and background information on quotas. Other areas of interest in the Bush Presidential Staff and Office Files include the files of Marianne McGettigan in the Office of Policy Development and the file of Claudia Butts, Willa Hall Smith, and Joe Watkins in the Office of Public Liaison. The Bush Vice Presidential White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) Subject File and Bush Vice Presidential White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) Alphabetical File are very similar 1999-0285-F [1] 3 to the Bush presidential files of the same name. The Bush Vice Presidential WHORM Subject File contains individually numbered documents discussing various aspects of civil rights. The vice presidential WHORM Alphabetical File contains information on the same thirty-seven individuals listed under the Bush Presidential WHORM Subject File The Quayle Vice Presidential Records generally contain copies of documents that are found in the Bush Presidential Records except that the documents tend to focus on competitiveness and the impact of certain legislation on the business community. Finally, the Federal Records of Ann Wallace and Bonnie Guiton (U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs) concern trips they made to address organizations on the Bush administration"˜s civil rights policy and civil rights initiatives. In many cases, copies of their remarks are included. Read less