Administrative Office, White House Operations: Records, 1981-1989

Folders noted as “Open” may still contain closed material due to Freedom of Information Act restrictions. Most frequent withdrawn material is national security classified material, personal privacy, protection of the President, etc. Folders noted as closed are subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests under the provisions of the Presidential Records Act (PRA).

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Scope and Content Note

The Administrative Office provided for a wide variety of administrative functions including accounting, budget, equipment, expense reports, parking permits, purchasing, the ordering of supplies, subscriptions to newspapers and magazines for White House staff, duplicating machines, and the issuance of travel advances and the processing of travel vouchers both official and political.

The White House Administrative Office is one of the sub-offices of White House Operations. Other sub-offices include the Correspondence Office, the Executive Clerk, Records Management, the Telephone Service Office, the Transportation and Telegraph Office and the Visitor’s Office. The Library currently has no records for the Transportation and Telegraph Office and the Telephone Service Office. The Administrative Office and the remaining sub-offices have been treated as separate individual collections within the presidential papers at the Library.

In 1978, Congress authorized the creation of an Executive Office of the Presidency entity whose purpose was to provide efficient and cost-effective administrative services to the Executive Office. This became the Office of Administration which is a wholly separate unit, treated as a federal agency within the Executive Office of the Presidency. The Office of Administration provided messenger service, a print shop, personnel and payroll processing, data processing and information technology, library services, facilities management, etc. for Executive Office personnel and offices. One of its largest customers is the Administrative Office.

Early in the Reagan Administration, John F.W. Rogers joined the administration as Deputy Assistant to the President for Management. All of the sub-offices within White House Operations reported to him, including the Administrative Office. In addition, he requested that he also be assigned the Director of the Office of Administration post in order to settle problems that had arisen between these two entities since the creation of the Office of Administration. In August 1981, he was also appointed Director of the Office of Administration.

This arrangement of dual functions remained in place for every succeeding head of White House Operations and the Office of Administration until the very end of the administration. In August 1987, Claire O’Donnell was appointed Director, White House Operations, and John Riggles became the Director of the Office of Administration.

In keeping with White House Records Management practice, the Library treats the Director of the Office of Administration and their respective office files as presidential records. The Director’s material is in the Office of Administration, Director’s Office.

Because of this long duality, the records of the Office of Administration and the Administrative Office are often inextricably integrated together. For a true reflection of administration and management at the White House, researchers are advised to look at both of these collections.

At the beginning of the Reagan Administration, Arthur Pettipas was the Acting Administrative Officer at the White House. In July 1981, Richard White was appointed Administrative Officer. He moved to Financial Officer in September 1982 and Theresa Elmore became the Administrative Officer. Elmore came to the Administrative Office from her post in the Office of Administration Director’s Office. We currently have only an Administrative Office collection for her. In September 1984, Jean Lamb became the Administrative Officer and remained in that position until the end of the administration. The Library has individual collections for all of these officers except Arthur Pettipas. The Library has one other staff collection for this office. Betty Ubbens handled accounts payable for the entire administration and has a chronological and small subject file in her collection.

The Administrative Office collection is divided into five series: SERIES I: Administration; SERIES II: Finance; SERIES III: Personnel; SERIES IV: Purchasing; and SERIES V: Travel. There are numerous subseries in each series.

Series List

SERIES I: ADMINISTRATION

This material consists of correspondence, memos, expense account forms, contracts, budget reports, invoices, payment forms, order forms, timecards, and manuals. The series has eight subseries, dividing the material by the various administrative functions of the office. They are: Subseries A: Expense Accounting; Subseries B: Service by Agreement (SBA); Subseries C: Subscriptions; Subseries D: Parking; Subseries E: Invoices; Subseries F: Payroll; Subseries G: Conference Rooms; Subseries H: Subject File.

Subseries A: Expense Accounting

This material consists of expense account forms, particularly for entertainment. It was filed by the determination of who was covering the cost of the entertainment – the Republican National Committee or the White House. The material is arranged by fiscal year and then generally alphabetically under the year.

Subseries B: Service by Agreement (SBA)

Service by Agreement is the White House terminology for contracted personnel working on a per diem basis. This material consists of correspondence, contracts and invoices. The material is arranged by fiscal year and then alphabetically by the contractor’s name.

Subseries C: Subscriptions

This material covers the subscriptions for White House offices, staff members and the Library. The material consists of order correspondence, memos, order form, invoices, lists and reports. The material is arranged by fiscal year and then alphabetically by office or staff name.

SERIES V: TRAVEL

This series consists of the material needed for processing travel authorizations, travel advances, individual travel reimbursements and hotel bills. This function also included details and justifications for assigning the travel as official travel for the White House or for political purposes. Various individuals handled travel accounting and assistance for the Administrative Office. They were Suzanne Shean, Lisa Wacker, Lynn Nolte, Oliver Kornegay (Hamilton), Maralyn Elmore and Betsey Conaton. The Library has chronological files for Kornegay, Elmore and Conaton and these can be found in Subseries F. The travel series is divided into six subseries. They are described below.

Subseries F: Chronological and Subject Files

This material consists of correspondence, memos and forms within chronological forms for Betsy Conaton (1987), Maralyn Elmore (1985-1987), and Oliva Korengay (1984-1987). Following the chronological files is a subject file dealing with general issues for the travel officers, especially rules and regulations in deciding whether a trip is political or for official business.

Subseries D: Local Events

This material consists of schedules, itineraries, and correspondence regarding local events. The material was used to determine whether an event was official business or political. It is arranged chronologically and consists of 1984-1987 material only.

Subseries C: Individual Files

These files are for the travel authorization forms and travel vouchers for individual White House personnel. They are arranged by fiscal year and then alphabetically by the last name of the individual. For FY 1981 only, separate folders were kept for authorization and vouchers.

Subseries B: Hotel Files

These files consist of material documenting the separation of reimbursable and personal expenses, and the payment of the specific hotels. The material includes forms, invoices, and copies of payment. The material is arranged by fiscal year and then alphabetically by state.

Subseries A: Trip Files

The practice of creating trip files was begun near the end of fiscal year 1982 to provide the official documentation for determining whether a presidential or First Lady trip was for official business or for political purposes. The material in this subseries consists of trip books, itineraries, manifests, expense and budget forms and a memo form for officially stating the decision about the trip’s purpose. It is arranged chronologically by the trip.

SERIES IV: PURCHASING

This series consists of material regarding various vendors, purchase orders and files for individuals within the purchasing area of the Administrative Office. Charles Morris was the Purchasing Specialist from July 1981-May 1985. He was succeeded by Vickers Bryan. Bryan left in March 1987, and Sally Campbell acted as the Purchasing Specialist until the end of the administration. We do not have individual collections for these personnel. Their chronological and subject files make up the first subseries for this series. The material is divided into four subseries. They are described below.

Subseries D: Purchase Orders

This material consists of invoices, memos, correspondence and government forms (mostly #347) for payment of accounts. The material is arranged by fiscal year and then by order number.

Subseries C: Equipment and Vendors

This material consists of publications, printed brochures and reports regarding various office equipment vendors, correspondence, memos, and notes. It is arranged generally alphabetically.

Subseries B: Presidential Gifts and Mementos

This material consists of correspondence, memos, request forms and inventory lists for various Presidential gifts and mementos. These items were distributed to staff, volunteers and various citizens. They included pens, cufflinks, china bowls and tea cup sets, leather portfolios, books, letter openers, canvas brief cases, glass desk plaques and other gift items. Ordering and distributing these items were originally the responsibility of the Office of Administration Director’s Office, but was later transferred to the Administrative Office.

Subseries A: Chronological and Subject Files

This material consists of correspondence, memos, form and reports for Charles Morris, Vickers Bryan and Sally Campbell. The chronological folders for each individual are first, then an alphabetical subject file.

SERIES III: PERSONNEL

This series consists of personnel actions regarding White House staff members. White Personnel officers were James Rogers, Mary Rose, Marc Brasil and Anita Bavacqua. We have no staff member collections for any of these individuals from the White House Personnel office. We have a small set of chronological files for Anita Bavacqua which has been designated a subseries within this series. The material is divided into four subseries. They are: Subseries A: Subject File; Subseries B: Anita Bavacqua Chronological Files; Subseries C: Individual Files; Subseries D: Monthly Summaries.

Subseries D: Monthly Summaries

This material was originally in three-ring binders for each month. Material consists of computerized report forms regarding salaries for White House personnel. It includes material regarding the White House in general, detailees, and separate offices. It is arranged chronologically.

Subseries C: Individual Files

This material consists of individual exit folders for most of the personnel of the Executive Office of the President during the Reagan administration. Folders include forms and correspondence related to the employment history of the individual, their exit date, and their next post. It is arranged alphabetically by the last name of the White House personnel.

Subseries B: Anita Bavacqua Chronological Files

This material is the correspondence, memos, and forms for White House Personnel Officer, Anita Bavacqua, June 1987-December 1988. It is arranged in chronological order.

Subseries A: Subject File

This material consists of correspondence, memos, reports, and forms. It is arranged in alphabetical order.

SERIES II: FINANCIAL

Financial matters were handled by White House Operations Financial Officer, Richard White. White has a staff collection and researchers should see his files for more information about financial matters at the administrative level. White left in October 1987. He was replaced by Chris Vein. The material in this series is divided into three subseries. They are: Subseries A: Subject File; Subseries B: Budgets; and Subseries C: Year-End Reports.

SUBSERIES C: Year End Reports, FY 1981-FY1988

This material consists of printed computer database reports regarding budget outlays versus budgeted monies by department.

Subseries B: Travel & Entertainment Budgets, FY 1984-1986

This material consists of memos and reports regarding travel and entertainment budgets for each department. The Library only has 1984-1986 budget files. The material is arranged by fiscal year.

Subseries A: Subject

This material consists of correspondence, memos, and reports. It is arranged alphabetically.

SERIES I: ADMINISTRATION

Subseries H: Subject File

This material consists of correspondence, memos, reports and forms. It is arranged alphabetically.

Subseries G: Conference Rooms

This material consists of reservation forms, reports and calendars for each room.

Subseries F: Payroll

This material consists of two printed computer database report forms: Payroll by Account and Leave Reports. It also includes a box of microfiche White House pay rolls by pay period. It is nearly complete for 1981-1982 and contains 5 dates for 1983, 1 date for 1984 and 6 dates for 1985 and 5 dates for 1986. The material is arranged by chronologically.

Subseries E: Invoices

This material consists of invoices and payment request forms. Material is filed by fiscal year and then alphabetically.

Subseries D: Parking

The issuing of parking permits for the executive complex and employees was traded back and forth between the Administrative Office and the Office of Administration four times during the administration. We have left the material within the Administrative Office because it was transferred there in 1987 and remained there until the end of the administration. This material consists of correspondence, memos, forms, reports, parking permits, and parking vouchers. This material is arranged by the general information first, and then the parking permit information is arranged chronologically.

Record Type

Textual

Last Modified Date

2024-08-08

WHORM Alpha File

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Administrative Office, White House Operations: Records, 1981-1989

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