Provenance
The files of members of the Congressional Liaison Staff were donated to the John F. Kennedy Library in 1965 as part of the papers of John F. Kennedy.
Extent
About 75,600 pages (36 linear feet, 4 linear inches ; 42 cubic feet)
Withdrawn Items
Selected folders may contain withdrawal sheets where documents, in accordance with the donor's deed of gift, were removed from the collection. These include documents which may be used to injure or harass any living person. All withdrawn documents have been placed under seal and upon request the Kennedy Library will review any material which has been closed for a period of not less than 2 years for the purpose of opening items which no longer require restrictions. Researchers should consult the reference staff to obtain the appropriate form(s).
Date Opened
June 1977.
Lawrence F. O'Brien Files
Extent: 14 linear feet
Approximate Number of Pages: 26,400
Arranged by: James Williamson
Screened by: Cedrone, Desnoyers, Eagan, Forbes, Goodrich, Moss, Stocking, Travis, Waters, Williamson
Claude J. Desautels Files
Extent: 19 linear feet, 8 linear inches
Approximate Number of Pages: 45,000
Processed by: Ann Travis, Joan O'Connor, Ken Kramer
Mike Manatos Files
Extent: 5 linear inches
Approximate Number of Pages: 1000
Processed by: Barbara Waters
Henry Hall Wilson Files
Extent: 1 linear feet, 9 linear inches
Approximate Number of Pages: 3,200
Processed by: William Moss
Encoded by
James M. Roth
Related Collections
Lawrence F. O'Brien White House Staff Files
, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Claude J. Desautels White House Staff Files
, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Mike Manatos White House Staff Files
, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Henry Hall Wilson White House Staff Files
, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
White House Staff Files: Congressional Liaison Office
Historical Note
The liaison office was a creation of the Eisenhower administration. Under President Kennedy, the office became more organized and enabled the White House to play a more direct and a more effective role in legislation on a consistent and systematic basis than had been the case in previous administrations. The office was headed by Lawrence F. O'Brien, Special Assistant to the President for Congressional Relations and Personnel. The staff under O'Brien consisted primarily of Henry Hall Wilson, Mike Manatos, Claude J. Desautels, Charles Daly, and Richard Donahue. Wilson was chiefly responsible for working with the House of Representatives, while Manatos worked the Senate side of Capitol Hill. Desautels appears to have been the person in charge of making contract announcements through local senators and congressmen. Richard Donahue worked with O'Brien on patronage until the beginning of 1962 when he shifted more to legislative matters. He left the liaison office in October 1963. Charles Daly appears to have worked chiefly with Wilson on the House side, and he continued into the Johnson administration, until September 1964. The office worked closely with the office of Dorothy Davies, who was the clearing house for political patronage checks and liaison with the Democratic Committee. Each Monday morning, each agency and department in the Executive Branch gave O'Brien a report on its legislative activities and plans. These were then analyzed by the O'Brien team and given to the President before his Tuesday morning breakfasts with congressional leaders.
Collection Overview
The presidential papers of John F. Kennedy consist of several major bodies of research material. The White House Central Subject File is the principal White House file. The White House Name File contains copies of most incoming correspondence arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent and is cross-referenced to the Subject File. The Chronological File contains copies of documents prepared for the president's signature and is also cross-referenced to the Subject File. The Social File contains the records of the White House Social Office and includes the correspondence of the First Lady. The President's Office File contains the papers maintained by the president's personal secretary for his use. The National Security File contains the records of the staff of the special assistant to the president for national security affairs.
In addition, in what were called in the White House "storage" or "overflow" files are found various miscellaneous materials and the records of the offices of most members of the president's staff. The files described in this finding aid constitute one of the series of White House Staff Files included in the presidential papers of John F. Kennedy.
These files document the efforts of the congressional liaison office to get the Congress to pass the President's program. Three themes are apparent: legislative strategy; tactics to secure favorable votes; and the provision of favors for legislators, of which careful records seem to have been kept in some instances.
Researchers interested in the legislative history of the Kennedy administration should check the LE (legislation) series of the White House Central Subject Files and the titles or subjects of particular pieces of legislation in those same files. The Legislative Files of the President's Office Files also contain complementary material. Furthermore, additional material may be found in the papers and files of such staff members as Theodore Sorensen, Lee White, Myer Feldman, and others, and in the papers of Robert F. Kennedy, Burke Marshall and others.
This register is divided into four parts, essentially a separate register for each of the principals, O'Brien, Desautels, Manatos and Wilson. Cross references to oral history interviews in which each of these figures is mentioned appear in the separate registers.
List of Series