Jack Romagna (#8.23)

A Register of His White House Files, 1961 - 1962
In the John F. Kennedy Library
National Archives and Records Administration

Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
List of Series
Series Description


Administrative Information

Abstract
White House Staff Files 1961-1962
Stenographer, White House press office (1941-1962). Copies of transcripts of President Kennedy's speeches and news conferences, stenographic notebooks.

Access
Open. 

Usage Restrictions
According to the letter of transfer 1965, copyright of these materials has been assigned to the United States. Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.

Provenance
The White House staff files of Jack Romanga, Stenographer, were donated to the John F. Kennedy Library in 1965 as part of the papers of John F. Kennedy.

Extent
About 8,100 pages (3 linear feet, 11 linear inches ; 4.5 cubic feet).

Date Opened
1981

Processed by
Megan Floyd Desnoyers

Encoded by
Ronald E. Whealan

Revisions
Electronic version prepared: by Ronald E. Whealan, December 17, 2001.
Finding aid reformatted in December 2005 by James M. Roth.

Related Collections
Public Papers of the President: John F. Kennedy, 1961 and 1962, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Office of the Press Secretary, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
White House Staff Files of Pierre Salinger, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Speech Files, President's Office Files, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Subject File; Speeches, White House Central File, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Papers of Theodore Sorensen, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Papers of Arthur Schlesinger, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
  

The White House Staff Files of Jack Romanga (1910-1993)

Biographical Note
As official reporter for the White House, Jack Romagna took handwritten stenographic (Gregg shorthand) notes of President Kennedy's remarks, including speeches, informal remarks, toasts and news conferences, and of the press conferences of Pierre Salinger, White House Press Secretary, and other White House staff members. He was then responsible for producing typed transcripts of each session. 
  

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.

The White House Staff Files of Jack Romagna cover the period of January 1961 to May 1962.  The files include final copies of the transcripts of President Kennedy's speeches and news conferences for 1961; edited, draft transcripts of President Kennedy's speeches and news conferences from January 1961 through May 1962 and transcripts of the remarks of various others; and stenographic notebooks of Romagna's shorthand notes of all of these speeches or news conferences plus some for which there are no transcripts.  In addition, when received, these files included extensive runs of non-unique, commonly duplicated material, such as multiple copies of the final transcripts of Pierre Salinger's press conferences and of President Kennedy's news conferences. These were integrated into the collection Papers of President Kennedy; Office of the Press Secretary and unnecessary duplicates were discarded.

List of Series
Series 1. President Kennedy's Speeches, 1961
Series 2. President Kennedy's News Conferences, 1961
Series 3. Working File, 1/61 - 5/62
Series 4. Stenographic Notebooks, 1/61 - 5/62
  

Series Description

Series 1. President Kennedy's Speeches, 1961.
2 boxes.
Arrangement: chronological.

Four copies of a bound volume of the transcripts of 241 speeches and other public remarks made by President Kennedy in 1961. These include some off the-record remarks and 48 statements that are not published in the Public Papers of the President series (a list of the 48 is found in each box. There is also a list of all the remarks in the front of each volume along with an indication of the level of distribution of the transcript.
  

Series 2. President Kennedy's News Conferences, 1961.
1 box.
Arrangement: chronological.

Three copies of a bound volume of the transcripts of President Kennedy's 19 news conferences in 1961.
  

Series 3. Working File, 1/61 - 5/62.
3 boxes.
Arrangement: chronological.

Divided into two subseries of Speeches and News Conferences, this series contains draft transcripts of Presidential speeches, toasts and other remarks and news conferences. The Speeches subseries also includes programs, schedules and other miscellaneous materials relating to Presidential speeches as well as draft transcripts of speeches or news conferences by others than the President, such as Mrs. Kennedy, Vice President Johnson, Pierre Salinger and Roger Blough. A working list of Presidential remarks for 1961 is found in the Speeches, 12/16/61 - 12/31/61 folder.
  

Series 4. Stenographic Notebooks, 1/61 - 5/62.
3 boxes.
Arrangement: chronological.

Spiral bound notebooks containing Mr. Romagna's stenographic notes of speeches and press conferences.