Harris L. Wofford (#8.31)

Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
Note to Researchers
List of Series
Series Description


Administrative Information

Abstract
White House Staff Files 1960-1962
Lawyer, government official. Assistant to Senator John F. Kennedy (1960); Special Assistant to the President for Civil Rights (1961-62). Contains correspondence, progress reports, speeches, and occasional background material on civil rights cases.

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 files of Harris L. Wofford, Jr., special assistant to President Kennedy, were donated to the Kennedy Library in 1965 as part of the papers of John F. Kennedy.

Extent
About 12,000 pages (6 linear feet, 2 linear inches ; 7.0 cubic feet).

Withdrawn Items
Items withdrawn: 70.
These items were removed and placed under seal because they deal with employment and personnel matters, cases of alleged discrimination, or contain information that could injure, embarrass, or harass living persons. All withdrawn documents have been placed under seal and upon request the Kennedy Library will review any material which has been closed for a period of not less than 2 years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
July 1972

Processed by
Joanne August

Encoded by
James M. Roth

Related Collections
Wofford, Harris Oral History Interview

The White House Staff Files of Harris L. Wofford, Jr. (1926-  )

Biographical Note
Harris Wofford, special assistant to President Kennedy, acted as coordinator of federal civil rights policy for the White House and later as special representative for the Peace Corps in Africa. In his first capacity he organized and headed the Subcabinet Group on Civil Rights, designed to promote appropriate civil rights action by all agencies and departments of the federal government, survey and encourage progress in minority hiring and promotion in each department and agency, and coordinate interdepartmental cooperation on specific problems. On May 8, 1962, Mr. Wofford took up his work with the Peace Corps to expand and oversee activities in Africa.


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 Harris Wofford are arranged into four series: Series 1. Alphabetical Files, 1956-1962; Series 2. Civil Rights Progress Reports, 1961-1962; Series 3. Speeches, 1961-1962; and Series 4. Audio tapes. The bulk of the collection has been arranged according to a previously existing Alphabetical File. Various changes and additions have been made when necessary to make items more accessible. A large entry on the Peace Corps has been arranged from formerly unorganized material. The The bulk of the material falls between the years 1960-1962 but includes occasional background materials on civil rights cases or programs dating back as far as 1956, and the Report of the President's Committee on Equal Opportunity in the Armed Forces , dated October 13, 1963.

Series 1., Alphabetical File, contains correspondence between Wofford and the public, including civil rights organizations, reflecting the public's concern with government civil rights policies and problems. It also reflects the Administration's concern and intervention in individual cases of discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodation, and its promotion of programs and changes throughout the government to further the elimination of discrimination both in public and private spheres.

Series 2., Civil Rights Progress Reports, contains the reports by the various government agencies and departments to the Subcabinet Group on Civil Rights, and other reports on government employment practices concerning minority groups. It also contains a summary report of civil rights progress during the first nine months of the Kennedy Administration.

Series 3., Speeches, contains speeches relating to both civil rights and the Peace Corps by Mr. Wofford, President Kennedy, Sargent Shriver, and others.

Series 4., Audiovisual Material, consists of tapes of a Kennedy rally in Los Angeles, September 9, 1960; a Richard Nixon speech in Jackson, Mississippi, September 9, 1960; the National Conference on Constitutional Rights, New York, October 12, 1960; and a voice letter to the President from a private citizen on black living conditions. This material has been removed from the papers and transferred to the library's audiovisual collection.


Note to Researchers
The main portion of the files have been arranged according to a previously existing Alphabetical File. Various changes and additions have been made when necessary to make items more accessible. A large entry on the Peace Corps has been arranged from formerly unorganized material. Various extraneous publications have been removed and placed in the printed materials collection of the library.

In May of 1968 a fire destroyed the administration building at the College of Old Westbury where Wofford's personal papers for the period of the Kennedy Administration were stored. All of the material was lost.


List of Series
Series 1. Alphabetical Files, 1956-1962
Series 2. Civil Rights Progress Reports, 1961-1962
Series 3. Speeches, 1961-1962
Series 4. Audiovisual Material, 1960


Series Description

Series 1. Alphabetical Files, 1956-1962.
11 boxes.
Arrangement: alphabetical.

Copies of incoming and outgoing correspondence, internal memoranda, conference materials, articles, petitions, publications of civil rights organizations, presidential messages, Peace Corps project descriptions and proposals. Correspondence between Wofford and the public, including civil rights organizations, reflects the public's concern with government civil rights policies and problems. It also reflects the Administration's concern and intervention in individual cases of discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodation, and its promotion of programs and changes throughout the government to further the elimination of discrimination both in public and private spheres.
  

Series 2. Civil Rights Progress Reports, 1961-1962.
4 boxes.
Arrangement: alphabetical by agency.

Consists of reports by various government agencies and departments to the Subcabinet Group on Civil Rights, and other reports on government employment practices concerning minority groups. It also contains Subcabinet Group internal correspondence, group meeting minutes, employment surveys, and a summary report of civil rights progress during the first nine months of the Kennedy Administration.