Joseph F(rancis) Dolan (#62)

An Inventory of His Personal Papers
1956-1968
In the John F. Kennedy Library
National Archives and Records Administration

Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
Series Description


Administrative Information

Abstract
Papers 1956-1968 [fragment]
Lawyer, Colorado political figure. Administrative Assistant to Senator Robert F. Kennedy (1964-1968). Notes and memorandums relating to Senator Robert F. Kennedy's legislative career; correspondence about John F. Kennedy (1956-1958).

Access
Open.

Usage Restrictions
According to the deed of gift signed February 1981, 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.

Copyright
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excesses of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. The copyright law extends its protection to unpublished works from the moment of creation in a tangible form. Direct your questions concerning copyright to the reference staff.

Provenance
Received from Joseph Dolan of Englewood, CO, in August 1972 (Acc. 1973-029); and in August 1991 (Acc. 1991-056).

Extent
About 1000 pages (0.5 feet)

Withdrawn Items
23 items withdrawn.  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 All withdrawn documents have been placed under seal and upon request the Kennedy Library will review any material which has been closed for a period of not less than 2 years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
January 1982

Processed by
Barbara L. Anderson

Encoded by
James M. Roth

Related Collections
Joseph Dolan Oral History Interviews, John F. Kennedy Library
Cuban Prisoners Exchange Panel Oral History Interviews, John F. Kennedy Library
Robert Shea and John Wilson Oral History Interview, John F. Kennedy Library

The Personal Papers of Joseph F. Dolan (1921-  )

Biographical Note

Collection Overview
This fragmentary portion of Joseph F. Dolan’s personal papers covers two different time periods in Mr. Dolan's career, the first being 1956 through 1958, when he was a lawyer in Denver, Colorado and the second being 1964 through 1968, when he served as Administrative Assistant to Robert F. Kennedy. Mr. Dolan's knowledge and interest in the Democratic Party at both the state and national level is reflected in his correspondence (1956 -1958) with Theodore Sorenson and others interested in the career of Senator John F. Kennedy. Mr. Dolan often made suggestions for the improvement of Senator Kennedy's political standing in Colorado. Mr. Dolan also appears to have served as chief liaison between Kennedy's office and Democratic party officials in Colorado. In 1964, after serving in the Department of Justice for four years as an assistant to Deputy Attorney General Nicholas deB. Katzenbach, Mr. Dolan worked organizing Senator Robert Kennedy's office. In doing so he wrote several memoranda comparing the efficiency of Robert Kennedy's office to that of other senators, particularly Jacob Javits and Edward Kennedy. Contained in these series are specific memoranda which analyze various senate committees and list staff members and their specific assignments. Also contained in the files are memoranda Mr. Dolan sent to the senator on anti-smoking legislation, poverty programs, New York politics and the day-to-day dealing with constituents. Mr. Dolan's papers also record some of Robert Kennedy's speaking engagements on both the New York and national scenes. In October of 1967, Richard Goodwin, Kenneth O'Donnell, Arthur Schlesinger, Pierre Salinger, Theodore Sorensen, and Edward Kennedy met in New York to discuss the possibility of Robert Kennedy's candidacy for the presidency. The outcome of the meeting was to dispatch Mr. Dolan to contact local political leaders on Kennedy's chances. As a result polls were conducted on a state-by state basis and appear in the collection starting with the year 1967. In some of his memoranda, Mr. Dolan suggests that Senator Kennedy write a book on education which would be a useful campaign tool similar to John Kennedy's A Nation of Immigrants.  The result was Robert Kennedy's series of essays, To Seek a Newer World.

Mr. Dolan has two oral history interviews in the Kennedy Library. The first deals with his tenure as assistant to Nicholas Katzenbach and the second deals specifically with his role in the Cuban prisoner exchange. Although no material on the latter topic is found in his papers, the researcher, if interested in this subject should look at two other oral history interviews, the first being an interview with the Cuban Prisoners Exchange Panel and the second being an interview with Robert Shea and John Wilson who were vice presidents of the American Red Cross involved in the Cuban Prisoner Exchange.

Series Description

Series 1. Correspondence and Memorandums.
Arrangement: chronological by type.

This series contains correspondence and memorandums from Joseph F. Dolan’s fragmentary papers in two different time periods: 1956-1958, when he was a lawyer in Denver, Colorado and 1964-1968, when he served as Administrative Assistant to Robert F. Kennedy. Mr. Dolan's knowledge and interest in the Democratic Party at both the state and national level is reflected in his correspondence (1956 -1958) with Theodore Sorenson and others interested in the career of Senator John F. Kennedy. Mr. Dolan often made suggestions for the improvement of Senator Kennedy's political standing in Colorado. Several memoranda written by Dolan compare the efficiency of Robert Kennedy's Senate office to that of other senators, particularly Jacob Javits and Edward Kennedy. Contained in these papers are specific memoranda which analyze various senate committees and list staff members and their specific assignments. Also contained in the papers are memoranda Mr. Dolan sent to the senator on anti-smoking legislation, poverty programs, New York politics and the day-to-day dealing with constituents. The papers also record some of Robert Kennedy's speaking engagements on both the New York and national scenes. There also are a few polls conducted on a state-by state basis on the possibility of Robert Kennedy's candidacy for the presidency. In some of his memoranda, Mr. Dolan suggests that Senator Kennedy write a book on education which would be a useful campaign tool similar to John Kennedy's A Nation of Immigrants.  The result was Robert Kennedy's series of essays, To Seek a Newer World.