Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
This file contains a letter advising the President to upgrade his staff.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
1561329
label
Ash, Roy
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
1561329
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
Ash, Roy
description
This file contains a letter advising the President to upgrade his staff.
citationUrl
collections
Richard B. Cheney Files
Richard Cheney's General Subject Files
subjects
White House staff
thumbnailUrl
largeImageUrl
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
1561329
coverageEndDate
day
13
logicalDate
1975-11-13
month
11
year
1975
coverageStartDate
day
13
logicalDate
1975-11-13
month
11
year
1975
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
ccd74e94e9685983
ocrText
The original documents are located in Box 1, folder "Ash, Roy" of the Richard B. Cheney
Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box 1 of the Richard B. Cheney Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
ROY L. ASH
1901 AVENUE OF THE STARS
SUITE 1620
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90067
November 13, 1975
Mr. Richard B. Cheney
Deputy Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Dick:
After you've read the enclosed letter I suggest
you do one of three things:
1. Discard it;
2. Convey some or all of it to the President
in your own way whenever the occasion fits; or
3. Give it to the President.
Your judgment on this is better than mine.
Sincerely yours,
for
Roy L. Ash
ROY L. ASH
1901 AVENUE OF THE STARS
SUITE 1620
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90067
November 13, 1975
Dear Mr. President:
I believe the press is unjustified when it criticizes
your own personal ability to deal with the substantive
issues of government.
But, in my judgment, such criticism nevertheless will
persist, grow and be a critical factor in next year's
politics. The reasons are simple. Many of your key
executives are increasingly seen and talked about
across the country, even by your supporters, as less
than professionally competent to hold the particular
jobs they have, although they may have other capa-
bilities.
In turn, their inadequacies can't but show up in the
quality of thinking and advice available to you. And
because your own responsibilities are so broad, com-
plex and fast paced, and thus require substantial
dependence on subordinates' abilities, and lack of
competence among them becomes attributed to you per-
sonally.
Mr. President, in my judgment major and early changes
need to be made to upgrade the perceived and actual
competence of a number of key people upon whom your
future rests.
Although not appropriate for this letter, I and I'm
sure others of your friends can detail the names of
those to which this observation applies.
Respectfully yours,
you
Roy L. Ash
The President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500