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South Vietnam Trip, 2/24/77
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142215
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document
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South Vietnam Trip, 2/24/77
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Office of the Chief of Staff Files
Hamilton Jordan's Confidential Files
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Vietnam
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1977-02-01
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2
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1977
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24
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1977-02-01
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2
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1977
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South Vietnam Trip 2/24/77
Folder Citation: Collection: Office of the Chief of Staff Files; Series:
Hamilton Jordan's Confidential Files; Folder: South Vietnam Trip
2/24/77; Container 37
To See Complete Finding Aid:
http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/library/findingaids/Chief_of St
aff.pdf
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS SERVICE
WITHDRAWAL SHEET (PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES)
FORM OF
CORRESPONDENTS OR TITLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
DOCUMENT
memo
MJ to FG
2/24/77
e
opened 5/01/01 RB
FILE LOCATION
Chief of Staff/Jordan/Box 6 of 8 (org.)/South / Vietnam Trip 2/24/77
RESTRICTION CODES
(A) Closed by Executive Order 12065 governing access tornation security information
(B) Closed by statute or by the agency which originated the document
(C) Closed in accordance with-restrictions contained in the donor's deed of gifte
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
GSA FORM 7122 (REV,1-8
Ham
J
TO:
PRESIDENT CARTER
424
FROM: HAMILTON JORDAN
RE:
MISSION TO SOUTH VIETNAM
As requested, here are the names of persons who might
go to represent our country on the mission to South
Vietnam:
-Coretta King
-Bunny Mitchell
-Marian Wright Edelman
-Eleanor Holmes Norton
-Grace Olivares (An outstanding Hispanic woman who
Joe Aragon and I will recommend to
you for consideration for several key
positions in the Administration - her
resume is attached)
-Delores Tucker
-Mary Ann Krupsak
-Ella Grasso
From what I know about their mission, I would recommend
that you not send a woman who presently holds political
office as you can expect them to orient their own views
and public statements to their constituencies upon re-
turn.
I believe that you will want to utilize both Norton and
Olivares in your Administration and for that reason I
would agrue against their being sent on this particular
mission.
Symbolically, Coretta King would be the most visible
and well-known person you could select. Her statements
upon her return would be unpredictable and possibly conter-
productive. My hunch is that she would relate the findings
and activities of the group to her husband's opposition to
the war.
You want someone that represents a point of view in this
country who is also practical and responsible. Marian
Wright Edelman has national statue and reputation and is
well respected by all who know her and have worked with her.
Bunny does not have a national reputation but does have
statue because she works for you. Also, as you have recently
expressed, we have a need politically to project her more.
The argument against her is that she is a staff person
who works for and reports to you.
As you know, a disproportionate number of the men who
went to Vietnam were poor and black. Is it possible for
Edelman to be a member of the official delegation and
Bunny to go a part of the traveling party?
That would be my recommendation - or increase the size
of the party by one member.
GRACIELA (GRACE) OLIVAREZ
COMMENTS:
Father Theodore Hesburgh, President, Notre Dame University:
Suggested independently that Grace would, in his opinion,
make an excellent Ambassadress to Mexico. He characterized
her administrative abilities as excellent. "She is the
highest level administrator in the state," and opined that
her understanding of the culture, the language, the politics
and the economics of Mexico made her an excellent choice for
the diplomatic post.
Howard Simons, Managing Editor of the Washington Post:
"I have enough faith in her to have entrusted my daughter to
her care while she lived in New Mexico." Simons described her
as bright, imaginative, strong and deeply committed to personal
views. "She feels things strongly, something we need more of
in this country. Grace is a devout Catholic and has never run
away from her religion. She would do well in both a domestic
or an overseas assignment."
Dean Ylvisaker, Harvard Graduate School of Education: He has
"deep affection and admiration" for Grace. He described her
as "first rate", "very forthright". He had hoped she'd end
up in the Cabinet. "Grace has matrued enormously since 1962.
In those days she was less secure in herself and in order to
compensate she pushed herself to the breaking point. She had
tremendous drive and was a great performer. Since then she
has matured and become much more philosophical. She is still
forthright in her views but she knows the difference between
commitment and rhetoric." (Ylvisaker introduced Grace to
Father Hesburgh.)
John D. Rockefeller, III: Worked closely with her on the Com-
mission on Population Growth and the Future. He has had almost
no contact with her in the last 4-5 years. He spoke well of
Grace. "She was a plus. She was articulate, forthright,
constructive, respected. If there was anything at all to
fault it would be that she felt things very strongly. Her
"pro-life" views were not, in his mind a problem.
GRACIELA (GRACE) OLIVAREZ
COMMENTS: (cont.)
Governor Jerry Apodaca, New Mexico: Indicated that he would
be very sorry to have Grace leave state government. He added,
however, that she would be a great asset to the Administration
should she join it. Apodaca described Grace as a superb
administrator who had provided a great service to the State
of New Mexico.
John Gardner, Common Cause: John met her when she was asked to
join the National Board of Directors of Common Cause. She
served on the Board from 1971-74. Gardner described her as
"highly intelligent", "fair", "a problem solver who handles
her role as a woman and member of a minority group exceedingly
well." Gardner said he is very fond of Grace and remarked that
she was a "sterling kind of character."
MEMORANDUM
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
February 22, 1977
TO:
HAMILTON JORDAN
FROM:
JOE ARAGON Jana
SUBJECT:
CHRIS BROWN ON GRACE OLIVAREZ
I just spoke to Chris who had the following to
say about Grace:
She is strong, forthright, has been in administra-
tive roles for several years. She fits the model of a
career administrator. Her forte lies in dealing with
people and problem solving, would make an excellent
diplomat.
GRACIELA (GRACE) OLIVAREZ
Director, State Planning Office
for New Mexico
B. 3/9/28
Education:
1970
J.D.
Notre Dame School of Law
(Impressed with her broad intellect and her strong commitment
to the Hispanic community, Father Hesburgh, President of
Notre Dame University, in-an unprecedented move, succeeded
in having Grace Olivarez admitted to the Law School of Notre
Dame even though Grace had never attended college and had not
been inside a classroom in 25 years.)
Experience:
1975 --
State Planning Officer, New Mexico
State Planning Office
1972 - 1975
Director, Institute for Social Research
and Development, University of New Mexico
Professor of Law, University of New
Mexico Law School
1970 - 1972
Director, Food for All Program
1970 (June) - Consultant, National Urban Coalition
(October)
1968 - 1969
Urban Development Institute, Purdue
University
Consultant, Mayor Richard Hatcher
1969
Volt Information Sciences of Chicago
and Washington, D. C.
U.S. Bureau of the Census
1968
U.S. Civil Rights Commission
1967
Office of Economic Opportunity, Los
Angeles, California
I
GRACIELA (GRACE) OLIVAREZ
Experience: (cont.)
1966 - 1967
Arizona State Office of Economic
Opportunity
1962 - 1966
Staff Specialist for the Choate
Foundation, Phoenix, Arizona
1952 - 1962
Women's Program Director, Radio Station
KIFN, Phoenix, Arizona
Other Activities:
Consultant to the National Commission
on Rural Poverty
Lecturer on culture of Mexican-Americans
in the Southwest at UCLA and Center for
the Study of Democratic Institutions in
Santa Barbara, California
Member, New Mexico Border Commission
Member, Governor's Energy Impact
Task Force