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Suggestions Regarding Appearances of the Vice President. 14 pgs. [Memo], 10/1/1958
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Richard Nixon Presidential Library
White House Special Files Collection
Folder List
Box Number Folder Number Document Date
Document Type
Document Description
70
4
10/1958
Memo
Suggestions Regarding Appearances of the
Vice President. 14 pgs.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Page 1 of 1
STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
October 1958
Suggestions Regarding Appearances
of The Vice President
The success of the Vice President's appearances will
depend on the advance preparation.
It will be appreciated if you will make a special point
of checking every one of the applicable items in this
memorandum to make certain that the local committees
have the situation well in hand.
Please do NOT give a copy of this memorandum to the
local committees or anyone else. Instead, pick out the
pertinent portions which are applicable to the particular
visit and make them available to the local people in
charge.
General Policy
1.
You must always bear in mind that your responsibility is to the Vice
President. At all times this responsibility supercedes your responsi-
bilities to the local committee or anyone else. Often the wishes of
the local committee will be in conflict, and your job is to effect a
compromise satisfactory to all, if possible, but in any event never one
which is unacceptable to the Vice President.
2. The Washington office will help you in every way possible to smooth out
differences.
3. The Secret Service always has the final say on matters affecting security.
Copies of Secret Service Rosters of Area Offices throughout the country
will be furnished you. Consult Roster and telephone appropriate Area
Office as far in advance as possible of your arrival in the locality to be
advanced so that the local Secret Service Agent will be prepared to meet
you and assist with the advance work.
Standard Operating Procedure
1.
The itinerary and instructions will be furnished from Washington.
2.
Get in touch with the local contact and let him know when you will be
arriving, length of stay, etc.
- 2 .
3. Proceed to assigned location and make contact with the local organization
and the local Secret Service Agent.
4. Make courtesy call to highest Republican official in the area.
5. Get completely informed of developments to date, present plan of visit to
local organization and assign work details to arrange the following:
Publicity
Press facilities
Radio and TV facilities
Airport facilities
Motorcade
Program and Decorations
Public Address System
Hotel Accommodations
Greeting Committee
6. Do not grant interviews or issue any press releases or announcements.
Publicity stories should be released through local committees.
7. Local committee should NOT advise press of the arrival of the Vice
President's representative.
Advance Publicity
1. The local committee should designate a publicity man to handle the entire
appearance and he should have already released the announcement of the
Vice President's coming appearance. (No overall schedule will be issued
either by the Vice President's Office or the Republican National Committee
at any point.)
2. All stories should be hung on local people.
3. Pictures of local committees preparing for event should be featured at
intervals.
4. Biographies, and glossies or mats, of the Vice President and Mrs. Nixon
should be given to newspapers. Be sure to carry a sufficient supply of
each item. Weekly and most small city dailies use mats. Large metro-
politan newspapers prefer 8 X 10 glossies.
5. Advance stories should be distributed by the local committees to the
local press.
6. Newspapers must be given accurate information pertaining to the visit.
- 3-
Publicity During the Visit
1. Local committees should see that the event is covered by representatives
of local and surrounding press.
2. If a photographer from the local newspaper is not available, the local
committee should engage and pay for a photographer to supply pictures
to newspapers. If at all possible, try to have a glossy print of all
pictures sent to the Office of the Vice President, 361 Senate Office
Building, Washington, D. C.
3. All press matters should be referred to the press secretary traveling
with the Vice President.
4. Advance copies of speeches usually will not be available until time of
arrival. On many occasions, only excerpts from the speech will be
prepared.
5. The local committee should have an experienced secretary available
and mimeograph facilities in readiness for the Vice President's staff
upon his arrival.
Hotel Accommodations
1. A parlor and two adjoining bedrooms, one on each side of the parlor,
are required for the Vice President and Mrs. Nixon.
2. Rooms for the remaining members of the staff should be in close proximity
and on the same floor. The two Secret Service Agents who will be traveling
with the Vice President, John T. Sherwood and H. Dale Grubb, must have
a twin-bedded room immediately adjacent (not necessarily connected)to
the Nixon suite. The Vice President's Aide should have a single room next
to that of the Secret Service Agents, or on the other
side of the Nixon suite. Miss Woods' room should be in the immediate area
but not adjacent to the Nixon suite, as telephone and office activity is
centered in her room. Single rooms should be provided for all other
members of the traveling staff,
3. Traveling press, If any, should have rooms in the same hotel, but on
another floor. While the Vice President's representative can be of assis-
tance in reserving and controling the rooms for the traveling press, it must
be made clear that they or their newspapers are to be billed individually
by the hotel for their rooms.
4. Advance registrations should be made for each member of the party so
that keys will be available immediately on arrival.
5. Please determine if the local committee will be taking care of the hotel
bills. Do not make a point of this. If the local committee is not taking
care of them, please see that the hotel mails the bills to the Washington
office for payment.
6. Copies of all local newspapers should be in the press secretary's room
on arrival at each city. The local committee should designate a person
to take care of this.
7. It is essential that accommodations NOT be made at any private home.
There will be no exceptions. If adequate hotel accommodations are not
available in any given city or town, arrange accommodations in a nearby
city or town.
8. Be sure that all hotels send a written confirmation of reservations to
the Washington office.
9. Room 361 Senate Office Building, Washington, D. C. should be left at each
hotel as the forwarding address for mail for the Vice President and Mrs.
Nixon and members of the party.
10. Arrange for the hotel to give fast laundry service.
11. Arrange for the hotel to give fast valet service.
12. Arrange for the hotel to give fast food service.
13. Ask the hotel to assign a room at the opposite end of the hall from the
Vice President's suite, and in no case next to it, to be used by the local
security officers.
Advance Data to be obtained by the Vice President's representative
1.
The Vice President's representative should endeavor to make an original
appearance in the city involved as far ahead of the Vice President's appear-
ance as possible.
2. As quickly as possible, he should forward the following information to the
Washington office:
a.
names of Republican state-wide elective officials and nominees
if offices are up for election.
b.
names of Republican Congressman or nominee in District.
- 5 -
C.
name of Republican legislators or nominees in particular
District.
d.
population of locality.
:
principal industries and agricultural products.
f.
local problems or needs.
g.
what local people think are the principal national issues.
.d.
how the area voted in the last presidential, state and local
congressional election.
(most of the foregoing information can be obtained from the local
Chamber of Commerce office or newspaper editor)
3. Additionally, the Vice President's representative should determine what
leading Democrat politicos will be in the city two weeks before, during
and two weeks after the appearance of the Vice President, what special
events are taking place on or about the time, and particularly on the day
of the Vice President's visit, of both a civic and partisan nature.
4. There should be a detailed memorandum forwarded to the Washington
office on the media in the city and the outlying areas. With regard to
the television and radio, special programs with a high local following
should be noted. With regard to newspapers, the name of the publisher,
editor, or other editorial policy maker should be obtained for each paper,
as well as their apparent political sentiments. Particular importance
should be paid to daily or weekly newspapers in the outlying areas.
Just obtain the information. Do not contact the media people or otherwise
give them any encouragement or indication that there is a possibility of
a meeting or appearance with the Vice President.
Arrival of the Vice President
1. The Vice President's representative will be expected to be on hand and to
meet the Vice President and his party on arrival in the city.
2. Immediately upon arrival, someone from the local committee should be
prepared to step forward and take charge to see that the proper intro-
ductions are made and that whatever is planned, including photographs,
proceeds expeditiously.
- 6 -
3. The representative should have a car available to get him to the hotel or
meeting place fast after the Vice President has arrived and the arrival cere-
monies are underway, and after he has passed along any pertinent data or
briefing concerning late local developments,
4. After the immediate events take place upon the arrival of the party, the
Vice President and Mrs. Nixon must be permitted to go directly to their
hotel rooms, if such have been requested. This gives the rest of the
party an opportunity to re-group and become oriented to the local situation.
All day schedules should include maximum use of brief rest intervals in
room for the Vice President and Mrs. Nixon.
5. Local committee people should assign station wagon or small pick-up truck
to handle baggage for the Vice President and his party during the visit.
Prior arrangements should be made to speed removal of party's luggage
from airplane.
6. If possible, a local security officer should accompany baggage during the
movement to and from transportation.
7. You will be specifically advised of places where hotel accommodations for
members of the party will be required.
Airport Arrival Arrangements
1. It is vitally important that the largest possible crowds be encouraged to
greet the Vice President and Mrs. Nixon when they arrive at the
airport.
2. Where his principal appearance is a fund-raising event, it should be much
easier to get a large turnout at the airport,
3. Outlying Republican organizations should be encouraged to hire buses
and bring in groups of people. Homemade welcoming signs should be
abundant.
4. Use of noisemakers, bands, groups of college students, and Young
Republican groups, as well as Boy Scouts, should be encouraged.
Should insist on having at least one band, a good high school band is
preferable, at airport receptions and in no case should it be a military band.
5. Motorcade cars should be lined up on the air strip near the plane whenever
it is possible to make such arrangements with the airport authorities.
Remember that fire and other safety regulations at airports must be considered.
- 7 -
6. Suggest to Young Republicans and other groups the advisability of getting
some of their people and signs away from the airport as soon as possible
after the arrival ceremonies so that they can reach the hotel where the
Vice President will be staying in advance of his arrival and be on hand to
welcome him there.
7. Another way to add to the crowd at the hotel is to suggest use of a sound
truck with music in the area immediately surrounding the hotel about
15 minutes before arrival of the Vice President. This way can get some
people who did not go to the airport to join in the welcoming at the hotel.
Press Conferences
1. Press conferences must NOT be scheduled. The reason for this should be
given to the local committees. It is primarily that all matters of policy
are declared by the President, and, therefore, the Vice President does
not hold press conferences as such. However, he will be available to the
press on his arrival at the airport to answer questions pertaining to the
campaign and kindred subjects.
2. Be sure that there is a suitable room available at the airport at each stop
for the Vice President to meet with the press. Access to this room should
be restricted to the press and a minimum (not more than three if possible)
local committeemen or candidates. There should be stand-up microphones
only.
Transportation
1. In most instances, the Vice President and his party will be traveling by plane.
2.
Motorcade from the airport into the city should be furnished by the local
committee.
Driver for the Vice President's car will be furnished by the
Secret Service.
The local committee should designate ONE person for EACH
automobile for the purpose of getting the right people to the
right automobile promptly,
Each driver should be a young person entirely capable of
handling an automobile in traffic and motorcade formation.
- 8 -
Each driver should be at the wheel of his automobile at least
five minutes before departure time. This applies to both
arrival and departure from the city. This is necessary even
if the drivers have to leave a meeting or rally before it is
concluded in order to arrive at their designated station,
Please emphasize the necessity for the drivers to be
ready to proceed at the appointed time with motor
running and lights on.
The motorcade cars should be lined up at the airport and
ready to go one hour ahead of time. Each car should be
decorated. You will receive car numbers and a sign for
the Vice President's car in advance of appearance.
The Vice President's car will always be the No. 1 car in
the motorcade, and passengers are: the driver and
one of the traveling Secret Service Agents in the front seat;
the Vice President and Mrs. Nixon in the back seat.
Car No. 2: Security. Other traveling Secret Service Agent
and local security people. A plain, unmarked, 4-door, police-
radio car should be used.
Cars No. 3 and 4: Cars for photographers and press,
appropriately decorated and marked with large sign indicating
PRESS.
i ladies
Cars No. 5, 6 and 7: Cars for VIP's. (Cars of candidates
10 mg 2
10
should show their name or names on the side.)
Cars No. 8 and 9: Nixon Staff
Limit of 9 care in motorcade unless prior clearance with
Washington office.
Police escort OK, but no sirens except in the case of an
emergency. No horn-blowing by motorcade drivers.
Speed limits and other traffic regulations must be adhered to
strictly.
- 9 -
Be sure to make a dry-run over the motorcade route, taking
into consideration actual conditions that will occur at the time
of the event. The Vice President's car should not exceed
existing local speed limit.
Meeting
1. The Vice President and Mrs. Nixon are to remain together at all
meetings, unless you have received specific instructions to arrange
a separate schedule for Mrs. Nixon.
2. Sponsorship of the meetings by individual organizations should be avoided
except when you have been given instructions to the contrary.
3. All Republican organizations should be included in the spensorship of
each meeting, particularly Women's Clubs, Young Republicans and
Citizens Groups.
4. A program consisting of band music, community singing, or other lively
entertainment is to be encouraged before the meeting formally opens.
5. The chairman of the meeting should arrange for the band to play
"California Here I Come," or other suitable music when the Vice Presi-
dent first enters the meeting place or comes out on the platform. The
band should also strike up again when the Vice President is introduced
to the audience at the beginning of his speech.
6. The chairman of the meeting should be determined by the local committee.
Wherever possible, the chairman should be an outstanding civic figure.
7. Presentation of the colors by local veteran, boy scout, or other patriotic
organization should be made.
8. Pledge of Allegiance should be led by a veteran whose name should be
given to the Vice President in advance.
9. Invocation should be given by a local clergyman.
10. Talks by local candidates and officials should be held to a bare minimum,
both in number and in length.
11. Introduction should be as brief as possible, and if media is used should be
only a one sentence introduction. Introduction should be made by a key
public official in the area, and many places will want to use the Republican
United States Senator or Governor for this.
- 10 -
12. Mrs. Nixon will be introduced by the Vice President.
13. At the conclusion of the meeting the chairman should request the
audience to remain seated until the Vice President and his party
leave the auditerium.
14. Pictures of the Vice President with local candidates for use by the local
candidates in their campaigns should not be taken at the meeting, but
should be arranged to be taken at the hotel. This must be cleared in
advance if not taken care of at airport arrival.
15. No meetings, such as luncheons, etc. ,should be arranged which will
detract from the attendance at the main meeting, or which would require
the Vice President to make another speech to the same people who would
be in attendance at the larger meeting.
16. Local officers should be available to keep a passageway open for the
Vice President to and from the speaker's stand. Have a rope available,
if needed, to make a passageway.
17. A working press section must be provided near the platform and an exit
door of the meeting place. No one else should sit in this section except
the working press and the publicity man handling the meeting. Typewriters,
paper and carbon should be provided, along with tables and chairs. The
local Western Union office should be alerted to be available to handle news
dispatches for the press. There should be proper lighting for the press to
work.
18. The size of the meeting place should be consistent with reasonable expectation
of the number of people to attend. It is much better to have a small place
overflowing, rather than a large place half empty, even though the number
of people in the larger place is greater.
19. Please test the public address system to make certain that every portion
of the meeting place is covered by the horns being flared properly; the
horns must be in front of the microphone to avoid a feedback into the mike
while the Vice President is speaking; the microphone should be an all-
directional one so as to pick up the Vice President's voice evenly no matter
which way he may be turning his head during the course of his speech.
Whenever possible, request two microphones for the public address system
to be placed approximately 18 inches apart in front of the rostrum.
20. If the program is broadcast, and If the meeting is outdoors, there should
be pick-up microphones placed strategically in the area to pick up the
applause and cheers of the crowd.
- 11 -
21. No one should be seated directly in back of the Vice President. One reason
for this is that quite often they are doing something which the television
camera picks up, and in addition, to avoid any possible distractions from
the Vice President's speech, it is better that the space be left clear in
every case.
22. The lectern should be decorated and should be 40 inches in height. The
top should slant downward toward the speaker. If the meeting is at night,
there should be electric lights on the lectern.
23. A pitcher of ice water and a glass should be available on the shelf of the
lectern. Usually it will have shelves which are not visible to the audience.
24. If you are not satisfied with the lectern, suggest the American Legion hall,
churches, and service club as sources for obtaining a suitable one.
25. If an outdoor meeting is planned, a stand-by meeting location should be
kept in mind in the event of inclement weather.
26. Technique of having young people down front to trigger applause works very
well, and this might be a good suggestion to make to the local people.
27. Encourage local committee to put a little life into a fund-raising dinner
program, and have something prior to the Vice President's address which
will warm up the crowd.
Attendance at Meetings
1. To insure a capacity crowd, all means should be used, such as newspaper
publicity, signs, street decorations, sound trucks, mailing notices, telephone
campaign and personal calls on friends and neighbors and transporting them
to the meeting.
2. The success of the campaign will depend to a great extent on the enthusiasm
and size of the crowds that attend the pre-election meetings. Pleas stress
this with the local committees so that the attendance is not taken for granted
nor left to chance.
Extra Meetings During Visit
1. The Vice President may want to drop in at organization meetings that
are going on in the hotel where he is staying or in the city he is visiting.
NO arrangements for this should be made in advance, but a list of such
meetings should be submitted to the Washington office as far in advance of
the Vice President's visit to the city as possible, as mentioned previously
in this memo.
- 12 -
2. Private dinners, cocktail parties, or after-meeting social events cannot
be accepted during the course of the campaign. Please be sure that the
local committee is aware of this requirement.
3. If at all possible, please allow two full hours free time before each evening
meeting.
4. Nothing should be scheduled for the Vice President following an evening
meeting unless you receive ins tructions to the contrary.
Individual Appointments
1.
Time will not permit individual appointments with people who will want to
see the Vice President.
2. Local committees should be advised that the press secretary or aide
traveling with the Vice President will be available to receive suggestions
and messages for him and that they will be delivered to him without fail.
Television Arrangements
1.
Fund-raising events are not to be televised, since the donor is entitled to
a for-those-in-the-room-only appearance of the Vice President. Also,
televising such a meeting may cut down on the attendance and contributions.
2. The Vice President's representative should, however, obtain maximum TV
coverage of the airport arrival and meeting with the press at the airport, if
any, and explore the possibility of other television appearances on local
programs (explore only. always avoid any commitment). In some ins tances,
if the local committee has the money and is anxious for the Vice President to
go on television in the area, can suggest a question and answer or other
interview type program which may be appropriate.
3. If television is used, following rules apply:
When introducing the Vice President to the television audience,
there should be only a one-sentence introduction. Long introductions
are absolutely taboo.
The political disclaimer should be made from the studio, if possible.
There should be no cued applause. It is expected that the Vice President
will always make his first appearance on the television program. When
he is introduced on TV for the first time at the meeting, he will draw
substantial and enthusiastic applause. In other words, the Vice Presi-
dent does not make two entrances: he does not make his first appearance
prior to his speech, sit down, get introduced, and then get a second
- 13 -
applause. He should get only one applause - when he makes his ONLY
entrance.
If possible, on TV appearances, have at least two cameras - one to
pick up crowd reaction and the other to concentrate on the speaker in
a close bust shot.
The pre-broadcast ceremony should be stopped approximately two
minutes prior to the start of the TV program.
no volt AC line is needed in each television set-up to terminate
within 50 feet of the speakers' stand. This line is the power feed
for cueing equipment.
Lighting is critical. Adequate lighting equipment and power
should be available at the pick-up point.
When discussing television coverage with local committees, always
discuss television time purchase and paid tune-in adds in newspapers as
a B ingle unit. The TV time purchase should never be separated in the
minds of the local committee from the paid tune-in ad purchase; they
should be one and the same thing and always said in the same breath.
Conclusion
1. Be tactful, diplomatic, firm and persuasive with local committees.
2. Keep in constant communication with the Washington office. Please
advise of your whereabouts at all times and report immediately any
changes in arrangements.
3. Any major changes in the planned schedule or itinerary should first be
cleared with the office in Washington.
4. A time schedule must be made and strictly adhered to. The Vice President
and his party must not be early or late. For example, the cars in a meter-
cade must not pass any given point earlier than planned,
5. Remember that attention to details makes the difference between the success
or the failure of a meeting. No detail is so small nor so insignificant that
it should escape your complete attention.
- 14 -
6. If in doubt on anything, do not hesitate to call headquarters. You have
been asked to take on this important assignment for the Vice President
because of your proven capabilities, and he has complete confidence in
you.
7. Don't forget that at all times during the campaign you are a personal
representative of the Vice President, and that he will be judged by
your conduct.
GOOD LUCKI