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Michael Deaver's Inaugural Materials
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Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Digital Library Collections
This is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections.
Collection: Deaver, Michael: Files
Folder Title: Inaugural (1)
Box: 69
To see more digitized collections
visit: https://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library
To see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library inventories visit:
https://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection
Contact a reference archivist at: [email protected]
Citation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing
National Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/
WITHDRAWAL SHEET
Ronald Reagan Library
Collection Name DEAVER, MICHAEL: FILES
Withdrawer
KDB
8/30/2011
File Folder
INAUGURAL (1)
FOIA
F97-0066/19
Box Number
72
COHEN, D
196
DOC Doc Type
Document Description
No of Doc Date Restrictions
NO
Pages
1
CASE FILE
RE ISSUE INVOLVING INAUGURAL
16
3/24/1981 C
COMMITTEE
Freedom of Information Act - [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
B-1 National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
B-2 Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
B-3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIA]
B-4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
B-6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA]
B-7 Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
B-8 Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
B-9 Release would disclose geological or geophysical information concerning wells [(b)(9) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed of gift.
Our Sunday Inaugurations
STEPHEN W. STATHIS*
Analyst in American History
Congressional Research Service
Library of Congress
January 20, 1985, marks only the sixth time in American history that inau-
guration day has fallen on a Sunday. And it isn't just any other Sunday either. The
National Football League has scheduled Super Bowl XIX in Miami the same day-
creating what one newspaper at first glance saw as a "terrible" scheduling conflict.
The newspaper observed tongue and cheek that, at the risk of trivializing the Consti-
tution, Congress could avoid such a dilemma by approving a new constitutional amend-
ment stipulating that inaugurations would take place on January 20 except those years
when they conflict with the Super Bowl.¹
Thanks to tradition, Congress need never resort to such a drastic action. With
five historic precedents as the guide, it was a foregone conclusion, months in advance,
to those closely involved with plans for the 1985 inauguration that a private swearing
in ceremony would take place on Sunday, January 20.2 The public spectacle awaited
by much of the Nation would unfold the following day at noon when both the Presi-
dent and Vice President would repeat the ceremony before a throng of thousands on
the steps of the Capitol.
The grand ceremony taking place on January 21, due in large part to the event's
pageantry and to the delivery by the President of his inaugural address to the Nation,
is a major "media event." Still, while it is simple and private, the official swearing-in
ceremony on Sunday is constitutionally far more important. It provides the President
with the authority to exercise his duties as Chief Executive a day before the public
ceremony, thus ensuring that the country is never without a President.
Constitutional Uncertainty
The Constitution, of course, makes no provision for a President to begin
his term by taking the oath of office on more than one occasion. The practice of
repeating the ceremony instead has evolved because: (1) Sunday has been considered
a "legal holiday" since the colonial era when emmigrants from England brought this
common law tradition to America;3 and (2) an obvious need for the country to avoid
an interregnum between the end of one presidential term and the beginning of the next.
In drafting the Constitution, the Framers specified that the President "shall hold
his Office during the Term of four Years."4 No mention was made as to when the
Presidential term was to commence. It was not until September 13, 1788, that the
*
The author is grateful for the generous advice and assistance of his colleague Dr. Harold C. Relyea.
12
OUR SUNDAY INAUGURATIONS
13
Continental Congress designated the first Wednesday in March, 1789, as the date
when the government under the new Constitution was to begin.⁵ As it happened,
the first Wednesday of March, 1789, fell on the fourth day of the month.
With the enactment of the Succession Act of 1792, March 4 was officially desig-
nated as the date upon which the President would assume the office.6 This law did
not, however, specify the time of day at which the ceremony would take place. The
Twelfth Amendment, ratified in June, 1804, reiterated the March 4 inaugural date,
but once again no reference was made regarding the exact hour at which terms should
begin and end.⁷
This ambiguity was to continue well into this century. Not until the ratification
of the Twentieth Amendment on February 3, 1933, could it be said definitely and
authoritatively at what hour, under the Constitution, a President ceased to be Chief
Executive. Not only did this amendment change Inauguration Day from March 4
to January 20, it also specified that the terms of President and Vice President would
begin at noon on January 20. Prior to 1849, it was assumed that a President's term
ended at midnight on March 3; in later years, at noon of March 4.
Fortunately, no President ever differed with Congress on this point. Had a differ-
ence of opinion arisen "between a Congress of one party and a President of another-
if any President had insisted on taking the oath at five minutes after midnight of March
3, and if Congress had insisted on passing bills up to noon of March 4 - an unfor-
tunate conflict might have resulted."⁸ Instead a workable and practical precedent emerged
amidst the anxiety and controversy that has occurred when inauguration day has fallen
on a Sunday.
Monroe Precedent
Although the Supreme Court was never called upon to render an official
decision that would have settled the question, Chief Justice John Marshall did offer
a significant opinion on the question early in the Nation's history. When inaugura-
tion fell on a Sunday for the first time in 1821, President James Monroe sought the
counsel of John Quincy Adams, his Secretary of State. Adams, like Monroe, was also
uncertain as to the propriety of the President beginning his second term on the Chris-
tian Sabbath - a day on which court could not be held and legal business could not
be transacted. Seeking an official opinion, Adams sought the advise of Chief Justice
Marshall.
Marshall, after conversing with his Supreme Court colleagues, determined that
since the "[C]onstitution only provides that the President shall take the oath it prescribes
'before he enters on the execution of his office,' and as the law is silent on the subject,
the time seems to be in some measure at the discretion of that high officer." As a
consequence he perceived "an obvious propriety in taking the oath as soon as it can
be conveniently taken, and thereby shortening the interval in which the executive power
is suspended. But some interval is inevitable. The term of the actual President will
expire, and that of the President elect commence, at twelve in the night of the 3d
of March."9
Presidents, the Chief Justice explained, had usually taken the "oath at mid day
on the 4th. Thus there has been uniformly & voluntarily an interval of twelve hours
14
PRESIDENTIAL STUDIES QUARTERLY
during which the Executive power could not be exercised." He felt that on occasion
this interval might be "unavoidably prolonged even longer." Circumstances might arise
that would "prevent the declaration of the person who is chosen until it shall be too
late to communicate the intelligence of his election until the 4th of March." This,
Marshall wrote, had "occurred at the first election."
"Undoubtedly, on any pressing emergency the President might take the oath
in the first hour of the 4th of March," Marshall concluded, but it has never been thought
necessary so to do, & he has always named such hour as he deemed most convenient."
For these reasons he was in "favor of postponing the oath till Monday unless some
official duty should require it being taken on Sunday."10
When the Joint Congressional Committee called upon Monroe on February 26
to officially inform him of his election, the President, acting on Marshall's advice,
told them of his intention to take the oath of office on Monday, March 5. The only
question that remained "undetermined," Adams wrote in his Diary that evening, was
whether or not the President should deliver an inaugural address. 11
For the Secretary of State, Sunday, March 4, was "a sort of interregnum, during
which there was no person qualified to act as President, an event of no importance
now." He readily conceded that such an interregnum in the future, however, "might
be far otherwise under supposable circumstances."12
An immense crowd filled the Capitol the following day for the inaugural ceremo-
nies in the House of Representatives. 13 Vice President Daniel D. Tompkins, who, be-
cause of ill health, was not in Washington at the time and knew nothing of President
Monroe's concern, was sworn into office privately at his residence near New York
City on Saturday, March 3. After he learned of the President's intentions, Tompkins
took the oath again the following Monday.14
A Day Without a President
Twenty-eight years later, when inauguration day again fell on a Sunday,
President-elect Zachary Taylor, along with Vice President-elect Millard Fillmore, chose
to follow Monroe's precedent. Both waited until noon on Monday, March 5, 1849,
to take their respective oaths. When Taylor announced his intention to take the oath
on Monday it was reported in the Senate and the House without comment. 15 That
decision proved to be an uneventful one.
Uncertainty over exactly when outgoing President James K. Polk's term expired
and the Thirtieth Congress actually terminated would, within days, prompt a vig-
orous debate at the Capitol. On the evening of March 3, Congress remained in session
throughout the night. When the proceedings continued past midnight, several Se-
nators considered it appropriate to express their belief that, although the Senate func-
tionally remained in session, its authority and that of the outgoing President had in
fact ended at the stroke of twelve.
Senator Hopkins L. Turney of Tennessee even went so far as to suggest that "at
the very moment that the third day of March terminated," the nation was "without
a Chief Magistrate; and all the power pertaining to that office fell upon the presiding
officer" of the Senate. 16 Finally, shortly before seven o'clock the following morning,
Congress adjourned. 17
OUR SUNDAY INAUGURATIONS
15
It was a long night for the retiring President, James K. Polk, as well. Reflecting
on his final hours in office, Polk tells us that at about sunset on Saturday March 3,
1849, he and his Cabinet left for the "Capitol, as [was] usual on the last night of
the Session of Congress so that" he would "be convenient to Congress to receive such
Bills as might be passed and presented to him for his signature."1 He carried with
him that evening two veto messages which he anticipated using if Congress appropri-
ated any monies for internal improvements or any legislation containing the Wilmont
Proviso excluding slavery in the territory recently acquired from Mexico. 19
Polk's anxiety was further heightened by the fact that he was "under the impres-
sion that, without critical examination of the subject, [his] official term as President
of the U.S. would expire at midnight." When the debates in the House and Senate
continued past midnight Polk became increasingly uneasy. After pondering the ques-
tion of when his term expired, he was finally persuaded by several members of his
Cabinet, as well as Congressmen, to remain at the Capitol. They emphasized that
the Constitution provided that the "President shall hold his office for the term of
four years, and as [he] had not taken the oath of office until between the hours of
12 and 1 O'Clock on the 4th of March 1845, [his] term of office would not expire
until the same hour on the 4th of March, 1849."20
Despite the arguments of other members of his Cabinet and Congress, who were
insistent that he should have retired at midnight, Polk continued to sign bills in the
Vice President's Room "until between 3 & 4 O'Clock," when he finally left for his
quarters at Willard's Hotel. At 6 a.m., in his parlour at the Willard, he signed the
two bills Congress had approved since he had returned from the Hill. Neither of them
contained the provisions which he opposed. For Polk, who was "exceedingly relieved"
to be "free from all public cares," this marked the close of his "official term as President."2:
The problem was that his successor had not yet taken the oath of office. Given
the confusion of the hour, it is not surprising that Zachary Taylor's decision to delay
his inaugural a day would eventually give rise to an apocryphal story that David R.
Atchison, President pro tempore of the Senate, had served as President of the United
States during Sunday, March 4, 1849. Under the provisions of the Presidential Succes-
sion Act of 1792, "in case of removal, death, resignation, or inability of both the
President and Vice President of the United States, the President of the Senate" stood
next in line of succession. Since Atchison was President pro tempore of the Senate on
the morning of March 4, and Taylor did not take the oath of office until the afternoon
of March 5, the myth of "President" Atchinson was born.
"Few words," as George H. Haynes has shown, "are needed to dispose of any
claim for a place for Atchison in the line of presidents. Atchison's term as Senator
had expired with the ending of the thirtieth Congress, early on the morning of Sunday
March 4." When the Fourteenth Congress convened the following day, the first mo-
tion approved by the Senate called for the "oath of office [to] be administered by the
honorable Thomas H. Benton to the honorable David R. Atchison, Senator elect from
the State of Missouri; and that he be, and hereby is, chosen President of the Senate
pro tempore."22
This means, Haynes argues, that from about seven on Sunday, March 4, when
the Thirteenth Congress adjourned, until the initial vote of the subsequent Congress
16
PRESIDENTIAL STUDIES QUARTERLY
was registered on Monday, "neither Atchison nor anyone else was president pro tem-
pore of the Senate. That office was vacant.' If that is true, who then, was President?
"It is clear," Haynes found, "that neither Polk himself nor the Senate Committee
on [Inaugural] Arrangements, nor the compiler of the Congressional Globe, nor the
writers of daily papers
regarded Polk as President after 1 p.m., March 4, at the
latest." Each "one of them took great pains to refer to Zachary Taylor as 'the President-
Elect' until he had actually taken the oath." The Senate Journal of March 5, however,
"used more discriminating language. It referred to Taylor as 'the President of the United
States' three different times prior to his inauguration.24
According to Charles Warren, late historian of the Supreme Court, the Consti-
tution, required that the prescribed oath or affirmation be taken by Taylor before he
could 'enter upon the execution of his office,' not 'before he shall become President.'
Relying on the theory that he did not become President until he took the oath of
office on March 5, Warren contends, Taylor would, "under the peremptory provisions
of the Constitution -'He shall hold his office during the term of four years'-
have been entitled to hold office until March 5, 1853. Such a possible result is, of
course, quite out of the question."2
Reflecting on Taylor's decision to postpone his inauguration, Senator Lewis Cass
of Michigan told his Senate colleagues in 1851 that Taylor's term had actually com-
menced on Sunday March 4, 1849, even though he was not sworn in until Monday.
Taylor, Cass stressed, "had just as much right to be sworn in at one o'clock in the
morning of Monday, as he had at ten, eleven, or twelve o'clock. If this had occurred,
"then this strange anomaly would result, that we should have two Presidents from
the time the new one is sworn in until twelve- two lawful Presidents of the United
States."26
Two Presidents for a Day
Although Cass' scenario never materialized in 1849, it did become a reality
some three decades later. Following the presidential election of November 7, 1876,
which pitted Republican Rutherford B. Hayes against Democrat Samuel J. Tilden,
the latter emerged with a popular majority of more than a quarter of a million votes,
but one electoral vote short of 185 needed to win the White House. Late in January
1877, when the electoral votes of several States still remained in dispute, Congress
established a special Electoral Commission to resolve the issue. Not until March 2
was the Commission's report accepted by Congress and Hayes elected President by
a single electoral vote (185-184).27
Almost immediately there were accusations that Tilden had been cheated out
of the presidency and rumor had it that Hayes would never be permitted to take the
oath. There was even "wild talk of an army of Democrats a thousand strong marching
to Washington to do battle if necessary to prevent the infamy of a man not the choice
of the people being made President by fraud," chronicled Harper's Weekly.28
Anxiety was further intensified by the fact that inauguration day in 1877 fell
on a Sunday. Several newspapers expressed the opinion that it would be necessary for
Hayes to take the oath of office privately on March 4, to make sure the nation did
not pass even one day without a President. Others "seriously argued that in event
OUR SUNDAY INAUGURATIONS
17
of an attempted coup or other commotion the Republic might fall, if there were no
'Constitutional President' sworn in as of March 4."29
Hayes did not entirely share these concerns and had faith that the country as
a whole would accept the verdict of the Electoral Commission. 30 Nevertheless, soon
after he arrived in Washington on Friday, March 2, he felt it advisable to discuss
the question with President pro tempore of the Senate Thomas W. Ferry. In view of
the circumstances, Senator Ferry suggested that it would be well for Hayes to take
the oath prior to the expiration of President Grant's administration. Taking all prece-
dents into consideration it was also decided that the "administration of the oath on
Sunday would not invalidate it," and that the inaugural ceremonies might follow the
next day.
With these points agreed upon, the administration of the oath by the Chief Jus-
tice was tentatively planned for noon Sunday, in the Senate Chamber. 31 But then,
during the next few hours, President Grant and Secretary of State Hamilton Fish,
who both feared the consequences of even a brief technical interregnum persuaded
Hayes to take the oath privately at the White House. On Saturday evening, while
attending a state dinner in his honor, the President-elect was secretly taken to the
Red Room where, in the presence of Grant, Fish, and Senator John Sherman, Chief
Justice Morrison B. Waite administered the presidential oath to Hayes at seven o'clock. 32
From that hour until noon on Monday, the United States, for the first time and only
time in its history, had two Presidents.³
As Washington journalists scurried about the following morning to verify rumors
of the secret oath taken at the White House, the enemies of the new President were
equally busy circulating an aprocryphal story that Tilden has also taken the presiden-
tial oath Saturday night, in New York.34 A few hours later, at noon, Hayes repeated
the oath on the East Front of the Capitol, before an estimated crowd of some thirty
thousand, without serious incident.³⁵
Woodrow Wilson's Second Inauguration
Amidst the headlines accompanying the publication of the Zimmermann
telegram, Woodrow Wilson's Sunday inauguration of March 4, 1917, was but a momen-
tary interlude in the otherwise grave business at hand. Three days earlier, a shocked
and indignant American people had first learned of the German Government's pro-
posal, in the event of war between the countries, to seek an offensive alliance with
Mexico and Japan; with Mexico to have Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona as its reward. 36
The Zimmermann disclosure was still fresh in everyone's mind when Wilson ar-
rived at the Capitol on the morning of March 4, around 10:45. He spent the next
hour and a quarter in the President's Room signing bills and working on other ad-
ministrative matters. 37 Meanwhile, only a few feet away in the Senate Chamber, "a
little band" of filibusters led by Senator Robert LaFollette were busily working to
defeat the Administration's demand for congressional support for arming American
merchant vessels for protection against possible U-boat attacks following the rupture
of diplomatic relations with Germany.38
During those final hours of the Sixty-fourth Congress, the scene in the Senate
Chamber was, reporters said, one of the most dramatic in the history of the institu-
18
PRESIDENTIAL STUDIES QUARTERLY
tion. "Most Senators had sat through the night and were dishevelled and unshaven.
The floor was littered with paper, half chewed cigar stumps, bits of sandwiches, and
other debris. Senators were angry, petulant, and ill-mannered."39
At noon, Congress adjourned, without the Senate ever having voted on the Ad-
ministration's bill. Wilson had watched and waited with mounting frustration and
irritation as the fillibuster unfolded. 40 At four minutes past noon, Chief Justice Ed-
ward D. White administered the oath of office to Wilson. Witnessing the ceremony
were Mrs. Wilson (the only woman to attend the ceremony), 41 the President's Cabinet,
the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and a few invited guests. The
doors to the room were heavily guarded by the Secret Service, but were left so many
of those in the adjoining corridor could see as well.
Afterwards, Wilson briefly accepted congratulations, and then returned to what
remained of his work. Although he "had not said anything, everyone seemed perfectly
aware that he did not wish any formalities or congratulations and wanted the whole
thing to be business-like and as informal as possible."4 Wilson's decision to take the
oath on Sunday apparently was made soon after he had severed diplomatic relations
with Germany in early February.43 He took this "precaution even though he [had]
been assured by the State Department that it would be entirely proper and regular
for him to wait until the public ceremonies" were held on Monday.44
The "simple ceremony" at the Capitol on March 4 was also more to his and
his wife's liking than the formal ceremony which would follow. 45 As the Wilsons
left the Capitol that Sunday afternoon, the Secret Service cleared a way through the
large crowd which had gathered to see the First Family applauded.46 Meanwhile, a
tired Vice President Thomas Marshall spent the entire day quietly with his wife and
a few friends from Indianapolis in his apartment at the Willard Hotel. He "had no
appointments for the day and received no calls."47
Monday, March 5, was clear and cold. It was also the day, according to the New
Times, that the "President Rode in a Lane of Steel." Not since Lincoln's first inaugura-
tion, fifty-six years earlier, had so many precautions been taken to guard the life of
the President. Pennsylvania Avenue was lined with bronzed troops fresh from duty
on the Mexican border. Plain-clothes men were stationed on the rooftops overlooking
the avenue and the Capitol. There were Secret Service men, detectives, and policemen
everywhere.48 The public ceremony on the Capitol steps that day was but a momen-
tary interlude in the grave business facing the nation.
A Private Ceremony at the White House
Unlike the three previous instances when the President and Vice President
took their oaths on different days, both Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard M. Nixon
were both officially administered their oaths for a second term on Sunday, January
20, 1957. Their three-minute ceremony, which began at 10:26 a.m. in the East Room
of the White House, was witnessed by an audience of some eighty "relatives, close
friends, high-ranking White House officials, maids, ushers, and cooks."49 The media
was barred from the ceremony. A lone Navy photographer recorded the historic scene.⁵⁰
Although the Eisenhower Administration faced neither the domestic nor inter-
OUR SUNDAY INAUGURATIONS
19
national crises that confronted Presidents Hayes and Wilson when their respective
inaugurations fell on a Sunday, the private ceremony of 1957 did have a controversy
of sorts. Both Eisenhower and Nixon "considered it necessary to take their oaths"
on Sunday "lest some major action be necessary in advance of the ceremony for the
public which would take place at noon the following day."51 The problem was, who
should be invited to the intimate oath taking at the White House?
Initially, White House Press Secretary James Hagerty announced that newsmen
would be admitted to the private ceremony and there would be no objection to televi-
sion and radio broadcasts. 52 Then, on January 9, the White House reversed itself and
"ruled" that Eisenhower and Nixon would take their oaths in a private White House
ceremony with only their families present. This decision, Hagerty explained, had be-
come necessary because an overwhelming number of requests to attend had been re-
ceived from the media.⁵³ Subsequent appeals were to have no effect on the President's
decision.54
The press, as might be expected, took a rather dim view of Eisenhower's refusal
to let newsmen and cameramen witness the official ceremony at the White House.
Washington's Evening Star characterized the decision as "unwise and unjustified." The
American people, the Star reasoned, had "a complete and legitimate interest in the
ceremony, and that for historical and other reasons it should be made available to them."
It was disappointing "that an erroneous decision [had] remained unchanged, for it
is not in keeping with the personal characteristics of the President who had won him-
self so high a place in the affectionate regard of his countrymen."55
Washington's Post saw the Eisenhower's gesture as "an affront to the electorate
for which the public 'retake' of the swearing in on Monday [would] not altogether
compensate." This is the "first time in recent history," the Post reminded its readers,
that a President of the United States has taken the oath in complete privacy. Even
in times of great stress and emergency, as when President Truman took the oath shortly
after President Roosevelt died, the press has been on hand."56
A second Post editorial, published immediately following the inauguration, fur-
ther chided Eisenhower for setting "a poor precedent which [they] hoped none of
his successors would follow." The Post believed that the "doors might never be closed
upon the acceptance of the highest honor and weightiest responsibility the people
of this nation have in their power to bestow."57
Although the Christian Science Monitor readily acknowledged that the "glare of
the lights" upon a President "is merciless," his inauguration was "public business."
If only "one representative of the media [had] been called upon to represent the public
in reporting of the public business, one lens to record the scene in the hands of a
press or TV photographer," it "would have been sufficient to give the public a chance
to observe and record this public business." What troubled the Monitor most was that
in recent years there had been a growing trend toward secrecy in government. "This
is why the newspaper and radio and TV people took seriously the privacy of the ceremo-
nies in the White House" as yet another symbol of that trend.58
Looking at the President's dilemma considerably more sympathetically, an anony-
mous Monitor writer suggested there were several sound reasons for Eisenhower's deci-
20
PRESIDENTIAL STUDIES QUARTERLY
sion. If the "trappings" of the media would have been included, "the quiet little ceremony
would have become a big noisy event with the nation watching on TV. The popularity
of the Monday ceremonies, parade and all would have been seriously undercut."
Amid this uproar there was also considerable confusion among the media as to
exactly what would happen if Eisenhower waited until Monday to be sworn into of-
fice. For some, Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn would become President for a
day, others were not even sure their would be a Chief Executive between March 4,
when Eisenhower's first term expired, and March 5, when he was to take the oath
on the East Front of the Capitol.60
Then there was The New York Times which saw all the concern as being entirely
unwarranted. "Of the four preceeding Presidents whose term began on a Sunday, Ruther-
ford B. Hayes and Woodrow Wilson were the only ones who took the precaution
to be sworn in on that day. James Monroe and Zachary Taylor didn't bother, and no-
body worried too much about it."⁶¹
Since Eisenhower never bothered to record his thoughts on his Sunday inaugura-
tion and its accompanying intrigue, all we are left with is the public record. What
we do know is that at twenty-three minutes past noon on Monday, January 21, Eisen-
hower once again swore to "faithfully execute the office of President" and to "pre-
serve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."62
Conclusion
Ironically, the Constitution of the United States says nothing whatsoever
about the manner in which the President shall take office, yet the lavish celebration
accompanying the ceremony has become, in the minds of many as significant as the
oath itself. Still, with all its pomp and politics, the formal inauguration on Capitol
Hill plays a legitimate role in the American democratic process and offers the best
affirmation available of Lincoln's view that "when an election is past, it is altogether
fitting a free people, that until the next election, they should be one people."6³
An American presidential inauguration provides an opportunity for at least a
small portion of the electorate to glimpse in the flesh the men they have chosen to
make fateful decisions for their Nation. It has proven to be "a healthy middle ground
between a coronation and a coup d'etat."64 In order to preserve this tradition, when
inauguration day has fallen on a Sunday, the public investiture has merely been post-
poned until the next day.
Obviously this latter practice, as John Quincy Adams wisely noted in 1821, could
at some future point result in a dangerous interregnum, during which no one would
be qualified to act as President. The wisdom of Rutherford B. Hayes's action in not
allowing such a precedent to occur in 1877 was amply justified by the subsequent
actions of Woodrow Wilson in 1917 and Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957. By also
allowing the public ceremony to go forth as scheduled, they were equally judicious.
To their credit, Hayes, Wilson, and Eisenhower recognized the propriety of as-
suming the duties and obligations of the Presidency without allowing an interregnum
to occur. Through their actions they also acknowledged the inner strength our nation
has gleaned from the peaceful, orderly, transfer of power at our quadrennial inaugural
ceremonies on the Capitol steps.
OUR SUNDAY INAUGURATIONS
21
Notes
1. "
But Next Time," Boston Globe, January 24, 1981, P. 8.
2. "President's Oath Will Be Taken Twice Next Year," Washington Post, September 26, 1984, p.
A15; and "The Super Rumor," New York Times, September 18, 1984, p. A24.
3. American Jurisprudence (Rochester, 1974), V. 73, p. 784. See also "Sunday Laws," American Law
Review 2 (Jan. 1868): 226-239; William Lee O'Malley, "Validity of Contracts Executed on Sunday,"
Notre Dame Lawyer 5 (April/May 1930): 385; Angelo T. Freedley, "The Legal Effect of Sunday,"
American Legal Register 19 (March 1880); 137-145, (April 1880): 209-215; J. G. Woerner, "Sunday
and Sunday Laws," American Law Review 18 (Sept./Oct. 1884): 778-800; and James Hastings,
ed., Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics 13 vols. (New York, 1908-1926), V. 12, PP. 103-111.
4. Article II, Section 1, Clause 1.
5. Journals of the Continental Congress 1774-1789, V. 34, Sept. 13, 1788. P. 523.
6. 1 Stat. 241.
7. 2 Stat. 306; and U.S., Congress., Senate., The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis
and Interpretations, Senate Document 92-82, 92d Cong. (Washington, 1972), p. 29.
8. Charles Warren, "Political Practice and the Constitution," University of Pennsylvania Law Review
89 (June 1941): 1005.
9. John Marshall to John Quincy Adams, February 20, 1821, General Records of the Department
of State, Miscellaneous Letters of the Department of State, 1789-1906 (M179, Roll 50), Record
Group 59, National Archives. Marshall's letter is also quoted in Warren, "Political Practice and
the Constitution," pp. 10007-10008.
10. Ibid.
11. Charles Francis Adams, ed., Memoirs of John Quincy Adams 12 vols. (Philadelphia, 1874-77), V.
5, p. 302. Monroe's intention of taking the oath on Monday was officially reported to Congress
on Feb. 27, 1821. Journal of the House, 16th Cong., 2d Sess., Feb. 27, 1821, p. 279; and Journal
of the Senate, 16th Cong., 2d Sess., Feb. 27, 1821, p. 231.
12. Adams, Memoirs of John Quincy Adams, v. 5, p. 317.
13. "Inauguration of the President." Annals of Congress, 16th Cong., 2d Sess., March 5, 1821, p.
1305. See also W. P. Cresson, James Monroe (Chapel Hill, 1946), P. 354; and Harry Ammon,
James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity (New York, 1971), pp. 471-472.
14. "Daniel D. Tompkins," Washington Daily National Intelligencer, March 10, 1821, p. 3; "Mr.
Tompkins," Niles Weekly Register 20 (March 17, 1821: 36; and "The Next Election," New York
American, March 6, 1821, p. 2. See also Adams, Memoirs of John Quincy Adams, V. 5, P. 326;
and Ray W. Irwin, Daniel Tompkins: Governor of New York and Vice President of the United States
(New York, 1968), P. 264.
15. Journal of the Senate, 30th Cong., 2d Sess., February 27, 1849. P. 267; and Journal of the House,
30th Cong., 2d Sess., February 28, 1849. P. 549.
16. Hopkins L. Truney, "Civil and Diplomatic Appropriations." Congressional Globe, 30th Cong.,
2d Sess., May 3, 1849, V. 18, p. 689.
17. The question of when a President's term and a Congress end was not to be answered at this
time, but a precedent was established by the fact that Congress had remained in session beyond
midnight. During that time it had approved legislation and the outgoing President had signed
it. The question of legality of such action, however, is attested by the fact that until 1907 bills
passed and signed after midnight on March 3 were always designated in the Statutes at Large as
"Act of March 3," and all nominations agreed to under these circumstances were designated as
being confirmed on March 3.
18. Milo Milton Quaife, The Diary of James K. Polk 4 vols. (Chicago, 1910), V. 4, p. 363.
19. Ibid., PP. 363-366.
20. Ibid., p. 367.
21. Ibid., PP. 367-369, 372-373.
22. George H. Haynes, "President of the United States for a Single Day," American Historical Review
30 (January 1925): 308. Brainerd Dyer believes that "if anyone was President from Sunday noon
22
PRESIDENTIAL STUDIES QUARTERLY
to Monday noon, it was Taylor. He could not 'enter upon the execution of his office' until he
had taken the required oath, but if an emergency had required action, he could quickly have taken
the oath and performed the necessary acts." Dyer, Zachary Taylor (Baton Rouge, 1946), p. 307.
Holman Hamilton feels the "Issue is academic" since no business was transacted. He contends
that "experts are of the opinion that Taylor was Chief Executive during the period-in fact, if
not in accordance with ceremony." Hamilton, Zachary Taylor: Soldier in the White House (Hamden,
Conn., 1966), p. 153.
23. Haynes, "President's of the United States for a Single Day," P. 308.
24. Ibid., p. 310.
25. Quotes are taken from Ibid.
26. Lewis Cass, "River and Harbor Improvements," Congressional Globe 20 (March 10, 1851), p.
413 Appendix.
27. 24 Stat. 227-229; and U.S. Electoral Commission, 1877, Proceedings of the Electoral Commission
and of the Two Houses of Congress in Joint Meeting Relative to the Counting of the Electoral Votes
Cast December 6, 1876 (Washington, 1877, PP. 726-728. See also "The Agony Over! Hayes Elected
President," Washington National Republican, March 2, 1877, p. 1; "Decided," New York Herald,
March 2, 1877, p. 3; "The Fraud Consummated," New York Sun, March 2, 1877, P. 1; "Hayes
and Wheeler," Washington Evening Star, March 2, 1877, p. 1; "Hayes President," New York Times,
March 2, 1877, p. 1.
28. "Inaugurations at Washington," Harper's Weekly 57 (March 8, 1913): 14. See also "For and Against
Hayes," New York Herald, March 5, 1877, p. 3; "Mr. Hayes Not President," New York Sun,
March 5, 1877, P. 1; "A Title With a Blur," New York Sun, March 5, 1877, p. 2; "Mr. Hayes's
Inauguration," New York Sun, March 6, 1877, p. 1; "The People's Resentment," New York
Sun, March 6, 1877, p. 3; and Bill Severn, Samuel J. Tilden and the Stolen Election (New York,
1968), p. 201.
29. Harry Barnard, Rutherford B. Hayes and His America (Indianapolis, 1954), PP. 401-402.
30. Ibid., pp. 402-404.
31. "The New Administration," New York Times, March 4, 1877, P. 1; "No Interregnum," Washington
National Republican, March 4, 1877, p. 2; "Our New President," Washington National Repub-
lican, March 4, 1877, P. 1; "The President-Elect," New York Herald, March 3, 1877, P. 5; and
"The Time of the Inauguration," Washington Evening Star, March 3, 1877, p. 1.
32. "The Oath of Office- Why It was Taken on Saturday Night," New York Herald, March 5, 1877,
p. 5; "President Sworn in on Saturday," Washington Evening Star, March 5, 1877, p. 1; and
"The Presidential Oath," Washington National Republican, March 5, 1877, p. 1. See also Charles
Richards Williams, Diary and Letters of Rutherford B. Hayes 5 vols. (Columbus, Ohio: 1924), V.
3, p. 426; Kenneth B. Davison, The Presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes (Westport, Connecticut:
1972), P. 46. Hayes's signed Presidential oath is found in Oaths of Office of Miscellaneous Federal
Employees, General Records of the Department of State, Inventory 157, Entry 392, Tray 10.
Record Group 59, National Archives.
33. It was H. J. Eckenrode who first suggested that from seven until midnight on March 3, 1877,
the "United States had two Presidents." Eckenrode, Rutherford B. Hayes: Statesman of Reunion
(Port Washington, New York: 1930), P. 237.
34. "Editorial," Washington Evening Star, March 5, 1877, p. 2; Movements of President Hayes: How
He Passed the Sabbath- The Oath of Office Taken on Saturday," New York Times, March 5,
1877, p. 1; and "A Remarkable Rumor About Mr. Tilden's Inauguration," New York Herald,
March 5, 1877, p. 5. See also Charles R. Williams, The Life of Rutherford B. Hayes: Nineteenth
President of the United States 2 vols. (Boston, 1914), v. 2, p. 5.
35. "The Inauguration," New York Herald, March 6, 1877, p. 3; "Inauguration Day," Washington
Evening Star, March 5, 1877, p. 1; "The New Administration," New York Times, March 6, 1877,
p. 1; and "Nineteenth President," Washington National Republican, March 6, 1877, P. 1.
36. Arthur S. Link, The Papers of Woodrow Wilson 42 vols. (Princeton, 1966-1983), v. 42, p. 318.
37. "President Takes the Oath: Sworn by Chief Justice White at the Capitol Without Ceremony,"
OUR SUNDAY INAUGURATIONS
23
New York Times, March 5, 1917, pp. 1, 2; "President Sworn at Noon Sunday," Washington
Evening Star, March 5, 1917, p. 5; "Wilson Sworn In: Stage Set For Ceremonies," New York
World, March 5, 1917, p. 7; and "Wilson Takes Oath: Sworn in Again Today," Washington
Post, March 5, 1917, P. 1.
38. "Armed Neutrality Talked To Death," Washington Evening Star, March 6, 1917, p. 9; "Fili-
buster Until End," Washington Post, March 4, 1917, p. 8; and Louis Seibold, "Tired Out By
Long Fight, Senate Ends Amid Charge of Humiliating Filibustering," New York World, March
5,1917,p.1.
39. Arthur S. Link, Wilson 5 vols. (Princeton, 1965), V. 5, p. 360-361.
40. Ibid., pp. 362; Ray Stannard Baker, Woodrow Wilson: Life and Letters 6 vols. (New York, 1937),
V. 5, p. 481; and Link, Papers of Woodrow Wilson, V. 41, PP. 319-320, 332.
41. Thomas W. Brahany, executive clerk at the White House, tells us in his Diary that when Presi-
dent Wilson "said he would take the oath 'privately' on Sunday he meant privately." He "did
not wish any women other than Mrs. Wilson present." If Wilson's three daughters "had gone
to the Capitol to see their father take the oath courtesy would have required them to ask all
of [the] men and women who are White House guests, and the result would be a 'function'
at the Capitol." Brahany imagined the "President told the family embarrassment would be avoided
if all of them would stay at home. Even Colonel House, a White House guest, the President's
closest friend didn't go to the Capitol." Quote taken from Link, Papers of Woodrow Wilson, V.
41, p. 328.
42. "President Takes the Oath," New York Times, March 5, 1917, P. 3. See also notes 37 and 41.
43. "When March 4, 'Inauguration Day,' Falls on Sunday," Washington Evening Star, March 4, 1917,
p. 1, pt. 4. Preliminary discussions on whether Wilson would take the oath at the Capitol or
the White House are found in "Cordon of Troops on Inaugural Line," Washington Evening Star,
March 2, 1917, p. 1; "Troops to Guard Line," Washington Post, March 3, 1917, P. 1. Citing
Chief Justice Marshall's letter of February 20, 1821, the Washington Post stressed that even when
inauguration day has fallen on a Sunday, there never has been an interval during which the United
States was without a President. "President Always In," Washington Post, March 5, 1917, P. 9.
44. "Inauguration's Eve Finds City Ready," Washington Evening Star, March 4, 1917, P. 1.
45. Edith Bolling Wilson, My Memoir (Indianapolis, 1938, 1939), p. 130. See also note 41.
46. "President Takes Oath," New York Times, March 5, 1917, p. 3.
47. "Mr and Mrs. Marshall Enjoy Rest: Vice President Feels Session's Strain," Washington Post, March
5, 1917, p. 2. Even Arthur S. Link fails to provide an explanation of why Marshall did not attend
the Sunday ceremony at the Capitol. Link, Wilson, V. 5, p. 361.
48. "President Rode in Lane of Steel," New York Times, March 6, 1917, P. 1.
49. James C. Hagerty Press Conference, January 20, 1957, pp. 4-5, Box 47, Papers of James C. Hagerty,
1953-1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower Library, Abilene, Kansas; and Edward T. Folliard, "Ike,
Nixon Take Oath in Private," Washington Post and Times Herald, January 21, 1957, p. A1, A3.
See also "Eisenhower Begins Second Term," Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 21, 1957, P. 7; "80
See Private Oath Ceremony at the White House," Washington Evening Star, Jan. 21, 1957, p.
A2; and footnote 3.
50. The decision to have a photographer present was apparently not made until just a few hours
before the ceremony. James C. Hagerty's Press Conferences of January 16, 1957, P. 3, and January
19, 1957, p. 3. Hagerty Papers. Photographs of the White House ceremony were not released
to the press until January 24. "Flashback," Washington Post and Times Herald, Jan. 25, 1957, P.
A3; and "Pictures of the White House Oaths Can Now Be Shown," Washington Evening Star,
Jan. 25, 1957, p. A9.
51. W. H. Lawrence, "Eisenhower Takes Oath in Private; Nixon Also Sworn," New York Times,
Jan. 21, 1957, pp. 1, 16.
52. John Klutiz, "Long Holiday Seen for Inauguration," Washington Post and Times Herald, Jan. 3,
1957, p. 1; and "President's Jan. 20 Oath Will Be on T.V.," New York Times, Jan. 3, 1957, p. 15.
53. "Diplomats, Officials, Press Barred From Scene of President's Oath," Washington Post and Times
24
PRESIDENTIAL STUDIES QUARTERLY
Herald, Jan. 10, 1957, p. 1; "President Plans Oath in Private," New York Times, Jan. 10, 1957,
pp. 1, 22; "President Takes Oath Jan. 20; Press Barred," Washington Evening Star, Jan. 9, 1957,
p. A7.
54. Doris Fleeson, "The President's Swearing-In," Washington Evening Star, Jan. 17, 1957, p. A9;
"Inauguration Ban on Newsmen Holds," New York Times, Jan. 17, 1957, p. 35; W. H. Lawrence,
"Inaugural Plans Moving Swiftly," New York Times, Jan. 19, 1957, p. 11; "Photographers Pro-
test Blackout at White House," Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 15, 1957, P. 6; Richard E. Mooney,
"Inaugural Crowds Gather; Private Oath Taking Today," New York Times, Jan. 20, 1957, PP.
1, 50; and "News Bar Protested," New York Times, Jan. 15, 1957, P. 18.
55. "Unjust and Unwise," Washington Evening Star, Jan. 19, 1957, P. A4.
56. "A Public Business," Washington Post and Times Herald, Jan. 16, 1957, P. A10.
57. "History in Private," Washington Post and Times Herald, Jan. 21, 1957, p. A10.
58. "Eisenhower Begins Second Term," Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 21, 1957, p. 7.
59. "Inauguration: Dual Event Explained," Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 19, 1957, p. 9.
60. "Eisenhower Oath to Sidestep Myth," New York Times, Jan. 13, 1957, p. 50; "Eisenhower's
Second," New York Times, Jan. 20, 1957, p. 1E; Edward T. Folliard, "2 Other Presidents Sworn
in Privately," Washington Post and Times Herald, Jan. 19, 1957, p. B1; and Josephine Ripley, "Eisen-
hower is Third to Have Dual Inauguration," Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 10, 1957, P. 4.
61. "Dress Rehearsal," New York Times, Jan. 20, 1957, p. 10E.
62. Edward T. Folliard, "U.S. Will 'Help Heal Divided World,' Ike Declares as He is Inaugurated,"
Washington Post and Times Herald, Jan. 22, 1957, pp. A1, A4; Chalmers Roberts, "Plaza Ceremony
Overwhelmingly Solemn," Washington Post and Times Herald, Jan. 22, 1957, p. A2; "Thousands
Witness Inauguration," Washington Evening Star, Jan. 21, 1957, P. A1; an W. H. Lawrence,
"Eisenhower in Second Inaugural Calls Upon Country to Sacrifice for a Global 'Peace With Jus-
tice,' New York Times, Jan. 22, 1957, pp. 1, 16.
63. "Reply to Governor Edwin D. Morgan at Albany, New York, February 18, 1861," in Roy B.
Basler, The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln 9 vols. (New Brunswick, N. J., 1953-1955), V.
IV, p. 225.
64. Stephen W. Stathis and Lee Roderick, "When Inaugurations Were a Bargain," Wall Street Journal,
Jan. 17, 1973, p. 12.
PAGE 2D / THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1984
The Washington Tii
Postal Service offers inaugural cancellatic
small crowd of news-
A
White House, while the public
men, postal workers and
President Reagan will
festivities will take place on Jan.
curious passers-by gath-
21 at the U.S. Capitol, where the
ered yesterday at the
be sworn in legally on
swearing-in will be repeated for
west end of the main post office
building as Postmaster General
Jan. 20 in a private,
the benefit of the public.
In addition to Washington, D.C.,
William Bolger unveiled the offi-
non-media event at
the cancellation stamp will be
cial Inaugural Postal Cancella-
the White House.
sold in Tampico, Ill., birthplace of
tion.
Mr. Reagan; Dixon, Ill., Mr. Rea-
The cancellation, which will be
gan's boyhood home; Santa Bar-
available in eight cities, including
cellations per customer in each
bara, Calif., where the Reagans
Washington, features a sketch
city for each date, unless prior
maintain a residence; Milton,
drawing of the White House and
approval is obtained from the
Mass., Vice President George
the words "Inauguration Day,"
general manager, Stamps Divi-
Bush's birthplace; Greenwich,
along with the usual city, state, zip
sion. In Washington, D.C., cancel-
Conn., boyhood home of Mr.
code and date.
lation will be provided at City
Bush; Houston, Mr. Bush's legal
Mr. Bolger noted that yester-
Post Office, North Capitol Street
residence for the last 20 years;
day's ceremony was a first:
at Massachusetts Avenue NW.
and Kennebunkport, Maine,
"Graced by a beautiful rendition
According to Mr. Bolger, the
where Mr. Bush also maintains a
of the White House, this is the
cancellation stamp will appear
residence.
first Inauguration Day cancella-
for two days because of this year's
To obtain a cancellation stamp
tion to feature a drawing of any
unique swearing-in process.
through the mail, people should
kind."
For only the sixth time in
send envelopes with a stamp
In addition, he said, the cancel-
American history, the constitu-
affixed in the upper right-hand
lation will be available for two
tionally mandated swearing-in
corner. Requests must be
days, Jan. 20 and 21, to celebrate
day, Jan. 20, falls on a Sunday. As
received on or before the date of
the inauguration. The stamp will
a result, President Reagan will be
the cancellation requested.
go out of existence on Jan. 22.
sworn in legally on Jan. 20 in a
In other inaugural news, tick-
There will be a limit of 50 can-
private, non-media event at the
ets for seats to the Inaugural
Parade on Jan. 21 are now on sale
at three prices: $100 for premium
seats, $75 for preferred seats and
$12.50 for reserved seats.
Reserved seats, which will be
available at several locations
along the parade route, may be
purchased through Ticketron
around the country by calling the
toll-free number: (800) 445-9574.
In states that don't have toll-free
service, customers may call (312)
853-3636.
The preferred and premium
seats, which will be in a special
viewing area on Pennsylvania
Avenue across from the White
House and the presidential
reviewing stand, may be pur-
chased directly from the Inaugu-
ral- Committee by calling
433-7160 or by writing: Inaugural
Parade Tickets, Box 1985, Wash-
ington D.C. 20013-1985.
Although there is no limit on
the number of tickets purchased,
all sales will be made on a first-
come, first-serve basis.
- Marc Lee
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
September 20, 1984
BS
After calling John Roger's office I find:
You are to be at Gerry Fox's office
1800 E Street
Room 6137
at 9:30 AM tomorrow
After a brief meeting you will get in
his personal car and be driven to the
facility.
You will not be seeing the military
facility tomorrow, sometime next week.
Fee
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
September 17, 1984
Inaugural Meeting
September 18, 1984
4:30 PM
Mr. Deaver's Office
PARTICIPANTS:
Mr. Jerry Fox, GSA - # 566-1212
Brig. Gen. William Roosma
- Mil. District Wash.
Col. Dominic Ruggerio
- Mil. District Wash.
John Rogers
Bill Sittmann
This meeting should be handled as an introduction and to pick GSA,
and MDW brains on what has been planned and agreed to up to this
time.
1. You instruct them that you are White House rep. until
formulation of Inaugural Committee.
2. They should submit a report on what they have done in previous
ceremonies.
3. They should explain their functions.
4. They should explain what they feel we should be doing until
formation of committee.
5. They should be instructed to submit a report on problems en-
countered at last ceremony.
6. They should be told to submit recommendations.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Bill
WASHINGTON
steel Call be FF
August 15, 1984
MEMORANDUM FOR: MICHAEL K. DEAVER
BS
FROM:
JOHN F. W. ROGERS
Pewiel make Su
ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR
MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
sure
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL COMMITTEE
As promised in my previous memo, I am providing you with information on the
Presidential Inaugural Committee.
According to Title 36 of the U.S. Code, Chapter 30, Section 721 (b) (2),
"Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies," the term "Inaugural Committee" means
the committee in charge of the Presidential Inaugural ceremony and functions
and activities connected therewith to be appointed by the President-elect.
The committee is responsible for planning and executing all public functions
except the swearing-in at the Capitol. It is formally formed subsequent to
the general election by the President-elect.
In the past the chairmen of the DNC and RNC have appointed a small pre-
election committee to work on the initial planning. This should take place
after the Republican National Convention. It was this pre-election committee I
was referring to in my discussions with you.
I recommend you discuss the appointment of an administration representative
with Frank Fahrenkopf. I think they may be thinking of appointing Fred
Bieble.
Fle
THE WHITE HOUSE
Bill
WASHINGTON
August 15, 1984
steel Call like him To be
214
220-4300
MEMORANDUM FOR: MICHAEL K. DEAVER
FROM:
ASSISTANT JOHN F. W. TO ROGERS THE
PRESIDENT FOR
MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL COMMITTEE
As promised in my previous memo, I am providing you with information on the
Presidential Inaugural Committee.
According to Title 36 of the U.S. Code, Chapter 30, Section 721 (b) (2),
"Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies," the term "Inaugural Committee" means
the committee in charge of the Presidential Inaugural ceremony and functions
and activities connected therewith to be appointed by the President-elect.
The committee is responsible for planning and executing all public functions
except the swearing-in at the Capitol. It is formally formed subsequent to
the general election by the President-elect.
In the past the chairmen of the DNC and RNC have appointed a small pre-
election committee to work on the initial planning. This should take place
after the Republican National Convention. It was this pre-election committee I
was referring to in my discussions with you.
I recommend you discuss the appointment of an administration representative
with Frank Fahrenkopf. I think they may be thinking of appointing Fred
Bieble.
spoken/ F. Faundarf 8/17 10:00Am
the will make sue t done
September 25, 1984
MEMORANDUM
TO:
BILL SITTMAN
FROM:
LANNY CAREW LRC
SUBJECT: PRELIMINARY PLANNING FOR THE FIFTIETH INAUGURATION
It is not too early to consider forming a skeleton crew who
will help plan for our President's Inaugural celebration on
January 21, 1985 and the seven days of special events preceding
it. With 110 days left until that historic week and only 6
weeks away from the election itself, it is time to begin an
overall plan for these activities.
It would be advantageous for the powers-that-be to select
someone to oversee such a plan. By this, many of the major
problems the Presidential Inaugural Committee faced last time
could be alleviated. The disasters of enormous preportions
were:
1. ticketing
2. overcrowding of events
3. poor organization of details
4. finance
Many of these negatives were caused by poor management - not
identifying potential problems in time and remeding the sit-
uation before Inauguration Day was already upon them.
It is my understanding that a military staff is presently in
place and has been working on the fundamental organizing of the
1985 Inaugural. I believe I would be well suited to act as a
liaison between the Armed Forces committee and the White House
because of my knowledge of past Inaugurations.
As you are aware from the last Inauguration, upwards of between
1750 to 2000 staff and volunteer workers will be involved in
the forth coming celebration and if we can start now in at
least putting together the basis for the administrative, logis-
tical and technical support so much the better rather than
reactive approach after the election.
I would be valuable to you and Micheal Deaver in identifying,
planning, orchestrating and executing the Inauguation celebration.
We can set a standard to the way it should be done in the future
if we start now. It would be a much smoother operation with
time to do it correctly.
WITHDRAWAL SHEET
Ronald Reagan Library
Collection Name
Withdrawer
DEAVER, MICHAEL: FILES
KDB 8/30/2011
File Folder
FOIA
INAUGURAL (1)
F97-0066/19
COHEN, D
Box Number
72
196
DOC Document Type
No of Doc Date Restric-
NO Document Description
pages
tions
1
CASE FILE
16 3/24/1981 C
RE ISSUE INVOLVING INAUGURAL COMMITTEE
Freedom of Information Act - [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
B-1 National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
B-2 Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
B-3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIA]
B-4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
B-6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA]
B-7 Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
B-8 Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
B-9 Release would disclose geological or geophysical information concerning wells [(b)(9) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed of gift.
ADMINISTRATOR
Ray Kline
REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR
William F. Madison
DEPUTY REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR
(Director of Inaugural Operations)
James F. Steele
Inaugural Coordinator
T. C. Leininger
Inauguration Coordinator (On-Site)
Arthur Burton
Records Management
and
Communications
Administrative
Preservation
Operations
Jerry Wallace
Ernie Wesley
Betty Houser
Supply Management
Public Buildings Service
Transportation
Herb Young
Arthur Burton
Jim Arthur
Protection
Space Planning
Parade Support
Real Property
Operations and
John Jester
Authur Burton
Jerry Kaplan
Alterations
Ted Zotto
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN
THE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
AND
THE PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL COMMITTEE
1. This Memorandum of Understanding sets forth the general guidelines for
the provision of General Services Administration (GSA) support services for
the Civilian Inaugural Committee. These support services are authorized by
40 USC S490 (a)(15). This Memorandum further defines which services are
provided by GSA at no cost to the Inaugural Committee and those services
which are reimbursable and are to be paid for by the Inaugural Committee.
The proper application of the standards defined in this document will
require the Inaugural Committee to designate an appropriate official to
authorize deviations from the standards as necessary. All office equipment
and machines, furniture, and other similar items shall be returned to GSA
in a similar condition as when received.
a. Space - Space for the Inaugural Committee headquarters is to be
assigned on the basis of a functional requirement rather than 8 square foot
per person concept. The functional requirements will be developed from a
review of the actual space needs from past Inaugurals. GSA will provide
space to the extent that it is available within our inventory in the
Washington Metropolitan area only, for the Committee's use as office space,
motor pool use, for float construction, and for a Will-Call Ticket Office.
If this space is in our inventory in the Washington Metropolitan area, it
will be provided without charge. If space is not in our inventory for any
of the above requirements and must be leased for the short-term use of the
Committee, or if space is required outside of the Washington Metropolitan
Area, the Committee will reimburse GSA for the cost of the rental.
GSA will provide without cost services in the above space that is in our
inventory in the Washington Metropolitan area: cleaning, cooling or
heating, mechanical maintenance, and initial space alterations. The
Committee shall reimburse GSA if extensive space alterations are required
to modify the space for the specific needs of the Committee. If it is
necessary to lease space for the above, the Committee will reimburse GSA
for the costs of these services.
Protection in the headquarters office space, motor pool, and the Will-Call
Ticket Office will be provided by GSA to the extent that it can be
considered normal protection. Normal protection is defined as that
protection provided to an average agency to protect property and personnel.
If special security is required due to the nature of the operation of the
Inaugural Committee, which is over and above that which GSA would normally
provide, such protection is reimbursable. Protection provided at the float
construction location is reimbursable in any event in view of the fact that
this protection is primarily for the purpose of protecting the private
property of the float builders.
b. Telephones - Telephone installations will be planned by GSA and
a representative of the Telephone Company working with the Pre-Election
Inaugural Committee Chairman. All requests for telephone installations
will be in writing, and approved by the appropriate Inaugural Committee
official prior to submission to GSA.
Single line beige push button phones will be installed in all offices
except those of the Chairman, Executive Director, General Counsel, and Vice
Chairman. Any different installation shall be authorized by the
appropriate Inaugural Committee official. No intercommunicating systems or
automatic ringing private line intercoms will be installed unless approved
by the appropriate Inaugural Committee official. Only dial intercom
systems will be approved. Except those specifically approved by the
appropriate Inaugural official, all lines will be restricted so that no
long distance calls can be placed by dialing "9". Except in very unusual
circumstances, no telephones will be moved after initial installation.
Any other special or additional equipment will have to be approved by the
appropriate Inaugural Committee official.
All telephone installations and service costs will be reimbursed by the
Inaugural Committee to GSA. There will be monthly billings by GSA with
payment due to GSA within 30 days of receipt of the bill.
C. Furniture - GSA will provide furniture and office equipment for
the needs of the Inaugural Committee to the extent that it is available and
complies with the following standards. Deviations from these standards
must be approved by the appropriate Inaugural Committee official. Any
additional costs due to a deviation from these standards will be paid by
the Inaugural Committee.
Chairman
Class A Furniture, Carpets, Drapes
Executive Director
Class A Furniture, Carpets
General Counsel
Vice Chairman
Vice Chairman's
Class C Furniture, Carpets
immediate offices
Information Center
Class C Furniture, Carpets
All other space
Metal furniture
GSA will fund the initial moving of furniture into Inaugural Committee
space. The costs of any subsequent internal moves of furniture by the
Committee shall be reimbursed to GSA and held to a minimum. Timely notice
of the intention to move such furniture will be given to GSA to permit the
scheduling of movers.
d. Parking - Parking for the Inaugural Committee personnel will be
provided to the extent it is available. GSA will issue parking permits in
block to the appropriate Inaugural Committee official, and the Committee
will issue permits and control assignments. All permit holders will be
expected to observe the rules printed on the tack of the permits and any
posted rules and regulations. In keeping with GSA's policy, information of
carpools should be encouraged.
e. Motor Vehicles - If requested by the Inaugural Committee, GSA
will lease Government-owned motor vehicles to the Inaugural Committee to
the extent they are available. Such vehicles will be leased at the GSA
going rate and can only be driven by military personnel or civilian Federal
employees.
f. Procurement and Administrative Supplies - If requested by the
Inaugural Committee, GSA will establish a procurement office to assist in
the handling of contracts and will also establish a supply room to provide
administrative supplies. The Committee shall reimburse GSA for the cost of
all administrative supplies. Administrative supplies will be provided on a
consignment basis. Any unused supplies may be returned for credit after the
Inauguration and one consolidated bill will be rendered by GSA.
Typewriters and other office machines will be provided from GSA inventories
to the extent that they are available, without cost. Additional office
equipment rented from local companies will be reimbursable to GSA. All
maintenance on these machines shall be the responsibility of the Committee.
g. Signs - In the past, the Inaugural Committee has required a
considerable amount of signs for various purposes. GSA will provide at no
cost building signs, that designate room areas, parking areas, directional
signs, etc., in buildings that are in GSA inventory. The Committee shall
reimburse GSA for all other signs designed specifically for Committee use
in the buildings, at party sites, at fringe parking lots, for use during
the parade, or any other purpose.
h. Miscellaneous Services - As needed, GSA will provide the
following services at no cost: 1. Facilities for food service; 2.
Installation of vending machines; 3. During the parade, on property under
the charge and control of GSA, the provision of restrooms, facilities for
medical aid stations and Lost and Found stations, standby personnel during
the parade to provide for emergency requirements, Federal Protective
Service security requirements in connection with the parade, and snow
removal if needed. GSA will provide on a reimbursable basis facilities for
TV coverage in GSA space by the networks, and facilities for sound systems
to be used by announcers covering the parade.
2. This Memorandum of Understanding will become will become effective on
the date signed by the Presidential Inaugural Committee and GSA, and will
terminate on February 28, 1985, following the Presidential Inauguration.
Changes to this Memorandum of Understanding may be made at any time as the
need arises provided it is agreed to by each party signing the Memorandum.
The Committee designates the following official to authorize deviations
from the operating procedures, as provided for in the body of the
Memorandum of Understanding:
JAMES F. STEELE, Jr.
Deputy Regional Administrator, NCR
The General Services Administration designates the following official to
authorize deviations from the operating procedures as provided for in the
body of the Memorandum of Understanding:
T. C. LEININGER
Inaugural Coordinator
APPROVED:
Chairman, Civilian
Regional Administration, National
Inaugural Committee
Capital Region, GSA
DATE
DATE
35
PUBLIC BUILDINGS, ETC.
40 § 490
Executive order establishing procurement
policy under which government contracts above
I 489. Civil remedies and penalties
$5 million could be denied to companies that
Names of Declaions
failed or refused to comply with voluntary wage
hility that, due to Department of Internor's as.
and price standards was authorized under this
15. Injunction
writedly peramount interest in property. no en
chapter. American Federation of Labor and
Governing principles pertaining to counts "
Anonmental impact statement either as to the
Congress of Indus. Organizations V. Kahn,
sponsibility in granting interim and final injune
entire property in question or. as to any part of
'979, 618 F.2d 784, 199 U.S.App.D.C. 300,
live relief prectuded court from ordering Gener
it. is required by National Environmental Poli-
ertiorari denied 99 S.C. 3107. 443 U.S. 915. 61
al Services Administration to prepare an envi-
" Act. section 4321 et sey. of Tilk 42: thus.
"1.2d 879, rehearing denied 100 S.A. 190,
ronmental impact statement, with respect "
further filings of memoranda and hearing were
transfer of property in question to electric while
U.S. sss, 62 LEd.2d 123.
required Rhock Island Committee on Energy
ty as site for building of nuclear nower electric
. General Services Administration. D.C.R.I
generating plant, without first exploring possi-
1976. 411 F.Supp. 323.
ad property management practices;
I 490. Operation of buildings and related activities by Administrator
- and standardized purchase specifi-
(a) General duties
ctuation of his functions under this
Whenever and to the extent that the Administrator has been or hereafter may be
the executive agencies affected, and
authorized by any provision of Inw other than this subsection to maintain, operate,
artment of Defense as determined by
and protect any buikling, property. or grounds situated in or outside the District of
$ authorized (1) to make surveys of
Columbia, including the construction, repair, preservation, demolition, furnishing, and
practices and obtain reports thereon
equipment thereof, he is authorized in the discharge of the duties so conferred upon
executive agencies in the establish-
him-
; stocked by them and from time to
385 and to the Director of the Office
/Sec main volume for text of (1) to (13) )
and maintain such uniform Federal
(14) to enter into contracts for periods not exceeding three years for the
to identify and classify personal
inspection, maintenance, and repair of fixed equipment in such buildings which
Provided, That the Administrator
are federally owned;
cataloging activities of the General
(15) to render direct assistance to and perform special services for the Inaugu-
Defense so as w avoid unnecessary
ral Committee (as defined in section 721 of Title 36) during an mangural INFICE
comulgated by the Administrator for
in connection with Presidential inaugural operations and functions, including
'ia' of Federal Procurement Policy
employment of personal services without regard to the civil service and classifica-
candaritized forms and procedures.
tion laws; provide Government and leased space for personnel and pirth-
Invrized by law to prescribe, and
ing. pay overtime to guard and custodial forces: creet and remove stands and
platforms; provide and operate first and stations; provide furniture and equip-
ment, and provide other incidental services in the discretion of the Administrar
i (b) MIH! (c))
hir,
Stat MIU, Oct 10. 1979. 1'wh 1. 96 83,
. of Management and Budget. The Bu.
he Budget was designated as the Office
and Budget and the offices of
of the Bureau of the Budget. Deputy
4 of the Bureau of the Budget. and As.
Directors of the Burcau of the Budget
ugnated Director of the Office of Man
and Budget. Deputy Director of the
Management and Budget and ANNY
clars of the Office of Management and
respectively Records. property, per-
and funds of the Bureau of the Budget
insterred to the Office of Management
ket Sex Part I of Reveganization Plan
U. set out BE the Appendex to Titk 5.
nent Organization and Employees.
ative Histery. for legislative history
ARM of Put 91-400. XT 1974 US.
4 and Adm.News P. 4589. See. also.
-83. 1974 U.S.Cok Cong and AJm.
1492
"K"
/Ser main volume for 1011 of (h) to (d)
Building Operations
Inaugural 1985
The after action report recommended monies be set aside to maintain Tempos
A & B (2nd & T Streets, SW., Washington, DC) as the 1985 Inaugural site.
Because of many factors this was not done and the deterioration,
particularly of the roof and heating plant progressed to the point that
renovations were economically out of the question.
In September 1983, we became aware that the Defense Intelligence School
Complex in Anacostia Park would become vacant in July 1984. We got an
agreement to occupy these buildings for August 1984 until April 1985 on a
permit from Military District of Washington. This site appears ideal. It
has security, space and parking. The buildings are World War II
temporarily constructed, 2 floors with a total of 66,000 square feet.
Heating - The heating system is a simple hot water system. The Navy is
operating the boiler plant on a reimbursable basis.
Cooling - The entire building is cooled by approximately 200 window or
small package units. All of these units are in good operation.
Floors - Floors throughout are wood, in excellent condition. 90 percent
of the building is carpeted.
Roof - The roof is old and flat, but in good condition with no leaks.
Cafeteria - We have had to take a portion of the building and construct a
cafeteria and set aside a room across the hall as a dining room. This
should prove more than adequate.
Loading and Unloading - The are ample locations and facilities to load and
unload.
Elevators - Two temporary elevators have been installed to the second
floor. These will remain in place as long as needed and provide ample
access to the second floor.
Fire Safety - These buildings have been inspected by our Fire Safety
Branch and they are as accident and fire safe as they can be made.
Parking - There are approximately 1500 parking spaces available.
Security - The buildings are surrounded with an eight foot chain link
fence topped by barbed wire. The grounds are well lit and there is ample
guard service.
Keys - Locks were removed when the Intelligence Service moved. Locks have
been installed and we will have key control.
Building Maintenance and Operation - The South Area AWG Group will supply
the machines for all necessary work. The Anacostia Region Field Office
will be the cost center for all charges to the Inaugural.
Float Construction - The floats will be constructed by a constructor hired
by Yard. PIC. They will be constructed, as in the past in PS 137 in the Navy
Motor Pool - The motor pool will be housed in building 167 in the Navy
Yard. This buildings was previously used as a motor pool by the GSA and it
is an ideal location and facility.
Signs - Signs will be coordinated with Mr. Forsyth of the GSA sign shop in
the Navy Yard. Unit price contracts will be in place to ? the much of the
sign volume.
GSA Provides Overall Administrative Support
-Major Functions-
-
Space and Parking (PIC and AFIC) - Arthur Burton
- space planning and layout
- minor alterations
- food services, including vending machines
- real property operation and maintenance
- signs
- Furniture (PIC and AFIC) - Larry Monroe
- Motor Pool (PIC and AFIC) - Jim Authur
- float construction facilities
- Protective services
- facilities for AFIC motor pool
- Telecommunications - Ernie Wesley
- telephones
- teletype, facsimile, etc.
- word processing equipment
- Records - Jerry Wallace
- Information management
- Retention of historically valuable materials
- Supply Management - Herb Young
- office supplies
- contracting
- Parade - Jerry Kaplan
- first-aid stations
- snow removal, if necessary
- General administration - Arthur Burton
- Administration and office services
- printing & distribution
- financial management
- property accountability
- furniture and moving
- office equipment
- support to Will-Cell Ticket Office
Summary of GSA-Provided Services
No Cost
Reimbursable
Space assigned on functional basis
Extensive space alterations
for office space, motor pool, float
construction, Will-Call Ticket
Office with cleaning, cooling
or heating, mechanical maintenance
initial space alterations, food
service, vending machines
Average level protective services
Special security
for office space, motor pool,
Will-Call Ticket Office
Float construction security
Telephone installations and
operations
Office furniture and office
Additional office equipment
equipment, to the extent it is
duplicating equipment.
available
Parking
Leased motor vehicles
Administrative supplies
Building signs and other
All other signs
directional signs
Parade support for Federal property:
restrooms, medical aid stations,
Lost and Found stations, snow removal
if necessary from GSA-controlled property
GSA Presidential Inaugural
Support Committee
James Steele, Deputy Regional Administrator, NCR, GSA
Director of NCR Inaugural Operations
Ted Leininger, Deputy Assistant Regional Administrator, PBS, GSA
Inaugural Coordinator
Arthur Burton, Inaugural Coordinator, GSA (On Site)
Jim Arthur, Deputy Inaugural Coordinator, PBS, GSA (Possible)
Betty Houser, Assistant Inaugural Coordinator, PBS, GSA
1. Administrative Services - Don Jodrie, Larry Monroe
- Furniture and moving
- Property accountability
- Financial management
2. Building Operations - Betty Houser, Earl Catterton, Andrea Crawford
- Space planning and layout
- Construction/minor alterations
- Door signs
- Cafeteria
- Cleaning services
3. Historian/Archivist - Jerry Wallace
- Records management, filing system
- Records preservation of historically valuable materials
4. Operations Coordinator - Jim Arthur
- Construction, 'std and operation AFIC motor pool at Building 167, Navy
- Coordination requirements with PIC Transportation Committee for motor pool
- Coordination with FPS on security
- GSA transportation services
- Operation of parking
- Coordination of sign and printing requests with PIC
- Director of close down operations
- Coordination of GSA after action report
:
5. Parade Support on Federal Property - Jerry Kaplan
(North District Manager)
- First aid stations
- Admittance control stations for parade viewing
- Snow removal
6. Procurement and Supply, Mail Room, Reproduction Center -
Herb Young, David Davis, Joyce Lofty, Deltha Chick, Peg Anthony,
Florence Robinson
- Operation of supply room
- Contracting services
- Leasing of equipment
- Mail room operations
- Reproduction room
7. Telephone Services - Ernie Wesley, Vivian Green
- Telephone layout and installation
- Telephone financial arrangements
- Teletype, facsimile equipment
- Telephone directory
- C&P Telephone Co. liaison
8. Will-Call - Dale Bruce
- Set up and operation of Will-Call ticket facility
- Press relations