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JGR/Endorsements by the President (2 of 4)

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Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Digital Library Collections This is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections. Collection: Roberts, John G.: Files Folder Title: JGR/Endorsements by the President (2 of 4) Box: 19 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/ THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON May 23, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING FROM: JOHN G. ROBERTS SUBJECT: Request that Mrs. Reagan Appear on Simplicity Sewing Catalogue Cover Jim Rosebush denied a request from Simplicity Sewing that Mrs. Reagan appear on the cover of their catalogue. In exchange for her appearance, Simplicity would donate $10,000 to a charity designated by Mrs. Reagan, and permit her to include a brief message inside the catalogue. Rosebush denied the request on the ground that "the First Lady is prohibited from endorsing community [sic - presumably should be commercial] enterprises." Simplicity's lobbyist has asked for reconsideration, noting that the catalogue reaches over 9 million middle-American women, that Mesdames Ford and Carter appeared on similar publications, and that this proposal "can in no way be compared to a previous incident involving alleged improprieties utilizing the First Lady's appearance on a Japanese Women's Magazine cover." Two Congressmen from districts containing Simplicity operations, Mark Siljander (R-Mich.) and Bill Green (R-N.Y.), have also written Rosebush, asking that he permit Simplicity to respond to his concerns. Rosebush has asked you if he was wrong to deny the request. I think Rosebush's denial was correct, assuming he meant to object to having the First Lady appearing to endorse a "commercial" and not "community" enterprise. As a general policy, we do not approve the use of a photograph or likeness of the First Lady in any manner that suggests or could be construed as endorsement of a commercial product or enterprise. In this case, her appearance on the Simplicity catalogue cover could easily be construed as an endorsement of Simplicity. It is unclear from the incoming whether Rosebush wants simply a vote of confidence or responses to Simplicity's lobbyist and the Congressmen. I hesitate to respond -2- directly since Rosebush handled this matter himself in the first instance. I have drafted a memorandum to him noting that we agree with his decision and offering to respond to his correspondents if he wishes. Attachment THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON May 23, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR JAMES S. ROSEBUSH DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FROM: FRED F. FIELDING Orig. signed by FFF COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Request that Mrs. Reagan Appear on Simplicity Sewing Catalogue Cover We agree entirely with your decision not to approve the request to have the First Lady appear on the cover of the Simplicity Sewing Catalogue. As you know the White House adheres to a policy of not approving the use of a photograph or likeness of the President or First Lady in any manner that suggests or could be construed as endorsement of a commercial enterprise. Mrs. Reagan's appearance on the Simplicity Sewing Catalogue could easily be construed as an endorsement of the products advertised therein. (We assume that in your letter to Mr. Chwat you meant to say "commercial enterprises" rather than "community enterprises. ") If you would like us to respond directly to Mr. Chwat and Congressmen Siljander and Green, we would be happy to do so. FFF: JGR:aw 5/23/83 CC: FFFielding JGRoberts Subj. Chron THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON May 23, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR JAMES S. ROSEBUSH DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FROM: FRED F. FIELDING COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Request that Mrs. Reagan Appear on Simplicity Sewing Catalogue Cover We agree entirely with your decision not to approve the request to have the First Lady appear on the cover of the Simplicity Sewing Catalogue. As you know the White House adheres to a policy of not approving the use of a photograph or likeness of the President or First Lady in any manner that suggests or could be construed as endorsement of a commercial enterprise. Mrs. Reagan's appearance on the Simplicity Sewing Catalogue could easily be construed as an endorsement of the products advertised therein. (We assume that in your letter to Mr. Chwat you meant to say "commercial enterprises" rather than "community enterprises. ") If you would like us to respond directly to Mr. Chwat and Congressmen Siljander and Green, we would be happy to do so. FFF: JGR:aw 5/23/83 CC: FFFielding JGRoberts Subj. Chron ID # 137677 CU WHITE HOUSE PR01412 CORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET o . OUTGOING H INTERNAL John R. I - INCOMING Date Correspondence Received (YY/MM/DD) Name of Correspondent: / Jim / Rosebush /mark. D. Siljander MI Mail Report User Codes: (A) weigend (B) (C) Subject: Request by Robert Simplicity Sewing books that MRs. Reagan appear on cover of Simplicity Sewing books. Simplicity Pattern Company, Inc.) ROUTE TO: ACTION DISPOSITION Tracking Type Completion Action Date of Date Office/Agency (Staff Name) Code YY/MM/DD Response Code YY/MM/DD CU Holland ORIGINATOR 83,05,10 / / Referral Note: CUAT18 D 05,10 583,05,20 Referral Note: / / / / Referral Note: / / / / - Referral Note: / / / / - Referral Note: ACTION CODES: DISPOSITION CODES: A - Appropriate Action I . Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary A Answered C Completed C Comment/Recommendation R Direct Reply w/Copy B - Non-Special Referral S Suspended D - Draft Response S For Signature F * Furnish Fact Sheet X Interim Reply to be used as Enclosure FOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE: Type of Response = Initials of Signer Code = "A" Completion Date = Date of Outgoing Comments: Keep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter. Send all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB). Always return completed correspondence record to Central Files. Refer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590. 5/81 THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON May 9, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR FRED FIELDING FROM JIM ROSEBUSH SUBJECT SIMPLICITY PATTERN Jam BOOK PHOTO Never before have I seen such intense lobbying on an issue like this. I turned down a request that Mrs. Reagan appear on the cover of several Simplicity Sewing books on the basis that it would be a very specific endorsement of a commerical enterprise. Was I wrong? MARK D. SILJANDER DISTRICT OFFICES: 4TH DISTRICT. MICHIGAN 815 MAIN STREET SUITE 3A COMMITTEE: ST. JOSEPH. MICHIGAN 49085 FOREIGN AFFAIRS (616) 982-0722 WASHINGTON OFFICE: 15788 WEST MICHIGAN AVENUE 137 CANNON HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING THREE RIVERS. MICHIGAN 49093 WASHINGTON. D.C. 20515 (202) 225-3761 Congress of the United States (618) 279-7125 800-272-3413 ROBIN M. LUKETINA GENERAL COUNSEL/CHIEF OF STAFF house of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 137 May 5, 1983 James Rosebush Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff Office of the First Lady The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. Rosebush: One of our constituents, Simplicity Pattern Company, Inc. , which has its major manufacturing facility in my District, has submitted a proposal to your office to have a photograph of First Lady Nancy Reagan appear on several of its publications, including its Counter Catalog, which is distributed free throughout the nation. As a Member of the Michigan delegation, I recall the fact that a photograph of former First Lady Betty Ford appeared on the cover of the McCall's Counter Catalog during former President Gerald Ford's term of office, and that appearance was widely acclaimed by women and consumers across the United States. I understand that your office declined Simplicity's offer due to a feeling that it would be an endorsement of a "community enterprise". However, given the former First Lady Betty Ford precedent, please give reconsideration to the request, and perhaps allow Simplicity to address your specific questions and concerns. Sincerely yours, Mark D. Siljander Member of Congress CHWAT/WEIGEND ASSOCIATES CONGRESSIONAL & GOVERNMENT RELATIONS 226 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE. N.E. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20002 202/547-7100 May 6, 1983 James Rosebush, Deputy Assistant to the President & Chief of Staff Office of the First Lady The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. Rosebush: We appreciate your prompt consideration of the proposal from Simplicity Pattern Company, Inc., and your reply letter to us dated April 26, 1983. From the tone of your letter, we have the impression that you would give more favorable consideration to this proposal if it was not a community enterprise. We would appreciate another discussion with you regarding the extent of the White House community enter- prise ruling, and modification of the Simplicity proposal to eliminate any prohibited aspects. The Simplicity proposal would allow the First Lady to write a short "personal" message or "open letter" to millions of women who sew. The Simplicity publications have a com- bined circulation of 9.65 million, which is significantly larger than the domestic circulation of Time Magazine (4.47 million), Newsweek (2.95 million) or the Wall Street Journal (1.93 million). Moreover, the Simplicity publications are directed to a single important constituency, namely women from "middle-America". It is an ideal way to reach this constituency and it would be clearly structured SO as to not be any type of product endorsement. As you know, both former First Ladies Betty Ford and Rosalyn Carter have appeared on similar publications. Finally, we would not be adversed to merely utilizing one of the First Lady's standard portrait photographs for this purpose. Simplicity is making this project as a part of National Sewing Month. Enclosed is President Reagan's proclamation of last year regarding National Sewing Month, and this year legislation is pending before both the Senate and House to make National Sewing Month an annual occurrence. We hope to discuss this proposal with you as soon as possible. Sincerely, Robert E. Weigend REW:clw REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION OF A PROPOSAL TO FIRST LADY NANCY REAGAN BY THE SIMPLICITY PATTERN CO. NOT A "COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE" The appearance of the First Lady on the cover of the Simplicity Catalog is not a "community enterprise", nor a commercial enterprise, but rather a request to have Nancy Reagan detail in the Catalog (inside cover) the type of charity she wants the donation of $10,000 to go towards. It is a photo of the First Lady on the cover of the Catalog that women across the country will recognize and support an American industry in economic trouble. CATALOG IS DISTRIBUTED FREE TO CONSUMERS The Catalog is distributed free to over 15,000 retail stores and seen by over 9 million women/consumers around the country. These 9 million consumers do not pay for the Catalog and this circulation is one of the largest in the Country, some of the others being: THE APPEARANCE CAN BE FEATURED AS A NEWS STORY The First Lady's appearance can be tied to a news story relating to the charity receiving the $10,000 gift or an item of the First Ladies choice. This news story can run on the cover of the Simplicity Magazine and Catalog, and is simi- lar to Nancy Reagan's recent appearances on the cover of People's Magazine and various other women's publications. A feature news story, interview, or statement by the First Lady can also be arranged to expand on the All-American Catalog there. DONATION TO CHARITY, A PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN If the First Lady chooses to donate to a drug awareness campaign or other charity, perhaps a major nationwide public relations campaign can be undertaken around this donation and the course for which it is given by Simplicity. A message by the First Lady to the 9 million consumers on this donation would be supported by the company. (2) A PHOTOGRAPH IN LIEU OF A SEPARATE PHOTO SESSION If a short photo session with the First Lady is unaccep- table to the White House under any circumstances, the company would ask for a photograph of the First Lady in lieu of the five photo sessions. A stock White House photograph, similar to the hundreds submitted each and everyday for media and publicity purposes can be utilized by Simplicity for their All-American Catalog theme. THERE IS NO APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY This photograph session can in no way be compared to a previous incident involving alleged improprieties utilizing the First Lady's appearance on a Japanese Women's Magazine cover. There are no third parties in the White House benefiting from the picture taking; it is a non commercial enterprise for an American company; U.S. consumers would be the targeted constituency and all around it can assist the White House in 1984. STATE THE UNITED I BO ASEA STATES National Sewing Month By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Tens of millions of Americans sew at home. Their efforts demonstrate the industry. the skill and the self-reliance which are so characteristic of this Nation. In recognition of the importance of home sewing to our economy the Congress has, by Senate Joint Resolution 205, designated September, 1982, as National Sewing Month. NOW, THEREFORE. I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America. do hereby proclaim September, 1982, as National Sewing Month. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this month with appropri- ate ceremonies and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of September. in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and seventh. Ronald Reagon MARK D SILJANDER DISTRI CT OFFICES. MOHGA COMMITTEE 5T JOCEPH MICHIGAN 49061 FOREIGN AFFAIRS WASHINGTON OFFICE: 15788 WEST MICHIGAN AVENUE 137 CANNON HOUSE OFFICE BUNDWS THRIS PIVERS MICHISAN 48083 WASHINGTON :: 2019 1202 271 Congress of the United States 800-272-3413 ROBIN M LUKETINA GENERAL COUNSEL/CHIEF OF STAFF House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 May 5, 1983 James Rosebush Depty Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff Office of the First Lady The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. Rosebush: One of our constituents, Simplicity Pattern Company, Inc which has its major manufacturing facility in my District, has submitted a proposal to your office to have a photograph of First Lady Nancy Reagan appear on several of its publications, including its Counter Catalog, which is distributed free throughout the nation. As a Member of the Michigan delegation, I recall the fact that a photograph of former First Lady Betty Ford appeared on the cover of the McCall's Counter Catalog during former President Gerald Ford's term of office, and that appearance was widely acclaimed by women and consumers across the United States. I understand that your office declined Simplicity's offer due to a feeling that it would be an endorsement of a "community enterprise". However, given the former First Lady Betty Ford precident, please give reconsideration to the request, and perhaps allow Simplicity to address your specific questions and concerns. Sincerely yours, Mark D. Siljander Member of Congress MDS/aeg WASHINGTON OFFICE 1111 1. GREEN 1110 LONGWORTH HOUSE OFFICE DUIL 1910 Discount. Hew York WASHINGTON, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-2430 COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Congress of the United States NEW YORK OFFICE: SUBCOMMITTEED GRAND CENTRAL POST OFFICE DUILD RANKING MINORITY MEMBER 110 EAST 45TH STREET HUD-INDEPENDENT AGENCIES House of Representatives NEW York, NEW YORK 10017 (212) 020-4460 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington, D.C. 20515 May 5, 1983 James Rosebush, Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff Office of the First Lady The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. Rosebush: I understand that on April 26, 1983, your office declined the offer of Simplicity Pattern Company, Inc., located in my Congressional District, to have First Lady Nancy Reagan appear on the cover of three Simplicity publications. I have reviewed the Simplicity proposal and understand that it would allow the First Lady to give a personal message to over 9.6 million women who read these publications, and therefore, it is an opportunity which I feel merits scrious consideration. I would greatly appreciate your affording representatives of Simplicity the opportunity to respond to whatever reservations you may have concerning the proposal. IL is my hope that you will reconsider this. Thank you For your valuable time and attention. Bill Then Bill Green Member of Congress BG/ds THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON April 26, 1983 Dear Mr. Chwat: Thank you for forwarding copies of your Simplicity Publications. After careful consideration I regret to inform you that we must decline your invitation to have Mrs. Reagan featured on the covers. While it is hard to pass up your offer of $10,000 for the Drug Abuse Program, the First Lady is prohibited from endorsing community enterprises, and this ruling obviously extends to Simplicity Publications. Thank you again for writing to me regarding this opportunity. Sincerely, JSRnebush Deputy Assistant to the President Mr. John S. Chwat CHWAT/WEIGEND ASSOCIATES 226 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, D. C. 20002 CC: Virginia Knauer THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON April 26, 1983 Dear Mr. Chwat: Thank you for forwarding copies of your Simplicity Publications. After careful consideration I regret to inform you that we must decline your invitation to have Mrs. Reagan featured on the covers. While it is hard to pass up your offer of $10,000 for the Drug Abuse Program, the First Lady is prohibited from endorsing community enterprises, and this ruling obviously extends to Simplicity Publications. Thank you again for writing to me regarding this opportunity. Sincerely, JSRnebash Deputy Assistant to the President Mr. John S. Chwat CHWAT/WEIGEND ASSOCIATES 226 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, D. C. 20002 CC: Virginia Knauer Memoto Si MEMORANDUM THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON July 13, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING FROM: JOHN G. ROBERTS ore SUBJECT: Ward L. Quaal Request for Meeting with the President Ward L. Quaal, apparently a personal friend of Mr. Deaver's, met with the President on March 16 but, as he advised Deaver in a letter two months later, did not have an opportunity to discuss with the President the importance of the study of American history. Quaal had hoped to brief the President on a twelve-part television series on American history developed by Walter Schwimmer. Quaal asks to bring Schwimmer in for a meeting with the President to discuss the project. The series seems to be simply a commercial television production, and accordingly the President should not become involved in it. The President could of course meet with Schwimmer and Quaal to hear about their project, but frankly I see little reason for such a meeting. The only reason would be for Schwimmer and Quaal to obtain a Presidential endorsement which would be inappropriate. Our response to Deaver concerning this matter does not exhibit the promptness for which our office is justly renown because the item as it arrived from Deaver's office was attached to other incoming material and, like the sister city of Machu Picchu, has only recently been unearthed. Attachment THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON July 13, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR WILLIAM F. SITTMANN SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FROM: FRED F. FIELDING Orig. signed by FFF COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Letter to Mike Deaver Regarding Meeting With the President and Walter Schwimmer to Discuss a Series on History of the United States Your office has asked for our views on the request from Ward L. Quaal for a meeting with the President. The purpose of the meeting would be for Mr. Quaal and Walter Schwimmer to discuss with the President Schwimmer's proposed twelve-part television series on the history of the United States. Since Mr. Schwimmer's project is a commercial television production, it would not, as a general matter, be appropriate for the President to endorse the project or become involved with it in any way. This being the case, I see little purpose to be served by the meeting proposed by Mr. Quaal. FFF:JGR:aw 7/13/83 CC: FFFielding JGRoberts Subj. Chron THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON July 13, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR WILLIAM F. SITTMANN SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FROM: FRED F. FIELDING COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Letter to Mike Deaver Regarding Meeting With the President and Walter Schwimmer to Discuss a Series on History of the United States Your office has asked for our views on the request from Ward L. Quaal for a meeting with the President. The purpose of the meeting would be for Mr. Quaal and Walter Schwimmer to discuss with the President Schwimmer's proposed twelve-part television series on the history of the United States. Since Mr. Schwimmer's project is a commercial television production, it would not, as a general matter, be appropriate for the President to endorse the project or become involved with it in any way. This being the case, I see little purpose to be served by the meeting proposed by Mr. Quaal. FFF:JGR:aw 7/13/83 CC: FFFielding JGRoberts Subj. Chron ID # 152924 CU WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET PR007 o OUTGOING H INTERNAL I INCOMING Date Correspondence Received (YY/MM/DD) / / Name of Correspondent: Ward L. Quaal MI Mail Report User Codes: (A) (B) (C) Subject: Letter to mike Deaver regarding meeting w/the President and Walter Schurmmer to discuss a series on Historif of the United States ROUTE TO: ACTION DISPOSITION Tracking Type Completion Action Date of Date Office/Agency (Staff Name) Code YY/MM/DD Response Code YY/MM/DD CU Holland WE ORIGINATOR 83,07,06 / / CUAT18 Referral Note: D 83/07/010 WE 583,07,75 Referral Note: / / / / Referral Note: / / / / Referral Note: / / / / Referral Note: ACTION CODES: DISPOSITION CODES: A Appropriate Action 1 - Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary A Answered C Completed C Comment/Recommendation R Direct Reply w/Copy B - Non-Special Referral S. Suspended D Draft Response S For Signature F Furnish Fact Sheet X Interim Reply to be used as Enclosure FOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE: Type of Response = Initials of Signer Code = "A" Completion Date = Date of Outgoing Comments: Keep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter. Send all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB). Always return completed correspondence record to Central Files. Refer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590. 5/81 2F THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON Mr. Fielding: MKD would like your input on the attached. Thanks. 7/1 - attached to other MKD request re: Werner Gundlach DONNA L. BLUME The Ward L. Quaal Company 401 North Michigan Avenue Suite 3140 152924a Ward L. Quaal Chicago, Illinois 60611 Bich Telephone President 312/644-6066 May 18, 1983 The Honorable Michael Deaver this with 77 Deputy Chief of Staff The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C. 20505 Dear Mike: Because of your thoughtful arrangements, I had the pleasure of a fine meeting with the President on March 16th. There were several key matters to discuss and one was urgent; namely, Radio Marti. Our meeting was cut a bit "short" because a group of Congressmen, visiting with the President on the budget, overstayed their timeframe. Even though I had waited more than half an hour beyond my appointed time with our great mutual friend, I did not want to add to the difficulty of his demanding schedule, so I greatly shortened the time allotted to me. When I was with the President on March 16th, Mike, we had not received the report on the mediocrity of education in our beloved nation. However, I knew of the report that was coming forth and I felt that the presentation that was going to be made to the President by the bipartisan Federal commission would underscore, in many ways, the tragedy of the inadequate educational effort in our land. As one truly proud to be an American and SO mighty grateful that Ronald Reagan is our President in these critical times, I wanted to talk with him when at The White House about the manner in which the educational process ignores, almost totally, the history of our blessed land. Mike, it is a tragedy that the young folks of today do not learn more in school about how we got here, what we have become and what we mean to the world. We have here the greatest nation on the face of the globe and each and every day even those who are our "enemies" or who at least speak ill of us, view with envy our achievements and above all else, the true freedom of those who have the good fortune to be citizens of our nation. Los Angeles, California 213/277-9399: 7141493-3316 The Honorable Michael Deaver May 18, 1983 Page 2 When with the President, I had hoped to have the time to address myself to an historical project conceived by the great Walter Schwimmer, the man, in my opinion, who has the finest record of radio and television production of any man in the history of our profession. Mike, Walter has come forth with a twelve-part series on the "History of the United States". The plans are truly tremendous, truly outstanding and offer us a way to present this twelve-part series on television and then make tapes, as well as a written record, available to every school in the United States. The series, as proposed, takes the people of America through the difficult early days to the present. The air presentation of this series will do more, by far, than anything done to date to truly tell the people of America what this nation is all about and why we stand as the beacon of freedom for all the world to see. Mike, this series would help so very much to fill the void that exists today in this important area of educating our young people. Con- currently, it will be a reminder to those of us who are older how fortunate we are to be Americans and to have a little role in this very special land of ours. Walter and I are not seeking one dollar of taxpayer support. This series, when aired, will be presented by American advertisers for the people of America! Mike, I am so excited about the potential for this great presentation, in twelve showings, that I would like just a little bit of time, even ten minutes, for Walter Schwimmer and me to meet with our great President and discuss this briefly with him. As our great President, and, indeed, the finest Chief Executive that this nation has had in modern history and as one who truly loves this country, we would like to tell him, briefly, about what we have in mind. By the way, Mike, he knows that I wanted to discuss this on March 16th but there just was not the time. Please be assured, Mike, that Walter and I will come to Washington at any time, even on short notice, so that we can tell President Reagan the plans to date and how we intend to implement them. Warmest personal regards and thank you so much, Mike, for this and many other courtesies and considerations. Very sincerely, word Ward L. Quaal WLQ:eal MEMORANDUM THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON August 9, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING FROM: JOHN G. ROBERTS ODR SUBJECT: "Honorary Citizenship Certificate" From Kennesaw, Georgia I could not discern from your jottings exactly what changes you wanted made in this letter, so I simply tried another version. I consider it important to disassociate the President from the Kennesaw ordinance, which requires every homeowner to own and maintain a firearm, particularly since the honorary citizenship award asserts that the President supports the ordinance. Attachment THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON August 16, 1983 Dear Chief Ruble: Thank you for your letter of March 22, 1983 to the President. Along with that letter you transmitted a certificate stating that the President concurs with the ordinance passed by Kennesaw, Georgia concerning firearms, and making the President an honorary citizen of Kennesaw. You also re- quested a photograph of the President. In response to your request, I am happy to enclose an autographed portrait of the President. While we are grateful for your loyal support of the President, as evidenced by the grant of honorary citizenship, I must advise you that it would not be appropriate for the President to express a view, either pro or con, on the specific local ordinance passed by Kennesaw. I trust you will understand that this is in no way a reflection on you or the citizens of Kennesaw. Again, thank you for your support. Sincerely, Qrig. of signed by FFF Fred F. Fielding Counsel to the President Mr. Robert L. Ruble Chief of Police City of Kennesaw Police Department 2844 South Main Street Kennesaw, Georgia 30144 Enclosure FFF:JGR:ph 8/15/83 CC: FFFielding/JGRoberts/Subj./Chron THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON August 9, 1983 Dear Chief Ruble: Thank you for your letter of March 22, 1983 to the President. Along with that letter you transmitted a certificate stating that the President concurs with the ordinance passed by Kennesaw, Georgia concerning firearms, and making the President an honorary citizen of Kennesaw. You also re- quested a photograph of the President. In response to your request, I am happy to enclose an autographed portrait of the President. While we are grateful for your loyal support of the President, as evidenced by the grant of honorary citizenship, I must advise you that it would not be appropriate under the circumstances for the President to express a view, either pro or con, on the specific local ordinance passed by Kennesaw. Accordingly, the President should not be repre- sented as concurring in the Kennesaw firearms ordinance. I trust you will understand that this is in no way a reflec- tion on you or the citizens of Kennesaw. Again, thank you for your support. Sincerely, Fred F. Fielding Counsel to the President Mr. Robert L. Ruble Chief of Police City of Kennesaw Police Department 2844 South Main Street Kennesaw, Georgia 30144 Enclosure FFF: JGR:aw 8/9/83 CC: FFFielding/JGRoberts/Subj./Chror MEMORANDUM THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON May 6, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING FROM: JOHN G. ROBERTS SUBJECT: "Honorary Citizenship Certificate" From Kennesaw, Georgia Robert L. Ruble, Chief of Police of Kennesaw, Georgia, has sent the President a certificate stating that the President concurs with the Kennesaw firearms ordinance and accordingly has been made an honorary citizen of Kennesaw. You may recall that the ordinance in question requires every head of a household in Kennesaw to own and maintain a firearm in his home. Chief Ruble states that this has reduced crime. The chief describes himself as a loyal supporter, encloses a photograph of himself exercising his rights under the Second Amendment, and requests an autographed photograph of the President. Our response to Ruble must disavow the assertion that the President supports the Kennesaw ordinance, and instruct Ruble not to make any representations on that score. I think the best way to do this would be to thank Ruble for the honorary citizenship but note that the President generally avoids becomming involved in local questions. I see no objection to sending Ruble a non-personalized auto- graphed photograph of the President. Attachment THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON May 6, 1983 Dear Chief Ruble: Thank you for your letter of March 22, 1983 to the President. Along with that letter you transmitted a certificate stating that the President concurs with the ordinance passed by Kennesaw, Georgia concerning firearms, and making the President an honorary citizen of Kennesaw. While we are grateful for your loyal support of the President, as evidenced by the grant of honorary citizenship, I must advise you that the President generally avoids becomming involved in particular questions of local law. This policy is based not only on the excessive demands becomming familiar with specific local ordinances and issues across the country would place on the President, but also on the dictates of our system of federalism. Accordingly, the President should not be represented as concurring in the Kennesaw firearms ordinance. I trust you will understand that this is based on our general policy of not taking official positions on local questions and is in no way a reflection on you or the citizens of Kennesaw. In response to your request, I am happy to enclose an autographed portrait of the President. Again, thank you for your support. Sincerely, Fred F. Fielding Counsel to the President Mr. Robert L. Ruble Chief of Police City of Kennesaw Police Department 2844 South Main Street Kennesaw, Georgia 30144 Enclosure FFF: JGR:aw 5/6/83 CC: FFFielding/JGRoberts/Subj./Chror ID #. 138665 CU WHITE HOUSE PP009 CORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET o . OUTGOING H - INTERNAL I . INCOMING Roberts Date Correspondence Received (YY/MM/DD) / / Name of Correspondent: Robert L. Ruble MI Mail Report User Codes: (A) (B) (C) Subject: "Honorary Citizenship Certificate" from kennesaw Georgia ROUTE TO: ACTION DISPOSITION Tracking Type Completion Action Date of Date Office/Agency (Staff Name) Code YY/MM/DD Response Code YY/MM/DD CNHOIL CN ORIGINATOR 83,04.27 / / Referral Note: WATIB 2 83,04127 5 83,05,06 S Referral Note: / / / / - Referral Note: / / / / - Referral Note: / / / / I Referral Note: ACTION CODES: DISPOSITION CODES: A . Appropriate Action I . Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary A Answered C Completed C . Comment/Recommendation R - Direct Reply w/Copy B - - Non-Special Referral S Suspended D - Draft Response S For Signature F - Furnish Fact Sheet X Interim Reply to be used as Enclosure FOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE: Type of Response = Initials of Signer Code = "A" Completion Date = Date of Outgoing Comments: Keep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter. Send all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB). Always return completed correspondence record to Central Files. Refer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590. Robert L. Ruble Chief of Police NATIONAL City of Kennesaw KENNESAW of CHIEFS POLICE Police Department POLICE OF GA. 03-22-83 Ronald Reagan 13865cu President of the United States 3600 Pennsylvania Ave. washington, D.C. 20020 Dear President Reagan, It gives me great pleasure to bestow upon you this "Honorary Citizen- ship Certificate" from the City of Kennesaw, Georgia, because of your pro- gun stand on firearm legislation. I am further enclosing a copy of the photo, that made headlines around the world. It might interest you to know, that our stand and our law requiring every head of household to own and maintain a firearm in their home resulted in a 74% decrease in crimes against persons in our Community. The anti-gun city of Morton Grove, Ill. revealed a 4% decrease in crime. As a chief of Police my main function is to reduce crime so that our citizens may walk the streets without fear. I feel, that I have helped in some small way to make not only my city, but our Country a safer place to live. I am one of your loyal supporters and hope that you will continue to do the fine job that you are now doing. I would appreciate a photo of you, Mr. President, which will be framed and hung in a place of honor in my office. Sincerely and with respect, RobertS Ruble Robert L. Ruble chief of Police CELL VERAL* 2 Honorary Kennesaw xxxx **** Citizen the corgia APRIL 12.1862 of (EIG SHANTY U.S.A. // This is to certify that PRESIDENT, RONALD REAGAN concurs with the new Ordinance passed by the town of Kennesaw based on Article I of the Amendments of the Constitution, that the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed PRESIDENT, RONALD REAGAN is hereby granted Honorary Citizenship to Kennesaw, Georgia. Number: 0382 Signed: Chief of Police Robert of Ruble Date: MARCH 22, 1983 City Mayor Council Jerry Wonhan Darvin R. Purdy PROCEEDS from HONORARY Citizenship CERTIFICATES WILL GO TO: FIRE ARM SAFETY Gaman Stephmson Coker Malons THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 7, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING FROM: JOHN G. ROBERTS SUBJECT: Joey Adams Foreword You will recall that after determining that the proceeds from Joey Adams' forthcoming book on humor would go to the Actors Youth Fund, we advised Kathleen Osborne that our office would have no objection to the President writing a brief foreword to the book, pursuant to Mr. Adams' request and the President's expressed desire to comply with that request. Since I had contacted him in the course of reaching the foregoing conclusion, Adams sent a draft of the book to me and indicated that he wanted me to be his only point of contact in connection with the project. I recommend sending the book to Osborne for either routing to the speechwriters or special messages or the President's own drafting of a brief message. Attachment THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 7, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE PERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT FROM: FRED F. FIELDING Orig. signed by FFF COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Joey Adams Foreword On August 18, I advised you that our office had no objection to the President complying with Joey Adams' request that he write a brief foreward to Adams' forthcoming book on humor, the proceeds of which are to go to the Actors Youth Fund. Adams has now sent our office a draft of the book to facilitate preparation of the foreword. I am sending the draft to you so that it may be routed as appropriate to whomever will be working on this project. As I indicated in my earlier memorandum, our office should review a draft of the proposed foreword. Attachment FFF: JGR:aea 9/7/83 CC: FFFielding JGRoberts Subj. Chron THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 7, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE PERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT FROM: FRED F. FIELDING COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Joey Adams Foreword On August 18, I advised you that our office had no objection to the President complying with Joey Adams' request that he write a brief foreward to Adams' forthcoming book on humor, the proceeds of which are to go to the Actors Youth Fund. Adams has now sent our office a draft of the book to facilitate preparation of the foreword. I am sending the draft to you so that it may be routed as appropriate to whomever will be working on this project. As I indicated in my earlier memorandum, our office should review a draft of the proposed foreword. Attachment FFF: JGR:aea 9/7/83 CC: FFFielding JGRoberts Subj. Chron MEMORANDUM THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON August 18, 1983 FOR: FRED F. FIELDING FROM: JOHN G. ROBERTS 232 SUBJECT: Request from Joey Adams that the President Write Foreword to His New Book You will recall that Joey Adams, President of The Actors Youth Fund and a close friend of the President's, wrote the President to ask him to write a foreword to Laugh Yourself Well, a new book on the uses of humor being written by Adams. We advised Kathy Osborne that the President should not become involved in such a commercial venture, and prepared a letter to Adams to that effect. Osborne replied that the President would like to make an exception if Adams were doing the book for the benefit of The Actors Youth Fund. There were no indications from Adams' correspondence that this was the case, but, at your request, I placed a call to him. He was out of the country and only returned my call today. I told Adams that as a matter of policy the President avoided involvement in commercial ventures, and Adams stated that all the money would go to The Actors Youth Fund. While we typically avoid endorsing charitable projects as well as commercial ventures, the problems are less severe and exceptions have been made. In light of the President's expressed desire to write the foreword, and Mr. Adams' assertion that proceeds from the book will go for charitable purposes, I see no objection to an exception in this case. A proposed memorandum to Osborne is attached for your review and signature. Attachment THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON August 18, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE PERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT FROM: FRED F. FIELDING COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Request that President Write Foreword You will recall that Joey Adams, President of The Actors Youth Fund, asked the President to write a foreword to his new book on the uses of humor. We advised that it would be inappropriate for the President to do so, in light of the White House policy of avoiding involvement in commercial ventures. The President thereupon inquired if Adams were doing the book for the benefit of The Actors Youth Fund. Mr. Adams has been out of the country, and only recently has been able to return our calls. He has now indicated that all of the proceeds of the book will in fact go to The Actors Youth Fund. Accordingly, we have no objection to the President writing a brief foreword to Mr. Adams' book, should he desire to do SO. Our office, however, should review a draft of the proposed foreword. THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON August 18, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE PERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT Orig. signed by FFF FROM: FRED F. FIELDING COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Request that President Write Foreword You will recall that Joey Adams, President of The Actors Youth Fund, asked the President to write a foreword to his new book on the uses of humor. We advised that it would be inappropriate for the President to do 50, in light of the White House policy of avoiding involvement in commercial ventures. The President thereupon inquired if Adams were doing the book for the benefit of The Actors Youth Fund. Mr. Adams has been out of the country, and only recently has been able to return our calls. He has now indicated that all of the proceeds of the book will in fact go to The Actors Youth Fund. Accordingly, WE have no objection to the President writing a brief foreword to Mr. Adams' book, should he desire to do SO. Our office, however, should review a draft of the proposed foreword. FFF:JGR:ph 8/18/83 CC: FFFielding JGRoberts Subject Chron. THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 14, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING FROM: JOHN G. ROBERTS SUBJECT: Joey Adams Foreword ?? On June 24, Joey Adams asked the President to write a foreword to Adams' forthcoming book on humor. On July 12, we advised Kathy Osborne that such a foreword would contravene our policy of avoiding Presidential involvement in commercial enterprises, and submitted a draft letter to that effect to be sent to Adams. On July 21, Osborne replied that the President would like to make an exception to the policy if the proceeds were going to Adams' charitable organization, The Actors Youth Fund. I contacted Adams, who stated that all the proceeds would go to the Fund. On August 18, we so advised Osborne, and noted that we had no objection to the President authoring a foreword should he desire to do SO. (N.B. - This is in fact an exception to the policy noted above, rather than outside its luby scope, since the fact that the proceeds are going to a charity does not alter the commercial nature of the book itself, which will be publicly marketed.) Adams sent us a draft of the book, which we sent on to Osborne on September 7. Osborne forwarded it to Charley Shepherd for drafting of a foreword. After reading the "book," Shepherd advised Osborne that in his view the President should not write a foreword. Shepherd cited several objectionable jokes and described the book as "sleazy, tacky and tawdry.' Osborne now asks for your thoughts, noting she "tends to agree" with Shepherd. The book is really not as advertised by Adams, but rather a collection of often tasteless Henny Youngman - Don Rickles - Rodney Dangerfield one-liners. I agree that it would be inadvisable for the President to author a foreword to this work. The problem is that Adams, who, by the President's own account, has known the President "for many, many years," now fully expects a foreword, because he has agreed to donate all proceeds to The Actors Youth Fund. I have taken a stab at a very difficult letter, and a memorandum to Osborne. + did a good job, Attachments Pls see suggetted deeps in 9/14 does at the will it we THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 14, 1983 children be this no see MEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE PERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT FROM: FRED F. FIELDING COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT same ratter tasteles. SUBJECT: Joey Adams Foreword We have reviewed the copy of the book submitted by Joey Adams, and agree with Charley Shepherd that it would be inappropriate for the President to write a foreword for this particular book. Adams advised us that the book would be one on the uses of humor; in fact, it appears to be little more than a collection of one-liners ) If you approve, I will send the attached draft A of you then it will be a public with the Pendit, 9 will disaus in with him a Miter CC Dearn. THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 14, 1983 Dear Mr. Adams: Some time ago you requested that the President write a brief foreword to a book you were writing on the uses of humor. We routinely decline such requests, however meritorious, on the basis of established White House policy of avoiding any involvement by the President in commercial endeavors. You advised our office, however, that all the proceeds of the book were to be donated to The Actors Youth Fund, and sent a draft of the book for our consideration. The fact that the proceeds of the book will inure to the benefit of a worthy charity does not in itself alter the nature of the project as a commercial endeavor, since the book will still be marketed and sold. While rare exceptions are made, as a matter of policy we generally avoid Presidential endorsement of or association with specific charitable efforts. Since the President receives countless requests to support specific charities, and obviously cannot accept them all, fairness dictates that he generally adhere to a policy of declining such requests & wish & bad a good "claim line to grawpelly advise you of In light of your long association with the President, and item, Gt all the laudable work of your charity, we carefully reviewed can say is your book to determine if there were some basis on which we could grant your request. I am sorry to have to advise you that we cannot do so. Please understand that our inability to approve a foreword by the President is in no way an adverse reflection on you or The Actors Youth Fund. Sincerely, Fred F. Fielding Counsel to the President Mr. Joey Adams The Actors Youth Fund 160 West 46th Street Room 402-A New York, NY 10036 THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 16, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE PERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT FROM: FRED F. FIELDING Orig. signed by FFF COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Joey Adams Foreword We have reviewed the copy of the book submitted by Joey Adams, and agree with Charley Shepherd that it would be inappropriate for the President to write a foreword for this particular book. Adams advised us that the book would be one on the uses of humor; in fact, it appears to be little more than a collection of one-liners, some rather tasteless. If you approve, I will send the attached draft, which does not really address the problem we see, but turns it off. If you think it will be a problem with the President, I will disucss it with him or Mike. CC: Michael K. Deaver Attachment FFF:JGR:aea 9/16/83 CC: FFFielding JGRoberts Subj. Chron THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 16, 1983 Dear Mr. Adams: Some time ago you requested that the President write a brief foreword to a book you were writing on the uses of humor. We routinely decline such requests, however meritorious, on the basis of established White House policy of avoiding any involvement by the President in commercial endeavors. You advised our office, however, that all the proceeds of the book were to be donated to The Actors Youth Fund, and sent a draft of the book for our consideration. The fact that the proceeds of the book will inure to the benefit of a worthy charity does not in itself alter the nature of the project as a commercial endeavor, since the book will still be marketed and sold. While rare exceptions are made, as a matter of policy we generally avoid Presidential endorsement of or association with specific charitable efforts. Since the President receives countless requests to support specific charities, and obviously cannot accept them all, fairness dictates that he generally adhere to a policy of declining such requests. In light of your long association with the President, and the laudable work of your charity, we carefully reviewed your book to determine if there were some basis on which we could grant your request. I am sorry to have to advise you that we cannot do SO. I wish I had a good "closing line" to gracefully advise you of this, but all I can say is please understand that our inability to approve a foreword by the President is in no way an adverse reflection on you or The Actors Youth Fund. Sincerely, Orig. signed by FFF Fred F. Fielding Counsel to the President Mr. Joey Adams The Actors Youth Fund 160 West 46th Street Room 402-A New York, NY 10036 FFF: JGR:aea 9/16/83 bcc: FFFielding/JGRoberts/Subj./Chron THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 16, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE PERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT FROM: FRED F. FIELDING COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Joey Adams Foreword We have reviewed the copy of the book submitted by Joey Adams, and agree with Charley Shepherd that it would be inappropriate for the President to write a foreword for this particular book. Adams advised us that the book would be one on the uses of humor; in fact, it appears to be little more than a collection of one-liners, some rather tasteless. If you approve, I will send the attached draft, which does not really address the problem we see, but turns it off. If you think it will be a problem with the President, I will disucss it with him or Mike. CC: Michael K. Deaver Attachment FFF: JGR:aea 9/16/83 CC: FFFielding JGRoberts Subj. Chron THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 16, 1983 Dear Mr. Adams: Some time ago you requested that the President write a brief foreword to a book you were writing on the uses of humor. We routinely decline such requests, however meritorious, on the basis of established White House policy of avoiding any involvement by the President in commercial endeavors. You advised our office, however, that all the proceeds of the book were to be donated to The Actors Youth Fund, and sent a draft of the book for our consideration. The fact that the proceeds of the book will inure to the benefit of a worthy charity does not in itself alter the nature of the project as a commercial endeavor, since the book will still be marketed and sold. While rare exceptions are made, as a matter of policy we generally avoid Presidential endorsement of or association with specific charitable efforts. Since the President receives countless requests to support specific charities, and obviously cannot accept them all, fairness dictates that he generally adhere to a policy of declining such requests. In light of your long association with the President, and the laudable work of your charity, we carefully reviewed your book to determine if there were some basis on which we could grant your request. I am sorry to have to advise you that we cannot do SO. I wish I had a good "closing line" to gracefully advise you of this, but all I can say is please understand that our inability to approve a foreword by the President is in no way an adverse reflection on you or The Actors Youth Fund. Sincerely, Fred F. Fielding Counsel to the President Mr. Joey Adams The Actors Youth Fund 160 West 46th Street Room 402-A New York, NY 10036 FFF:JGR:aea 9/16/83 bcc: FFFielding/JGRoberts/Subj./Chror THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 14, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING FROM: JOHN G. ROBERTS SUBJECT: Joey Adams Foreword On June 24, Joey Adams asked the President to write a foreword to Adams' forthcoming book on humor. On July 12, we advised Kathy Osborne that such a foreword would contravene our policy of avoiding Presidential involvement in commercial enterprises, and submitted a draft letter to that effect to be sent to Adams. On July 21, Osborne replied that the President would like to make an exception to the policy if the proceeds were going to Adams' charitable organization, The Actors Youth Fund. I contacted Adams, who stated that all the proceeds would go to the Fund. On August 18, we so advised Osborne, and noted that we had no objection to the President authoring a foreword should he desire to do SO. (N.B. - This is in fact an exception to the policy noted above, rather than outside its scope, since the fact that the proceeds are going to a charity does not alter the commercial nature of the book itself, which will be publicly marketed.) Adams sent us a draft of the book, which we sent on to Osborne on September 7. Osborne forwarded it to Charley Shepherd for drafting of a foreword. After reading the "book," Shepherd advised Osborne that in his view the President should not write a foreword. Shepherd cited several objectionable jokes and described the book as "sleazy, tacky and tawdry. Osborne now asks for your thoughts, noting she "tends to agree" with Shepherd. The book is really not as advertised by Adams, but rather a collection of often tasteless Henny Youngman - Don Rickles - Rodney Dangerfield one-liners. I agree that it would be inadvisable for the President to author a foreword to this work. The problem is that Adams, who, by the President's own account, has known the President "for many, many years," now fully expects a foreword, because he has agreed to donate all proceeds to The Actors Youth Fund. I have taken a stab at a very difficult letter, and a memorandum to Osborne. Attachments THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 14, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE PERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT FROM: FRED F. FIELDING COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Joey Adams Foreword We have reviewed the copy of the book submitted by Joey Adams, and agree with Charley Shepherd that it would be inappropriate for the President to write a foreword for this particular book. Adams advised us that the book would be one on the uses of humor; in fact, it appears to be little more than a collection of one-liners. If you approve, I will send the attached draft. Attachment FFF: JGR:aea 9/14/83 CC: FFFielding JGRoberts Subj. Chron THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 14, 1983 Dear Mr. Adams: Some time ago you requested that the President write a brief foreword to a book you were writing on the uses of humor. We routinely decline such requests, however meritorious, on the basis of established White House policy of avoiding any involvement by the President in commercial endeavors. You advised our office, however, that all the proceeds of the book were to be donated to The Actors Youth Fund, and sent a draft of the book for our consideration. The fact that the proceeds of the book will inure to the benefit of a worthy charity does not in itself alter the nature of the project as a commercial endeavor, since the book will still be marketed and sold. While rare exceptions are made, as a matter of policy we generally avoid Presidential endorsement of or association with specific charitable efforts. Since the President receives countless requests to support specific charities, and obviously cannot accept them all, fairness dictates that he generally adhere to a policy of declining such requests. In light of your long association with the President, and the laudable work of your charity, we carefully reviewed your book to determine if there were some basis on which we could grant your request. I am sorry to have to advise you that we cannot do so. Please understand that our inability to approve a foreword by the President is in no way an adverse reflection on you or The Actors Youth Fund. Sincerely, Fred F. Fielding Counsel to the President Mr. Joey Adams The Actors Youth Fund 160 West 46th Street Room 402-A New York, NY 10036 FFF: JGR:aea 9/14/83 bcc: FFFielding/JGRoberts/Subj./Chron 149840 WHITE HOUSE 0 . OUTGOING H . INTERNAL CORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET John I * INCOMING Date Correspondence Received (YY/MM/DD) / / Name of Correspondent: Charley Shepherd MI Mail Report Subject: ConcuRRewith Fielding that President Should not by Charley Shepherk User Codes: (A) (B) (C) write foreward For book by Joey adams to benefit the actois youth Fund (memo to Kathy Osborne) ROUTE TO: ACTION DISPOSITION Tracking Type Completion Action Date of Date Office/Agency (Staff Name) Code YY/MM/DD Response Code YY/MM/DD WHOII ORIGINATOR 83/09/13 / / Referral Note: CUATIB D 83/09/13 continuing corresp. 583,09,23 Referral Note: / / / / Referral Note: / / / / Referral Note: / / / / Referral Note: ACTION CODES: DISPOSITION CODES: A - Appropriate Action I - Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary A Answered C Completed C . Comment/Recommendation R. Direct Reply w/Copy B . Non-Special Referral S Suspended D - Draft Response S For Signature F - Furnish Fact Sheet X Interim Reply to be used as Enclosure FOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE: Type of Response = Initials of Signer Code = "A" Completion Date = Date of Outgoing Comments: Sep 7 83 FFF memo to Kathleen Osborne attached Keep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter. Send all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB). Always return completed correspondence record to Central Files. Refer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590. 5/81 MEMORANDUM THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON TO: Kathy Osborne FROM: Charley Shepherd DATE: September 12, 1983 RE: Request that President Write Foreward I read the book which Joey Adams has written to benefit the Actors Youth Fund in preparation for writing a foreward for the President. After reading this material, I strongly recommend that we let Fred Fielding's July 12, 1983 rejection stand. Anne Higgins concurs. Despite the non-commercial purpose of this book, I don't believe that the President should be associated with it for the following reasons: The book has an overall ambience of sleazy, tacky and tawdry. Many worthy projects requesting the President's assistance in fund-raising activities are turned down. (I believe that Counsel's Office did a memo on this at one time.) On page 9, the following "definition" appears. I find it totally objectionable and I interpret it as a completely derogatory remark, containing no humor whatsoever: "CONSERVATIVE: He's not really a conservative -- the word is retarded. I don't think that is funny. I don't believe the President would think that is funny. I also don't think that the conservatives who helped to elect the President would think that is funny. Also, there is something very wrong with a so-called "joke" which uses the word "retarded." Retardation is a tragic medical problem which affects tens of thousands of American families. They might not think it is funny, either. On pages 46 and 47, there are two "jokes" which I have marked with pencil checks. They are not only derogatory to the President but also to Mrs. Reagan. They are very snotty "jokes." I understand the President's wish to help this charity however, the Joey Adams book seems to be a very unsavory vehicle. Also, if the President does this, it will put him in a very bad position when we have to turn down other requests for very worthy causes. Surely, there may be another way to help this group -- perhaps a Presidential message for a benefit performance.

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    "ocrText": "Ronald Reagan Presidential Library\nDigital Library Collections\nThis is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections.\nCollection: Roberts, John G.: Files\nFolder Title: JGR/Endorsements by the President\n(2 of 4)\nBox: 19\nTo see more digitized collections visit:\nhttps://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library\nTo see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library inventories visit:\nhttps://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection\nContact a reference archivist at: [email protected]\nCitation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing\nNational Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nMay 23, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING\nFROM:\nJOHN G. ROBERTS\nSUBJECT:\nRequest that Mrs. Reagan Appear on\nSimplicity Sewing Catalogue Cover\nJim Rosebush denied a request from Simplicity Sewing that\nMrs. Reagan appear on the cover of their catalogue. In\nexchange for her appearance, Simplicity would donate $10,000\nto a charity designated by Mrs. Reagan, and permit her to\ninclude a brief message inside the catalogue. Rosebush\ndenied the request on the ground that \"the First Lady is\nprohibited from endorsing community [sic - presumably should\nbe commercial] enterprises.\"\nSimplicity's lobbyist has asked for reconsideration, noting\nthat the catalogue reaches over 9 million middle-American\nwomen, that Mesdames Ford and Carter appeared on similar\npublications, and that this proposal \"can in no way be\ncompared to a previous incident involving alleged\nimproprieties utilizing the First Lady's appearance on a\nJapanese Women's Magazine cover.\" Two Congressmen from\ndistricts containing Simplicity operations, Mark Siljander\n(R-Mich.) and Bill Green (R-N.Y.), have also written\nRosebush, asking that he permit Simplicity to respond to his\nconcerns. Rosebush has asked you if he was wrong to deny\nthe request.\nI think Rosebush's denial was correct, assuming he meant to\nobject to having the First Lady appearing to endorse a\n\"commercial\" and not \"community\" enterprise. As a general\npolicy, we do not approve the use of a photograph or\nlikeness of the First Lady in any manner that suggests or\ncould be construed as endorsement of a commercial product or\nenterprise. In this case, her appearance on the Simplicity\ncatalogue cover could easily be construed as an endorsement\nof Simplicity.\nIt is unclear from the incoming whether Rosebush wants\nsimply a vote of confidence or responses to Simplicity's\nlobbyist and the Congressmen. I hesitate to respond\n-2-\ndirectly since Rosebush handled this matter himself in the\nfirst instance. I have drafted a memorandum to him noting\nthat we agree with his decision and offering to respond to\nhis correspondents if he wishes.\nAttachment\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nMay 23, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR JAMES S. ROSEBUSH\nDEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT\nFROM:\nFRED F. FIELDING Orig. signed by FFF\nCOUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT\nSUBJECT:\nRequest that Mrs. Reagan Appear on\nSimplicity Sewing Catalogue Cover\nWe agree entirely with your decision not to approve the\nrequest to have the First Lady appear on the cover of the\nSimplicity Sewing Catalogue. As you know the White House\nadheres to a policy of not approving the use of a photograph\nor likeness of the President or First Lady in any manner\nthat suggests or could be construed as endorsement of a\ncommercial enterprise. Mrs. Reagan's appearance on the\nSimplicity Sewing Catalogue could easily be construed as an\nendorsement of the products advertised therein. (We assume\nthat in your letter to Mr. Chwat you meant to say \"commercial\nenterprises\" rather than \"community enterprises. \")\nIf you would like us to respond directly to Mr. Chwat and\nCongressmen Siljander and Green, we would be happy to do so.\nFFF: JGR:aw 5/23/83\nCC: FFFielding\nJGRoberts\nSubj.\nChron\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nMay 23, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR JAMES S. ROSEBUSH\nDEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT\nFROM:\nFRED F. FIELDING\nCOUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT\nSUBJECT:\nRequest that Mrs. Reagan Appear on\nSimplicity Sewing Catalogue Cover\nWe agree entirely with your decision not to approve the\nrequest to have the First Lady appear on the cover of the\nSimplicity Sewing Catalogue. As you know the White House\nadheres to a policy of not approving the use of a photograph\nor likeness of the President or First Lady in any manner\nthat suggests or could be construed as endorsement of a\ncommercial enterprise. Mrs. Reagan's appearance on the\nSimplicity Sewing Catalogue could easily be construed as an\nendorsement of the products advertised therein. (We assume\nthat in your letter to Mr. Chwat you meant to say \"commercial\nenterprises\" rather than \"community enterprises. \")\nIf you would like us to respond directly to Mr. Chwat and\nCongressmen Siljander and Green, we would be happy to do so.\nFFF: JGR:aw 5/23/83\nCC: FFFielding\nJGRoberts\nSubj.\nChron\nID # 137677 CU\nWHITE HOUSE\nPR01412\nCORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET\no . OUTGOING\nH INTERNAL\nJohn R.\nI - INCOMING\nDate Correspondence\nReceived (YY/MM/DD)\nName of\nCorrespondent: / Jim / Rosebush /mark. D. Siljander\nMI Mail Report\nUser Codes: (A)\nweigend\n(B)\n(C)\nSubject: Request by Robert Simplicity Sewing books that\nMRs. Reagan appear on cover of Simplicity\nSewing books.\nSimplicity Pattern Company, Inc.)\nROUTE TO:\nACTION\nDISPOSITION\nTracking\nType\nCompletion\nAction\nDate\nof\nDate\nOffice/Agency\n(Staff Name)\nCode\nYY/MM/DD\nResponse\nCode\nYY/MM/DD\nCU Holland\nORIGINATOR 83,05,10\n/\n/\nReferral Note:\nCUAT18\nD\n05,10\n583,05,20\nReferral Note:\n/\n/\n/\n/\nReferral Note:\n/\n/\n/\n/\n-\nReferral Note:\n/\n/\n/\n/\n-\nReferral Note:\nACTION CODES:\nDISPOSITION CODES:\nA - Appropriate Action\nI . Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary\nA Answered\nC Completed\nC Comment/Recommendation\nR Direct Reply w/Copy\nB - Non-Special Referral\nS Suspended\nD - Draft Response\nS For Signature\nF * Furnish Fact Sheet\nX Interim Reply\nto be used as Enclosure\nFOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE:\nType of Response = Initials of Signer\nCode = \"A\"\nCompletion Date = Date of Outgoing\nComments:\nKeep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter.\nSend all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB).\nAlways return completed correspondence record to Central Files.\nRefer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590.\n5/81\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nMay 9, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR FRED FIELDING\nFROM\nJIM ROSEBUSH\nSUBJECT\nSIMPLICITY PATTERN Jam BOOK PHOTO\nNever before have I seen such intense lobbying on an\nissue like this. I turned down a request that Mrs.\nReagan appear on the cover of several Simplicity Sewing\nbooks on the basis that it would be a very specific\nendorsement of a commerical enterprise.\nWas I wrong?\nMARK D. SILJANDER\nDISTRICT OFFICES:\n4TH DISTRICT. MICHIGAN\n815 MAIN STREET\nSUITE 3A\nCOMMITTEE:\nST. JOSEPH. MICHIGAN 49085\nFOREIGN AFFAIRS\n(616) 982-0722\nWASHINGTON OFFICE:\n15788 WEST MICHIGAN AVENUE\n137 CANNON HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING\nTHREE RIVERS. MICHIGAN 49093\nWASHINGTON. D.C. 20515\n(202) 225-3761\nCongress of the United States\n(618) 279-7125\n800-272-3413\nROBIN M. LUKETINA\nGENERAL COUNSEL/CHIEF OF STAFF\nhouse of Representatives\nWashington, D.C. 20515\n137\nMay 5, 1983\nJames Rosebush\nDeputy Assistant to the President\nand Chief of Staff\nOffice of the First Lady\nThe White House\nWashington, D.C. 20500\nDear Mr. Rosebush:\nOne of our constituents, Simplicity Pattern Company, Inc.\n,\nwhich has its major manufacturing facility in my District, has\nsubmitted a proposal to your office to have a photograph of\nFirst Lady Nancy Reagan appear on several of its publications,\nincluding its Counter Catalog, which is distributed free\nthroughout the nation.\nAs a Member of the Michigan delegation, I recall the fact\nthat a photograph of former First Lady Betty Ford appeared on\nthe cover of the McCall's Counter Catalog during former President\nGerald Ford's term of office, and that appearance was widely\nacclaimed by women and consumers across the United States. I\nunderstand that your office declined Simplicity's offer due to\na feeling that it would be an endorsement of a \"community\nenterprise\". However, given the former First Lady Betty Ford\nprecedent, please give reconsideration to the request, and perhaps\nallow Simplicity to address your specific questions and concerns.\nSincerely yours,\nMark D. Siljander\nMember of Congress\nCHWAT/WEIGEND ASSOCIATES\nCONGRESSIONAL & GOVERNMENT RELATIONS\n226 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE. N.E.\nWASHINGTON, D.C. 20002\n202/547-7100\nMay 6, 1983\nJames Rosebush, Deputy Assistant\nto the President & Chief of Staff\nOffice of the First Lady\nThe White House\nWashington, D.C. 20500\nDear Mr. Rosebush:\nWe appreciate your prompt consideration of the proposal\nfrom Simplicity Pattern Company, Inc., and your reply letter\nto us dated April 26, 1983. From the tone of your letter,\nwe have the impression that you would give more favorable\nconsideration to this proposal if it was not a community\nenterprise. We would appreciate another discussion with\nyou regarding the extent of the White House community enter-\nprise ruling, and modification of the Simplicity proposal\nto eliminate any prohibited aspects.\nThe Simplicity proposal would allow the First Lady to\nwrite a short \"personal\" message or \"open letter\" to millions\nof women who sew. The Simplicity publications have a com-\nbined circulation of 9.65 million, which is significantly\nlarger than the domestic circulation of Time Magazine (4.47\nmillion), Newsweek (2.95 million) or the Wall Street Journal\n(1.93 million). Moreover, the Simplicity publications are\ndirected to a single important constituency, namely women\nfrom \"middle-America\". It is an ideal way to reach this\nconstituency and it would be clearly structured SO as to\nnot be any type of product endorsement. As you know, both\nformer First Ladies Betty Ford and Rosalyn Carter have\nappeared on similar publications.\nFinally, we would not be adversed to merely utilizing\none of the First Lady's standard portrait photographs for\nthis purpose. Simplicity is making this project as a part\nof National Sewing Month. Enclosed is President Reagan's\nproclamation of last year regarding National Sewing Month,\nand this year legislation is pending before both the Senate\nand House to make National Sewing Month an annual occurrence.\nWe hope to discuss this proposal with you as soon as\npossible.\nSincerely,\nRobert E. Weigend\nREW:clw\nREQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION OF\nA PROPOSAL TO FIRST LADY NANCY REAGAN BY\nTHE SIMPLICITY PATTERN CO.\nNOT A \"COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE\"\nThe appearance of the First Lady on the cover of the\nSimplicity Catalog is not a \"community enterprise\", nor a\ncommercial enterprise, but rather a request to have Nancy\nReagan detail in the Catalog (inside cover) the type of\ncharity she wants the donation of $10,000 to go towards.\nIt is a photo of the First Lady on the cover of the Catalog\nthat women across the country will recognize and support\nan American industry in economic trouble.\nCATALOG IS DISTRIBUTED FREE TO CONSUMERS\nThe Catalog is distributed free to over 15,000 retail\nstores and seen by over 9 million women/consumers around\nthe country. These 9 million consumers do not pay for the\nCatalog and this circulation is one of the largest in the\nCountry, some of the others being:\nTHE APPEARANCE CAN BE FEATURED AS A NEWS STORY\nThe First Lady's appearance can be tied to a news story\nrelating to the charity receiving the $10,000 gift or an\nitem of the First Ladies choice. This news story can run on\nthe cover of the Simplicity Magazine and Catalog, and is simi-\nlar to Nancy Reagan's recent appearances on the cover of\nPeople's Magazine and various other women's publications. A\nfeature news story, interview, or statement by the First Lady\ncan also be arranged to expand on the All-American Catalog\nthere.\nDONATION TO CHARITY, A PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN\nIf the First Lady chooses to donate to a drug awareness\ncampaign or other charity, perhaps a major nationwide public\nrelations campaign can be undertaken around this donation and\nthe course for which it is given by Simplicity. A message by\nthe First Lady to the 9 million consumers on this donation\nwould be supported by the company.\n(2)\nA PHOTOGRAPH IN LIEU OF A SEPARATE PHOTO SESSION\nIf a short photo session with the First Lady is unaccep-\ntable to the White House under any circumstances, the company\nwould ask for a photograph of the First Lady in lieu of the\nfive photo sessions. A stock White House photograph, similar\nto the hundreds submitted each and everyday for media and\npublicity purposes can be utilized by Simplicity for their\nAll-American Catalog theme.\nTHERE IS NO APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY\nThis photograph session can in no way be compared to a\nprevious incident involving alleged improprieties utilizing\nthe First Lady's appearance on a Japanese Women's Magazine\ncover. There are no third parties in the White House\nbenefiting from the picture taking; it is a non commercial\nenterprise for an American company; U.S. consumers would be\nthe targeted constituency and all around it can assist the\nWhite House in 1984.\nSTATE THE UNITED\nI\nBO\nASEA\nSTATES\nNational Sewing Month\nBy the President of the United States of America\nA Proclamation\nTens of millions of Americans sew at home. Their efforts demonstrate the\nindustry. the skill and the self-reliance which are so characteristic of this\nNation.\nIn recognition of the importance of home sewing to our economy the Congress\nhas, by Senate Joint Resolution 205, designated September, 1982, as National\nSewing Month.\nNOW, THEREFORE. I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of\nAmerica. do hereby proclaim September, 1982, as National Sewing Month. I\ncall upon the people of the United States to observe this month with appropri-\nate ceremonies and activities.\nIN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of\nSeptember. in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-two, and of\nthe Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and\nseventh.\nRonald Reagon\nMARK D SILJANDER\nDISTRI CT OFFICES.\nMOHGA\nCOMMITTEE\n5T JOCEPH MICHIGAN 49061\nFOREIGN AFFAIRS\nWASHINGTON OFFICE:\n15788 WEST MICHIGAN AVENUE\n137 CANNON HOUSE OFFICE BUNDWS\nTHRIS PIVERS MICHISAN 48083\nWASHINGTON :: 2019\n1202 271\nCongress of the United States\n800-272-3413\nROBIN M LUKETINA\nGENERAL COUNSEL/CHIEF OF STAFF\nHouse of Representatives\nWashington, D.C. 20515\nMay 5, 1983\nJames Rosebush\nDepty Assistant to the President\nand Chief of Staff\nOffice of the First Lady\nThe White House\nWashington, D.C. 20500\nDear Mr. Rosebush:\nOne of our constituents, Simplicity Pattern Company, Inc\nwhich has its major manufacturing facility in my District, has\nsubmitted a proposal to your office to have a photograph of\nFirst Lady Nancy Reagan appear on several of its publications,\nincluding its Counter Catalog, which is distributed free\nthroughout the nation.\nAs a Member of the Michigan delegation, I recall the fact\nthat a photograph of former First Lady Betty Ford appeared on\nthe cover of the McCall's Counter Catalog during former President\nGerald Ford's term of office, and that appearance was widely\nacclaimed by women and consumers across the United States. I\nunderstand that your office declined Simplicity's offer due to\na feeling that it would be an endorsement of a \"community enterprise\".\nHowever, given the former First Lady Betty Ford precident, please\ngive reconsideration to the request, and perhaps allow Simplicity\nto address your specific questions and concerns.\nSincerely yours,\nMark D. Siljander\nMember of Congress\nMDS/aeg\nWASHINGTON OFFICE\n1111 1. GREEN\n1110 LONGWORTH HOUSE OFFICE DUIL\n1910 Discount. Hew York\nWASHINGTON, D.C. 20515\n(202) 225-2430\nCOMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS\nCongress of the United States\nNEW YORK OFFICE:\nSUBCOMMITTEED\nGRAND CENTRAL POST OFFICE DUILD\nRANKING MINORITY MEMBER\n110 EAST 45TH STREET\nHUD-INDEPENDENT AGENCIES\nHouse of Representatives\nNEW York, NEW YORK 10017\n(212) 020-4460\nDISTRICT OF COLUMBIA\nWashington, D.C. 20515\nMay 5, 1983\nJames Rosebush, Deputy Assistant\nto the President and Chief of Staff\nOffice of the First Lady\nThe White House\nWashington, D.C. 20500\nDear Mr. Rosebush:\nI understand that on April 26, 1983, your office declined\nthe offer of Simplicity Pattern Company, Inc., located in my\nCongressional District, to have First Lady Nancy Reagan appear\non the cover of three Simplicity publications.\nI have reviewed the Simplicity proposal and understand that\nit would allow the First Lady to give a personal message to over\n9.6 million women who read these publications, and therefore,\nit is an opportunity which I feel merits scrious consideration.\nI would greatly appreciate your affording representatives of\nSimplicity the opportunity to respond to whatever reservations\nyou may have concerning the proposal.\nIL is my hope that you will reconsider this. Thank you For\nyour valuable time and attention.\nBill Then\nBill Green\nMember of Congress\nBG/ds\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nApril 26, 1983\nDear Mr. Chwat:\nThank you for forwarding copies of your\nSimplicity Publications.\nAfter careful consideration I regret to\ninform you that we must decline your invitation\nto have Mrs. Reagan featured on the covers.\nWhile it is hard to pass up your offer of\n$10,000 for the Drug Abuse Program, the First\nLady is prohibited from endorsing community\nenterprises, and this ruling obviously extends\nto Simplicity Publications.\nThank you again for writing to me regarding\nthis opportunity.\nSincerely,\nJSRnebush\nDeputy Assistant to the\nPresident\nMr. John S. Chwat\nCHWAT/WEIGEND ASSOCIATES\n226 Massachusetts Avenue, NE\nWashington, D. C. 20002\nCC: Virginia Knauer\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nApril 26, 1983\nDear Mr. Chwat:\nThank you for forwarding copies of your\nSimplicity Publications.\nAfter careful consideration I regret to\ninform you that we must decline your invitation\nto have Mrs. Reagan featured on the covers.\nWhile it is hard to pass up your offer of\n$10,000 for the Drug Abuse Program, the First\nLady is prohibited from endorsing community\nenterprises, and this ruling obviously extends\nto Simplicity Publications.\nThank you again for writing to me regarding\nthis opportunity.\nSincerely,\nJSRnebash\nDeputy Assistant to the\nPresident\nMr. John S. Chwat\nCHWAT/WEIGEND ASSOCIATES\n226 Massachusetts Avenue, NE\nWashington, D. C. 20002\nCC: Virginia Knauer\nMemoto Si\nMEMORANDUM\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nJuly 13, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING\nFROM:\nJOHN G. ROBERTS\nore\nSUBJECT:\nWard L. Quaal Request for\nMeeting with the President\nWard L. Quaal, apparently a personal friend of Mr. Deaver's,\nmet with the President on March 16 but, as he advised Deaver\nin a letter two months later, did not have an opportunity to\ndiscuss with the President the importance of the study of\nAmerican history. Quaal had hoped to brief the President on\na twelve-part television series on American history developed\nby Walter Schwimmer. Quaal asks to bring Schwimmer in for a\nmeeting with the President to discuss the project.\nThe series seems to be simply a commercial television\nproduction, and accordingly the President should not become\ninvolved in it. The President could of course meet with\nSchwimmer and Quaal to hear about their project, but frankly\nI see little reason for such a meeting. The only reason\nwould be for Schwimmer and Quaal to obtain a Presidential\nendorsement which would be inappropriate.\nOur response to Deaver concerning this matter does not\nexhibit the promptness for which our office is justly renown\nbecause the item as it arrived from Deaver's office was\nattached to other incoming material and, like the sister\ncity of Machu Picchu, has only recently been unearthed.\nAttachment\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nJuly 13, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR WILLIAM F. SITTMANN\nSPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT\nFROM:\nFRED F. FIELDING Orig. signed by FFF\nCOUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT\nSUBJECT:\nLetter to Mike Deaver Regarding Meeting With\nthe President and Walter Schwimmer to Discuss\na Series on History of the United States\nYour office has asked for our views on the request from Ward\nL. Quaal for a meeting with the President. The purpose of\nthe meeting would be for Mr. Quaal and Walter Schwimmer to\ndiscuss with the President Schwimmer's proposed twelve-part\ntelevision series on the history of the United States.\nSince Mr. Schwimmer's project is a commercial television\nproduction, it would not, as a general matter, be appropriate\nfor the President to endorse the project or become involved\nwith it in any way. This being the case, I see little\npurpose to be served by the meeting proposed by Mr. Quaal.\nFFF:JGR:aw 7/13/83\nCC: FFFielding\nJGRoberts\nSubj.\nChron\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nJuly 13, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR WILLIAM F. SITTMANN\nSPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT\nFROM:\nFRED F. FIELDING\nCOUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT\nSUBJECT:\nLetter to Mike Deaver Regarding Meeting With\nthe President and Walter Schwimmer to Discuss\na Series on History of the United States\nYour office has asked for our views on the request from Ward\nL. Quaal for a meeting with the President. The purpose of\nthe meeting would be for Mr. Quaal and Walter Schwimmer to\ndiscuss with the President Schwimmer's proposed twelve-part\ntelevision series on the history of the United States.\nSince Mr. Schwimmer's project is a commercial television\nproduction, it would not, as a general matter, be appropriate\nfor the President to endorse the project or become involved\nwith it in any way. This being the case, I see little\npurpose to be served by the meeting proposed by Mr. Quaal.\nFFF:JGR:aw 7/13/83\nCC: FFFielding\nJGRoberts\nSubj.\nChron\nID #\n152924\nCU\nWHITE HOUSE\nCORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET\nPR007\no OUTGOING\nH INTERNAL\nI INCOMING\nDate Correspondence\nReceived (YY/MM/DD)\n/\n/\nName of Correspondent:\nWard L. Quaal\nMI Mail Report\nUser Codes: (A)\n(B)\n(C)\nSubject: Letter to mike Deaver regarding\nmeeting w/the President and Walter\nSchurmmer to discuss a series\non Historif of the United States\nROUTE TO:\nACTION\nDISPOSITION\nTracking\nType\nCompletion\nAction\nDate\nof\nDate\nOffice/Agency\n(Staff Name)\nCode\nYY/MM/DD\nResponse\nCode\nYY/MM/DD\nCU Holland\nWE\nORIGINATOR\n83,07,06\n/\n/\nCUAT18\nReferral Note:\nD\n83/07/010 WE\n583,07,75\nReferral Note:\n/\n/\n/\n/\nReferral Note:\n/\n/\n/\n/\nReferral Note:\n/ /\n/\n/\nReferral Note:\nACTION CODES:\nDISPOSITION CODES:\nA Appropriate Action\n1 - Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary\nA Answered\nC Completed\nC Comment/Recommendation\nR Direct Reply w/Copy\nB - Non-Special Referral\nS. Suspended\nD Draft Response\nS For Signature\nF Furnish Fact Sheet\nX Interim Reply\nto be used as Enclosure\nFOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE:\nType of Response = Initials of Signer\nCode = \"A\"\nCompletion Date = Date of Outgoing\nComments:\nKeep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter.\nSend all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB).\nAlways return completed correspondence record to Central Files.\nRefer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590.\n5/81\n2F\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nMr. Fielding:\nMKD would like your input on\nthe attached.\nThanks.\n7/1 - attached to other\nMKD request\nre: Werner Gundlach\nDONNA L. BLUME\nThe Ward L. Quaal Company\n401 North Michigan Avenue\nSuite 3140\n152924a\nWard L. Quaal\nChicago, Illinois 60611\nBich\nTelephone\nPresident\n312/644-6066\nMay 18, 1983\nThe Honorable Michael Deaver\nthis with 77\nDeputy Chief of Staff\nThe White House\n1600 Pennsylvania Avenue\nWashington, D.C. 20505\nDear Mike:\nBecause of your thoughtful arrangements, I had the pleasure of a fine meeting\nwith the President on March 16th.\nThere were several key matters to discuss and one was urgent; namely, Radio\nMarti. Our meeting was cut a bit \"short\" because a group of Congressmen,\nvisiting with the President on the budget, overstayed their timeframe. Even\nthough I had waited more than half an hour beyond my appointed time with\nour great mutual friend, I did not want to add to the difficulty of his\ndemanding schedule, so I greatly shortened the time allotted to me.\nWhen I was with the President on March 16th, Mike, we had not received the\nreport on the mediocrity of education in our beloved nation. However, I knew\nof the report that was coming forth and I felt that the presentation that was\ngoing to be made to the President by the bipartisan Federal commission would\nunderscore, in many ways, the tragedy of the inadequate educational effort in\nour land.\nAs one truly proud to be an American and SO mighty grateful that Ronald Reagan\nis our President in these critical times, I wanted to talk with him when at\nThe White House about the manner in which the educational process ignores,\nalmost totally, the history of our blessed land. Mike, it is a tragedy that\nthe young folks of today do not learn more in school about how we got here,\nwhat we have become and what we mean to the world. We have here the greatest\nnation on the face of the globe and each and every day even those who are our\n\"enemies\" or who at least speak ill of us, view with envy our achievements and\nabove all else, the true freedom of those who have the good fortune to be\ncitizens of our nation.\nLos Angeles, California 213/277-9399: 7141493-3316\nThe Honorable Michael Deaver\nMay 18, 1983\nPage 2\nWhen with the President, I had hoped to have the time to address myself to\nan historical project conceived by the great Walter Schwimmer, the man, in\nmy opinion, who has the finest record of radio and television production of\nany man in the history of our profession. Mike, Walter has come forth with\na twelve-part series on the \"History of the United States\". The plans are\ntruly tremendous, truly outstanding and offer us a way to present this\ntwelve-part series on television and then make tapes, as well as a written\nrecord, available to every school in the United States.\nThe series, as proposed, takes the people of America through the difficult\nearly days to the present. The air presentation of this series will do more,\nby far, than anything done to date to truly tell the people of America what\nthis nation is all about and why we stand as the beacon of freedom for all the\nworld to see. Mike, this series would help so very much to fill the void that\nexists today in this important area of educating our young people. Con-\ncurrently, it will be a reminder to those of us who are older how fortunate\nwe are to be Americans and to have a little role in this very special land\nof ours.\nWalter and I are not seeking one dollar of taxpayer support. This series, when\naired, will be presented by American advertisers for the people of America!\nMike, I am so excited about the potential for this great presentation, in\ntwelve showings, that I would like just a little bit of time, even ten minutes,\nfor Walter Schwimmer and me to meet with our great President and discuss this\nbriefly with him. As our great President, and, indeed, the finest Chief\nExecutive that this nation has had in modern history and as one who truly loves\nthis country, we would like to tell him, briefly, about what we have in mind.\nBy the way, Mike, he knows that I wanted to discuss this on March 16th but\nthere just was not the time.\nPlease be assured, Mike, that Walter and I will come to Washington at any time,\neven on short notice, so that we can tell President Reagan the plans to date\nand how we intend to implement them.\nWarmest personal regards and thank you so much, Mike, for this and many other\ncourtesies and considerations.\nVery sincerely,\nword\nWard L. Quaal\nWLQ:eal\nMEMORANDUM\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nAugust 9, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING\nFROM:\nJOHN G. ROBERTS\nODR\nSUBJECT:\n\"Honorary Citizenship Certificate\"\nFrom Kennesaw, Georgia\nI could not discern from your jottings exactly what changes\nyou wanted made in this letter, so I simply tried another\nversion. I consider it important to disassociate the\nPresident from the Kennesaw ordinance, which requires every\nhomeowner to own and maintain a firearm, particularly since\nthe honorary citizenship award asserts that the President\nsupports the ordinance.\nAttachment\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nAugust 16, 1983\nDear Chief Ruble:\nThank you for your letter of March 22, 1983 to the President.\nAlong with that letter you transmitted a certificate stating\nthat the President concurs with the ordinance passed by\nKennesaw, Georgia concerning firearms, and making the\nPresident an honorary citizen of Kennesaw. You also re-\nquested a photograph of the President. In response to your\nrequest, I am happy to enclose an autographed portrait of\nthe President.\nWhile we are grateful for your loyal support of the President,\nas evidenced by the grant of honorary citizenship, I must\nadvise you that it would not be appropriate for the President\nto express a view, either pro or con, on the specific local\nordinance passed by Kennesaw. I trust you will understand\nthat this is in no way a reflection on you or the citizens\nof Kennesaw.\nAgain, thank you for your support.\nSincerely,\nQrig. of signed by FFF\nFred F. Fielding\nCounsel to the President\nMr. Robert L. Ruble\nChief of Police\nCity of Kennesaw Police Department\n2844 South Main Street\nKennesaw, Georgia 30144\nEnclosure\nFFF:JGR:ph 8/15/83\nCC: FFFielding/JGRoberts/Subj./Chron\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nAugust 9, 1983\nDear Chief Ruble:\nThank you for your letter of March 22, 1983 to the President.\nAlong with that letter you transmitted a certificate stating\nthat the President concurs with the ordinance passed by\nKennesaw, Georgia concerning firearms, and making the\nPresident an honorary citizen of Kennesaw. You also re-\nquested a photograph of the President. In response to your\nrequest, I am happy to enclose an autographed portrait of\nthe President.\nWhile we are grateful for your loyal support of the President,\nas evidenced by the grant of honorary citizenship, I must\nadvise you that it would not be appropriate under the\ncircumstances for the President to express a view, either\npro or con, on the specific local ordinance passed by\nKennesaw. Accordingly, the President should not be repre-\nsented as concurring in the Kennesaw firearms ordinance. I\ntrust you will understand that this is in no way a reflec-\ntion on you or the citizens of Kennesaw.\nAgain, thank you for your support.\nSincerely,\nFred F. Fielding\nCounsel to the President\nMr. Robert L. Ruble\nChief of Police\nCity of Kennesaw Police Department\n2844 South Main Street\nKennesaw, Georgia 30144\nEnclosure\nFFF: JGR:aw 8/9/83\nCC: FFFielding/JGRoberts/Subj./Chror\nMEMORANDUM\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nMay 6, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING\nFROM:\nJOHN G. ROBERTS\nSUBJECT:\n\"Honorary Citizenship Certificate\"\nFrom Kennesaw, Georgia\nRobert L. Ruble, Chief of Police of Kennesaw, Georgia, has\nsent the President a certificate stating that the President\nconcurs with the Kennesaw firearms ordinance and accordingly\nhas been made an honorary citizen of Kennesaw. You may\nrecall that the ordinance in question requires every head of\na household in Kennesaw to own and maintain a firearm in\nhis home. Chief Ruble states that this has reduced crime.\nThe chief describes himself as a loyal supporter, encloses a\nphotograph of himself exercising his rights under the Second\nAmendment, and requests an autographed photograph of the\nPresident.\nOur response to Ruble must disavow the assertion that the\nPresident supports the Kennesaw ordinance, and instruct\nRuble not to make any representations on that score. I\nthink the best way to do this would be to thank Ruble for\nthe honorary citizenship but note that the President\ngenerally avoids becomming involved in local questions. I\nsee no objection to sending Ruble a non-personalized auto-\ngraphed photograph of the President.\nAttachment\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nMay 6, 1983\nDear Chief Ruble:\nThank you for your letter of March 22, 1983 to the President.\nAlong with that letter you transmitted a certificate stating\nthat the President concurs with the ordinance passed by\nKennesaw, Georgia concerning firearms, and making the\nPresident an honorary citizen of Kennesaw.\nWhile we are grateful for your loyal support of the President,\nas evidenced by the grant of honorary citizenship, I must\nadvise you that the President generally avoids becomming\ninvolved in particular questions of local law. This policy\nis based not only on the excessive demands becomming familiar\nwith specific local ordinances and issues across the country\nwould place on the President, but also on the dictates of\nour system of federalism. Accordingly, the President should\nnot be represented as concurring in the Kennesaw firearms\nordinance. I trust you will understand that this is based\non our general policy of not taking official positions on\nlocal questions and is in no way a reflection on you or the\ncitizens of Kennesaw.\nIn response to your request, I am happy to enclose an\nautographed portrait of the President.\nAgain, thank you for your support.\nSincerely,\nFred F. Fielding\nCounsel to the President\nMr. Robert L. Ruble\nChief of Police\nCity of Kennesaw Police Department\n2844 South Main Street\nKennesaw, Georgia 30144\nEnclosure\nFFF: JGR:aw 5/6/83\nCC: FFFielding/JGRoberts/Subj./Chror\nID #.\n138665 CU\nWHITE HOUSE\nPP009\nCORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET\no . OUTGOING\nH - INTERNAL\nI . INCOMING\nRoberts\nDate Correspondence\nReceived (YY/MM/DD)\n/\n/\nName of Correspondent: Robert L. Ruble\nMI Mail Report\nUser Codes: (A)\n(B)\n(C)\nSubject: \"Honorary Citizenship Certificate\" from\nkennesaw Georgia\nROUTE TO:\nACTION\nDISPOSITION\nTracking\nType\nCompletion\nAction\nDate\nof\nDate\nOffice/Agency\n(Staff Name)\nCode\nYY/MM/DD\nResponse\nCode\nYY/MM/DD\nCNHOIL CN\nORIGINATOR 83,04.27\n/\n/\nReferral Note:\nWATIB\n2 83,04127\n5 83,05,06 S\nReferral Note:\n/\n/\n/\n/\n-\nReferral Note:\n/\n/\n/ /\n-\nReferral Note:\n/\n/\n/\n/\nI\nReferral Note:\nACTION CODES:\nDISPOSITION CODES:\nA . Appropriate Action\nI . Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary\nA Answered\nC Completed\nC . Comment/Recommendation\nR - Direct Reply w/Copy\nB - - Non-Special Referral\nS Suspended\nD - Draft Response\nS For Signature\nF - Furnish Fact Sheet\nX Interim Reply\nto be used as Enclosure\nFOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE:\nType of Response = Initials of Signer\nCode = \"A\"\nCompletion Date = Date of Outgoing\nComments:\nKeep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter.\nSend all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB).\nAlways return completed correspondence record to Central Files.\nRefer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590.\nRobert L. Ruble\nChief of Police\nNATIONAL\nCity of Kennesaw\nKENNESAW\nof\nCHIEFS\nPOLICE\nPolice Department\nPOLICE\nOF\nGA.\n03-22-83\nRonald Reagan\n13865cu\nPresident of the United States\n3600 Pennsylvania Ave.\nwashington, D.C. 20020\nDear President Reagan,\nIt gives me great pleasure to bestow upon you this \"Honorary Citizen-\nship Certificate\" from the City of Kennesaw, Georgia, because of your pro-\ngun stand on firearm legislation.\nI am further enclosing a copy of the photo, that made headlines around\nthe world.\nIt might interest you to know, that our stand and our law requiring every\nhead of household to own and maintain a firearm in their home resulted in a\n74% decrease in crimes against persons in our Community. The anti-gun city\nof Morton Grove, Ill. revealed a 4% decrease in crime. As a chief of Police\nmy main function is to reduce crime so that our citizens may walk the streets\nwithout fear. I feel, that I have helped in some small way to make not only\nmy city, but our Country a safer place to live.\nI am one of your loyal supporters and hope that you will continue to do\nthe fine job that you are now doing.\nI would appreciate a photo of you, Mr. President, which will be framed\nand hung in a place of honor in my office.\nSincerely and with respect,\nRobertS Ruble\nRobert L. Ruble\nchief of Police\nCELL VERAL* 2\nHonorary\nKennesaw\nxxxx\n****\nCitizen\nthe\ncorgia\nAPRIL 12.1862\nof\n(EIG SHANTY\nU.S.A.\n// This is to certify that PRESIDENT, RONALD REAGAN concurs with the new\nOrdinance passed by the town of Kennesaw based on Article I\nof the Amendments of the Constitution, that the right of the\npeople to bear arms shall not be infringed PRESIDENT, RONALD REAGAN is\nhereby granted Honorary Citizenship to Kennesaw, Georgia.\nNumber: 0382\nSigned: Chief of Police Robert of Ruble\nDate: MARCH 22, 1983\nCity Mayor Council Jerry Wonhan\nDarvin R. Purdy\nPROCEEDS from HONORARY Citizenship CERTIFICATES WILL GO TO: FIRE ARM SAFETY\nGaman Stephmson Coker Malons\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 7, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING\nFROM:\nJOHN G. ROBERTS\nSUBJECT:\nJoey Adams Foreword\nYou will recall that after determining that the proceeds\nfrom Joey Adams' forthcoming book on humor would go to the\nActors Youth Fund, we advised Kathleen Osborne that our\noffice would have no objection to the President writing a\nbrief foreword to the book, pursuant to Mr. Adams' request\nand the President's expressed desire to comply with that\nrequest. Since I had contacted him in the course of\nreaching the foregoing conclusion, Adams sent a draft of the\nbook to me and indicated that he wanted me to be his only\npoint of contact in connection with the project. I\nrecommend sending the book to Osborne for either routing to\nthe speechwriters or special messages or the President's own\ndrafting of a brief message.\nAttachment\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 7, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE\nPERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT\nFROM:\nFRED F. FIELDING\nOrig. signed by FFF\nCOUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT\nSUBJECT:\nJoey Adams Foreword\nOn August 18, I advised you that our office had no objection\nto the President complying with Joey Adams' request that he\nwrite a brief foreward to Adams' forthcoming book on humor,\nthe proceeds of which are to go to the Actors Youth Fund.\nAdams has now sent our office a draft of the book to\nfacilitate preparation of the foreword. I am sending the\ndraft to you so that it may be routed as appropriate to\nwhomever will be working on this project. As I indicated in\nmy earlier memorandum, our office should review a draft of\nthe proposed foreword.\nAttachment\nFFF: JGR:aea 9/7/83\nCC: FFFielding\nJGRoberts\nSubj.\nChron\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 7, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE\nPERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT\nFROM:\nFRED F. FIELDING\nCOUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT\nSUBJECT:\nJoey Adams Foreword\nOn August 18, I advised you that our office had no objection\nto the President complying with Joey Adams' request that he\nwrite a brief foreward to Adams' forthcoming book on humor,\nthe proceeds of which are to go to the Actors Youth Fund.\nAdams has now sent our office a draft of the book to\nfacilitate preparation of the foreword. I am sending the\ndraft to you so that it may be routed as appropriate to\nwhomever will be working on this project. As I indicated in\nmy earlier memorandum, our office should review a draft of\nthe proposed foreword.\nAttachment\nFFF: JGR:aea 9/7/83\nCC: FFFielding\nJGRoberts\nSubj.\nChron\nMEMORANDUM\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nAugust 18, 1983\nFOR:\nFRED F. FIELDING\nFROM:\nJOHN G. ROBERTS\n232\nSUBJECT:\nRequest from Joey Adams that the\nPresident Write Foreword to His New Book\nYou will recall that Joey Adams, President of The Actors\nYouth Fund and a close friend of the President's, wrote the\nPresident to ask him to write a foreword to Laugh Yourself\nWell, a new book on the uses of humor being written by\nAdams. We advised Kathy Osborne that the President should\nnot become involved in such a commercial venture, and\nprepared a letter to Adams to that effect. Osborne replied\nthat the President would like to make an exception if Adams\nwere doing the book for the benefit of The Actors Youth\nFund. There were no indications from Adams' correspondence\nthat this was the case, but, at your request, I placed a\ncall to him. He was out of the country and only returned my\ncall today.\nI told Adams that as a matter of policy the President\navoided involvement in commercial ventures, and Adams stated\nthat all the money would go to The Actors Youth Fund. While\nwe typically avoid endorsing charitable projects as well as\ncommercial ventures, the problems are less severe and\nexceptions have been made. In light of the President's\nexpressed desire to write the foreword, and Mr. Adams'\nassertion that proceeds from the book will go for charitable\npurposes, I see no objection to an exception in this case.\nA proposed memorandum to Osborne is attached for your review\nand signature.\nAttachment\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nAugust 18, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE\nPERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT\nFROM:\nFRED F. FIELDING\nCOUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT\nSUBJECT:\nRequest that President Write Foreword\nYou will recall that Joey Adams, President of The Actors\nYouth Fund, asked the President to write a foreword to his\nnew book on the uses of humor. We advised that it would be\ninappropriate for the President to do so, in light of the\nWhite House policy of avoiding involvement in commercial\nventures. The President thereupon inquired if Adams were\ndoing the book for the benefit of The Actors Youth Fund.\nMr. Adams has been out of the country, and only recently has\nbeen able to return our calls. He has now indicated that\nall of the proceeds of the book will in fact go to The\nActors Youth Fund. Accordingly, we have no objection to the\nPresident writing a brief foreword to Mr. Adams' book,\nshould he desire to do SO. Our office, however, should\nreview a draft of the proposed foreword.\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nAugust 18, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE\nPERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT\nOrig. signed by FFF\nFROM:\nFRED F. FIELDING\nCOUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT\nSUBJECT:\nRequest that President Write Foreword\nYou will recall that Joey Adams, President of The Actors\nYouth Fund, asked the President to write a foreword to his\nnew book on the uses of humor. We advised that it would be\ninappropriate for the President to do 50, in light of the\nWhite House policy of avoiding involvement in commercial\nventures. The President thereupon inquired if Adams were\ndoing the book for the benefit of The Actors Youth Fund.\nMr. Adams has been out of the country, and only recently has\nbeen able to return our calls. He has now indicated that\nall of the proceeds of the book will in fact go to The\nActors Youth Fund. Accordingly, WE have no objection to the\nPresident writing a brief foreword to Mr. Adams' book,\nshould he desire to do SO. Our office, however, should\nreview a draft of the proposed foreword.\nFFF:JGR:ph 8/18/83\nCC: FFFielding\nJGRoberts\nSubject\nChron.\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 14, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING\nFROM:\nJOHN G. ROBERTS\nSUBJECT:\nJoey Adams Foreword\n??\nOn June 24, Joey Adams asked the President to write a\nforeword to Adams' forthcoming book on humor. On July 12,\nwe advised Kathy Osborne that such a foreword would\ncontravene our policy of avoiding Presidential involvement\nin commercial enterprises, and submitted a draft letter to\nthat effect to be sent to Adams. On July 21, Osborne\nreplied that the President would like to make an exception\nto the policy if the proceeds were going to Adams'\ncharitable organization, The Actors Youth Fund. I contacted\nAdams, who stated that all the proceeds would go to the\nFund. On August 18, we so advised Osborne, and noted that\nwe had no objection to the President authoring a foreword\nshould he desire to do SO. (N.B. - This is in fact an\nexception to the policy noted above, rather than outside its\nluby\nscope, since the fact that the proceeds are going to a\ncharity does not alter the commercial nature of the book\nitself, which will be publicly marketed.) Adams sent us a\ndraft of the book, which we sent on to Osborne on\nSeptember 7. Osborne forwarded it to Charley Shepherd for\ndrafting of a foreword.\nAfter reading the \"book,\" Shepherd advised Osborne that in\nhis view the President should not write a foreword.\nShepherd cited several objectionable jokes and described the\nbook as \"sleazy, tacky and tawdry.' Osborne now asks for\nyour thoughts, noting she \"tends to agree\" with Shepherd.\nThe book is really not as advertised by Adams, but rather a\ncollection of often tasteless Henny Youngman - Don Rickles -\nRodney Dangerfield one-liners. I agree that it would be\ninadvisable for the President to author a foreword to this\nwork. The problem is that Adams, who, by the President's\nown account, has known the President \"for many, many years,\"\nnow fully expects a foreword, because he has agreed to\ndonate all proceeds to The Actors Youth Fund. I have taken\na stab at a very difficult letter, and a memorandum to\nOsborne.\n+ did a good job,\nAttachments\nPls see suggetted deeps in\n9/14\ndoes at the will it\nwe\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 14, 1983\nchildren be this no\nsee\nMEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE\nPERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT\nFROM:\nFRED F. FIELDING\nCOUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT\nsame ratter tasteles.\nSUBJECT:\nJoey Adams Foreword\nWe have reviewed the copy of the book submitted by Joey\nAdams, and agree with Charley Shepherd that it would be\ninappropriate for the President to write a foreword for this\nparticular book. Adams advised us that the book would be\none on the uses of humor; in fact, it appears to be little\nmore than a collection of one-liners ) If you approve, I\nwill send the attached draft A of you then it will be a public\nwith the Pendit, 9 will disaus in with him a Miter\nCC Dearn.\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 14, 1983\nDear Mr. Adams:\nSome time ago you requested that the President write a brief\nforeword to a book you were writing on the uses of humor.\nWe routinely decline such requests, however meritorious, on\nthe basis of established White House policy of avoiding any\ninvolvement by the President in commercial endeavors. You\nadvised our office, however, that all the proceeds of the\nbook were to be donated to The Actors Youth Fund, and sent a\ndraft of the book for our consideration.\nThe fact that the proceeds of the book will inure to the\nbenefit of a worthy charity does not in itself alter the\nnature of the project as a commercial endeavor, since the\nbook will still be marketed and sold. While rare exceptions\nare made, as a matter of policy we generally avoid\nPresidential endorsement of or association with specific\ncharitable efforts. Since the President receives countless\nrequests to support specific charities, and obviously cannot\naccept them all, fairness dictates that he generally adhere\nto a policy of declining such requests\n& wish & bad a good \"claim line\nto grawpelly advise you of\nIn light of your long association with the President, and item, Gt all\nthe laudable work of your charity, we carefully reviewed can say\nis\nyour book to determine if there were some basis on which we\ncould grant your request. I am sorry to have to advise you\nthat we cannot do so. Please understand that our inability\nto approve a foreword by the President is in no way an\nadverse reflection on you or The Actors Youth Fund.\nSincerely,\nFred F. Fielding\nCounsel to the President\nMr. Joey Adams\nThe Actors Youth Fund\n160 West 46th Street\nRoom 402-A\nNew York, NY 10036\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 16, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE\nPERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT\nFROM:\nFRED F. FIELDING Orig. signed by FFF\nCOUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT\nSUBJECT:\nJoey Adams Foreword\nWe have reviewed the copy of the book submitted by Joey\nAdams, and agree with Charley Shepherd that it would be\ninappropriate for the President to write a foreword for this\nparticular book. Adams advised us that the book would be\none on the uses of humor; in fact, it appears to be little\nmore than a collection of one-liners, some rather tasteless.\nIf you approve, I will send the attached draft, which does\nnot really address the problem we see, but turns it off. If\nyou think it will be a problem with the President, I will\ndisucss it with him or Mike.\nCC: Michael K. Deaver\nAttachment\nFFF:JGR:aea 9/16/83\nCC: FFFielding\nJGRoberts\nSubj.\nChron\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 16, 1983\nDear Mr. Adams:\nSome time ago you requested that the President write a brief\nforeword to a book you were writing on the uses of humor.\nWe routinely decline such requests, however meritorious, on\nthe basis of established White House policy of avoiding any\ninvolvement by the President in commercial endeavors. You\nadvised our office, however, that all the proceeds of the\nbook were to be donated to The Actors Youth Fund, and sent a\ndraft of the book for our consideration.\nThe fact that the proceeds of the book will inure to the\nbenefit of a worthy charity does not in itself alter the\nnature of the project as a commercial endeavor, since the\nbook will still be marketed and sold. While rare exceptions\nare made, as a matter of policy we generally avoid\nPresidential endorsement of or association with specific\ncharitable efforts. Since the President receives countless\nrequests to support specific charities, and obviously cannot\naccept them all, fairness dictates that he generally adhere\nto a policy of declining such requests.\nIn light of your long association with the President, and\nthe laudable work of your charity, we carefully reviewed\nyour book to determine if there were some basis on which we\ncould grant your request. I am sorry to have to advise you\nthat we cannot do SO. I wish I had a good \"closing line\" to\ngracefully advise you of this, but all I can say is please\nunderstand that our inability to approve a foreword by the\nPresident is in no way an adverse reflection on you or The\nActors Youth Fund.\nSincerely,\nOrig. signed by FFF\nFred F. Fielding\nCounsel to the President\nMr. Joey Adams\nThe Actors Youth Fund\n160 West 46th Street\nRoom 402-A\nNew York, NY 10036\nFFF: JGR:aea 9/16/83\nbcc: FFFielding/JGRoberts/Subj./Chron\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 16, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE\nPERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT\nFROM:\nFRED F. FIELDING\nCOUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT\nSUBJECT:\nJoey Adams Foreword\nWe have reviewed the copy of the book submitted by Joey\nAdams, and agree with Charley Shepherd that it would be\ninappropriate for the President to write a foreword for this\nparticular book. Adams advised us that the book would be\none on the uses of humor; in fact, it appears to be little\nmore than a collection of one-liners, some rather tasteless.\nIf you approve, I will send the attached draft, which does\nnot really address the problem we see, but turns it off. If\nyou think it will be a problem with the President, I will\ndisucss it with him or Mike.\nCC: Michael K. Deaver\nAttachment\nFFF: JGR:aea 9/16/83\nCC: FFFielding\nJGRoberts\nSubj.\nChron\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 16, 1983\nDear Mr. Adams:\nSome time ago you requested that the President write a brief\nforeword to a book you were writing on the uses of humor.\nWe routinely decline such requests, however meritorious, on\nthe basis of established White House policy of avoiding any\ninvolvement by the President in commercial endeavors. You\nadvised our office, however, that all the proceeds of the\nbook were to be donated to The Actors Youth Fund, and sent a\ndraft of the book for our consideration.\nThe fact that the proceeds of the book will inure to the\nbenefit of a worthy charity does not in itself alter the\nnature of the project as a commercial endeavor, since the\nbook will still be marketed and sold. While rare exceptions\nare made, as a matter of policy we generally avoid\nPresidential endorsement of or association with specific\ncharitable efforts. Since the President receives countless\nrequests to support specific charities, and obviously cannot\naccept them all, fairness dictates that he generally adhere\nto a policy of declining such requests.\nIn light of your long association with the President, and\nthe laudable work of your charity, we carefully reviewed\nyour book to determine if there were some basis on which we\ncould grant your request. I am sorry to have to advise you\nthat we cannot do SO. I wish I had a good \"closing line\" to\ngracefully advise you of this, but all I can say is please\nunderstand that our inability to approve a foreword by the\nPresident is in no way an adverse reflection on you or The\nActors Youth Fund.\nSincerely,\nFred F. Fielding\nCounsel to the President\nMr. Joey Adams\nThe Actors Youth Fund\n160 West 46th Street\nRoom 402-A\nNew York, NY 10036\nFFF:JGR:aea 9/16/83\nbcc: FFFielding/JGRoberts/Subj./Chror\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 14, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR FRED F. FIELDING\nFROM:\nJOHN G. ROBERTS\nSUBJECT:\nJoey Adams Foreword\nOn June 24, Joey Adams asked the President to write a\nforeword to Adams' forthcoming book on humor. On July 12,\nwe advised Kathy Osborne that such a foreword would\ncontravene our policy of avoiding Presidential involvement\nin commercial enterprises, and submitted a draft letter to\nthat effect to be sent to Adams. On July 21, Osborne\nreplied that the President would like to make an exception\nto the policy if the proceeds were going to Adams'\ncharitable organization, The Actors Youth Fund. I contacted\nAdams, who stated that all the proceeds would go to the\nFund. On August 18, we so advised Osborne, and noted that\nwe had no objection to the President authoring a foreword\nshould he desire to do SO. (N.B. - This is in fact an\nexception to the policy noted above, rather than outside its\nscope, since the fact that the proceeds are going to a\ncharity does not alter the commercial nature of the book\nitself, which will be publicly marketed.) Adams sent us a\ndraft of the book, which we sent on to Osborne on\nSeptember 7. Osborne forwarded it to Charley Shepherd for\ndrafting of a foreword.\nAfter reading the \"book,\" Shepherd advised Osborne that in\nhis view the President should not write a foreword.\nShepherd cited several objectionable jokes and described the\nbook as \"sleazy, tacky and tawdry. Osborne now asks for\nyour thoughts, noting she \"tends to agree\" with Shepherd.\nThe book is really not as advertised by Adams, but rather a\ncollection of often tasteless Henny Youngman - Don Rickles -\nRodney Dangerfield one-liners. I agree that it would be\ninadvisable for the President to author a foreword to this\nwork. The problem is that Adams, who, by the President's\nown account, has known the President \"for many, many years,\"\nnow fully expects a foreword, because he has agreed to\ndonate all proceeds to The Actors Youth Fund. I have taken\na stab at a very difficult letter, and a memorandum to\nOsborne.\nAttachments\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 14, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR KATHLEEN OSBORNE\nPERSONAL SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT\nFROM:\nFRED F. FIELDING\nCOUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT\nSUBJECT:\nJoey Adams Foreword\nWe have reviewed the copy of the book submitted by Joey\nAdams, and agree with Charley Shepherd that it would be\ninappropriate for the President to write a foreword for this\nparticular book. Adams advised us that the book would be\none on the uses of humor; in fact, it appears to be little\nmore than a collection of one-liners. If you approve, I\nwill send the attached draft.\nAttachment\nFFF: JGR:aea 9/14/83\nCC: FFFielding\nJGRoberts\nSubj.\nChron\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 14, 1983\nDear Mr. Adams:\nSome time ago you requested that the President write a brief\nforeword to a book you were writing on the uses of humor.\nWe routinely decline such requests, however meritorious, on\nthe basis of established White House policy of avoiding any\ninvolvement by the President in commercial endeavors. You\nadvised our office, however, that all the proceeds of the\nbook were to be donated to The Actors Youth Fund, and sent a\ndraft of the book for our consideration.\nThe fact that the proceeds of the book will inure to the\nbenefit of a worthy charity does not in itself alter the\nnature of the project as a commercial endeavor, since the\nbook will still be marketed and sold. While rare exceptions\nare made, as a matter of policy we generally avoid\nPresidential endorsement of or association with specific\ncharitable efforts. Since the President receives countless\nrequests to support specific charities, and obviously cannot\naccept them all, fairness dictates that he generally adhere\nto a policy of declining such requests.\nIn light of your long association with the President, and\nthe laudable work of your charity, we carefully reviewed\nyour book to determine if there were some basis on which we\ncould grant your request. I am sorry to have to advise you\nthat we cannot do so. Please understand that our inability\nto approve a foreword by the President is in no way an\nadverse reflection on you or The Actors Youth Fund.\nSincerely,\nFred F. Fielding\nCounsel to the President\nMr. Joey Adams\nThe Actors Youth Fund\n160 West 46th Street\nRoom 402-A\nNew York, NY 10036\nFFF: JGR:aea 9/14/83\nbcc: FFFielding/JGRoberts/Subj./Chron\n149840\nWHITE HOUSE\n0 . OUTGOING\nH . INTERNAL\nCORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET John\nI * INCOMING\nDate Correspondence\nReceived (YY/MM/DD)\n/\n/\nName of Correspondent: Charley Shepherd\nMI Mail Report\nSubject: ConcuRRewith Fielding that President Should not\nby Charley Shepherk\nUser Codes: (A)\n(B)\n(C)\nwrite foreward For book by Joey adams to benefit\nthe actois youth Fund (memo to Kathy Osborne)\nROUTE TO:\nACTION\nDISPOSITION\nTracking\nType\nCompletion\nAction\nDate\nof\nDate\nOffice/Agency\n(Staff Name)\nCode\nYY/MM/DD\nResponse\nCode\nYY/MM/DD\nWHOII\nORIGINATOR 83/09/13\n/\n/\nReferral Note:\nCUATIB\nD 83/09/13\ncontinuing corresp.\n583,09,23\nReferral Note:\n/\n/\n/\n/\nReferral Note:\n/\n/\n/\n/\nReferral Note:\n/\n/\n/\n/\nReferral Note:\nACTION CODES:\nDISPOSITION CODES:\nA - Appropriate Action\nI - Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary\nA Answered\nC Completed\nC . Comment/Recommendation\nR. Direct Reply w/Copy\nB . Non-Special Referral\nS Suspended\nD - Draft Response\nS For Signature\nF - Furnish Fact Sheet\nX Interim Reply\nto be used as Enclosure\nFOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE:\nType of Response = Initials of Signer\nCode = \"A\"\nCompletion Date = Date of Outgoing\nComments: Sep 7 83 FFF memo to Kathleen\nOsborne attached\nKeep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter.\nSend all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB).\nAlways return completed correspondence record to Central Files.\nRefer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590.\n5/81\nMEMORANDUM\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nTO:\nKathy Osborne\nFROM:\nCharley Shepherd\nDATE:\nSeptember 12, 1983\nRE:\nRequest that President Write Foreward\nI read the book which Joey Adams has written to benefit the Actors Youth Fund in\npreparation for writing a foreward for the President. After reading this material,\nI strongly recommend that we let Fred Fielding's July 12, 1983 rejection stand.\nAnne Higgins concurs.\nDespite the non-commercial purpose of this book, I don't believe that the President\nshould be associated with it for the following reasons:\nThe book has an overall ambience of sleazy, tacky and tawdry.\nMany worthy projects requesting the President's assistance in\nfund-raising activities are turned down. (I believe that Counsel's\nOffice did a memo on this at one time.)\nOn page 9, the following \"definition\" appears. I find it totally\nobjectionable and I interpret it as a completely derogatory remark,\ncontaining no humor whatsoever:\n\"CONSERVATIVE: He's not really a conservative -- the word is\nretarded.\nI don't think that is funny. I don't believe the President would\nthink that is funny. I also don't think that the conservatives\nwho helped to elect the President would think that is funny.\nAlso, there is something very wrong with a so-called \"joke\" which\nuses the word \"retarded.\" Retardation is a tragic medical problem\nwhich affects tens of thousands of American families. They might\nnot think it is funny, either.\nOn pages 46 and 47, there are two \"jokes\" which I have marked with\npencil checks. They are not only derogatory to the President but also\nto Mrs. Reagan. They are very snotty \"jokes.\"\nI understand the President's wish to help this charity however, the Joey Adams book\nseems to be a very unsavory vehicle. Also, if the President does this, it will\nput him in a very bad position when we have to turn down other requests for very\nworthy causes. Surely, there may be another way to help this group -- perhaps a\nPresidential message for a benefit performance."
}