Memoranda of conversation, 1979-1980

Series I: Executive service

Bennet worked for the State Department for much of his professional career. His first professional assignment, from 1963 to 1966, was in India as assistant to the economic advisor for the Agency for International Development, and then as special assistant to Ambassador Chester Bowles. Bennet was Assistant Secretary of State in two capacities: for Congressional Relations from 1977 to 1979, and for International Organization Affairs from 1993 to 1995. He also served as administrator for the Agency for International Development (AID) from 1979 to 1981. Bennet's executive service also included employment as a speech writer for Vice President Hubert Humphrey from 1967 to 1968. The collection contains realia from the 1968 Humphrey/Muskie presidential campaign.

This series contains "chron files," which are chronological correspondence. Files labeled "personal correspondence" are formal letters which relate to professional issues. The series also contains many speeches written by Bennet during his India days, as well as speeches written for Vice President Humphrey during his 1968 bid for the presidency. Bennet traveled extensively as administrator for AID and this sub-series contains many photographs.

Series II: Legislative service

Bennet was administrative assistant to two senators, Thomas F. Eagleton of Missouri from 1969 to 1973, and Abraham A. Ribicoff of Connecticut from 1973 to 1974. Bennet made an unsuccessful run for the House of Representatives in 1974, and went on to be staff director of the newly formed Senate Budget Committee from 1974 to 1977.

The Eagleton sub-series documents the fraught 1972 campaign with Eagleton as the running mate of George McGovern. The series documents Bennet's active role in framing the 1972 Democratic platform. There are also extensive newspaper clippings as well as files on the pivotal 18 days in July of 1972 when Eagleton was under siege and eventually withdrew. A PDF containing a list of magazines with coverage of this event which were removed from this part of the collection is available at: Magazines Removed (http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/schome/FAs/MagazinesRemoved.pdf).

The documentation of Bennet's brief tenure as administrative assistant to Senator Ribicoff is minimal. It is represented only by "memos," which are the equivalent of "chron files." His departure was voluntary, driven by his decision to run for the House of Representatives in the 1974 election. This section of the collection is interesting for the insider's guide it provides to mounting a national campaign. This sub-series consists entirely of correspondence and subject files.

The Senate Budget Committee (SBC) sub-series contains chron files and subject files, including some speeches. The bulk of the series, however, is composed of the history of the SBC during its first two years. A PDF containing a list of government documents removed from this part of the collection is available at: Gov Docs Removed (http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/schome/FAs/GovDocsRemoved.pdf).

Series III: Roosevelt Center for American Policy Studies

The Roosevelt Center series documents Bennet's 18 months as president of a new public policy think tank. The papers document his active engagement in the creation of this organization. They also document his dismissal by the chairman of the board.

Because Bennet was between jobs from January to December of 1981 and from June to December of 1983, this series contains materials that precede and extend beyond his actual tenure at the Center.

Series IV: National Public Radio (NPR)

The bulk of Bennet's papers from his ten years as president of NPR are held at the National Public Broadcasting Archives, [http://www.lib.umd.edu/NPBA/].

The papers contained in this series give evidence of Bennet's success in bringing that organization from a tenuous financial position to one with a bright future. Much of the series is composed of speeches and articles from that period. There are also files on speech topics of particular interest to public radio. The subject files span the ten years, from early objectives to his eventual departure. A PDF containing a list of books removed from this part of the collection is available at: Books Removed (http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/schome/FAs/BooksRemoved.pdf).

Subjects such as "AID correspondence" fall under this series due to their date range and original location within the papers, even though they are not directly related to NPR.

Series V: Personal

The personal series has three sub-series: correspondence, education, and subject files. Since these are primarily professional papers, personal correspondence is not well represented, although there is a collection of family Christmas cards sent by Bennet's parents throughout his childhood. There are also letters from his time in India from 1963 to 1965.

The education sub-series contains class notebooks, papers, and bibliographies from Bennet's years at Wesleyan, UC Berkeley, and Harvard. Of particular note is the file: "EQV: a history" [EQV stands for Esse Quam Videre]. This file documents Wesleyan's break with the fraternity Alpha Chi Rho on the grounds of intolerance, an event in which Bennet played a significant role.

Noteworthy in the subject files is a family scrapbook. The items in this scrapbook were not pasted in and are now housed in an acid free folder. Included are handwritten notes, presumably from Bennet's mother, explaining some of the documents. The scrapbook also contains an embroidered 19th century sampler.

Series VI: News Clips

News Clips are compilations of clippings prepared by the State Department's Office of Press Relations in the Bureau of Public Affairs. They were published daily. This series is a substantially complete run from 1993 March to 1995 May, during Bennet's time as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs.