This collection consists primarily of materials created during Mr. Hallett's time first as a White House intern, then as a White House Aide on the staff of Special Counsel Charles W. Colson. The materials consist of reference material provided by the White House and widely available news publications used in the production of speeches, statements, fact sheets, articles, and reelection campaign materials. Also included are later materials including personal correspondence, drafts of manuscripts, newspapers, and magazines.
Douglas Lawrence Hallett was born in San Francisco, California on April 16, 1949. In 1971, he earned his Bachelor degree cum laude in American Studies at Yale University. While in college, he served as an editor at the Yale Daily News.
On July 29, 1970, the Wall Street Journal published his editorial “Campus Unrest: Don’t blame Mr. Nixon”, which caught the attention of the White House and was cited by President Nixon during a press conference the next day. Mr. Hallett was subsequently contacted by the White House on various occasions to provide his opinions on current issues. His opinion pieces led to a White House internship during his last year of college and another in June 1971 following his graduation from Yale. Mr. Hallett was subsequently hired as a White House Staff Aide on August 23, 1971.
Mr. Hallett left the White House at the end of the summer of 1972 in order to attend Harvard School of Law. He received his Juris Doctor degree in 1975 and primarily practiced insurance law in Southern California.
After leaving federal service, Hallett wrote various articles on the administration and his experiences at the White House. Published articles include “Mr. Nixon, the Would‐Be Kennedy”, New York Times: January 6, 1974; “A low-level memoir of the Nixon White House,” New York Times: October 20, 1974; “The GOP's Ideological Poverty", Wall Street Journal: January 3, 1975; and “Kissinger Dolosus: The Domestic Politics of SALT”, The Yale Review: December 1975. He also authored later articles on the Reagan administration and matters of professional interest.
The Douglas Hallett collection is arranged in five series: correspondence and memorandums, drafts of articles and a book manuscript, subject files, Rolodex contact cards, and printed matter.
The correspondence and memorandums series is dominated by correspondence to and from Charles W. Colson, beginning during Mr. Hallett’s internships at the White House and extending beyond the end of the Nixon presidency. The correspondence includes letters written by Mr. Colson during his time in federal prison.
The drafts series contains multiple drafts of a manuscript on the subject of the Nixon administration as well as drafts of Mr. Hallett’s New York Times article “A low-level memoir of the Nixon White House.”
The subject files series is arranged alphabetically by subject. These folders include materials pertaining to the interest group reports created for the 1972 presidential reelection campaign. In addition, there is a White House telephone directory.
The Rolodex contact cards are arranged in alphabetical order.
Printed matter consists almost entirely of magazines and newspapers containing articles about various aspects of the Nixon presidency. Also included in the series is a 1973 Inaugural invitation with related materials and photographs of Mr. Hallett at the White House. The original photographs have been transferred to the audiovisual holdings of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. Reference photocopies are available in the open folder.
Also included in the Hallett donated materials were 255 books that have been transferred to the Nixon Library’s book collection.
Mr. Hallett’s time in the Nixon administration began following the July 29, 1970 publication of his Wall Street Journal article “Campus Unrest: Don’t blame Mr. Nixon.” The White House took note of the article and President Nixon cited it during a press conference the next day. Mr. Hallett was subsequently contacted by White House Staff Assistant Jonathan Rose on various occasions to provide his opinion on current issues. Requests from administration staff, including Special Counsel Charles W. Colson, White House Chief of Staff H. R. “Bob” Haldeman, and Special Counsel Richard A. Moore, were channeled through Rose, a Yale alum who had previously been an editor at the university’s newspaper.
It was during this period that Bob Haldeman offered Mr. Hallett an opportunity to spend his spring break working on the staff of White House speechwriter Raymond K. Price, Jr. Hallett then received an offer from Charles Colson to work on his staff as a White House summer intern. The internship began on June 1, 1971 after Hallett graduated cum laude from Yale. Mr. Hallett became a permanent Staff Aide to Mr. Colson on August 23, 1971.
Mr. Hallett’s work during his time with Mr. Colson consisted primarily of drafting speeches and articles on a wide array of domestic and foreign policy issues. He also drafted materials for Vice President Spiro Agnew, Congress, the Cabinet, and other members of the administration such as Herb Klein, the White House Director of Communications. At times, the work involved “crisis management,” which entailed drafting fact sheets, articles, and speeches on topical issues of the day for administration spokesmen. Topics ranged from the publication of the Pentagon Papers to the Vietnam War. Hallett was allowed to express his thoughts on a given topic but did not contribute to the creation of administration policies.
In 1971, the Special Counsel’s office was tasked with generating materials in preparation for President Nixon’s reelection campaign on the following interest groups: Aging, Youth, Spanish Speaking, Jewish, Labor, Ethnic, and Veterans. During the first several months of his time on Colson’s staff, Hallett developed Spanish Speaking, Ethnic, and Labor reports.
In response to requests from Colson, Haldeman, and other White House staff members, Mr. Hallett continued to furnish his opinions on a wide array of topics as he had done prior to joining the administration. Hallett’s candid “idea memos” often served to voice the position of Devil’s Advocate as he endeavored to provide insight into the mindset of the “Ivy League Liberal Elitist” class.
Mr. Hallett left the White House late summer 1972 in order to attend Harvard School of Law. Most of his speech files were transferred to speechwriter Steve Karalekas. The majority of “idea memos” were sent to Colson and Haldeman. After leaving the Nixon White House, Hallett continued to correspond with Charles Colson, including letters sent during and after Colson’s time in federal prison for obstruction of justice. That correspondence is represented in this collection as are drafts of articles and editorials about the administration and Mr. Hallett’s time in the White House.
The Douglas Hallett collection is arranged in five series: correspondence and memorandums, drafts of articles and a book manuscript, subject files, Rolodex contact cards, and printed matter.
The correspondence and memorandums series is dominated by correspondence to and from Charles W. Colson, beginning during Mr. Hallett’s internships at the White House and extending beyond the end of the Nixon presidency. The correspondence includes letters written by Mr. Colson during his time in federal prison.
Series I: Correspondence and Memorandums, 1970-1975
Boxes: 1-2
Spans: 1970-1975
Description: The series contains memorandums, correspondence, reports, and clippings. It consists primarily of correspondence to and from Special Counsel Charles W. Colson, beginning during Mr. Hallett’s internships at the White House and extending beyond the end of the Nixon presidency.
Series II: Drafts, 1974-
Boxes: 3
Spans: 1974-
Description: The series contains multiple drafts of a manuscript on the subject of the Nixon administration as well as drafts of Mr. Hallett’s New York Times article “A low-level memoir of the Nixon White House.”
Series III: Subject Files, 1968-1972
Boxes: 4-12
Spans: 1968-1972
Description: The series is arranged alphabetically and contains memorandums, correspondence, reports, and clippings. It includes reference materials for writing projects assigned to Mr. Hallett during his time in the office of Charles Colson as well as pieces reflecting his own opinions. Subjects include Vietnam, women, foreign and domestic policy, education, campaign spending and blue collar workers. The series also includes materials pertaining to the interest group reports developed by Mr. Hallett for the 1972 presidential reelection campaign on the topics of Spanish-speaking voters, ethnic voters, and organized labor. In addition, there is a White House telephone directory.
Series IV: Rolodex cards of contacts, undated
Boxes: 13
Spans: undated
Description: The series is arranged alphabetically.
Series V: Printed Matter, 1964-2010
Boxes: 14-15
Spans: May 1964 – June 2010
Description: The series primarily consists of printed publications, such as newspapers and magazines, containing articles related to the Nixon presidency. Oversize materials are in box 15.
Series I: Correspondence and Memorandums, 1970-1975
Box 1
[Charles W. Colson] [1 of 12]
[Charles W. Colson] [2 of 12]
[Charles W. Colson] [3 of 12]
[Charles W. Colson] [4 of 12]
[Charles W. Colson] [5 of 12]
[Charles W. Colson] [6 of 12]
[Charles W. Colson] [7 of 12]
[Charles W. Colson] [8 of 12]
[Charles W. Colson] [9 of 12]
[Charles W. Colson] [10 of 12]
[Charles W. Colson] [11 of 12]
[Charles W. Colson] [12 of 12]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [1 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [2 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [3 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [4 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [5 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [6 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [7 of 16]
Box 2
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [8 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [9 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [10 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [11 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [12 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [13 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [14 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [15 of 16]
CWC [Charles W. Colson] Memos [16 of 16]
[Incoming correspondence RE: New York Times articles]
Series II: Drafts, 1974-
Box 3
[Draft of “A Low-Level Memoir…” New York Times article] [1 of 2]
[Draft of “A Low-Level Memoir…” New York Times article] [2 of 2]
[Draft of untitled manuscript] [1 of 4]
[Draft of untitled manuscript] [2 of 4]
[Draft of untitled manuscript] [3 of 4]
[Draft of untitled manuscript] [4 of 4]
Series III: Subject Files, 1968-1972
Box 4
AGNEW SPEECHES [1 of 2]
AGNEW SPEECHES [2 of 2]
Blue-Collar [1 of 7]
Blue-Collar [2 of 7]
Blue-Collar [3 of 7]
Blue-Collar [4 of 7]
Blue-Collar [5 of 7]
Blue-Collar [6 of 7]
Blue-Collar [7 of 7]
CAMPAIGN SPENDING [1 of 5]
CAMPAIGN SPENDING [2 of 5]
CAMPAIGN SPENDING [3 of 5]
CAMPAIGN SPENDING [4 of 5]
CAMPAIGN SPENDING [5 of 5]
CENSUS [1 of 2]
CENSUS [2 of 2]
DOMESTIC – MISC [1 of 13]
DOMESTIC – MISC [2 of 13]
Box 5
DOMESTIC – MISC [3 of 13]
DOMESTIC – MISC [4 of 13]
DOMESTIC – MISC [5 of 13]
DOMESTIC – MISC [6 of 13]
DOMESTIC – MISC [7 of 13]
DOMESTIC – MISC [8 of 13]
DOMESTIC – MISC [9 of 13]
DOMESTIC – MISC [10 of 13]
DOMESTIC – MISC [11 of 13]
DOMESTIC – MISC [12 of 13]
DOMESTIC – MISC [13 of 13]
ECONOMY [1 of 5]
ECONOMY [2 of 5]
ECONOMY [3 of 5]
ECONOMY [4 of 5]
ECONOMY [5 of 5]
Education [1 of 6]
Box 6
Education [2 of 6]
Education [3 of 6]
Education [4 of 6]
Education [5 of 6]
Education [6 of 6]
Employment [1 of 2]
Employment [2 of 2]
ETHNIC [1 of 4]
ETHNIC [2 of 4]
ETHNIC [3 of 4]
ETHNIC [4 of 4]
FOREIGN [1 of 10]
FOREIGN [2 of 10]
FOREIGN [3 of 10]
FOREIGN [4 of 10]
FOREIGN [5 of 10]
FOREIGN [6 of 10]
Box 7
FOREIGN [7 of 10]
FOREIGN [8 of 10]
FOREIGN [9 of 10]
FOREIGN [10 of 10]
LABOR REPT. [Report] [1 of 9]
LABOR REPT. [Report] [2 of 9]
LABOR REPT. [Report] [3 of 9]
LABOR REPT. [Report] [4 of 9]
LABOR REPT. [Report] [5 of 9]
LABOR REPT. [Report] [6 of 9]
LABOR REPT. [Report] [7 of 9]
LABOR REPT. [Report] [8 of 9]
LABOR REPT. [Report] [9 of 9]
McGovern [1 of 5]
McGovern [2 of 5]
McGovern [3 of 5]
McGovern [4 of 5]
McGovern [5 of 5]
Middle America
Box 8
[Miscellaneous] [1 of 5]
[Miscellaneous] [2 of 5]
[Miscellaneous] [3 of 5]
[Miscellaneous] [4 of 5]
[Miscellaneous] [5 of 5]
NIXON CAMPAIGN FILE [1 of 2]
NIXON CAMPAIGN FILE [2 of 2]
POLITICAL [1 of 5]
POLITICAL [2 of 5]
POLITICAL [3 of 5]
POLITICAL [4 of 5]
POLITICAL [5 of 5]
REFERENCE [1 of 8]
REFERENCE [2 of 8]
REFERENCE [3 of 8]
REFERENCE [4 of 8]
Box 9
REFERENCE [5 of 8]
REFERENCE [6 of 8]
REFERENCE [7 of 8]
REFERENCE [8 of 8]
REFERENCE MATERIAL FOR LINCOLN DAY PRESENTATIONS FEBRUARY 8, 1972 [1 of 2]
REFERENCE MATERIAL FOR LINCOLN DAY PRESENTATIONS FEBRUARY 8, 1972 [2 of 2]
RMN – General [1 of 9]
RMN – General [2 of 9]
RMN – General [3 of 9]
RMN – General [4 of 9]
RMN – General [5 of 9]
RMN – General [6 of 9]
RMN – General [7 of 9]
RMN – General [8 of 9]
RMN – General [9 of 9]
Spanish-Speaking [1 of 5]
Spanish-Speaking [2 of 5]
Box 10
Spanish-Speaking [3 of 5]
Spanish-Speaking [4 of 5]
Spanish-Speaking [5 of 5]
THEMES [1 of 8]
THEMES [2 of 8]
THEMES [3 of 8]
THEMES [4 of 8]
THEMES [5 of 8]
THEMES [6 of 8]
THEMES [7 of 8]
THEMES [8 of 8]
Vietnam 1 [1 of 14]
Vietnam 1 [2 of 14]
Vietnam 1 [3 of 14]
Vietnam 1 [4 of 14]
Vietnam 1 [5 of 14]
Vietnam 1 [6 of 14]
Vietnam 1 [7 of 14]
Vietnam 1 [8 of 14]
Box 11
Vietnam 1 [9 of 14]
Vietnam 1 [10 of 14]
Vietnam 1 [11 of 14]
Vietnam 1 [12 of 14]
Vietnam 1 [13 of 14]
Vietnam 1 [14 of 14]
Vietnam 2 [1 of 7]
Vietnam 2 [2 of 7]
Vietnam 2 [3 of 7]
Vietnam 2 [4 of 7]
Vietnam 2 [5 of 7]
Vietnam 2 [6 of 7]
Vietnam 2 [7 of 7]
WOMEN [1 of 3]
WOMEN [2 of 3]
WOMEN [3 of 3]
YOUNG VOTERS FOR THE PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN MANUAL [1 of 2]
YOUNG VOTERS FOR THE PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN MANUAL [2 of 2]
Box 12
YOUTH [1 of 7]
YOUTH [2 of 7]
YOUTH [3 of 7]
YOUTH [4 of 7]
YOUTH [5 of 7]
YOUTH [6 of 7]
YOUTH [7 of 7]
[White House telephone “Dial Directory”]
Series IV: Rolodex cards of contacts, undated
Box 13
Series V: Printed Matter, 1964-2010
Box 14
[Photos] [original photographs transferred to audiovisual holdings]
[Time magazine – November 15, 1968]
[Newsweek magazine – November 13, 1972]
[Time magazine – November 20, 1972]
[Time magazine – January 1, 1973]
[Commentary – January 1974]
[New York magazine – February 4, 1974]
[Newsweek magazine – March 11, 1974]
[New York magazine – April 29, 1974]
[Playboy magazine – “All the President’s Men” pt. 1 – May 1974] [magazine withdrawn]
[Playboy magazine – “All the President’s Men” pt. 2 – June 1974] [magazine withdrawn]
[Newsweek magazine – June 17, 1974]
[Time magazine – June 17, 1974]
[The Atlantic magazine – November 1974]
[The New Yorker magazine – March 17, 1975]
[Newsweek magazine – April 5, 1976]
[Newsweek magazine – April 12, 1976]
[Esquire magazine article on “How the New York Times became Second Banana”, May, year unknown]
[“The Inflated States of America” novelty dollar bills]
[1973 Inauguration invitation and informational materials]
[William Taubman book dust jacket flap]
Box 15
Oversize Materials:
[B.A.D. Boston’s Weekly – February 5, 1974]
The New York Times Magazine – May 31, 1964
The New York Times Magazine – November 5, 1972
The New York Times Magazine – October 14, 1973
The New York Times Magazine – January 13, 1974
The New York Times Magazine – October 20, 1974 [5 copies]
The New York Times Magazine – April 3, 1994
Rolling Stone magazine – July 4, 1974
Rolling Stone magazine – October 10, 1974
Saturday Evening Post – January 25, 1969
Wall Street Journal – June 8, 2010
Decorative White House envelope [empty]
This finding aid is available as a PDF file.