The Presidential historical materials of Alexander P. Butterfield are in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration under the provisions of Title I of the Presidential Recordings and Materials Act of 1974 (44 U.S.C. 2111 note) and implementing regulations. In accordance with the act and regulations, archivists reviewed this file group to identify personal and private materials (including materials outside the date span covered by the act) as well as nonhistorical items. Such items have been returned to the individual who has primary proprietary or commemorative interest in them.
Materials covered by the act have been archivally processed and are described in this register. Items that are security classified or otherwise restricted under the act and regulations have been removed and placed in a closed file. A Document Withdrawal Record (NA Form 14021) marks the original position of the withdrawn items. Employees of the National Archives will review periodically the unclassified portions of closed materials for the purpose of opening those which no longer require restriction. Certain classified documents may be reviewed for declassification under authority of Executive Order 13526 in response to a Mandatory Review Request (NA Form 14020) submitted by the researcher.
- Linear feet of materials: 1.2
- Approximate number of pages: 2,400
Earl Lauder Butz
July 3, 1909 Born, Albion, Indiana
1932 B.S.A., Purdue University
1937 Ph.D., Purdue University
December 22, 1937 m. Mary Emma Powell
1937 Research Economist, Federal Land Bank, Louisville, Kentucky
1937-1954 Professor of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University
1954-1957 Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for marketing and foreign agriculture
1957-1968 Dean of the School of Agriculture, Purdue University
1968-1971 Dean of Continuing Education, Purdue University
1971-1976 Secretary of Agriculture
1973 Counsellor to the President for Natural Resources
1977- Dean of the School of Agriculture (emeritus), Purdue University
February 2, 2008 Died
In January of 1973, as part of his continuing effort at Executive branch reform, President Nixon created three positions with the title of Counsellor to the President. The mandate of each of the Counsellors was to broadly coordinate responsibilities in one of the following three areas of domestic concern: Natural Resources, Human Resources, and Community Development.
The Earl L. Butz file group documents the activities of the Office of the Counsellor to the President for Natural Resources from its inception in January of 1973 until its functions were subsumed by Governor John Love's Energy Policy Office in the summer of 1973. During this time, the position of Counsellor to the President for Natural Resources was held by Earl L. Butz, Secretary of Agriculture. Other members of the Counsellor's Office included John W. Larson, Executive Director of the Natural Resources Committee, and Norman Ross and Glenn Schleede, Assistant Directors. The Office's liaison with the Domestic Council was Richard Fairbanks, Associate Director of the Domestic Council.
The Earl L. Butz file is subdivided into Administrative Files, Correspondence Files, Alpha-Subject Files, and the Meetings and Conferences Files. Principal correspondents include Earl L. Butz, Richard Fairbanks, John Larson, Bobbie Crider, Secretary to Earl Butz, and Vern Highly, Administrative Assistant to Secretary of Agriculture. Subjects include: timber exports, the Alaskan pipeline, the Clean Air Act, national parkland acquisition, and meetings with governmental and non-governmental groups concerned with natural resources.
Boxes: 1
Series: Administrative Files
Description: Composed of memoranda and some correspondence relating to the day-to-day administrative activities of the Office. Subjects include staffing and the issuance of White House parking stickers to staff members. The folders are sorted alphabetically by folder title and are in reverse chronological order within each folder.
Boxes: 1-2
Series: Correspondence Files
Description: Composed of original and xeroxed incoming correspondence and carbons of replies. Represented in these files are every major body with which the Counsellor's office had contact, for example, the Natural Resources Committee and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as correspondence with the general public. The subjects of the correspondence are mostly natural resource related, including such things as land management by the Department of the Interior. The correspondence is sorted by origin/destination, and is in reverse chronological order within each folder.
Boxes: 2-3
Series: Alpha-Subject Files
Description: These files contain correspondence arranged alphabetically on natural resource-related subjects. This series also contains other items such as White House press releases and yearly reports from agencies such as the Tennessee Valley Authority. Like the rest of the file, the folders are arranged alphabetically with correspondence and memoranda in reverse chronological order.
Boxes: 3-4
Series: Meetings and Conferences
Description: These files consist of chronologically arranged correspondence relating to various meetings and conferences at which Counsellor Butz was in attendance. Most of the memoranda simply contain scheduling information. However, occasionally an agenda or other record of the results of the meeting is present.
Series I: Administrative Files
Box 1
Biographies-Richard Fairbanks' Biography
Biographies-John Larson's Biography
Biographies-Norman Ross' Biography
Biographies-Glenn Schleede's Biography
Counselor Butz Biography
Counselor Butz Long Range Speaking Schedule
Counselor Butz Pictures [Empty]
Counselor Butz Schedules
General Administration
Interoffice Memoranda
Memos to the File (BJC)
Parking
USDA Top Staff Speaking Engagements
White House Office Personnel (White House Office of Counselor Butz)
White House Staff Correspondence and Memoranda
Series II: Correspondence Files
BJC Memos to Counselor Butz
Congressional Correspondence
Counselor Butz-Correspondence [Folder 1 of 2]
Counselor Butz-Correspondence [Folder 2 of 2]
Counselor Butz-D. Fairbanks Correspondence
General Correspondence
Box 2
Memoranda to USDA
Natural Resources Committee Correspondence
Staff Memoranda to Counselor Butz
US Department of Agriculture Correspondence
Series III: Alpha-Subject Files
Army Corps of Engineers
Atomic Energy Commission
Big Cypress Acquisition
Community Development Committee
Cost of Living Council
Council on Environmental Quality
Energy
Energy-Coal [Empty]
Energy-Gas [Empty]
Energy-Nuclear Energy [Empty]
Energy-Petroleum
Environmental Coalition
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Statement of the President
Department of the Interior
Lumber
National Land Policy
National Limestone Institute, Inc [Empty]
Box 3
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Petroleum Council
Natural Resources
Nature Conservancy
Presidential Proclamation Modifying Proclamation 3279 re Imports of Petroleum and Petroleum Products, 4/18/73
Press Articles
Press Conference on Water and Sewer Veto 4/9/73
Press Conference re Ceilings on Meat Prices
Tennessee Valley Authority
Timber Task Force
Trade Reform Act of 1973 (trade message)
White House Press Releases
White House Statement by the President of 1/5/73 Announcing Counselors' Roles
Series IV: Meetings and Conferences
March 7, 1973-Meeting with John Dunlop, Bill Morrell, N. Ross, & J. Larson on lumber
March 9, 1973-Meeting with Bruce Kehrli re WH Operations
March 12, 1973-12:00 Luncheon Meeting at Atomic Energy Commission, Germantown, Maryland
March 12, 1973-1:00 Luncheon Meeting at Atomic Energy Commission, Germantown, Maryland
March 12, 1973-4pm Meeting on Lumber, 100 EOB, w/Dunlop, Morrill, Ross, Larson, et al.
March 12, 1973-4:45pm Meeting with Fairbanks, Ruckleshaus, Ross, et. al.
March 13, 1973-2pm Meeting w/Jacob D. Vreeland, Wash. representative of Tenn. Valley Authority
March 16, 1973-2pm Meeting with Dr. Robert M. White, NOAA, Dept. of Commerce
March 19, 1973-3:30pm Meeting w/Ken Naden and Paul Weller, Natl. Council of Farmer Cooperatives re Energy Crisis
Army Corps of Engineers Meeting on March 19, 1973
Box 4
Environmental Protection Agency-Meeting on March 21, 1973
March 21, 1973-7:30 am Breakfast and Initial Meeting of Natural Resources Committee Staff
March 21, 1973-4:30 pm Meeting w/Dr. John Dunlop, COLC
March 22, 1973-9:30 am Meeting of Environmentalists in Roosevelt Room of White House
March 22, 1973-4pm Meeting with Senator Bellmon re Royalty Transfer Problem
March 23, 1973-Citizens' Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality, Washington D.C. (luncheon)
March 30, 1973-10:30am Meeting with the Counselors and Reps. of Natl. Legislative Conf., East Room of WH
March 31, 1973-10am Meeting of Timber Task Force, 100 EOB
April 4, 1973-8:30am Meeting of the Natural Resources Committee staff
April 4, 1973-2:30pm Meeting with Peter Flanigan and Dean Hinton
April 4, 1973-3pm Meeting with Will Kriegsman, Mr. Schleede and Mr. Fairbanks
March 6, 1973-3pm Meeting with Jerome Klaff and Dr. James Boyd of Natl. Comm. On Materials Policy
April 17, 1973-2:30pm Meeting in Roosevelt Room on the Energy Message
April 19, 1973-3pm Meeting with River Basin Commission Chairmen
April 23, 1973-2:30pm Meeting on Problems on Re-entry Standards for Pesticides
April 24, 1973-3:30pm Meeting on Pesticides w/Dominick, Stender, Long, Kilberg & Ross
May 2, 1973-8:30am Meeting of Natural Resources Committee Staff in 100 EOB
May 2, 1973-3pm Briefing by Jack Bridges on Energy w/Larson and Schleede
May 7, 1973-2:30pm Appearance before Washington Conference for the Advertising Council, DC Red Cross Building