The Cabinet Committee on Voluntary Action was formed by President Richard M. Nixon's 1969 Executive Order 11470, to foster cooperation among Government departments and agencies on programs related to voluntary action, and to promote reliance on and recognition of volunteer activities. Additionally, the Committee was charged with being responsible for developing new Federal initiatives in the voluntary action area. The work of the Committee led to the creation of the National Center for Voluntary Action in 1969, and to the establishment of an Office of Voluntary Action within the new ACTION agency in 1971.
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, George W. Romney, served as Chairman of the Cabinet Committee. In naming him Chairman, President Nixon cited his "impressive successes in stimulating voluntary action during his terms as Governor of Michigan." The other members of the Committee were the Secretaries of Commerce; Labor; Agriculture; Health, Education, and Welfare; the Attorney General; and the Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity. At the same time that the Cabinet Committee was formed, the President named Max M. Fisher to serve as his Special Consultant on Voluntary Action, and asked him to work with Secretary Romney's Committee in helping to foster voluntary action.
Principal correspondents in FG 252 include the President, Secretary Romney, Max Fisher, Donald Kendall, Nils Boe, and Charles B. "Bud" Wilkinson. The letters, memoranda, and statements which make up the files are primarily administrative, dealing with scheduling, press release issuance, and personnel issues. They do not include detailed agenda, minutes, or summaries of Committee meetings or activities.
Although the White House Central Files unit continued to create folders for this file group for 1971-1974, FG 252 materials only cover the 1969-1970 period. The terms Executive and General are used in the folder titles to indicate separation of documents according to source and handling. Executive items include communications among national, foreign, and state and local governments and their agencies, members of Congress, and selected prominent correspondents. General designates communications between Government officials and private citizens, institutions, and private interest groups. Where "/A" follows a numeric file designation, it indicates files relating to appointments, nominations, and resignations within that organization.
Some of the files related to FG 252 include:
White House Central Files: Subject Files
FG 259 National Center for Voluntary Action
FG 325 ACTION
White House Special Files: Central Files: Confidential Files:
CF FG 252
CF FG 259
FG 252
With the exception of one item, all the FG 252 documents are filed in this one category. It includes recommendations that the President meet with the voluntary action group; the designation of "Distinguished Americans in Voluntary Action"; and some discussion of the personnel involved in studying voluntary action issues.
FG 252/A
Consists of a single item, the transmittal letter (only) for Executive Order 11470.
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