Office of the Staff Secretary

The files consist of correspondence, memoranda, notes, speeches, briefing material, daily schedules, press releases, photographs, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous printed material that represent the function of the Office of the Staff Secretary.

The Presidential Handwriting File primarily consists of the daily contents of the President's outbox, filed chronologically according to the date when each item left the Oval Office. The Staff Secretary generally did not handle some types of material: personal and public correspondence, Congressional correspondence, and security-classified documents generated by the National Security Advisor and his staff. Although scattered examples of this material can be found in the files, Susan Clough, the President's administrative assistant, handled his personal correspondence; the White House correspondence unit coordinated public mail; and the Congressional Liaison Staff was responsible for communications with Congressmen and Senators. In similar fashion, National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and his staff personally delivered most foreign policy documents to the Oval Office.

The Staff Secretary is a position in the White House Office responsible for managing communications to the president and circulating documents among senior staff for comment. To provide internal coordination, the Staff Secretary's Office manages the paper flow to and from the President. Sometimes described as "the nerve center of the White House," the position was first created under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The Staff Secretary's Office served as the principal conduit for much of the paperwork sent to the President by White House advisors and agency officials. In the Carter White House, this office consisted of three full-time employees: The Staff Secretary (Rick Hutcheson), the Deputy Staff Secretary (Bill Simon), and the Confidential Assistant (Patty Maloomian). After receiving a document which required a Presidential decision, Hutcheson circulated copies to the appropriate agencies and/or White House advisors for comment. He then compiled and summarized these staff comments, attached a cover memorandum, and sent the entire package to the President. President Carter often penned handwritten responses on the documents, and Hutcheson sent copies of these remarks to the interested parties.

Biographical Note - Richard Gordon Hutcheson III

• 1951 Richard Gordon Hutcheson III was born, Yorktown, Virginia
• 1973 B.A. Political Science in 1973 from Swarthmore College
• 1974 Assistant to DNC Director o Political Research (Paul Lutzker) M.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkley
• 1975 Carter Presidential Campaign aide, specializing in delegate selection, issues research, and speechwriting
• 1976 National Campaign Coordinator and Assistant to Hamilton Jordon, Carter/Mondale Presidential Campaign, Atlanta, Georgia
• 1976-77 Staff Assistant, Carter/Mondale Transition Planning Group, Washington, DC
• 1977-81 Staff Secretary to the President

Biographical Note - William D. Simon

• 1951 William D. Simon was born, Washington, DC
• 1972 Agricultural worker, Kibbutz Ein Hamifratz, Israel
• 1972-74 Attended San Diego State University majored in Political Science
• 1974-75 Staff Assistant to Congressman Thomas M. Reese
• 1975 Paralegal Welfare Advocate, San Francisco Neighborhood Legal Assistance Foundation
• 1976 B.A. in Political Science from University of California, Berkley Administrative Assistant to Rich Hutcheson and Hamilton Jordon, Carter/Mondale Presidential Campaign, Atlanta, Georgia
• 1976-77 Staff Assistant, Carter/Mondale Transition Planning Group, Washington, DC
• 1977-81 Deputy Staff Secretary to the President

Restrictions on Access: These papers contain documents restricted in accordance with Executive Order 12356, which governs National Security policies, and material which has been closed in accordance with the donor's deed of gift.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction: Copyright interest in these papers has been donated to the United States Government. Some of the records may be subject to copyright restrictions. (i.e. newspapers, publications, etc) Researchers should contact the publisher for further information.

Persons: Rick Hutcheson, Bill Simon, Tom Jones

Organizations: White House Central File Staff

Types of Material: Correspondence, memoranda, notes, speeches, briefing material, daily schedules, press releases, photographs and newspaper clippings

Preferred citation: [Type of Document], [Names of Sender and Recipient or Title of Document], [Date], [Collection Title], [Series Title], [Folder Title], [Box Number], Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.

Acquisition Information: These historical Materials were received under provisions of the instrument of gift that Jimmy Carter signed January 31, 1981.

Processing information: The first series of the collection was opened in 1988. Subsequent series in the collection were opened in 1989, 1990 and 1991. The open dates are indicated in the series scope and content.