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 The Frank
Church Papers
Boise State University
Special Collections Department
Albertsons Library
A Web version of The Frank Church Papers: A Summary Guide, by
Ralph Hansen and Deborah J. Roberts, published by Boise State University in 1988.
For more information, contact the Special Collections Department by
e-mail or phone (208)
426-3958.
Portrait 105
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Preface
No individual has touched the nation, Idaho or Boise State University quite in the same
manner as Frank Church. Church served his native state for 24 years in the U.S. Senate,
creating a legacy of unequalled public service.
By testimony and example, he represented Idaho's beauty and its love of freedom. The
natural grace and strength of his rhetoric, the unfailing and courageous ability to call
us above self-interest, the eloquence of his ideas and the respect for mastery of
learning, set him apart as a powerful example of our definition of an educated person.
Over the years Frank and Bethine Church have maintained a long- standing relationship
with Boise State University. When the school was a junior college, he was a young attorney
who served as a part-time faculty member, teaching speech and commercial law. Bethine
attended the junior college, later completing her education at the University of Michigan.
Today, Boise State University is especially honored to serve as the home of the Frank
Church Chair and the Frank Church Collection. One of the most extensive senatorial
collections ever housed at a university, the Church Collection will provide a wealth of
material for research scholars, students and faculty.
Both the Chair and Collection are important to our academic mission. But even more
vital, they serve as effective vehicles to preserve and transmit the wisdom and values of
Frank Church to future generations.
The living legacy of Frank Church exists in this rich lode of records and materials,
and the university is pleased to make them available to scholars and researchers
everywhere.
John H. Keiser
President
Boise State University
March 1988
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Introduction
In 1980, when Frank Church lost his bid for a fifth term in the United States Senate,
he decided to give his extensive collection of papers to Stanford University, his alma
mater. The collection was transferred to Stanford in 1980-1981. Early in 1984, Senator
Church reassessed the prospect of having his papers outside of Idaho. Church approached
Boise State University about our willingness to be the repository of choice and received a
confirmation of interest. Church then wrote the president of Stanford University
requesting that institution release his papers to Boise State. Stanford graciously
acceded.
Before Boise State could house the papers, it was necessary to construct appropriate
quarters. To do so, 2,500 square feet of Library space was assigned to the Church Room. In
this area, a large workroom and an exhibit/seminar room were constructed with financial
assistance from the university and the Idaho State Board of Education. The facility was
provided with separate air conditioning and humidity control so that the temperature could
be kept at 68 degrees and the humidity at 40 percent, levels best suited for preserving
paper.
The papers were received from Stanford in April 1984, and transferred to their new
quarters in August 1984. Publicity of the transfer reached all the way to Washington where
the Information Security Oversight Office, which receives its policy direction from the
National Security Council, invited itself to Boise to examine the Church Papers for
classified documents. Mrs. Church and members of the Church staff who were contacted by
the University gave assurance that no such papers were in the files. We so notified
Washington, and declined their offer of coming to Boise to search through the collection.
Now that the processing of the Papers is complete, that decision has proven correct. No
classified documents were found.
Athough we had atmospheric controlled housing for the Papers and all of the original
transfer boxes were on shelves instead of pallets, we still faced the formidable task of
arranging the collection. As the collection sat unprocessed, it grew as if it had a life
of its own. From Senator Church's pre-Senate law practice we received seven boxes of
documents. From Mrs. Church we received considerable memorabilia, 35 boxes and two trunks
of papers from Church's post-Senate career. Later, as the collection was well into the
processing stage, Mrs. Church sold the family home in Boise and discovered another cache
of memorabilia and some campaign material in the attic. Then Carl Burke, Church's boyhood
friend and his campaign manager, donated his Church-related papers, a few of which date
back to the 1940s. Finally, Mrs. Church sent us some of her historical records which will
be incorporated as a unit of the Frank Church Collection.
The Boise State University Library had on its staff two trained archivists, but neither
had ever worked with a collection of this magnitude. Other libraries that had processed or
were processing large senatorial collections generously shared processing guides and time
on the telephone to assist us. We are particularly indebted to the University of
Washington Manuscripts Department. After a hesitant start, we gained experience and the
work went smoother and faster. Ultimately, with outside financial assistance, we were able
to recruit sufficient staff to complete the project in a shorter time than we dared hope
at the outset.
Funding for such an effort was a problem, as it must be for all institutions that
undertake the processing of a major collection. At first we used unallocated salary funds
to hire an archivist. Then a vacancy at the librarian's level was not filled for one year.
We received a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council, for which the Boise State
University Foundation provided the matching component. The latter funding was the catalyst
that propelled us to finish the project by the end of 1987.
Processing was divided into two units: the audio-visual unit and the manuscript unit.
Leslie Pass was responsible for the processing of the hundreds of audio tapes and the
equally large number of motion picture reels and videotapes. Ellen Koger supervised the
processing of the manuscript portion. In both areas we used student interns to perform the
processing. Most recognized the unique effort they were participating in and assumed a
proprietary interest in the Collection. Preservation practices were followed to ensure
long life for the Collection: audio tapes were duplicated; motion pictures and videotapes
are being copied; paper clips, staples and rubber bands were removed from the paper files;
and acidic paper was copied and the originals removed from the Collection. The entire
Collection was put in folders again and re-boxed in recep tacles made from non-acidic
materials.
While preservation activities were under way, staff read through each folder and listed
on the front the prominent and not so prominent names that appeared in that folder. They
also listed subjects and Senate bills that were contained in the folder. While processing
was under way, information about the folders was entered into a computer using Q & A
software. Ancillary operations included accessioning the artifacts and mounting exhibits
in the Church seminar/exhibit room. During the grant period, three issues of a newsletter
describing the Collection and the steps taken to process it were published and distributed
throughout Idaho and to archivists, scholars and other interested parties throughout the
country.
All of our efforts brought forth an extensive index of the audio-visual materials, a
name index of the Collection, both audio-visual and the papers, as well as a folder
listing and a subject index to the Papers. The latter is a massive computer file. The name
index and the folder listing will be photocopied and distributed to Idaho libraries.
Scholars who have already used the Collection have been complimentary of the order in
which they have found the papers, but more to the point, they have lauded the Collection
for the quantity and quality of the research material contained in its 776 linear feet.
After this sizable effort one might be expected to long for a return to normalcy, but
that is not our desire. We hope that scholarly use of the Collection will continue to make
demands upon the library staff. Because of the labor of those who worked on the
Collection, access will be simpler and the rewards of advancing knowledge will lighten our
labor.
Ralph W Hansen
Boise, March 1988
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Biography
Frank Church was born in Boise, Idaho on July 25, 1924, a third generation Idahoan.
While in junior high school he wrote a letter to a Boise newspaper in response to an
article on foreign relations by Senator William Borah. The letter appeared on the paper's
front page and Church took the first step toward his goal of following in the footsteps of
Senator Borah of Idaho.
As a junior at Boise High School, Church won the 1941 American Legion National
Oratorical Contest with a speech titled "The American Way of Life." The prize
was sufficient to provide for four years at the college or university of the winner's
choice. Church chose Stanford University, enrolling in 1942. Church never forgot his debt
to the American Legion and debating and became the Idaho coordinator for the contest after
beginning law practice in Boise. Throughout his career, when corresponding with young
debaters, he would mention his experience as a debater and encourage his correspondents to
continue this activity.
In 1943, Church enlisted in the United States Army and served as a military
intelligence officer in the China-Burma-India theatre. When discharged in 1946, he
returned to Stanford to complete his education. In 1947, he married Bethine Clark,
daughter of judge and Mrs. Chase A. Clark, a former governor of Idaho. After receiving his
undergraduate degree from Stanford, Church was diagnosed as having cancer and was given
one year to live. Painful X-ray treatments spared his life and this second chance led him
to later reflect that "life itself is such a chancey proposition that the only way to
live is by taking great chances." In 1950, Church graduated from Stanford Law School
and returned to Boise to practice law.
Frank Church became an active Democrat in Idaho and after an unsuccessful try for the
State Legislature in 1952, he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1956. After a closely contested
primary election, he handily defeated the Republican incumbent Herman Welker. At the age
of 32, Church became the fifth youngest member ever to sit in the U.S. Senate. The newly
elected junior Senator from Idaho responded to a Lyndon B. Johnson request for committee
assignment preferences by asking for a place on the Interior and Insular Affairs
Committee. It was a post he described as being "of great moment and importance to
Idaho."
In 1958, Church was appointed to the McClellan "Rackets" Committee and
received national television exposure. Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson gave
Church's career a significant boost in 1959 by appointing him to the Foreign Relations
Committee. In 1960, Church received additional national exposure when he gave the keynote
speech at the Democratic National Convention. In his first term Church played key roles in
civil rights legislation, wilderness preservation and statehood for Alaska and Hawaii. In
1962, he became the first Democratic Senator from Idaho to win a second term.
In 1965, Church expressed his concern about the continued U.S. involvement in Vietnam
in a speech on the Senate floor. Church's constituency was to the right of the Senator on this matter and he took a
political risk as a vocal opponent of the war. In spite of this position he was re-elected
in 1968. In 1969, he joined with Senator John Sherman Cooper (R-Ky.) to sponsor an
amendment prohibiting the use of ground troops in Laos and Thailand. In 1970, the second
Cooper-Church Amendment limited the power of the president during a war situation.
Thereafter Church was actively engaged in efforts to force the end of the Vietnam War.
Another of Senator Church's interests was the elderly. In 1972, Church became the
chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, a committee he was appointed to in 1967. To
provide for the welfare of retirees, Church sponsored legislation for a cost-of-living
adjustment, improved medical care, better housing and other benefits for Social Security
recipients. Church's concern for the elderly played a role in winning re-election time
after time.
Senator Church served on numerous other committees. From 1973 to 1976, he was co-chair
of the Special Committee on National Emergencies and Delegated Emergency Powers. This
committee studied the presidential emergency powers that had developed over a 40-year
period. In 1973, Church was appointed chairman of the Subcommittee on Multi-National
Corporations, charged with the task of exploring the political influence of
multi-nationals. Church felt this appointment may have been his single most important
assignment. In 1975, Church became the chairman of the Select Committee to Study
Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities. This committee
investigated alleged abuses of power by the CIA and FBI.
In the spring of 1976, Church sought the nomination for the Democratic candidacy for
president. He won primaries in Nebraska, Idaho, Oregon and Montana, but handicapped by his
late start, he decided to withdraw in favor of Jimmy Carter.
Early in his career Senator Church struck a balance between preservation and
development of the nation's dwindling wilderness areas. His sponsorship and support of the
Wild and Scenic Rivers and National Wilderness Acts helped ensure the preservation of the
most beautiful regions in the nation. To honor his efforts, the River of No Return
Wilderness Area in Idaho was re-named the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area.
A balanced stance was one of the ingredients that helped Senator Church achieve
re-election three times in an essentially conservative state. By opposing gun control
legislation, supporting local agricultural interests and fighting efforts by southwestern
states to export Idaho's water, Church's liberal foreign relations stances were not
serious impediments - until 1980.
In 1979, Church achieved a lifelong dream when he was appointed chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee. In the late 1970s, and later as chair of the Foreign
Relations Committee, Senator Church guided the ratification of the Panama Canal Treaties
through the Senate. This support was used by Church's political foes to defeat his efforts
for a fifth term. He was defeated by Congressman Steve Symms by 4,262 votes - less than 1
percent of the voter turnout.
After his defeat, Frank Church practiced international law with the Washington, D.C.,
firm of Whitman and Ransom, specializing in Asian issues. In 1984, Church was hospitalized
for a pancreatic tumor and died at home in Bethesda, Md., on April 7 at the age of 59.
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The Frank Church Chair of Public Affairs
The Frank Church Chair of Public Affairs was established at Boise State University in
1982 to honor the achievements and carry forward the principles of one of America's most
distinguished public servants. Through the Chair, Boise State emphasizes those ideals
which the Senator held dear - a strong belief in the rule of law, eloquence firmly based
on reason, and an unwavering faith in the American political system.
Led by the late Governor Averell Harriman, Pamela Harriman and philanthropist Velma
Morrison, more than 2,000 donors have given money in Senator Church's name. Placed in an
endowment, the interest from those funds will eventually support a faculty position.
Currently the endowment is used to sponsor the Frank Church Conference on Public Affairs,
which annually brings internationally known speakers and scholars to Boise to discuss
topics of current interest.
Since the first conference in 1983, speakers have included former President Gerald
Ford, former Secretary of State Edmund Muskie, Mayor Andrew Young, and former ambassadors
Joseph Sisco and David Newsom. Conference topics have included the Middle East, political
repression, Americanism, revolution and American foreign policy.
Return to Table of Contents
The Papers
Introduction
After 24 years and countless file clerks, the Church Collection presented a distinct
processing challenge. Many of the older files had been in storage in a Federal Record
Center in Maryland. Others had been stored in the "attic" of the Senate Office
Building. Much, of course, was in the active file in the Senator's office. When these were
all sent to Stanford, six boxes were lost in transit, never to be found.
How to organize all this paper was the question when processing began at Boise State.
Since the Church office files were subject-oriented, it was decided to follow this
arrangement and use a chronological sequence within each subject. One major problem was
that over the years the file clerks gave differing interpretations to the same subject.
Little effort was expended to reorganize misfiled information. The BSU processing staff
determined to make the computer index the instrument of cohesion. The computer
index will be accessible via the Web in the near future.
Most of the federal documents and ephemeral publications in the Church Papers are
unique to the Boise State University Library and were left in their original files and
included in the index. Monographic works were separated from the files.
Because index information was entered into the computer while processing was under way,
it was not possible to number the boxes consecutively as is the general practice. By
breaking the collection into series numbers the processing staff was able to enter the
names, subjects and folder titles as each unit was processed.
The "General" section, which precedes more specific files in some parts of
the Collection, seems to have been used by Church's staff to file miscellaneous material
that did not fit into a more specific location. Letters coded "General" can
include more than one issue, or can be on a single topic which never generated sufficient
volume to need its own location. Because "General" includes such a wide variety
of topics, researchers who wish an overview can consult these files first, then pur sue
more specific interests in the subject index and the subject areas of the files.
The completed collection consists of 776 linear feet and covers the years 1941-1984.
Return to the list of Series
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Series 1: Legislation Files, 1956-80
- 162 Boxes and 20 Notebooks
Senator Church's legislative files are arranged alphabetically by subject. Many issues
will be found in more than one place in the Legislation files, depending on the aspect
being treated or the volume of correspondence or the whim of the filing staff that day.
Thus, the computerized subject index to the collection will be essential for exhaustive
retrieval of information. For example, the Basques appear in the Legislation files as
sheepherders with immigration problems and as wool raisers who want protection from
foreign wool. Because of the Basques's ties to Spain, a significant amount of material is
found in the Foreign Relations Committee files, and immigration problems surface in the
Immigration and Naturalization Service files of the Federal Government series. In the same
way, the issues of natural resources, forests and forestry, timber and lumber are so
interrelated that information about wood can be found under each heading.
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Senator Church served on numerous committees and subcommittees during his four term
tenure in the U.S. Congress but not all of his committee activities were filed by his
staff under the committee name. Researchers are advised to use the computer-produced index
to the collection in order to locate desired files. Church was appointed to the Foreign
Relations Committee in 1959 by Lyndon B. Johnson. He served on this committee from
1959-1980, and became chairman of it in 1979. There are extensive files coded
"Foreign Relations" and includes related committee work such as the Subcommittee
on Multinational Corporations. Another assignment to which Church devoted considerable
attention was the Special Committee on Aging, 1967-1980, of which he became chairman in
1972.
The committee assignment that gave Senator Church national exposure was his 1975
appointment as chairman of the Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with
Respect to Intelligence Activities, more commonly referred to as the Intelligence
Activities Committee. There is little in the Church Papers on this subject. According to
Senate rules, the files of committee chairmen are considered official Senate records, and
as such, remain with the committees until transferred to the National Archives.
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- 2.1 Boxes 1-7.
Special Committee on Aging, 1959-1980. Senator Church became chair of the
Special Committee on Aging in 1971 and the bulk of the files cover the years since 1971.
There is substantial correspondence with constituents and considerable material on
legislative matters in these files. The papers are rich in all phases of the problems
faced by the aging and cover such subjects as illness and aging, cost-of-living in-
creases for Social Security recipients, the 1971 and 1981 White House Conference on Aging,
nutrition for the elderly, elderly minorities, transportation problems of the elderly and
Medicare. There is a separate folder of correspondence from President Jimmy Carter to the
committee dated December, 1976.
2.2 FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE, 1959-1980
Boxes 1-3.
Minutes and Agendas, 1959-1980.
Boxes 3-6.
Boxes 6-7.
Atlantic Union-Food. This section also includes repeal of the Connally Amendment
(1959-1963), disarmament (1959-1965).
Boxes 8-12.
Foreign Aid-Foreign Policy. Especially Vietnam, 1975.
Boxes 12-13.
Health for Peace-Military Sales. Other topics include human rights, infant
formula, Inter-American Development Bank, International Cooperation Administration.
Boxes 13-14.
Subcommittee on Multinational Corporations, 1972-1976. This subcommittee is
succeeded by the Subcommittee on Foreign Economic Policy.
Boxes 14-16.
Subcommittee on Foreign Economic Policy-Trade. These boxes contain materials
concerning Mutual Security Act, NATO, Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), Peace Corps and State Department.
Boxes 17-20.
Treaties. Specific concerns are Genocide Convention, Law of the Sea, Nuclear
Test Ban, Panama Canal, SALT and SALT II.
Boxes 20-22.
FOREIGN RELATIONS BY GEOGRAPHICAL AREA
Box 23.
Boxes 24-25.
Boxes 25-41.
Southeast Asia, by country, but mostly Vietnam.
Box 42.
Boxes 42-43.
Box 44.
Box 44-52.
Boxes 53-54.
2.3 Boxes 1-5.
Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, 1963-1976. This committee assignment was
one Church desired because the Senator felt that participation on it would help him to be
of service to his constituents in Idaho. These committee files contain a broad range of
topics such as water resources, gold mining, reclamation projects, rock collecting and
outdoor recreation. Specific areas covered are Pacific Trust Territories, Indiana Dunes,
Lower Colorado Basin Project, Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Redwood National Park.
Other issues are grazing fees on public lands, Golden Eagle Passport, various Snake River
projects, wilderness preservation, Alaskan Native Land Claims, firing of Walter J. Hickel,
clear-cutting of timber, wild horses and burros, geothermal resources, deep water ports,
fuels and energy, parks, surface mining, water marketing, Virgin Islands, Guam, and Teton
Dam failure. In 1977 this committee was renamed the Energy and Natural Resources
Committee.
2.4 Box 1.
Energy and Natural Resources Committee, 1977-1980. Many of the subjects that
appear in these committee files are continued from the Interior and Insular Affairs
Committee files. Unique topics are home heating oil, natural gas, oil shale technology,
synfuels, Continental Shelf Land Act of 1977, and documentation from the Subcommittee on
Energy Research and Development.
2.5 Box 1.
Indian Affairs Subcommittee, 1956-1966, 1972. These files contain various House
and Senate bills related to Indian lands, land claims, distribution of judgment funds,
termination of leases to Indian lands, exchange of lands and other issues concerned with
Indian land rights.
2.6 Box 1.
Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence
Activities, 1966-1977 and 1978-1980. This file does not contain official committee
records which Senator Church, Committee Chairman, left in Washington as required by law.
The box contains such diverse items as transcripts of Senator Church's appearance on
"Face the Nation," correspondence with constituents and interested citizens and
printed matter concerning the hearings.
2.7 Box 1.
Select Committee on Labor-Management Relations (also known as the Rackets
Committee), 1958-1962. Church was appointed to this committee by Senate Majority
Leader Lyndon B. Johnson. While on the committee Church received his earliest recognition
outside Idaho when the hearings were broadcast on television.
2.8 Box 1.
Post Office and Civil Service Committee, 1957-1958. Additional material related
to this subject can be found in the Legislation Files.
2.9 Box 1.
Select Committee on the Termination of the National Emergency, 1972-1977.
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Series 3: Federal Government, 1958-1980
The Federal Government files consist of correspondence, memoranda, studies pertaining
to Idaho projects and/or proposed legislation or regulations, annual reports of agencies
and some clippings. They are organized alphabetically by agency name. A large part of the
Senator's work was interceding with government agencies to cut through red tape and help
constituents solve problems. Much of the correspondence in the Federal Government series
deals with such problems.
3.1 Boxes 1-3.
General. The general files consist of a miscellany of issue correspondence with
constituents. Each letter may deal with one issue or with a variety. These files can be
used as an overview of the material contained in the Federal Government series.
3.2
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES The Independent Agencies of the Federal Government regulate
the activities of specific segments of society. These files contain correspondence from
Senator Church's constituents generated when they came into conflict with a particular
agency and asked the senator's staff to intervene on their behalf.
Boxes 1-9.
Action-Environmental Protection Agency. The Action files concern the Peace
Corps, Vista and related files of other volunteer agencies. Also in this section are the
Atomic Energy Commission files. These follow the development of the National Reactor
Testing Station, near Idaho Falls, as it evolved into the Idaho National Engineering
Laboratory. In 1974, the duties of the AEC were divided between the Energy Research and
Development Administration and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In this series, the
files covering the Central Intelligence Agency are contained within two folders. The
Environmental Protection Agency files reflect the concern of Idaho's agricultural industry
pertaining to the regulation of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Boxes 10-18.
Federal Aviation Agency-Housing and Home Finance Agency. The Federal
Communications Commission files address the issue of pay television, TV booster stations
and cable TV. This was an issue of importance to Idahoans during Church's tenure in the
Senate since Idaho is a mountain state and television reception was negligible in many
areas. The Federal Energy Office and its successor Federal Energy Administration files
deal with the energy crisis and concerns about fuel allocation which constituents
addressed to Senator Church.
Boxes 19-31.
International Cooperation Administration-Small Business Administration. The
Interstate Commerce Commission files indicate Senator Church's concern for continuing
railroad service to Idaho. This section also contains the one folder specifically handling
issues regarding the Nuclear Regulatory Commission found within the collection.
Boxes 31-42.
Boxes 43-54.
Veterans Administration Case Files-These files contain correspondence from
veterans who wrote Church regarding benefits and pensions. They are closed.
- 3.3
EXECUTIVE BRANCH The Executive Branch subseries contains those
departments which are headed by a Cabinet secretary. Each department within the series has
been divided into sections according to the organizational plan of that department.
Boxes 1-28.
Department of Agriculture. The Department of Agriculture has extensive
involvement within Idaho because of its jurisdiction over agriculture and forestry. This
section also includes three boxes of closed case files from the Farmers Home
Administration.
Boxes 29-33.
Department of Commerce. The jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce is
subdivided into Area Redevelopment Administration, Bureau of Public Roads, Census Bureau,
Economic Development Administration and Weather Bureau.
Boxes 34-73.
Department of Defense. The Department of Defense is divided into the four
branches of the military. Within the Air Force files researchers will find the Mountain
Home Air Force Base, and the issue of the B-1 bomber. The subdivision Army includes Army
Corps of Engineers, which is further subdivided into named projects. The corps played an
important part in the development of Idaho's water resources and flood control. There are
also some case files pertaining to military personnel who wrote Senator Church for
assistance.
Boxes 73-74.
Department of Energy. The Department of Energy was established by President
Carter in 1977. These files continue Idaho's energy story from the earlier files on the
Atomic Energy Commission and the Energy Research and Development Administration.
Boxes 75-105.
Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The HEW files are sub- divided
under Food & Drug, Mental Health, Office of Education, Public Health Services, and
include 18 boxes of Social Security Case Files.
Boxes 106-109.
Boxes 110-135.
Department of Interior. The Department of Interior holds jurisdiction over many
of Idaho's resources. These files include the Bonneville Power Administration, the Bureau
of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation.
The Bureau of Reclamation, in this section, includes the Teton Dam files, regarding both
the approval and financing of the project and aid to the victims of the dam's failure. The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which regulates some of Idaho's hunting and fishing, is
also found in this section.
Boxes 136-148.
Department of Justice-Department of Labor. Justice includes a small amount of
correspondence on the Bureau of Prisons and three boxes of Immigration and Naturalization
closed case files. Labor includes the Bureau of Employee's Compensation and Occupational
Safety and Health Act files.
Boxes 149-160.
Department of State-Department of Transportation. The State Department files
include the Agency for International Development and the Peace Corps. Subtopics in
Transportation include Amtrak, Coast Guard, Federal Aviation Administration, and the
Federal Highway Administration.
Boxes 160-167.
Department of Treasury-White House. Most of the Treasury files are subdivided
under Internal Revenue. The White House files include Office of Emergency Preparedness and
the Office of Management and Budget.
- 3.4
JUDICIAL BRANCH
1 Box.
Supreme Court. These files pertain specifically to H.G. Carswell, William 0.
Douglas, Abe Fortas and Clement Haynsworth.
- 3.5
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 1 Box.
Controller, General Accounting Office and Library of Congress. The Library of
Congress files contain Senator Church's overdue book notices.
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Series 4: Idaho
4.1 Boxes 1-23.
Issues. These issues pertain to state, county and city affairs and should have
been brought to the attention of local government officials. When the Church office could
not intervene, a letter was written directing the correspondent to the appropriate state
or municipal official. This series is a veritable cornucopia of Idaho information, albeit
of a disparate nature. Includes case files.
4.2 Boxes 1-6.
Idaho Office Files. North Idaho Office 1972-1980. South Idaho Office 1973-1980.
Most of these files are from the office in Northern Idaho. The files concern issues
germane to the region served by the office. Where the files overlapped those in the
Washington Office, the regional files were removed. Box 6 is all case files, closed.
4.3 Boxes 1-3.
Academies 1957-1976. Church's nominations to the Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant
Marine, Navy and Army service academies. Only the files of nominees who were appointed and
accepted were saved.
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Series 5: Campaigns
This series contains campaign files of Senator Church and his staff. It includes
material on advertising, volunteers, fund raising and donors, issues, clippings, speech
material and speeches, files on opponents, polls, press releases and financial
disclosures. See also Campaign Manager Carl Burke's collection and the Audio Visual
materials for campaign media.
5.1 Boxes 1-2. 1956 Senatorial Election.
5.2 Boxes 1-3. 1962 Senatorial Election.
5.3 Boxes 1-6. 1968 Senatorial Election.
5.4 Boxes 1-5. 1974 Senatorial Election.
5.5 Boxes 1-8. 1976 Presidential Nomination Campaign.
5.6 Boxes 1-7. 1980 Senatorial Election.
5.7 Box 1. 1968-1980 Polls.
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Series 6: Political Affairs
Political affairs are primarily files on party politics on both the local and national
level, including material on the various elections and delegate selection for the various
Democratic National Conventions. Most are dated 1957-1969, with some exceptions such as
Watergate, which dates from 1973-1974. Also included are files on prominent Idaho
Democrats and Church's political opponents. The Political Affairs series complements the
Issue Books in the Public Relations series, the Special Files in the Personal series and
the Campaign series.
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Return to Table of Contents
Series 7: Public Relations
7.1-7.2 Boxes 1-5.
General. The files labeled Public Relations by the Church staff consist of an
amalgam of constituent correspondence, much of which is in response to the writer's
inquiry. The Public Relations files exemplify Senator Church's inclination to answer all
mail and to preserve the entirety of the records created by his office.
PR General contains letters requesting government publications, tickets to the White
House, U.S. flag, an autograph or photograph (sometimes both) of the Senator or the
President, information for term papers or a debate topic, and occasionally letters of
appreciation or disparagement for the Senator's political activity. In addition to such
request letters, there were voluminous files in which the Church office wrote to
constituents when their names appeared in the newspapers. Weddings, deaths, honors or
awards, anniversaries, and elections to office (political, school or service groups) - in
a word, any mention, other than for a criminal activity, generated a brief letter of
congratula- tions from the Senator. While the Senate Records Manual suggests that such
letters need not be saved, it was decided that a selection from each year might be useful
as an example of how a senatorial office functioned.
In addition, an examination of the material indicated that the PR files also contain
the minutia of Congressional life such as thank-you letters from senators for the exchange
of gifts (usually home-state products), thank-you notes for alerting a senator to a
forthcoming speech by Church on the Senate floor and, occasionally, a brief letter of
congratulations from prominent Democratic senators on a Church accomplishment. Because of
these discoveries, all PR files were carefully reviewed before they were weeded.
7.3 Boxes 1-2.
Press. These files contain letters to and from the media, especially but not
exclusively Idaho. While the files cover many issues, the letters are often a response by
Church to an editorial or a letter to the editor. Sometimes Church's position is presented
in some detail.
7.4 Boxes 1-8.
Press Releases. Releases are in chronological order. The Church staff also
produced a subject index to this material.
7.5 Boxes 1-4.
Radical Right. Senator Church was under constant attack by ultra- conservative
letter writers who took issue with his public positions. These letters were filed by the
Church staff under the heading Radical Right.
7.6 Box 1
Recommendations. A selection of the letters and responses to writers seeking
Senator Church's support for admittance to a college or university, or job seekers who
thought his influence would aid their cause.
7.7 Boxes 1-2.
Reprints. Copies of articles by and about Church, copies of the newsletter
issued by the Church staff and off-prints of Church addresses from the Congressional
Record.
7.8 Box 1
Requests. A selection of letters filed by the Church staff under Public
Relations. Requests are similar in content to PR General.
7.9 Boxes 1-19.
Issue Books. Scrapbook style arrangement filled with clippings, notes, and pages
of the Congressional Record. They seem to be a quick reference record of the Senator's
stand on specific issues. An outstanding feature of the Issue Books 'one that
distinguishes them, was the number of speeches and speech drafts they contained. For ease
of access, Issue Books have been transferred from their oversized looseleaf notebooks to
archival boxes.
- 7.10
NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS AND SCRAPBOOKS
Boxes 1-22.
Clippings. 1968-November 1980. These clippings are generally filed
chronologically in annual groups and later as the volume increased in segments of a year.
Within each chronological unit the clippings are filed by subject. The subjects changed
over the years but usually consisted of files on political opponents, the incumbent
governor in Idaho, general Idaho politics, op-ed materials, and issues that were of
particular concern to Church such as the Panama Canal Treaty, education, water,
agriculture, wilderness and Watergate. In later years the clippings were circulated among
the staff before filing for future reference.
42 Volumes.
Scrapbooks. January 1957-May 1976. (Lacking 1/62 - 5/62, 4/70 - 6/70, and 5/73 -
7/73.) General clippings, in chronological order, of events in which Senator Church's name
appeared in the story. Five volumes are topical and concern 1) Vietnam, 2) Church's 1960
keynote address, 3) Steve Symms and 4) Church's presidential campaign in 1976 (2 vols.).
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Series 8: Speeches, Articles, Trips and Meetings, 1941-1980
8.1 Boxes 1-12. Speeches. Frank Church's political career germinated with
his awardwinning speech, "The American Way of Life," given in 1941 at the
American Legion National Oratory Speech Contest. This award provided Church with four
years of tuition at Stanford University where he competed as a member of the debate squad
and received his law degree in 1950.
Church was only four years into his long Senatorial career when he gave the keynote
address to the 1960 Democratic National Convention. This address brought Church to the
public's attention as an eloquent speaker. His public speaking skills had been honed
during the first years of his Senatorial service where he gave several hundred ad- dresses
on the Senate floor and to various civic groups.
There are 11 boxes of Church's speeches which represent his staff's efforts to maintain
a speech file. The processing staff added photocopies of speeches found elsewhere in the
collection. For the purpose of this listing, interviews for which a printed copy exists
were included as speeches. Chronological and title listings of the speeches have been
prepared.
Additional speeches were found in the post-Senate Church Papers. There is considerable
duplication between this file and the Senate file for speeches made during Church's Senate
years but none for the post-Senate years. A listing of the post-Senate speeches has been
prepared.
8.2 Boxes 1-20.
Trip Files. Chronological file of Senatorial, personal and vacation trips taken
by the Senator and his family. Trips are identified by the destination and sponsor.
8.3 Boxes 1-4.
Articles and Magazines. This file contains articles written by Senator Church,
some of which were based upon speeches he had given that were expanded for publication.
The article files are indexed in three ways: alphabetically by the title of the article,
the name of the publication in which they appeared, and by date. The controversial January
26, 1965 Look article, "Conspiracy USA," can be found in this portion of the
collection.
8.4 Boxes 1-5.
Meetings. Over the years the Church staff gave different interpretations to the
heading "meetings." Therefore, this series includes records of official
Senatorial committee meetings, invitations to social functions and meetings in Idaho, as
well as social functions in Washington, D.C., and requests for individuals to meet the
Senator.
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Series 9: Administration
9.1-9.7 Boxes 1-8.
General. An amalgamation of office operational records mostly for the 1950s, and
incomplete files on the Church staff and interns for the same period. Included are also
copies of "Multiple Letters", 1957-1960, which now would be called ROBO's (form
letters) and some unrelated subject files. Subject to further retention review.
9.8 Boxes 1-66.
Greens 1957-1980 (1978 Missing). So-called because they are green carbon copies
of outgoing letters, filed alphabetically by the name of the correspondent within
chronological periods.
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Series 10: Personal
10.1 Box 1.
Biographical, 1956-1987. Biographical material has been sorted into two units.
The first unit contains material produced by the Church office or the Church campaign
committees. The second section is comprised of published stories from newspapers and
magazines.
10.2 Boxes 1-6.
Pre-Senate, 1951-1956. These files indicate that Church's early law practice was
quite routine. He handled divorce proceedings, personal injury cases, sale of property,
breach of contract, child support and wills. There is also material on Church's parents'
financial affairs and evidence of Church's growing involvement in Idaho politics. Law
office files are closed.
10.3 Box 1.
Correspondence. The contents of this box are letters, clippings and memoranda on
a wide variety of seemingly unrelated topics such as carry-over cases from Church's
pre-Senate law practice, family correspondence, script of office birthday party for
Church, a memo relating to the meeting in which the DeConcini reservations to the Panama
Canal Treaty were settled, draft letter to President Carter and Secretary of State Vance
concerning selling aircraft to Middle East states, and letters from people with the
surname Church seeking genealogical information. Once again the reader is advised to refer
to the computer index in order to pull together all related material found in various
series.
10.4 Box 1.
Financial Disclosure. Senator Church supported financial disclosure for public
officials and he voluntarily disclosed his finances before such a course was mandated by
federal law. The Collection contains disclosure information for 1961-1980. Further
financial disclosure records can be found in the Campaign files.
10.5 Boxes 1-2.
Organizations. Includes groups to which Church belonged and supported, either
financially or by endorsing their programs. Specifically named files include the American
Legion, CARE, the Hansard Society, the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission and The
National Committee for an Effective Congress.
- 10.6 SPECIAL FILES. 8 Boxes.
Files containing background material on then-current legislation, topics for which
Church had committee assignments or topics which he wished to be informed about. Some of
this material was in expanding files making them easy to extract for a committee meeting
or ready reference. Dates on the files are for limited chronological periods further
suggesting their immediate utility. See also Issue Books.
Box 1.
Major headings include Aging 1971-1974, Alaska/Hawaii Statehood 1957-1959, Birth
Control 1959-1965, Campaigns by year, CIA/FBI Investigation 1975-1977, and Conservation
1960-1970.
Box 2.
Council of Foreign Relations 1962-1975, Farm speech material 1958-1962, Foreign Aid
1963-1973, Foreign Policy 1959-1968, Foreign Relations Committee 1979-1980, Barry M.
Goldwater 1963-1964.
Box 3.
Walter J. Hickel 1969, Nixon Impeachment 1974, India/Pakistan 1971-1975, Lyndon B.
Johnson 1963-1973, J. F. Kennedy 1961-1963, George McGovern 1971-1974.
Box 4.
Members of Congress for Peace Through Law 1963-1976, Middle East 1970-1978, Military
Budget 1974-1976, Multinational Corporations 1972-1977, NATO 1963-1966.
Box 5.
Nuclear Disarmament and other subheadings under Nuclear, Overseas Private Investment
Corps (OPIC) 1973-1977, Radical Right 1962-1965, Church Recall Atempt 1967, Rockefeller
Mission 1969-1970 and 1975 Elmo Roper 1961-1971.
Box 6.
Contains Elmo Roper and Roper Public Opinion Research Center files, Russia 1958-1973,
and Speeches. All speeches have been copied and added to the Speech Files.
Box 7.
More speeches plus articles, Stanford University 1959-1976, United Nations 1963-1971
and material compiled for Church's service as a delegate to the U.N. 21st General
Assembly.
Box 8.
Vietnam 1963-1973, Western Hemisphere Affairs 1964-1977, and Young Democrats 1957-1972.
10.7 Boxes 1-7.
Post-Senate. In 1981, Senator Church entered the Washington, D.C., firm of
Whitman and Ransom to practice international law. These are his personal files from the
period with Whitman & Ransom. This series also contains a substantial quantity of
letters from friends and admirers after Church lost the 1980 election and his non-legal
correspondence for 1981-1984.
10.8 Boxes 1-4.
Get Well and Sympathy Messages. After the public announcement that Church was
seriously ill he received a veritable flood of get-well cards and letters. Also in this
series are the expressions of sympathy received by Mrs. Church when the Senator died.
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Series 11: The Frank Church Audio-Visual Collection The Frank
Church audio-visual collection includes more than 750 audio recordings, more than 400
separate films and video recordings with a viewing time of 45 hours and about 1,500
photographs.
11.1
The Video Collection. Films and videos in this collection range in viewing
length from 10 seconds to more than an hour. There are 13 hours of footage on video tape.
The remainder of the footage is on 16 mm film. The films/videos have been indexed by
speakers, those spoken about, bills discussed, government agencies named and specific
historic events. Keywords have also been applied to give the user the broadest possible
access to the Collection. An abstract has been prepared for each piece.
The Video Collection has been processed into four categories:
- 1. Campaigns. This series contains mostly 30-second and one minute campaign
advertisements. There are a few longer Face the Nation, Meet the Press and comparable
Idaho programs. Many such appearances were only recorded on audio tape and can be found in
the Audio Collection.
- 2. Public Relations. These consist of public service announcements made for
charitable organizations, films of Church discussing the status of current legislative
efforts to bring economic development to Idaho and his appearances at public functions.
- 3. News Programs. Appearances on Face the Nation, Meet the Press and comparable
Idaho programs. Many such appearances were only recorded on audio tape and can be found in
the Audio Collection.
- 4. Biographical. Films and videos produced after Church's death by national and
local television media.
11.2
The Audio Collection. As with the video Collection, the Audio Collec- tion has
been indexed by speakers, those spoken about, bills discussed, government agencies named
and specific historic events. Keywords have also been applied to give the user the
broadest possible access to the Collection. A brief description has been prepared for each
sound recording.
The Audio Collection has been processed into five categories:
- 1. Campaigns. The campaign recordings contain sound tracks for campaign commercials,
news interviews and speeches both by Church and his supporters and Church's opponents and
critics.
- 2. Public Relations. This section contains tapes on important issues sent by Church to
Idaho radio stations. Such reporting to Idaho constituents ceased when the Fairness
Doctrine was imposed on the media by the FCC. Also in this category are speeches by Church
at dedications, graduation ceremonies and to local and civic groups.
- 3. News Programs. Church was a frequent guest on both local and national radio and
television programs. It appears that the Senator was often provided with a complimentary
sound copy of his TV appearance rather than a video tape. Some recordings appear to have
been made on home cassette recorders.
- 4. Committees. There are only a small number of recordings which concern Church's actual
committee work. Some recordings in this category are Church discussing his committee work
on news shows and at press conferences.
- 5. Press Conferences. Church called press conferences often to announce passage of a
major piece of legislation. The collection is especially rich in recordings of his
interviews during the presidential campaign of 1976.
11.3
The Photograph Collection. The Frank Church photograph collection consists of
approximately 1,500 photographs, slides, and negatives. The photographs are various sizes
in black/white and color.
The collection is arranged in eight major categories:
- 1. Campaigns
- 2. Committees
- 3. Family (includes early F.C. photos)
- 4. Portraits
- 5. Public Relations
- 6. Trips
- 7. Miscellaneous
- 8. Oversize
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Bethine C. Church Papers As processing of the Church Papers
proceeded, it became evident that some of the files were related to Mrs. Church's social
and charitable activities rather than the Senator's affairs. These were set aside for
later processing. Late in 1987, Mrs. Church forwarded additional records for the
collection, some of which represented her activities as well as those of Senator Church.
The Bethine Church collection contains general correspondence, trip files, speaking
engagement files and designated files for her charitable and political endeavors. Among
the latter are files pertaining to the Democratic Congressional Wives Forum and the
Women's National Democratic Club. Mrs. Church's charitable activities are centered around
handicapped children and named files are United Cerebral Palsy and Children's Hospital
National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
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Carl Burke Papers, 1949-80
Carl Burke and Frank Church were boyhood friends. While the two were in high school,
Burke engineered a successful campaign to elect underdog Frank Church to the office of
student body president. Later both studied law at Stanford University and established law
practices in Boise. While Church turned to politics as a career, Burke remained with law
except when he was again called upon to manage Church's campaigns for the U.S. Senate and
the unsuccessful 1976 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Most of this
collection pertains to the elections of 1962, 1968, 1974, 1976 and 1980. The later
elections are the most complete. The election files comprise materials relating to
fundraising, receipts and expenditures, travel itineraries, staff memos, and voter
surveys. There is also some Burke correspondence with other Idaho and national political
figures 1952-1971.
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The Boise State University Library
Wishes to Thank
All Those Who Helped Process
THE FRANK CHURCH PAPERS Timothy A. Brown, University Librarian
Ralph W. Hansen, Project Director
Ellen Koger, Processing Supervisor
R. Gwenn Stearn, Archival Assistant
Dr. Ellis L. Knox, Microcomputer Manager
Staff
|
Interns
|
Volunteers
|
| Linda Kay Allen |
Nick Casner |
Lillian Hansen |
| Sylvia Burr |
Sherri Cox |
Martha Kuhn |
| Mary Carter |
Ben P. Everson |
Mary Strickland |
| Terry Chadwick |
Dorothea Huff |
| Piotr Czartolomny |
Byron Keely |
| Janene M. Berry |
David Kennedy |
| Don P. Haacke |
Lisa Krepel |
| Suzanne McCorkle |
J. Andrew Moes |
| Brett Murrell |
Arlene Murrell |
| Julie A. Stubbers |
Chuck Nissen |
| Russell Tremayne |
Todd Reed |
|
Deborah J. Roberts |
|
JoAnne Russell |
|
Ross Smith |
|
Paul R. Taber III |
|
Julia Timphony |
|
Janet Woolum |
Frank Church Audio-Visual Materials
Leslie Pass, Processing Supervisor
Chuck Scheer, University Photographer
Staff
|
Interns
|
Volunteers
|
| Mary Carter |
Mike Crosby |
Laura Monagle |
| Karin Eyler |
Stephen King |
| Tomas Hopkins |
| Ellen Jones |
| Jane Sailor |
Special thanks to:
Bethine Church for her support.
Boise Cascade Corporation for transporting the papers from California.
Linda Kay Allen, who typed the manuscript for this publication and in other ways
contributed to the success of the Church Papers Processing Project
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Questions or comments contact Special Collections by
email or phone (208) 426-3958
Date last changed: 16 March 2004
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