--------------- COL,SER,FLDR ID............ 018500000 ACCESSION.................. 70-NLF-301 RECORD CODE................ C TITLE...................... BENJAMIN F. BAILAR PAPERS (Postmaster General) ...DESCRIPTION... Benjamin Franklin Bailar was named the sixty-first Postmaster General of the United States by the Postal Service Board of Governors on February 16, 1975, succeeding Elmer T. Klassen. In 1970, the Postal Service was created as a semi-independent establishment of the executive branch under an eleven-member Board of Governors. The purpose of the reorganization was to bring a more business-oriented administration to the huge federal postal system. As both the Postmaster General, and previously as the Deputy Postmaster General, Bailar sat on this board. Bailar, with his background in finance and management, attempted to place the postal service on a strong economic base. His major responsibility was to administer this semi-independent government corporation so that it could support itself on revenues from mail users. Bailar was especially concerned with the quality of mail service and postal costs. One significant cost was labor, and Bailar negotiated a contract which averted a strike by the unionized postal employees in July 1975. The Bailar files consist of five scrapbooks dating form December 1974 through March 1978, when Bailar resigned as Postmaster General, with scattered items from the period immediately following; and one speech, "Postal Service - Political Birthright or Economic Choice," delivered to the Economic Club of Detroit, March 8, 1976. A video-cassette of the first day of issue ceremony for the telephone centennial stamp and two albums of photographs depicting his activities, May 1973 to January 1978, were transferred to the audio-visual collection. The scrapbooks consist almost entirely of national and local newspaper and national and trade magazine clippings arranged chronologically. Other related materials include transcripts of news interviews, press wires, invitations, commencement programs, speeches, correspondence, and cartoons. There are no office files. The majority of the papers document interviews and public appearances, such as first day of issue ceremonies and press coverage of major issues, including postal costs and the integrity of the mail. Subjects include the rate increase of first class stamps to 13 cents; CIA mail tampering; postal labor union negotiations in 1975; possible postal cost-cuts, such as small and rural post-office closings and deleting Saturday delivery; and Bailar's appointment, background and resignation. ...ABSTRACT... Scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, magazine articles and some speeches and interview transcripts concerning his activities with the Untied States Postal Service and one speech about postal matters delivered to the Economic Club of Detroit on March 8, 1976. SUBJECT DESCRIPTOR......... Postal Matters, United States Postal Service LC SUBJECT TERM............ UNPOB, POSU, UNPOS, United States--Politics and government--1974-1977, Postal service--United States, United States Postal Service BEGINNING DATE............. 1974 ENDING DATE................ 1979 VOLUME..................... 0.8 UNITS MEASUR............... linear feet ...RELATED MATERIAL... Related materials at this writing may be found in the files of F. Lynn May, of the Domestic Council, Postal Service Subject File, 1974-76; and in the White House Central Files categories Federal Government - Organizations (FG 18 - Post Office Department and FG 295 - U.S. Postal Service) and Postal Service (PO). ...ARRANGEMENT... Arranged in a single series. PREFERRED CITATION......... Benjamin F. Bailar Papers, Gerald R. Ford Library CLASSIFICATION CODE........ U, Not Classified LANG. CODE(S).............. eng LOCATION................... 1A-01-20-2 DATE OF OPENING............ 05/1982 CREATORS NAME.............. Bailar Benjamin F. CONFORMING NAME............ Bailar, Benjamin F. CONFORMING NAME INDICATOR.. P CREATORS RELN TO PRES...... Deputy Postmaster General; Postmaster General CREATORS CURRENT POSN...... Unknown ...BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE... April 21, 1934 - Born, Champaign, Illinois 1955 - B.S., geology, University of Colorado 1955-1957 - Lieutenant, United States Navy 1959 - M.B.A., Harvard University 1959-1962 - Coordinating and planning staff, Continental Oil Company 1962-1972 - Financial analyst and vice-president, American Can Company 1972-1974 - Senior Assistant Postmaster General for Support and Administration, Unites States Postal Service 1974-1975 - Deputy Postmaster General, United States Postal Service 1975-1978 - Postmaster General of the United States 1978-present - Executive vice-president, director, U.S. Gypsum Company DONORS NAME................ Ford Gerald R. DONORS RELN TO CREATOR..... President SOURCE OF LEGAL TITLE...... DM, Donated materials ...PROVENANCE... Bailar took these materials home after he left office and then donated them to the Ford Library on March 9, 1981. Originally accessioned as 81-NLF-025 and 81-NLF-026. ...RESTRICTIONS... Open. ...LITERARY RIGHT... Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. In addition, Mr. Bailar has donated to the United States of America his copyright interest in any other of his writings that might be included in this collection. The copyright interest to materials written by other individuals or organizations is presumed to remain with them. WRITTEN PERMISSION......... N BOX........................ ******* BAILAR PAPERS --------------- COL,SER,FLDR ID............ 018500001 ACCESSION.................. 70-NLF-301 RECORD CODE................ F TITLE...................... Speech - Economic Club of Detroit, 3/8/76 SUBJECT DESCRIPTOR......... Postal Matters, United States Postal Service, Speeches BEGINNING DATE............. 03/1976 ENDING DATE................ 03/1976 BOX........................ 1 PAGE COUNT................. 55 BAILAR PAPERS --------------- COL,SER,FLDR ID............ 018500002 ACCESSION.................. 70-NLF-301 RECORD CODE................ F TITLE...................... Items Transferred to the Audiovisual Collection SUBJECT DESCRIPTOR......... None BEGINNING DATE............. 04/1983 ENDING DATE................ 04/1983 BOX........................ 1 PAGE COUNT................. 2 BAILAR PAPERS --------------- COL,SER,FLDR ID............ 018500003 ACCESSION.................. 70-NLF-301 RECORD CODE................ F TITLE...................... Scrapbooks, 1 - 2 SUBJECT DESCRIPTOR......... Postal Matters, United States Postal Service BEGINNING DATE............. 12/1974 ENDING DATE................ 09/1975 BOX........................ 1 PAGE COUNT................. 200 BAILAR PAPERS --------------- COL,SER,FLDR ID............ 018500004 ACCESSION.................. 70-NLF-301 RECORD CODE................ F TITLE...................... Scrapbooks, 3 - 5 SUBJECT DESCRIPTOR......... Postal Matters, United States Postal Service BEGINNING DATE............. 09/1975 ENDING DATE................ 09/1979 BOX........................ 2 PAGE COUNT................. 300 BAILAR PAPERS ---------------