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	William S. Cohen Papers at the Raymond H. Fogler Library

Background

William S. Cohen was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1972-1979, and a member of the U.S. Senate from 1979-1997. Upon his retirement from the Senate, Cohen donated his personal papers to the University of Maine. These papers, created by Cohen and the members of his large staff, document Cohen's twenty-four years of service as a member of Congress, as well as his work as an author of fiction, poetry, and accounts of his own experiences during his Congressional career.

The collection arrived at the Raymond H. Fogler Library in December, 1996. Packed in record storage boxes and accompanied by a paper index created by archivist Jane Odom, the papers totaled approximately 1300 cubic feet. Most of the records were from Cohen's congressional offices in Washington D.C., but approximately thirty boxes were from his state offices in Maine. The bulk of the collection consists of paper documents, but photographs, videocassette tapes, audiocassette tapes, and memorabilia are also included. Most of the personnel files, routine administrative records, and case files, which include correspondence with federal agencies on behalf of individual constituents, were removed from the collection before it was transferred to the University of Maine.

In 2001, after serving four years as Secretary of Defense, Cohen donated the reference files from his office at the Department of Defense in the Pentagon. These unclassified correspondence files, trip reports, photographs, and news clippings are primarily electronic files on 16 CD-ROM disks.

Organization and Arrangement

In 1998, archivist Frances O'Donnell appraised the collection and then devised an organizational scheme for it, based on standard archival principles and current theory and practice within the congressional archives field. The boxes were already organized according to general categories suggested by Senate archivist Karen Paul in the1992 editions of The Documentation of Congress, and Records Management Handbook for U.S. Senators and Their Archival Repositories. These two books provided guidelines for the further processing of the collection.

The original order of the records was maintained as far as possible, in order to reflect the manner in which Cohen's Congressional offices functioned. The following six  major record groups in the collection were identified: 1) private papers, 2) papers from the U.S. House of Representatives, 3) papers from the U.S. Senate, 4) audiovisual materials, 5) photographs and memorabilia, and 6) Department of Defense papers. The audiovisual materials and photographs and memorabilia encompass Cohen's career in both the House and the Senate.

Each of these six major record groups were further organized into series and subseries, which describe the records in greater detail. To facilitate access to the records, they were arranged alphabetically or chronologically, and re-boxed into 1/2 cubic foot boxes.

Description

1. Private Papers, 1956-1996, 33 .5 cu. ft. boxes

The bulk of Cohen's private papers consist of records related to writing, Cohen's major avocation. Drafts of his poetry and manuscripts from the nine books he has written are included here, and they attest to Cohen's avid interest in writing poetry, fiction, and accounts of his own experience in Congress. The papers also document several aspects of Cohen's life and career before he entered the U.S. Congress in 1973. They include his yearbooks from Bowdoin College, where he received his A.B. cum laude in Latin in 1962, correspondence with his colleagues in the American Trial Lawyer Association, and material related to the JFK Institute of Politics where Cohen was a fellow in 1972.

2. U.S. House of Representatives Papers, 1972-1980, 211 .5 cu. ft. boxes

This record group consists of the files that were created by Cohen and his staff in the course of Cohen's duties as a member of  the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979. They document the five major functional areas of a congressional office: a) personal/political/official, b) legislative, c) constituent services, d) press/media activities, and e) office administration. Each of these five functional areas contain records which form a series.

The personal/political/official records document Cohen's personal activities, and they consist of  biographical information, scheduling records, Cohen's personal correspondence, and records from the four campaigns he conducted while he was in the House. These campaign records include brochures, voting records, position papers and newsclippings. Audiovisual campaign materials may be found with the audiovisual materials (record group 4).

The legislative records document the legislative process, and the bulk of the files contained in this series consist of Cohen's correspondence with his constituents about specific legislative issues. Also included are records related to Cohen's service on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee from 1973-1979. As a freshman member of that committee in 1974, Cohen participated in the Nixon impeachment inquiry, commonly known as the Watergate crisis. Draft articles of impeachment, Cohen's correspondence with other Judiciary Committee members, and other records which document the decision he made to vote in favor of Nixon's impeachment may be found in this series.

A number of Cohen's aides worked on legislative issues such as health, aging, the environment, and the fishing industry. Files received on these and other legislative subjects were few in number, so they have been filed with Cohen's Senate legislative papers, under the appropriate subject headings. This also includes files related to long-term Maine issues such as the controversy over the Dickey-Lincoln power plant and the Indian land claims settlement of 1980.

The constituent service records document the representative function of the Cohen office. This involves activities such as managing casework and coordinating service academy appointments. Due to the confidential nature of case work files, they were removed from the collection before it was transferred to the University of Maine. The records in this series consists of two boxes of service academy applications and screening committee records, which are arranged alphabetically according to the last name of each applicant.

Press/media records reflect the efforts of Cohen's staff to communicate with the public about Cohen, and they consist of newspaper clippings, press releases, speeches, and special mailings.

Office administrative records include staff memos, general correspondence, and applications for internships in Cohen's office.

3. U.S. Senate Papers, 1973-1996, 773 .5 cu. ft boxes and 388 1.5 cu. ft. boxes

These records were created by Cohen and his staff in the course of Cohen's duties as a U.S. Senator from 1979 to 1996. Some of the legislative papers from Cohen's time in the House of Representatives are also included. The records in this category document the five major functional areas of a congressional office, which are the same as they are in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The personal/political/official records include Cohen's personal correspondence with Presidents Bush, Reagan, and Carter as well as other political and public figures. Records from his two Senate campaigns, the first in 1984 and the second in 1990, are also found in this series, and they consist of  Cohen's voting records, position papers, and newsclippings.

The bulk of the legislative records were created by Cohen's legislative aides, who were responsible for drafting bills, and providing him with up-to-date information about pending legislation and advice on possible legislative strategies. Each aide was usually assigned to several subject areas, such as agriculture, defense, education, transportation, and the environment, and the records are organized according to these subject areas. They contain memos from aides to Cohen, copies of bills, transcripts of hearings, briefing books, and staff project files. The legislative records also reflect Cohen's service on various committees, such as the Committee on Aging, which he was a member of from 1977-1997, and the Senate committee formed to investigate the Iran-contra affair in 1987. Cohen's Iran-contra files include drafts of the questions he asked of witnesses who participated in the public hearings, advisory memos from legislative aides, and drafts of speeches and floor statements.

The constituent service records consist largely of correspondence which was handled by a Correspondence Management System (CMS), used to produce responses to individual letters from constituents. The care with which this correspondence was handled documents the priority status that constituent service was given in the Cohen office. The correspondence for each year that Cohen was in the Senate (with the exception of 1996) was microfilmed, and the microfilm copies and masters of this correspondence are included with the audio-visual materials.

The press/media records are made up of  newsclippings, press releases, speeches, and documentation concerning the television show Washington Perspective which Cohen participated in with Sen. George Mitchell. Video and audiocassette tapes of Cohen on television talk shows and on the Senate floor can be found with the audiovisual materials.

The office administrative records include travel itineraries, an office policy manual, staff memos, and administrative reports.

4. Audiovisual Materials, 1972-2001, 73 boxes and 63 reels

Records in this group encompass Cohen's career in the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate and the Department of Defense. Included here are 755 videocassette recordings of Cohen's speeches, television interviews, his own radio and television broadcasts, and his statements from the floor of the House and the Senate. Also included are 16 mm. film reels, audiocassette tapes, reel-to-reel tapes and early videotape formats, created to communicate information about Cohen and the issues and events with which he was involved. 

Original film, video and audio elements used to create election campaign advertisements form the core of the collections. Much of this material was generated for the four campaigns Cohen waged during his term in the House, as well as his Senate campaigns of 1984 and 1990.  The majority of the VHS tapes are reference copies documenting his activities in other broadcast venues. 

5. Photographs and Memorabilia, 120 linear ft.

Photographs of Cohen with family members, constituents, and VIPs, as well as several hundred negatives which were taken by the Senate Photo Studio are found in this series, as well as plaques, framed photographs, trophies, honorary degrees, and other objects that were given to Cohen as tokens of esteem from constituents, universities, corporations, and other institutions.

6. Department of Defense, 1996-2001, 5 GB (16 CD-ROM disks) and 11 bound volumes

Secretary Cohen's papers from the Office of the Secretary of Defense consist of files kept in the office for reference purposes; official federal records created by Cohen and the staff at the Pentagon are retained by the DOD and by the National Archives. Cohen's DOD papers are copies of unclassified documents. The records in this group are divided into five series: official correspondence, trips, public statements, conferences/hearings/special events, photographs, and news.

The official correspondence series consists of a variety of letters to and from congressional leaders, other cabinet offices, and heads of state as well as reports to Congress and the President; staff memos regarding scheduling and suggested talking points for meetings; and related reference material such as President Clinton's speeches and detailed Congressional committee reports on defense matters. This is the only series of material generally not available the public in other forms.

Trip materials include itineraries, points of contact, speeches, statement alternatives, background papers, talking points, and reference materials for the specific visits and meetings organized by country or location.  Photographs of travel are in the photographs series.

Public statements include transcripts of speeches, interviews, press conferences, and congressional testimony; text of reports, announcements, and news articles; press advisories and correspondent memoranda; and copies of related correspondence. This material for the years 1997-1998 is duplicated in seven bound volumes with four additional volumes for 1999 provided by the Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense.

The series titled conferences/hearings/special events covers activities of the Office of Secretary of Defense that were treated separately from other functions.  Files generated by Cohen's congressional confirmation hearings for the Secretary's position, the 1997 Kassebaum Report on Gender Integrated Training and Related Issues in the military, preparation for hearings in the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees in Congress, and Y2K readiness are included.

The photographs, nearly 3,000 images, document diplomatic meetings with the Secretary hosting heads of state visiting this country, Secretary and Mrs. Cohen during foreign visits at ceremonies or visiting the troops, and Secretary Cohen with important public figures in this country, either at meetings or social events.  These jpeg images taken by Department of Defense photographers are identified in most cases.

The news files are items prepared by the American Forces Information Service on behalf of DOD staff for daily information on world events. Contents are organized by date and by branch of service and topic within each date.  Press releases from the Pentagon are included.