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MEMO TO ALL CABINET AND AGENCY HEADS FROM JACK WATSON RE PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP83B00140R000200030014-6
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
14
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
May 1, 2009
Sequence Number: 
14
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
November 7, 1980
Content Type: 
MEMO
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PDF icon CIA-RDP83B00140R000200030014-6.pdf467.71 KB
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Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83B00140R000200030014-6 e THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON November 7, 1980 MEMORANDUM FOR ALL CABINET AND AGENCY HEADS FROM JACK WATSON G- This is to reiterate he information conveyed by telephone concerning the trans'ti Until the official transition unit heads are design d by the President-elect and you are so notified by this office, any informal requests of any persons representing themselves as officials of the President- elect should be courteously refused and this office notified. We are cooperating fully to establish a planned and coordinated transition program with the official representatives of the President-elect. Consequently, all orientations and exchanges of information should be channeled through these official designees. cc: White House Senior Staff --- Approved For Release 2009/05/01 CIA-RDP83B0014OR000200030014-6 Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 1 THE WHITE HOUSE November 10, 1980 FROM: JACK WATSO:J `l SUBJECT: An Order1v4ransition of the Presidency The purpose of this memorandum is to confirm and clarify the President's instructions given last week regarding the transition. The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 is intended to facilitate "... the orderly transfer of the executive power in connection with the expiration of the term of office of a President and the inauguration of a new President...." The Act states: "The national interest requires that such transitions in the office of the President be accomplished so as to assure continuity in the faithful execution of the laws and in the conduct of the affairs of the Federal Government, both domestic and foreign." As you know, the President has asked me to serve as overall coor- dinator of the transition effort on his behalf. Al McDonald, White House Staff Director, will be working closely with me on the transition, as will Harrison Wellford, Executive Director of OMB. As soon as Governor Reagan officially designates his transi- tion representative(s) for your agency, I will transmit those names to you. I am planning to meet with Governor Reagan's director of the transition, Ed Meese, on Wednesday, November 12th, and should receive the names at that time. The transition briefing materials you are preparing should be con- cise and contain information that will be of immediate usefulness to the incoming officials. It would not be fruitful, in my opinion to innundate Governor Reagan's people with excessive detail or wit unsolicited advice and recommendations. Our guideline is simply to be helpful and forthcoming in every way possible, without burying the new people under mountains of briefing books and paper. Although the exact form and content of the transition briefing materials will be determined by each agency, those materials shoul cover the subjects set forth in the attachment to this memorandum. Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 49 w The President and his Administration are, of course, fully re- sponsible for the exercise of all governmental responsibilities" until the President-elect assures office on January 20, 1981. As the Presidential Transition Act states, one of our primary goals is to "minimize any disruption which could produce results detrimental to the safety and well-being of the United States and its people." Please submit to my office a brief progress report on your transition efforts on November 15, 1980, and each two weeks thereafter. Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 ? V Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 Attachment Subjects for Transition Materials 1. Agency missions, programs, and statutory authorities. 2. Basic organization and functions. 3. Budgetary and financial information. 4. Personnel policies and administration -- nature and tenure of appointment to major positions, conflict of interest, compensation and benefits, supporting services. 5. Key senior career personnel. 6. Significant interagency relationships. 7. Significant intergovernmental relationships. 8. Budget and appropriation processes. 9. Legislative processes, including legislative clearance requirements.- 10. Issues and priorities, with emphasis on matters requiring immediate decision and those requiring action during the first quarter of 1981. Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83B00140R000200030014-6 THE WHITE HOUSE November 12, 1980 MEMORANDUM FOR CABINET AND AGENCY HEADS FROM: JACK WATSON c// The purpose of this mefnor dum is to inform you of persons designated by the Pres' nt and Governor Reagan as members of their respective transition teams. A description of the tran- sition teams is attached. This memorandum also establishes guidelines for the filling of SES positions during the transition period and the detailing of agency employees to.the Reagan transition team. Filling SES Vacancies As part of the President's commitment to an effective transition, it is important that the new Administration be given appropriate latitude in filling key career Senior Executive Service (SES) positions when it assumes office. This is particularly true since involuntary reassignments of career SES employees may not be made within 120 days after the appointment of a new agency head. Accordingly, the President expects all department and agency heads personally and carefully to review all recommendations for new SES appointments and transfers of career SES employees between now and January 20, 1981. Use of Detailees The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (Sec. 2) provides that any employee of any agency of any branch of the government may be detailed to a Presidential transition team on a reimbursable basis with the consent of the head of the agency. An employee so detailed shall continue to receive compensation for regular employment and retain the rights and privileges of such employ- ment without interruption. The detailee will be responsible only to the President-elect or Vice President-elect for the performance of such duties. As stated in previous memoranda, it is the President's desire that all departments and agencies should cooperate fully with the transition team. This general policy extends to any requests for detailees. Requests should generally be granted, unless the person requested is necessary for the continued effective performance of agency functions and operations. Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83B00140R000200030014-6 Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83B00140R000200030014-6 w The agency head should personally approve the use of any detailees. In order for us to maintain a complete record of transition services, you are requested to include in your transition progress reports, a list of the detailees whom you have approved. Please report any decision to deny a request for detailees to Harrison Wellford, Executive Associate Director of OMB. Request for detailees should be discussed by the respective transition officers for the agency. Formally, the request must be transmitted to the agency head in writing, and signed by Mr. Peter McPherson or Vernon Orr (or their designee) with a copy to the Comptroller of GSA (Mr. Raymond Fontaine). Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 William E. Timmons, Deputy Director of the Transition, is responsible for the office of Executive Branch Management. Frank A. Whetstone is the senior advisor to this office and Stanley Ebner is Coordinator. Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 V The following is a listing of Executive Branch agencies and the Director responsible for teams to be assigned to them. The groupings are for the administrative conveni- ence of the transition staff only and have no policy implications. NATIONAL SECURITY GROUP Dr. David M. Abshire Department of State Department of Defense Central Ingelligence Agency International Development Cooperation Agency Arms Control Disarmament Agency International Communication Agency Veterans Administration International Bank for Reconstruction and Development Overseas Private Investment Corporation Foreign Claims Settlement Commission Board for International' Broadcasting RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT GROUP Richard Fairbanks Department of Agriculture Department of Energy Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Department of-the Interior Environmental Protection Agency Nuclear Regulatory Commission Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System Commodity Futures Trading Commission Farm Credit Administration Tennessee Valley Authority Syn-Fuels Corporation Office for Micronesian Status Negotiations National Aeronautics and Space Administration HUMAN SERVICES GROUP Elizabeth Dole Department of Education Department of Health and Human Services Department of Housing and Urban Development ACTION Community Services Administration Federal Council on Aging National Credit Union Administration Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 . V ECONOMIC AFFAIRS GROUP Stanton D. Anderson Council on Wage and Price Stability Office of Special Trade Representative Department of Commerce Department of Treasury Department of Transportation Comptroller of the Currency Export-Import Bank Federal Home Loan Bank Board Small Business Administration International Trade Commission Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Federal Reserve System National Transportation Safety Board Regional Development Commissions National Labor Relations Board Department of Labor Federal Labor Relations Authority Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service National Mediation Board Occupational Safety and health Review Commission Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCIES GROUP Loren A. Smith Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Miscellaneous Boards and Commissions Postal Rate Commission Civil Rights Commission Department of Justice General Services Administration Office of Personnel Management United States Railway Association Civil Aeronautics Board Federal Communications Commission Federal Trade Commission Interstate Commerce Commission Securities Exchange Commission Federal Maritime Commission Consumer Product Safety Commission Federal Emergency Management Agency National Science Foundation Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations United States Postal Service Federal Election Commission Merit System Protection Board Smithsonian Institution National Endowment for the Arts National Endowment for the Humanities Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 w 1 Team leaders report to one of five Group Directors who manage issues clusters. Department team leaders are: Department of State: Robert E. Neumann Department of Defense: William Van Cleave Department of Treasury: Gerald L. Parsky Department of Justice: Richard Wiley Department of Interior: Richard Richards Department of Agriculture: Richard Lyng Department of Commerce: Calvin J. Collier Department of Labor: Richard Shubert Department of Health and Human Services: Robert Carleson Department of Housing and Urban Development: Gerald Carmen Department of Transportation: Arthur E. Teele Department of Energy: Michael Halbouty Department of Education: Loreli Kinder Team leaders for agencies and independent commissions, as well as members of the departmental teams, will be announced later. y' " Approved For Release 2009/05/01 : CIA-RDP83B0014OR000200030014-6 Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83B00140R000200030014-6 TRANSITION OFFICERS V WHITE HOUSE Jack Watson 456-6797 White House Chief of Staff Al McDonald White House Staff Director Harrison Wellford OMB Executive Director Michael Rowny Deputy to the Staff Director White House Administrative Contact: Hugh Carter Special Assistant to the President for Administration 456-7873 395-3864 456-7873 Ray Jenkins 456-2100 Rex Granum 456-2100 Deputy Press Secretaries Vice President's Office: Dick Moe 456-6606 Vice President's Chief of Staff Approved For Release 2009/05/01 : CIA-RDP83B00140R000200030014-6 .. Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 ? ? November 12, 1980 LIST OF TRANSITION OFFICERS DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Jim Williams (Howard Hjort - budget) (Joan Wallace - space, tech., DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Ms. Elsa Porter DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Peter Hamilton DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Under Secretary Steven ter A. Minter DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Douglas G. Robinson DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN Randy Kinder Alair Townsend DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN Terrence Duvernay DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR William Kendig DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Kevin D. Rooney DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Paul Jensen DEPARTMENT OF STATE Peter Tarnoff pers.) 377-4951 697-8388 755-1100 252-6476 SERVICES 245-7163 245-6396 DEVELOPMENT 755-6810 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Deputy Secretary Bill Beckham DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Curtis Hessler 343-4701 633-3101 523-8231 632-2540 426-2222 566-2551 Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83B00140R000200030014-6 ? 2 W. ACTION Robert Currie COMMUNITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATION Mr. Lee Foley COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS Susan Irving COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY Malcolm Baldwin COUNCIL ON WAGE AND PRICE STABILITY Bob Russell ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Jack Ford FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY William S.W. Jones GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION- Mr. E. Perley Eaton, Jr. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL Les Denend (For National Security Affairs) Ms. Christine Dodson (For the NSC staff) OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION Ms. Sarah T. Kadec OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET Ms. Alice Rogoff OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT Alan Campbell, Director SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM Dr. Bernard Rotsker SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Bill Mauk 254-7264 254-5590 395-5084 395-4522 456-6466 755-2705 653-7776 566-1212 456-2235 456-2804 456-6992 632-4724 724-0817 653-6678 SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO THE PRESIDENT (AMBASSADOR SOL LINOWITZ) Andy Marks 456-7620 U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Ambassador Robert Hormats 395-5114 Robert Cassidy 395-3150 VETERANS ADMINISTRATION Rufus H. Wilson 389-2817 Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6 0 3 w CIA Richard Lehman INTERNATIONAL CON UNICATIONS AGENCY Richard Cohen 724-9185 OFFICE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY POLICY Frank Press 456-7116 NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION Jerry Griffin PEACE CORPS Dick Celeste OFFICE OF, CONSUMER AFFAIRS Esther Peterson 456-6970 Approved For Release 2009/05/01: CIA-RDP83BOO14OR000200030014-6