Peter M. Flanigan Papers, White House Special Files, 1969-1974

1969-1974


Descriptive Summary

Title: Peter M. Flanigan Papers, White House Special Files, 1969-1974
Dates: 1969-1974
Collection Number: 6817198
Creator/Collector: Flanigan, Peter M. (Peter Magnus), 1923-
Extent: 6 linear feet, 7 linear inches; 15 boxes
Repository: Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Abstract: Peter Flanigan's responsibilities as Assistant to the President centered primarily on economic, commercial, and financial areas. He was also named the Executive Director of the Council on International Economic Policy. Flanigan also was involved in the selection process of individuals for non- career diplomatic posts. The Special Files include some documentation of each of Flanigan's responsibilities.
Language of Material: English

Access

Collection is open for research. Some materials may be unavailable based upon categories of materials exempt from public release established in the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974.

Publication Rights

Most government records are in the public domain, however, this series includes commercial materials, such as newspaper clippings, that may be subject to copyright restrictions. Researchers should contact the copyright holder for information.

Preferred Citation

Peter M. Flanigan Papers, White House Special Files, 1969-1974. Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum

Acquisition Information

These materials are in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration under the provisions of Title I of the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-526, 88 Stat. 1695) and implementing regulations.

Biography/Administrative History

Peter Magnus Flanigan was born in New York City on June 21, 1923. He earned a B.A. degree in Economics summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1947 after serving as a U.S. Navy carrier pilot during World War II. During the period 1947-49, he worked as a statistical analyst with the New York investment banking firm of Dillon, Read & Co., Inc. Flanigan later became a Vice President in 1954 of that firm after working as an assistant program (financial) analyst in 1949-50 at the Economic Corporation Administration Mission to the United Kingdom in London, England. In November 1954, he married Brigid Snow, daughter of Carmel Snow, U.S. Editor of Harper’s Bazaar magazine, and lawyer George Palen Snow. Flanigan’s interest in politics led him to become a member of the Executive Committee of the Ninth Assembly District Club in New York City from 1955 to 1959. He became Chairman of the New Yorkers for Nixon organization in 1959 and, the following year, served as National Director of the Volunteers for Nixon-Lodge. He returned as Deputy Campaign Manager of Richard Nixon’s 1968 presidential campaign. Following Nixon’s election victory, Peter Flanigan became a consultant to the President on administration staff. His consultancy lasted from January 20 to April 15, 1969. The next day, April 16, he became an Assistant to the President. His responsibilities as an Assistant related to domestic policy, commerce, and economics issues. He also served as an Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs from January 1972 until 1974. In addition, Flanigan held the position of Executive Director of the Council on International Economic Policy, Executive Office of the President from February 1972 until the end of the Nixon administration in 1974. In 1975, Flanigan returned to Dillon, Read as Managing Director and Executive Officer. He left the firm in 1992. During the period 1978-1998, he was the Managing Director of Anheuser-Busch. Flanigan resumed his public service when he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to serve as a Member of the President’s Economic Policy Advisory Board on March 13, 1981. His work with the Board ended in 1984. Flanigan’s philanthropic efforts include being a Founding Board Member of the Alliance for School Choice as well as the founder several education-related organizations, including Student Sponsor Partners, the Center for Education Innovation of the Manhattan Institute, and the Patrons Program. As of 2012, Peter Flanigan is an advisor at USB Securities LLC and a Trustee of the Manhattan Institute.

Scope and Content of Collection

Peter Flanigan's association with Richard M. Nixon began the year preceding the l960 Presidential campaign. In the months prior to the Republican National Convention, he organized a New Yorkers for Nixon group, and during the campaign he directed the nationwide Volunteers for Nixon-Lodge organizations. Following Nixon's unsuccessful bid for the Presidency in l960 and his subsequent move to New York City in l963, Flanigan joined a coterie of Nixon supporters to devise a strategy for the former Vice President's return to elective office. During the l968 Presidential campaign Flanigan was Nixon's deputy campaign manager. Nixon's victory in l968 provided Flanigan an opportunity to enhance his power and influence within the incoming Nixon administration. During the transition period and for several months after the inauguration, he served as an unpaid consultant, advising on the recruitment of personnel for the new administration. By mid-April l969, Flanigan formally joined the White House Staff as Assistant to the President. At a press conference to introduce him to the White House press corps, White House Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler disclosed to the assembled reporters that Flanigan's duties would center primarily on economic, commercial, and financial areas. He also announced that Flanigan would assume those duties relating to regulatory agencies and other domestic matters that had been previously assigned to Robert Ellsworth, who had been named Ambassador to NATO. As Flanigan's areas of responsibility gradually broadened to include international economic matters, he was appointed, in January l972, as Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs. A month later, President Nixon named him Executive Director of the Council on International Economic Policy (CIEP). Flanigan resigned his White House post on June 24, l974, and left the administration in early July, returning to the New York investment firm of Dillon, Read & Co., Inc. The materials of Peter Flanigan in the White House Special Files date from the period l969-74. They fall into three series: Subject Files, Ambassador Files, and Special Files. The Subject Files comprise the bulk of the file group and document the entire range of Flanigan's responsibilities as Assistant to the President. The Ambassador Files relate to Flanigan's role in the selection process of individuals for non-career diplomatic posts. The Special Files are, for the most part, an appendage to the Ambassador Files and frequently include material duplicated in this latter file series. Some materials in this series also relate to economic subjects, such as economic problems in New Hampshire and the financial and regulatory difficulties of the airline industry. With regard to the New Hampshire situation, there is considerable correspondence between Flanigan and the State's First District Congressman Louis C. Wyman. The Staff Member and Office Files of the White House Central Files contain an additional 44 cubic feet of Flanigan material, of which 4 cubic feet are attributed to him in his capacity as CIEP Executive Director. The Nixon Presidential Materials Project possesses a tape recording and transcript of an exit interview with Flanigan that was conducted by personnel of the Office of Presidential Paper and Archives on July 9, l974.

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