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Title: Martin Anderson papers
Date (inclusive): 1888-2015, bulk 1960-2010
Collection Number: 83088
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
867 manuscript boxes, 1 VHS card file box, 22 oversize boxes, 2 audio cassette boxes, 2 phonograph boxes, 3 video cassette
boxes, 3 oversize folders, 1 sound cassette, 25 VHS videocassettes, 2 U-matic videocassettes, 4 Betacam SP videocassettes,
8 sound tape reels, 2 lacquer sound discs, and digital media
(400.86 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Correspondence, speeches and writings, reports, printed matter, photographs, and audiovisual material relating to U.S. domestic
policy, especially during the administrations of Richard M. Nixon and Ronald Reagan, adoption of all-volunteer military services,
U.S. foreign policy, and Republican Party politics.
Creator:
Anderson, Martin, 1936-2015
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Boxes 66, 71, 109, 124, 380, 381, 577-580, 628-632, and 849-850 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder
of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
[Identification of item], Martin Anderson papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives
This collection was processed over the course of 4 years, between 2018 and 2021, by Emily Gibson and project assistants Chris
Bruce, Kathryn Carlson, LeeAnn Hagopian, Jennifer Pickens, Mark Prindiville, Victor Rodriguez II, and Jessica Yu. Originally
stored in standard storage boxes and filing cabinets, original titles from box and folder labels have been retained. Titles
were created by the archivist when an original title did not exist; square brackets have been used to identify these titles.
Nested titles (i.e., a titled folder within a titled box, or a titled folder within another titled folder) have been identified
with double-dashes. Files containing only one or two documents have been identified in file-level scope and content notes,
using the language "This file contains only…"
Martin Anderson (August 5, 1936–January 3, 2015) was an American academic, economist, author, policy analyst, and adviser
to U.S. politicians and presidents, including Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. Under the Nixon administration, Anderson was
credited with helping to end the military draft and bringing into existence the all-volunteer armed forces. Under Reagan,
Anderson helped draft the administration's original economic program that became known as "Reaganomics." A political conservative
and a strong proponent of free-market capitalism, he was influenced by libertarianism and opposed government regulations that
limited individual freedom.
Anderson wrote and edited numerous books on topics concerning urban renewal, military manpower, welfare reform, higher education,
and his experiences advising Reagan and Nixon. Later he coedited four books on Reagan's writings and coauthored two books
on Reagan's efforts to negotiate nuclear disarmament with the Soviet Union.
For more information, please see the
Martin Anderson Wikipedia article , written by Hoover archivists in 2022. For a detailed biographical timeline, please see the chronology.
| 1936 August 9 | Born in Lowell, Massachusetts to Ralph and Evelyn Anderson |
| 1953 | Awarded scholarship for Dartmouth College |
| 1957 | B.A. from Dartmouth College, A.B. summa cum laude |
| 1958 | Master of Engineering and Business Administration at Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering and Tuck School of Business Administration; received a prize for the highest all-round record in graduate school |
| 1958-1959 | Second Lieutenant, Army Security Agency; ranked first in his class at the Army Security Agency School in both leadership and academics |
| 1959 | Assistant to the Dean, Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering |
| 1959 Summer | Acting Dean, Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering |
| 1959 Fall | Awarded Ford Foundation Fellowship; studying economics and finance at the Joint Center for Urban Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University |
| 1961 | Financial Analyst, Ford Motor Company |
| 1962 | Ph.D. in Industrial Management, Joint Center for Urban Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University |
| 1962-1965 | Assistant Professor of Finance, Columbia University Graduate School of Business |
| 1964 September | Publication of The Federal Bulldozer: A Critical Analysis of Urban Renewal, 1949-1962, M.I.T. Press |
| 1965 September 25 | Married to Annelise Graebner |
| 1965-1968 | Associate Professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Business |
| 1967 | Publication of The Federal Bulldozer, McGraw-Hill |
| 1967 | Policy advisor, Richard Nixon presidential campaign |
| 1968 | Director of research, Richard Nixon presidential campaign |
| 1968 November 3 - 1969 January 19 | Assistant to President-elect, Nixon transition team |
| 1969-1970 | Special Assistant to the President of the United States, Nixon cabinet (functioned as Arthur Burns's deputy for domestic policy) |
| 1970-1971 | Consultant to the President of the United States for Systems Analysis; involved in the formulation of military manpower policy |
| 1971 | Chairman, President's Commission on an All-Volunteer Armed Force; developed the legislation that abolished the draft |
| 1971-1975 | Senior fellow, Hoover Institution |
| 1972-1975 | Public interest director, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco |
| 1972 August | Head writer for the Republican party platform, Republican National Committee |
| 1973-1976 | Member, Rockefeller Commission on Critical Choices for Americans |
| 1974 | Chairman, White House task force on welfare reform; reviewed the HEW's Income Supplementation Plan for President-elect Gerald Ford |
| 1974-1976 | Member, Council on Trends and Perspectives of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce |
| 1975-1976 | Member, Defense Manpower Commission |
| 1975 | Adjunct scholar, American Enterprise Institute (AEI) |
| 1975-1976 | Issues adviser/Senior policy adviser, Ronald Reagan presidential campaign |
| 1976 August 16-19 | Reagan campaign liaison to the Republican Platform Committee, Republican National Committee |
| 1976 | Publication of Conscription: A Select and Annotated Bibliography, Hoover Institution Press |
| 1976-1978 | Senior fellow, Hoover Institution |
| 1977-1991 | Member, Committee on the Present Danger |
| 1978 | Publication of Welfare: The Political Economy of Welfare Reform in the United States, Hoover Institution Press |
| 1979 Spring-Fall | Deputy Chair for Policy Development, Reagan For President |
| 1979 Fall - 1980 | Senior fellow, Hoover Institution |
| 1980 Spring | Senior adviser, Ronald Reagan presidential campaign |
| 1980 July 14-17 | Reagan campaign liaison to the Republican Platform Committee, Republican National Committee |
| 1980-1981 | Senior adviser, Office of the President-elect |
| 1981-1982 | Member, Military Manpower Task Force |
| 1981-1982 February | Assistant to the President for Policy Development, Reagan cabinet |
| 1982-1998 | Senior fellow, Hoover Institution |
| 1982 | Publication of Registration and the Draft, Hoover Institution Press |
| 1982 | Publication of The Military Draft, Hoover Institution Press |
| 1982-1985 | Member, President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board |
| 1982-1989 | Member, President's Economic Policy Advisory Board |
| 1984 | Publication of An Economic Bill of Rights, Hoover Institution Press |
| 1984 August 20-23 | Consultant, Republican Platform Committee |
| 1985 | Publication of Stanford and Hoover and Academic Freedom: A Collection of Published Reports on the Relationship Between Stanford University and the Hoover Institution, Hoover Institution Press |
| 1985-1992 | Trustee, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation |
| 1986 | Publication of An Insurance Missile Defense, Hoover Institution Press |
| 1987-1993 | Member, President's General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament |
| 1988 | Publication of Revolution, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich |
| 1988 August 15-18 | Consultant, Republican Platform Committee |
| 1990 | Publication of Revolution: The Reagan Legacy, Hoover Institution Press |
| 1992 August 17-29 | Delegate from California, Republican National Convention |
| 1992 | Publication of Impostors in the Temple, Simon & Schuster |
| 1993-1994 | National columnist, Scripps Howard News Service |
| 1993-1998 | Member, California Governor Pete Wilson's Council of Economic Advisers |
| 1995 | Senior policy adviser, Pete Wilson presidential campaign |
| 1996 | Economic policy adviser/Senior adviser, Bob Dole presidential campaign |
| 1996 August 12-15 | Delegate from California, Republican National Convention |
| 1996-1998 | Television commentator, PBS Nightly Business Report |
| 1997 | Publication of The Ten Causes of the Reagan Boom, 1982-1997, Hoover Institution Press |
| 1997-1998 | Member, National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education; established under the Department of Education as a public advisory commission |
| 1998-2000 | Policy adviser, George W. Bush presidential campaign |
| 1998-2001 | Chairman, Congressional Policy Advisory Board; advised the House of Representatives Republican leadership |
| 1998-2015 | Keith and Jan Hurlbut Fellow, Hoover Institution |
| 2000 July 31 - August 3 | Delegate from California, Republican National Convention |
| 2001-2002 | Policy advisor, Bill Simon gubernatorial campaign (California) |
| 2001 February | Publication of Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan That Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America, Free Press; co-editor; wrote introduction and commentary |
| 2001 August 16 - 2005 July 19 | Member, Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee |
| 2001 November | Publication of Reagan, In His Own Voice: Ronald Reagan's Radio Addresses, Simon & Schuster Audio |
| 2003 | Publication of Reagan: A Life in Letters, Simon & Schuster |
| 2004 December | Publication of Reagan's Path to Victory: The Shaping of Ronald Reagan's Vision: Selected Writings, Simon & Schuster |
| 2005-2006 | Member, Defense Advisory Committee on Military Compensation |
| 2007 October | Publication of Stories In His Own Hand: The Everyday Wisdom of Ronald Reagan, Simon & Schuster |
| 2009 June | Publication of Reagan's Secret War: The Untold Story of His Fight to Save the World from Nuclear Disaster, Random House, Inc. |
| 2015 | Publication of Ronald Reagan: Decisions of Greatness, Hoover Institution Press |
| 2015 January 3 | Death, Portola Valley, California |
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection consists of the papers of Martin Anderson, created and accumulated over the course of his career as a policy
advisor to United States presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, influential conservative intellectual, and author of
13 books. The collection contains many forms of material, including briefing books, charts, correspondence (memorandums, letters,
printouts of emails, telegrams, telephone messages, telex transcripts), course outlines and syllabi, directories and membership
lists, ephemera (brochures, flyers, pamphlets, etc.), fact sheets, interview transcripts, lecture notes, lists and inventories,
manuscript drafts, notes (to do lists, missed call messages, etc.), office files (meeting minutes, etc.), presidential statement
drafts, press releases and press release drafts, printed matter (press clippings, magazines, newsletters, etc.), proposal
drafts, reports and report drafts, Republican party platform drafts, schedules and itineraries, and speech scripts, transcripts
and drafts.
Of note:
Approximately half of the files in the collection include writing by Martin Anderson (identified in the container list as
"writing by Martin Anderson"), including meeting notes (taken during meetings and summarizing meetings), annotated documents,
documents with corrections, thought summaries, and to-do lists.
Much of the Advisory to Reagan and Advisory to Nixon series consist of internal staff communication (identified in the container
list as "internal correspondence").
Martin Anderson dated almost every document in the collection.
Martin Anderson used small, red, cardboard squares to flag important documents. We have retained these flags and identify
their location in the container list.
News clippings found throughout the collection offer abundant historical context.
The collection includes little information about Martin Anderson's youth or personal life.
Annelise Graebner Anderson contributed description to the Advisory to Ronald Reagan series.
The collection is arranged into the following 67 series, which are ordered chronologically by employment date:
Advisory to Richard Nixon, 1958-1985, 676 files (processed by Emily Gibson, Jennifer Pickens, and Chris Bruce); Campaign subseries,
1958-1985, 277 files; Transition subseries, 1967-1980, 87 files; Administration subseries, 1960-1979, 294 files; Mixed Year
subseries, 1960-1981, 18 files
Advisory to Reagan, 1943-2010, 1,252 files (processed by Emily Gibson, Jennifer Pickens, and Chris Bruce); 1976 Campaign subseries,
1970-1987, 108 files; Campaign Interim subseries, 1968-1980, 192 files; 1980 Campaign subseries, 1972-2010, 464 files; Transition
subseries, 1976-1981, 88 files; Administration subseries, 1943-2000, 333 files; Mixed Year subseries, 1962-1996, 67 files
Columbia Graduate School of Business, 1953-1980, 194 files (processed by
Victor Rodriguez II, Chris Bruce, and Mark Prindiville)
Republican National Convention, 1962-2004, 198 files (processed by Mark Prindiville, Kathryn Carlson, and Chris Bruce)
Commission on Critical Choices for America, 1973-1974, 19 files (processed by Chris Bruce)
American Council of Young Political Leaders, 1970-1979, 23 files (processed by Emily Gibson and Jennifer Pickens)
Defense Manpower Commission, 1974-1977, 152 files (processed by Victor Rodriguez II and Chris Bruce)
President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board Files, 1976-2001, 61 files (processed by Chris Bruce)
Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library, 1959-1999, 259 files (processed by Chris Bruce and Mark Prindiville)
General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament, 1982-1993, 23 files (processed by Chris Bruce)
Advisory to Pete Wilson, 1968-1998, 197 files (processed by LeeAnn Hagopian and Chris Bruce)
Advisory to Bob Dole, 1974-1998, 190 files (processed by LeeAnn Hagopian, Mark Prindiville, and Chris Bruce)
National Committee on the Cost of Higher Education, 1976-1999, 91 files (processed by Kathryn Carlson and Mark Prindiville)
Advisory to George W. Bush, 1989-2009, 404 files (processed by Kathryn Carlson and Chris Bruce)
Congressional Policy Advisory Board, 1996-2005, 13 files (processed by Chris Bruce)
General Campaign Advisory, 1961-2009, 37 files (processed by Mark Prindiville, Chris Bruce, and Victor Rodriguez II)
Hoover Institution, 1927-2005, 110 files (processed by Chris Bruce); 1980s Project subseries, 1976-1988, 21 files; Other subseries,
1927-2005, 89 files
Daily Appointments, 1960-2008, 79 files (processed by Mark Prindiville)
Biographical Files, 1917-2010, 113 files (processed by Mark Prindiville and Chris Bruce)
Correspondence, 1958-2014, 937 files (processed by Mark Prindiville and Chris Bruce)
Writings, 1920-2015, 3,007 files
Unpublished Writings subseries, 1920-2010, 158 files (processed by LeeAnn Hagopian, Chris Bruce, and Mark Prindiville)
Speeches and Engagements subseries, 1961-2006, 251 files (processed by Mark Prindiville, Chris Bruce, and LeeAnn Hagopian)
Published Writings subseries, 1935-2015, 2,598 files; The Federal Bulldozer sub-subseris, 1956-2010, 165 files (processed
by Chris Bruce, Victor Rodriguez II, and Mark Prindiville); Conscription sub-subseries, 1940s-1980, 90 files (processed by
Mark Prindiville and Chris Bruce); Welfare sub-subseries, 1963-1982, 138 files (processed by Mark Prindiville and Chris Bruce);
Economic Bill of Rights sub-subseries, 1975-1989, 38 files (processed by Mark Prindiville and Chris Bruce); Revolution sub-subseries,
1935-2000, 996 files (processed by Kathryn Carlson, Mark Prindiville, and Chris Bruce); Imposters in the Temple sub-subseries,
1956-2001, 644 files (processed by LeeAnn Hagopian, Chris Bruce, and Mark Prindiville); Reagan, In His Own Hand sub-subseries,
1960-2009, 51 files (processed by Victor Rodriguez II, Mark Prindiville, and Chris Bruce); Reagan, A Life in Letters sub-subseries,
1969-2015, 65 files (processed by Victor Rodriguez II, Mark Prindiville, and Chris Bruce); Reagan's Path to Victory sub-subseries,
1960-2009, 75 files (processed by Mark Prindiville); Stories in His Own Hand: The Everyday Wisdom of Ronald Reagan sub-subseries,
2001-2009, 12 files (processed by Mark Prindiville); Reagan's Secret War sub-subseries, 1967-2010, 146 files (processed by
LeeAnn Hagopian, Mark Prindiville, and Chris Bruce); News Articles sub-subseries, 1960-2009, 164 files (processed by Victor
Rodriguez II, Mark Prindiville, and Chris Bruce); Other sub-subseries, 1970-2015, 19 files (processed by Chris Bruce)
Subject Files, 647 files, 1888-2015 (processed by Chris Bruce); All Volunteer Armed Force subseries, 1888-2010, 68 files;
Balanced Budget Amendment subseries, 1971-1997, 30 files; Clinton Administration subseries, 1991-2000, 39 files; Constitutional
Convention subseries, 1927-1989, 49 files; Economics subseries, 1942-1999, 36 files; Elections subseries, 1952-1997, 16 files;
Foreign Intelligence subseries, 1964-2005, 11 files; George H. W. Bush subseries, 1979-1992, 41 files; Libertarianism subseries,
1969-1990, 10 files; Line-Item Veto subseries, 1891-1998, 18 files; Missile Defense subseries, 1966-2011, 64 files; National
Service subseries, 1968-1995, 17 files; Policy Issues subseries, 1964-2000, 80 files; Ronald Reagan subseries, 1947-2015,
97 files; Welfare subseries, 1963-1997, 84 files
Miscellany, 1916-2009, 121 files (processed by Chris Bruce and Jennifer Pickens)
Audiovisual Recordings, 152 files (processed by Jennifer Pickens)
Sound Recordings, 1919-2002, 90 files
Video Recordings, 1960s-2000s, 62 files
Digital Material, 1940-2009, 66 files
Memorabilia, 1950 to 2009, 115 files (processed by Jennifer Pickens)
Printed Matter, 1930s-2009, 61 files (processed by Emily Gibson)
Photographs, 1970-1989, 5 files (processed by Emily Gibson)
Martin Anderson papers at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
Martin Anderson (White House Central Files: Staff Member and Office Files) at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.
Collections of Martin Anderson's associates at Hoover Library and Archives:
Subjects and Indexing Terms
United States -- Politics and government -- 1969-1974
United States -- Foreign relations
United States -- Politics and government -- 1981-1989
Military service, Voluntary -- United States
Reagan, Ronald
Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994
Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )