Albee, Arden L. The Bruce C. Murray and Charles H. Terhune, Jr. Director's Office Papers Collection, 1971-1979.
Title:
The Bruce C. Murray and Charles H. Terhune, Jr. Director's Office Papers Collection, 1971-1979.
The collection consists of correspondence and memoranda of both incoming and outgoing materials from the Office of the Director. The inclusive dates of the collection are 1971 to 1979, although the bulk dates are 1977 to 1978. The collection is divided into five series: ALD Memoranda and Letters (series 1), Vogt Report Correspondence (series 2), Miscellaneous Memoranda and Correspondence (series 3), Director's General Files (series 4), and Director's Mailbox (series 5). ALD Memoranda and Letters (boxes 1-3; folders 1-32). The series is filed alphabetically, and includes important figures in JPL line, project, operations, and administrative management, not just the Assistant Laboratory Directors (ALDs). The series primarily consists of correspondence and weekly reports, predominantly from 1978. Copies in the collection are either those of Murray or Terhune. The file list of personnel in the series, along with their titles and section numbers in mid 1978 is available in the hardcopy register, located in the JPL Archives. Vogt Report Correspondence (Box 4; folders 33-54). In July 1975, Caltech President Harold Brown and JPL Director William H. Pickering appointed a joint Lab-Campus committee, headed by Professor of Physics, later Provost, Rochus E. ("Robbie") Vogt and JPL's Jack N. James. The committee investigated the interaction between JPL and Caltech in an effort to stimulate more constructive interaction between the two. The committee was composed of twelve people, six of whom were JPL personnel. The report, A Study of Relations Between the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Campus of the California Institute of Technology, was published on April 5, 1976. The report was informally known as the "Vogt Report" or the "Orange Report" due to the orange color of the cover. In an April 8, 1976 memorandum to Murray, William H. Pickering noted that although the committee was split evenly between JPL and Caltech, the final report reflected mainly the opinions of the Campus members of the committee. The report itself is not in this collection; however, it is located in collection JPL 173. The findings of the Vogt Report proved to be controversial. One response to it, a series of memos written by R. W. Davies, was titled "Where to Bite the Orange?" Parts 1 and 2 of the memo are in the collection (folder 34). Also included are the various reactions of various JPL people regarding the Orange Report. JPL personnel made a conscious effort to respond to all twenty issues raised by the Orange Report. Each issue was commented upon in memoranda, which are located in the collection (folders 35-54). Miscellaneous Memoranda/Correspondence (boxes 5-10; folders 55-121). This series includes JPL people that were not included in the earlier series, as well as prominent NASA people. They are arranged alphabetically, with individual files for people with multiple pieces of correspondence. Director's Office Master Files (boxes 11-16; folders 122-167.) The files in the series consist of memoranda, correspondence, and reports, filed alphabetically by subject. The files are for A through O only. The files for P through Z were not included with the accession. The files are from 1971 to 1979, although the bulk dates are 1978 to 1979. The files include: Affirmative Action Program (folders 122-126). This includes the 1971 program headed by Jack James, the 1974 program headed by Carl Raggio, and the 1978 program headed by Jerome E. Taylor. Flight Science Memoranda on Reorganization (folders 145-146). In 1978, Murray considered reorganizing Division 32, Earth and Space Sciences Division, creating a new division, Division 38, the Operational Systems Division. An April 4, 1978 memorandum from Murray sketched out various possibilities. The memorandum generated a fair number of responses, also represented in the collection. The reorganization was enacted in October 1978. Ion Drive (folders 151-152). These two folders include memoranda and reports regarding a Comet/Ion Drive Program Development Plan. Mars (folder 159). Included in this folder are files on prospective Mars Airplane and Mars Sample Return Missions. Director's Mailbox (boxes 17-18; folders 168-247). The Director's Mailbox was instituted by Murray in a Director's Letter he wrote to the Lab on April 1, 1976, the day he became Lab Director. The Director's Mailbox was intended to provide for direct written communication between an individual JPL employee and the Director to present new ideas and to express general or specific reactions to existing or planned policies. Murray had expressed that correspondence to the Director's Mailbox would normally not be answered, but would provide a way for Murray to gauge general Laboratory feelings, to receive new suggestions, and to learn of unanticipated consequences of planned activities. The files are arranged chronologically. Missing are files from April through August 1976, and October 1976. By far the issue of most concern was the parking situation on the Lab. Of the above materials, 15 folders have documents stamped or marked "JPL Discreet." These folders have been moved into to a box at the end of the collection. Their original positions have been marked with separation sheets.
ArchivalResource:
5.7 cubic ft. (262 folders).
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/733102088 View
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