(2015-0615-F) Advance Manuals

The materials in FOIA 2015-0615-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related materials. FOIA 2015-0615-F contains records dealing with advance manuals, handbooks, and similar material focusing on the organization of presidential events on both a domestic and international basis. The Office of Scheduling and Advance in each presidential administration is responsible for arranging the trips of staff members, including campaign stops and related happenings. It is an integral component of the Executive Office of the President, under the control of the Chief of Staff and advisors involved in making decisions and choices key to the day-to-day operation of most governmental activities. During the Clinton Administration the office of Scheduling and Advance played a central role in providing the planning and support crucial to all presidential travel from local events in Washington, D.C. to excursions abroad. The staffers in this office worked with the President’s daily schedule and also dealt with his appointments and meetings on a long-range basis. In addition, part of their duties included responsibility for the design and structure of each activity involving President Clinton and the First Lady outside the confines of the White House. The Office of Scheduling and Advance got split into two distinct offices in 1997. Dan Rosenthal served as Director of Advance from that point until the end of the Clinton presidency. Material responsive to this FOIA case included lists, memoranda, notes, emails, schedules, handwritten notes, outlines, and calendars. All of the relevant records came from the White House Staff and Office Files, with Cabinet Affairs and Scheduling composing the vast majority of the documents. In Cabinet Affairs lists predominate with just about every one of them having to do with volunteers, interns, and staffers who could be an advance person for any presidential event or similar activity. Prominent and more specific lists include “Schedulers, “Commonly Used Advance People, “Chiefs of Staff,” “Press Contacts,” and “Advance List Non-Governmental Employees.” From the Scheduling Office, the responsive records describe seminars and training classes in the proper procedures, techniques, and so forth associated with the Advance Office. But perhaps the most significant document is a complete Advance Manual with sections addressing such issues as Press Advance, Motorcade Advance, RON (Remain Over Night), and Other Agencies Involved. At the end of volume, a glossary contains terms connected with proper advance measures. Forms occupy an important position in the records. A few of the more noteworthy forms: Press Advance Fill-in-the Blank, RON Checklist, Rental Car Worksheet, Travel Voucher, and Request for Parking. The class most often cited in the material is the White House Advance Training Program that sets forth a detailed outline citing the responsibilities of Site Advance, Press Advance, and RON Advance. A document pertaining to the seminar worth noting would be “Ten Advance Commandments,” the ethical obligations of advance staff are discussed; and the class concludes with a In Service Training Questionnaire. In the First Lady’s Office (specifically, the records of Trip Director Whitney Williams) there can be found information vis-à-vis the Advance Office of Hillary Clinton. Checklists exist for domestic and international travel, RON receives extensive attention, and general helpful reminders show up for application. Press advance requirements, diagrams, motorcade guidelines, and acknowledgement cards get dealt with in detail. Located throughout the remainder of the records are several crucial memoranda that concern matters of some note in the smooth and unencumbered operation of the Advance Office. A listing of such memos would begin with Review of the Checklist of Responsibilities for Domestic Trips, continue with the Decision Timeline for Domestic Presidential Trips, and end with Presidential Trip – Financial Reconciliation.