National Park Service History Collection RG 30

Preliminary Inventory

Description: Files and Notebooks dealing with Programs and Proposals during the Hartzog Directorate. Made up mostly of Hartzog's office files and Theodore Swem's files.

Inclusive dates: 1964-1970

Location (1988): Bay 5, Range B. Shelves 2 and 4

Keywords: Administrative Policies; Budget; Centennial; Design and Construction; Development; Environment; Gardens; Hartzog, George B., Jr.; Historical Areas; Land Acquisition; Mission 66; National Park System; Natural Beauty; Natural Resources; Parkscape; Programs; Project B; Project X; Project Z; Proposals; Recreational Areas; Swem, Ted; System Plan.

Accession Numbers: HFCA-167, HFCA-697

A. Provenance

This material came in two parts. First in 1973, two boxes of notebooks were transferred probably by Hartzog himself as HFCA-167. Then in 1978, the HFC archivist picked up material from Ted Swem's office which was later included as part of HFCA-697. This material was gathered and prepared from 1964 to 1970 by higher members of the Directorate, especially J. Kaufmann, Ted Swem, Stanley Abbott and others with some input from Director Hartzog. It was for the Director, the Directorate, and higher Interior officials including the Secretary.

B. History

The Hartzog Directorate lasted from the 1964 era of Johnson's Great Society until the 1972 Nixon shakeup. At first, it seemed under the shadow of Director Wirth's successful Mission 66 program. The park system expanded greatly, especially in seashore, recreational and urban areas. Separate policies for recreational, historical and natural areas were established and carried out by the Hartzog Directorate. The program that most affected the field - FOST (Field Oriented Study Team) - is also represented by this material, as is the other large controversy - The Parkscape Symbol. The Hartzog era is perhaps best remembered for the unprecedented growth of the system. Hartzog completed and published his memoirs in 1988 under the title Battling for the National Parks (Mt. Kisco, NY: Moyer Bell, 1988).

C. Summary Scope and Contents Note

Most of the material consists of notebooks that contain fiscal material, many statistics, legislation, policies, program documents, statements and reports as well as clippings and drafts. The material dates from 1964 to 1970. No material is present from the last two years of the Hartzog Directorate. Overall, the material is more concerned with planning and budgets than with everyday workings of the System. It does not give a full view of the Hartzog mission and accomplishments.

D. Dispersal and Related Collections

There are direct relationships to briefing materials A 2623, Manuals A 66, Fiscal F. Budget F 30, Biographical material H 18, NPS History K 5410 and Ted Swem's personal papers. Since the policies and programs were explained to the park employees and interested friends by the Courier and the NPS Newsletter, the files of these periodicals give a good overview of the era. See also Appendix 3 below.

E. Folder list

Series 1. Theodore R. Swem Files

Theodore R. Swem was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on December 6, 1917. He attended Coe College, Iowa and received his Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Iowa State University in Ames. He also completed one year of graduate work at Harvard. Swem spent three years with the Colorado Game and Fish Commission, and ten years with the Bureau of Reclamation at Denver in Recreation and Wildlife Planning before joining the National Park Service in 1957 as head of Planning Studies for Region II in Omaha.

In 1961, he transferred to WASO as a planner in the Branch of Proposed Area Studies and then Park and Recreation Area Planning. Swem became Assistant Director, Cooperative Activities in 1964, moving over to National Capital Region in 1969 as Regional Director. After a year at NCR he moved back to WASO as an Assistant Director and in 1973 received an additional appointment as Chairman of an Inter-Bureau Alaska Planning Group within the Department of the Interior. Swem retired in 1976. He and his wife, Helen, have four children.

These four voluminous files to some extent duplicate those listed in his personal files. They include drafts, reports, statements, policies, clippings, memos, and notes. They have been arranged in chronological order while the content is kept as received. They concern Administrative Policy, Budget, Centennial, Development, Environment, Mission 66, Natural Beauty, Parkscape, Project B. Project X, Project Z. Recreation, and System Plan. The files are in an archive box located in Bay 5, Range B. shelf 2.

Project "B" (1964)

Memo to Secretary of the Interior from NPS Director re Briefing Memo for Discussion proposed Program Beyond Mission 66 (carbon), handwritten notes Memo from Hartzog to Abbott and Kaufmann re Program to follow Mission 66, First Century Program, Memo to Regional Directors, handwritten notes

Project "Z"

(Copy) Memo to Secretary of the Interior from NPS Director re Briefing Memo for discussion Program Beyond Mission 66

(File) Beyond Mission 66 contains map, Kaufmann Draft of Centennial Mission, Plan for the NCP parks, letter to Hartzog from Ronald Lee re post Mission 66 programs and NPS reorganization, articles and clippings re Consolidating Departments, handwritten notes re compliance and affirmative action, handwritten letter from Scoyen re post Mission 66 program

Draft Introduction to Centennial Mission Program, J.M. Kaufmann, January 15, 1965

Kaufmann Draft Part I, To Develop a Plan for a Completed Park System

Kaufmann Draft Part II, A. NPS parks and B. Potomac River

Kaufmann Draft Part III, Extension Service

Kaufmann Draft Part IV, Exchange Program

Kaufmann Draft Park V, and intro to Part V, Develop Capabilities of National Parks

Plan for the Parks of the National Capitol

Selected Demonstrations and Studies, handwritten notes

Recreation Demonstration Areas

Project X ( 1966)

Task Force on Resources and Recreation: Mining Area Restoration, NPS Expansion, Recreation Land Price Escalation, Centennial Proposal, Wild Rivers, Trails, Historic Highways, Extension Wildlands Loan Act, Recreation and Natural Beauty Demonstration Grants, "Do-it-yourself" Environmental Grants, Massanutton NRA (NWF) Land Use Planning and Development Act, Forest extension, Programs in other nations, FWS, Islands, BLM proposals, Improvement in Resource conservation and Development, Urban Forestry, Surface Mined Areas, Recommendations (104 p.), parks and recreation, summer youth camps, conservation proposals.

Parkscape

Speech drafts, memos, news releases

Interior Conservation Program Title I--Transfer of Revenues, Title II--Preservation of Historic Properties, Title III--National System of Trails, Title IV--National Park and Wildlife Programs in Other Nations, also Historical and Archeological, Title V--NPS Centennial

Many news releases and clippings re Parkscape

Series of Proposed Areas Descriptions under Parkscape Use

Series 2. Hartzog Notebooks

George B. Hartzog, Jr. was born in Colleton County, South Carolina on March 17, 1920. He attended local schools including Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. Hartzog read law under Hon. J.M. Morer of Watterboro, South Carolina and was admitted to the bar in 1942. He served in the army during WWII and worked briefly for the Bureau of Land Management before joining the National Park Service as an attorney in 1946. He served at the Chicago headquarters and Lake Texoma Recreation Area, Denniston Texas before transferring to WASO in 1948. While in Washington, Hartzog attended American University at night and received his Bachelor of Science in 1953.

He went to the field in 1955 as assistant Superintendent of Rocky Mountain National Park and then transferred to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the same capacity in 1957. People in St. Louis will long remember Hartzog's superintendency of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial NHS from 1959 to 1962 because it led to the building of Earo Saarinen's Gateway Arch. After serving in the private sector briefly as Executive Director of Downtown St. Louis, Inc., Hartzog was named NPS Associate Director in 1963, a position designed for grooming the next Director.

He succeeded Wirth as Director in 1964 and worked closely with Steward Udall in expansion of the system. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 was also passed with much NPS help during the Hartzog Era, which ended with his political dismissal in December 1972. Hartzog now (1988) practices law with the Washington D.C. firm of Ragan and Mason, is a land planning consultant with his firm of Hartzog, Loder and Riches, and serves as visiting professor at various universities. He and his wife, Helen, have three children.

These 11 notebooks and 2 papers contain papers, statistics, fiscal material, legislation, policy, program documents, reports, and some letters and memos. They are arranged somewhat chronologically while the contents were arranged for Mr. Hartzog. They concern Administrative Policies, Budget, Design and Construction, Development, Environment, Gardens, Historic Areas, Land Acquisition, Mission 66, NPS System, Natural Beauty, Natural Resources, Recreational Areas, and System Plan. These two record boxes are in Bay 5, Range B. Shelf 4.

Black notebook H.O. - Our file on National Gardens M with materials relating to beauty, Recreation, natural beauty, beautification

Unlabelled black notebook dealing with land costs, new areas, etc.

Blue notebook labeled Director's Workbook Administrative Policies, Recreational Areas--contains marked up handbook with typed additions, total 112 p.

Black notebook - "Book One George B. Hartzog" - contains Index and six numbered tabs for Administrative Policies, Management Philosophy, Leopold Wildlife Report, Wilderness, Legislative Instructions, Question and Answers New Areas Proposals.

Black notebook - "Book Two George B. Hartzog, Jr. Director NPS, Washington, D.C." - contains compilation of the Administrative Policies for Historical Areas, index and eight numbered tabs: Growth since 12/63, Parkland Criteria, Personnel, Management, 1969 Budget and 1968 Programs, Interpretation, and Miscellaneous.

Unlabelled notebook contains carbon Administrative Policies for Historical Areas, revised August 16, 1968, August and July 1968 letters from various notables commenting on it, July 1968 copy of above, and carbon draft of above June 15, 1968 with some annotations.

Unlabelled black notebook - Operations Manual Design and Construction 1968.

Black notebook - "Distribution of 1970 FY PPB material May 17, 1968" - memo, tabs and index for PPM Multi-Year Program and Fiscal Year 1970 Data as submitted 1968.

Black notebook - "Development Programs George B. Hartzog, Jr., Director NPS, USDI, Washington 25, D.C." - contains tabs for years 1967, 1968, 1969 as well as roads and trails, buildings and utility, and parkways.

Large light blue notebook - "George B. Hartzog, Jr., USDI - Budget Justification FY 1969 Fish and Wildlife and Parks NPS"

Black notebook contains NPS Land Acquisition Program, Budget Data 1969 Edition (LWCF), Mr. Hartzog Questions and Answers, General Long Range Planning Program and other tabs

Department of the Interior 1972 Program Memorandum Part I--Natural Resources and Environmental Needs, Objectives and Goals, April 29, 1970 for Administrative Use Only

An Economic Impact Study of Mt. Rainier and Olympic National Parks, February 1970

Series 3 Field Oriented Study Team (FOST)

Ted Swem's files
 

"A Study of Two Proposed Organizational Changes in the NPS" Arthur C. Allen, Michigan, 8/67

Director's Staff Meeting, No. 12, July 7, 1966, p. 3 - mention of surviving "Ratchet" job threat

FOST

Newsletter - Vol. 1, No. 7, November 17, 1966, p. 1

FOST Facts Column - Newsletter, Vol. 2, No. 22; No. 24, Vol. 5, No. 5; No. 12

Newsletter - Vol. 3, No. 14, July 11, 1968, p. 1-2

Newsletter - Vol. 3, No. 23, November 14, 1968, p. 1-2

Newsletter - Vol. 4, No. 8, April 17, 1969, p. 1

Newsletter - Vol. 4, No. 24, November 27, 1969, p. 1 and 4

Newsletter - Vol. 5, No. 13, June 25, 1970, p. 5

F. Appendices

1. Task Force on Resources and Recreation Program Papers

Program Proposals

I. Mining Area Restoration

1. A Program for Mining Area Restoration

II. Recreation and Natural Beauty,

1. Recreation Land Price Escalation Abatement and Control

2. Additions to the National Park System

3. Commemoration of the Centennial of the Creation of the First National Park

4. Wild Rivers System

5. Nationwide System of Trails

6. Historic and Scenic Roads and Parkways Programs (including such as the George Washington Country Parkway and Appalachian National Historic Parkway proposals)

7. Extension of Wetlands Loan Authorization Act

8. Demonstration Grants

9. Do-it-yourself Environmental Grants

10. Massanutten National Recreation Area (Virginia--Potomac River Study)

11. Land Use Planning and Development Act

12. Avalanche Warning

13. Federal Loan and Loan Insurance Program for Private Sector

14. Federal Technical Assistance and Research in Cooperation with Universities

15. Additions to the National Forest System

16. Export of the National Parks and Recreation Area Concept.

Index

 I. Other Inventories, etc.
 

IV. Audio and Video Tape