March 26, 2007 Acquisition of Caspar Weinberger Papers To Be Marked at April 4 Ceremony

WHAT: Dedication ceremony to mark the Library’s formal acceptance of the papers of former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. A brief ceremony will be followed by a reception.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 4, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Open to invited guests and members of the press.

WHERE: Members’ Room, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C.

WHO: Librarian of Congress James H. Billington and other Library officials will accept the Caspar Weinberger Papers from Caspar Weinberger Jr., on behalf of his mother, Jane Weinberger.

BACKGROUND

Caspar Weinberger’s papers shed light on the policies of the Nixon, Ford and Reagan presidential administrations in which he served as secretary of health, education, and welfare (1973-1975) and secretary of defense (1981-1987). He also served as director of the Office of Management and Budget (1972-1973). Sections of the Weinberger Papers were subpoenaed by the special prosecutor during the Iran-Contra investigation.

Under a 1987 deposit agreement, the Weinberger Papers began arriving at the Library in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with a final segment arriving in 2005. Ownership and control over access to the papers was retained by Caspar Weinberger during his lifetime. In November 2006, eight months after Weinberger’s death on March 28, 2006, his wife gave the papers to the Library under an instrument of gift. Under this agreement, Mrs. Weinberger and her son and daughter control access to the papers during their lifetime, and requests from scholars to gain access to the papers are evaluated by the family upon request.