John Brademas Congressional PapersNixon Tape MaterialsIn late 1974, the White House released a letter revealing an agreement between Richard Nixon and Arthur Sampson, the Administrator of the General Services Administration, regarding Nixon's presidential records. The agreement granted Nixon control of the disposition of presidential records and stipulated scheduled destruction. Upon learning of the agreement, Brademas immediately took action to prevent the potential loss and destruction of the records. As a member of the Subcommittee on Printing of the House Administration, Brademas became the chief House sponsor of legislation leading to the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act. This law declared all papers, tapes, and other documents of the Nixon Administration the property of the Federal government. The legislation also established the National Study Commission on Records and Documents of Federal Officials. The final report of the commission studied the question of disposition of records of federal officials and resulted in the Presidential Records Act of 1978, which declared that Presidents could no longer claim title to their papers. Follow the links below to view images of press releases from Brademas' office detailing these events.
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