- Collection Overview
- Collection Description & Creator Information
- Access & Use
- Collection History
- Find Related Materials
Key Questions, 1991-1994
Collection Overview
Collection Description & Creator Information
- Arrangement
The subseries is arranged alphabetically.
Collection History
- Custodial History
The Baker Papers were housed at the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, at Rice University until December 2002. Material donated in October 2004 was previously kept at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University and Baker Botts law firm in Houston.
- Accruals
Accruals may occur at a later date.
- Appraisal
Duplicates, material of little evidential or information value, and strictly personal documents have been returned to Secretary Baker. A large volume of newspaper clippings from major American newspapers have also been returned.
The February 2011 accession originally included four additional series, which were subsequently separated.
A series of board membership records spanned Baker's pre- and post-Washington career (additionally, some files from his work on the boards of regional organizations during the 1960's and '70s were interspersed throughout his personal financial records). Board participation during his post-Washington career includes work with St. Luke's hospital, Rice University, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the University of Bremen, Electronic Data Systems, Radiant Energy Corporation, and King Ranch. These records encompassed twenty linear feet, were non-unique, and of extremely limited research value.
A series called soft costs documented accounting within Baker Botts of how to expense Baker's political work using Baker Botts resources was also removed from the collection. The series of two boxes consisted of spreadsheets of phone logs and billing codes, and no material regarding the substance of Baker's political work.
A series of campaign contributions from Baker's 1978 Attorney General campaign included two boxes of index cards of campaign contributors' contact information.
Finally, the "Income Tax Records" series is the only surviving part of what was once a series of personal financial records, spanning the 1960s through the beginning of the Reagan administration, which included cancelled checks, financial statements from investments, receipts, tax returns, trust statements, documentation from family legal issues and statements from charitable organizations. Because these records included personally identifiable information and were of limited research value, the vast majority were separated from the collection, although Baker's tax returns were retained.
- Sponsorship:
These papers were processed with the generous support of David M. Rubenstein.
- Processing Information
This collection was processed by Daniel A. Santamaria and Joanna Peery Polyn in 2004, and updated in 2011 by Maureen Callahan. Finding aid written by Daniel A. Santamaria in 2004 and updated in 2011.
Access & Use
- Conditions Governing Access
Interview transcripts in Series 12: The Politics of Diplomacy are closed unless permission, specific to each transcript, is granted by Secretary Baker and the person who gave the interview. These transcripts are located in Boxes 172-173. Please contact the library for additional details.
- Conditions Governing Use
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
The audiovisual series includes videotapes on VHS and various other formats.
- Credit this material:
Key Questions; James A. Baker III Papers, MC197, Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
- Location:
-
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library65 Olden StreetPrinceton, NJ 08540, USA
- Storage Note:
- Mudd Manuscript Library (mudd): Box 176
Find More
- Existence and Location of Copies
Microfilm of the collection will be available at the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, at Rice University.
- Bibliography
The following works were consulted during preparation of the biographical note: Baker, James A. III, The Politics of Diplomacy: Revolution, War and Peace, 1989-1992. New York: George G. Putnam & Sons, 1995. Newhouse, John, "Profiles: The Tactician," [James A. Baker III], The New Yorker, 7 May 1990, pp/ 50-82.
- Names:
- United States. Department of State
United States. Department of the Treasury
United States. President (1974-1977 : Ford)
United States. President (1981-1989 : Reagan)
United States. President (1989-1993 : Bush)
United States. White House Office
United States. White House Office. Office of Legislative Affairs
Middle East Peace Conference (1991 : Madrid, Spain)
Princeton University
Baker, James Addison (1930)
Bush, George W. (George Walker) (1946)
Bush, George (1924-2018)
Carter, Jimmy (1924)
Darman, Richard Gordon (1943-2008)
Dole, Robert J. (1923)
Ford, Gerald R. (1913-2006)
Hodsoll, Francis Samuel Monaise
Meese, Edwin
Moore, Preston (1931)
Nixon, Richard M. Richard Milhous (1913-1994)
Reagan, Nancy (1921-2016)
Reagan, Ronald
Rove, Karl
Scowcroft, Brent
Tower, John G. (John Goodwin) (1925-1991)