The Central Files series contains the general correspondence of the Office of the Vice President from Nelson A. Rockefeller's tenure (December 19, 1974, to January 20, 1977). The series offers partial documentation of Rockefeller's role in the development of national policy and his duties as President of the U.S. Senate. There is correspondence with President Gerald R. Ford and members of his staff, congressional representatives, senators, other government officials, and foreign dignitaries. However, there is very little in this series documenting actual policy formation. Much of the correspondence with government officials concerns the Vice President's information-gathering activities on behalf of the White House and executive agencies, as well as his support of the President's policies. There are also reports and position papers on national issues submitted to the Vice President by individuals both within and outside the federal government. Virtually all of these were unsolicited.

Types of records include: speeches.

Over the course of Nelson Rockefeller's tenure as Vice President of the United States, he served on several commissions, including the National Commission on Water Quality. Vice President Rockefeller also served as chair of the Domestic Council. The majority of Rockefeller's actions as Vice President are documented in this series of 63 volumes. They contain schedules, agenda and minutes of meetings, position papers, and memoranda and correspondence generated as part of the Vice President's daily activities.

When President Gerald R. Ford selected Nelson A. Rockefeller to fill the vacant vice presidency on August 20, 1974, Rockefeller's staff began preparing material for the confirmation hearings. Much of the material in this series was gathered from the Rockefeller family archives, which was located in Rockefeller Center.

Types of records include: press releases.

The National Commission on Water Quality (NCWQ) was formed in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, who appointed Nelson A. Rockefeller (then-governor of New York) chair of the Commission. It was an outgrowth of the 1972 Water Pollution Control Act. The Commission got off to a late start: The first meeting was in May 1973. It did not meet its reporting deadline of October 1975 but continued into 1976. The Commission consisted of five members from the public sector and ten from Congress--five each from both chambers. Senator Edmund Muskie and Senator Robert Jones co-chaired the Commission. (Throughout the collection, there is evidence of in-fighting between Rockefeller and Muskie.) The staff of 60 was headed by General Frederick Clarke.

This small series contains only a portion of the files of the New York State Committee to Reelect the President [Nixon]. The original extent of the materials was twelve cubic feet. However, shortly after the materials were deposited in the Rockefeller Family Archives, the NYS Committee to Reelect the President (NYS CREEP) was audited by the Internal Revenue Service. The majority of the materials was sent to Washington, DC, and was never returned. The original folder listing of the full collection of 12 boxes is in Box 2, Folder 14. The remaining materials--which comprise this series--were originally found in boxes 9, 10, and 11.

This small series contains a portion of the files of N. Lee Cook, who served as a Program Assistant for Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. These files are specifically related to Affirmative Action Programs. The majority of the files contain significant documentation of the Affirmative Action Program of Greater Buffalo (BAAP) and the work undertaken by that organization in 1970 and 1971. Primarily, these files deal with construction issues and equal employment opportunities, as well as affirmative action concerns on construction sites around New York State.

This series documents portions of Nelson A. Rockefeller's public and private activities between 1968 and 1974. These records were created and maintained by members of Rockefeller's staff at his office at 22 West 55th Street, New York, also called the New York Office. Rockefeller was one of the first New York governors to maintain a permanent office in New York City. In general, Rockefeller was in Albany only while the Legislature was in session or for special occasions. The management of his public duties was undertaken largely at 55th Street. The office was paid for privately by Rockefeller, but many of the staff were public employees. When he resigned as governor, on December 20, 1973, some of the staff became Rockefeller's personal employees. Some of them went on the federal payroll and moved to Washington, DC, when Rockefeller became Vice President of the United States on December 19, 1974.

This series contains a portion of the files of James Cannon. They were created primarily during Cannon's tenure as an executive assistant to Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Cannon worked in the New York State Washington Office in the early 1970s and reported on fiscal and revenue sharing matters in the U.S. Congress. In 1969, Cannon was part of the Governor's staff on the Presidential Mission to Latin America.