Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm98084371
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of George Lardner, journalist and author, was given to the Library of Congress by Lardner in 1999. Lardner made additional donations between 2000 and 2006.
Part I of the George Lardner Papers was arranged and described in 2000 by Nan Thompson Ernst, Melinda Friend, and Michael Womack with the assistance of Brian McGuire, John Monagle, Kathryn Sukites, and Chanté Wilson. Additional material received between 2000 and 2006 was processed and described as Part II in 2019 by Colleen Benoit Kim with the assistance of Emily Flint and Laney Stevenson. A significant portion of Part II was remediated for mold. While the documents were treated for active mold spores, stains and discoloration remain in some places.
Sound recordings and video recordings have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division where they are identified as part of the George Lardner Papers. Patrons are encouraged to contact the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division in advance of a research visit.
Related collections in the Manuscript Division include the Washington Post Historical Collection (see https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms019001).
Copyright in the unpublished writings of George Lardner in these papers and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress is reserved. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division for further information.
The papers of George Lardner are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Government regulations control the use of national security classified items in this collection. Manuscript Division staff can furnish information concerning access to and use of classified material.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, George Lardner Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of George Lardner (1934-2019) span the years 1923-2005 with the bulk of the
material dating from 1965 to 2001. The collection focuses on Lardner's career as an
investigative reporter with the
Part I of the Lardner papers span the years 1923-1997, with the bulk of the material dating from 1965 to 1995 and documents his career as a reporter and as a commentator in other journals and magazines. Lardner maintained topical files that are organized as an alphabetical Subject File series comprising the majority of the papers. A small Miscellany series completes the collection.
The Subject File reflects the manner in which Lardner acquired, received, and pursued information and then developed his research into news stories. It includes Lardner's articles, correspondence, interviews, notes, and the research material he collected as documentary evidence. Research material includes newspaper and related clippings, reports, legal documents and trial records, government documents, some of which were obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, congressional hearing records, photographs, and printed matter. Although Lardner's subject terms have been largely retained, personal names have been modified where necessary to conform to name authority standards of the Library of Congress.
Lardner's long tenure with the
Lardner's political investigations often concern corruption, wrongdoing, and conflicts of interest. His records of the Watergate Affair involve the trials, campaign funding scandals, especially the Milk Fund investigation, impeachment issues, and government and media access to Richard M. Nixon's recordings of conversations in the Oval Office. During the administration of Jimmy Carter, Lardner investigated William A. “Billy” Carter and Hamilton Jordan and reported on the “Floodgate” scandal centering on representative Daniel J. Flood of Pennsylvania and allegations of influence peddling, bribes, and Mafia connections. Abscam and Brilab files cover federal law enforcement “sting” operations.
During the Ronald Reagan administration, Lardner's files concern a number of investigations, usually led by special prosecutors. Extensive files are available for the investigations of Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan. Material concerning the Wedtech investigation relates to improper influence to gain military contracts and is filed under the company name, Wedtech, with related material filed under Franklyn C. “Lyn” Nofzinger, Edwin Meese, and E. Robert Wallach. Files on Oliver North and the Iran-Contra Affair concern the sale of arms to Iran in exchange for hostages and the diversion of money from that sale to the Contras in Nicaragua. Iran-Contra investigations continued into the George Bush administration.
Political assassinations are a prominent feature of Lardner's files, especially the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The Kennedy file includes material on Jim Garrison's prosecution in 1967 of various figures in New Orleans. Lardner later obtained documents from the Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other government agencies through the Freedom of Information Act and reported on developments in many conspiracy theories. He also covered the investigation of Kennedy's assassination by the United States House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations and, to a lesser extent, the committee's investigation of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Political election campaigns are a minor subject in the collection. Presidential campaign files include coverage for some of the primaries in 1972 and 1976. Files on campaign spending concern the 1984 presidential race. Lardner's files include profiles he wrote of presidential candidates Frank Church, Phil Gramm, Gary Hart, Dan Quayle, Edward Moore Kennedy, Richard Lugar, and George C. Wallace.
Lardner wrote a series of articles on the Freedom of Information Act and followed the subject for some time, developing related stories concerning presidential papers administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. Other significant files include those for Ruby Ridge and Oklahoma City that concern confrontations of private citizens with federal law enforcement agencies. Ruby Ridge files cover a federal siege and shoot-out at the Randy Weaver home near Ruby Ridge, Idaho. The Oklahoma City files concern the bombing of a federal building in the city, with related material filed under militias. Files on the Mafia are mostly related to alleged political ties and corruption of unions.
Material in the Miscellany series on the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild and Lardner's employment by the Washington Post Company document aspects of the working life of journalists.
Part II of the Lardner papers span the years 1956-2005, with the majority concentrated
in the period between 1990 and 2001. In part, these papers supplement files in Part I
and pertain to some of Lardner’s earlier assignments in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s as a
reporter covering national news for the
Similar to the Subject File in Part I, the Subject File in Part II reflects the manner in which Lardner acquired, received, and pursued information and then developed his research into news stories. The series includes Lardner's articles, correspondence, interviews, notes, and the research material he collected as documentary evidence. Research material includes newspaper clippings, reports, legal documents and trial records, government documents, some of which were obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, congressional hearing records, photographs, and printed matter. Lardner's subject terms and headings have been largely retained and represent the way he thought about and categorized his research. The organization of these papers reflect the high degree of interconnectedness often apparent in current events and news stories, with people, locations, and subjects appearing in various places across the collection.
Many of the earlier files in Part II complement those in Part I and provide continuation of Lardner’s many investigations into intelligence agencies and policies, political corruption, and political assassinations. Prominent investigations continued in Part II include the Iran-Contra Affair, Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan, improper influence to gain military contracts by Wedtech, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, among other topics. Political election campaigns in 1968, 1970, 1972, 1976, and 1984 also complement Part I, especially the campaigns of George C. Wallace.
The majority of the Subject File reflects the stories Lardner followed in the later
portion of his career at the
Documents related to domestic violence, stalking laws, and the murder of Lardner’s daughter, Kristin, in 1992 are represented to a lesser extent, but mark an important aspect of Part II of these papers. Notes, speech transcripts, and correspondence with readers document Lardner’s work to expose the shortcomings of the criminal justice system to protect victims of stalking and domestic violence and to advocate for passage of the Violence Against Women Act. Research files include interview notes, statistics, and printed matter.
The Miscellany
series chronicles Lardner’s life apart from his investigative work and includes
correspondence with his wife, Rosemary, and children, correspondence related to his
involvement with the Fund for Investigative Journalism, and some writing projects.
General correspondence with colleagues from the
This collection is arranged in two parts composed of six series:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm98084371
Writings, notes, interviews, correspondence, and research material including newspaper clippings, printed matter, reports, photographs, legal documents, financial records, congressional hearing records, and other government documents.
Arranged alphabetically by the subject of the stories Lardner reported and investigated and chronologically thereunder.
Correspondence, newsletters, directories, financial records, and notes.
Arranged alphabetically by name of organization and document type and chronologically thereunder.
List of campaign receipts and expenditures.
Arranged and described according to the series, container, and folder from which the item was removed.
Research material
Arranged and described according to the series, containers, and folders from which the items were removed.
Writings, drafts, notes, interviews, correspondence, and research material including newspaper clippings, printed matter, reports, photographs, legal documents, financial records, congressional hearing records, and other government documents.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Correspondence, photographs, drawings, newsletters, directories, financial records, and notes.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.