Scope and Content Note
The papers of John J. Sirica (1904-1992) span the years 1932-1986 with the majority of the papers concentrated between 1957 and 1986. The bulk of the papers documents Sirica's career as judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, 1957-1986. The papers consist of six series: Correspondence , United States District Court File, Speeches and Writings File , Miscellany, 2021 Addition, and Classified.
The Correspondence series, 1957-1986, includes incoming and outgoing correspondence relating mostly to Sirica's personal interests and activities, although some of the letters also pertain to his professional career. Also included are a few letters from Sirica to his son, John J. Sirica, Jr.
Documenting Sirica's thirty years of service as a federal trial judge, papers in the United States District Court File , 1952-1986, comprise almost seventy-five percent of the collection. The District Court File consists of five subseries: Personal Case Calendars , Correspondence , Case File , Bench Books , and Office File. The Personal Case Calendars , 1967-1970, and Correspondence , 1968-1985, document some of the administrative functions of the court and Sirica's professional duties. The case calendars occasionally have notations about personal appointments.
The Case File subseries, 1952-1986, includes correspondence and memoranda, chiefly between Sirica and other judges, lawyers, the court clerk, and staff, as well as extensive legal material such as opinions, orders, motions, briefs, and transcripts. Papers in this subseries consist mainly of photocopies rather than original items and are organized by category into Watergate cases and other cases. Making up the bulk of the case files, the Watergate files provide extensive documentation of the court proceedings relating to the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate apartment complex (United States v. Liddy) and the cover-up of the burglary by high ranking government officials, including the president of the United States (United States v. Mitchell). In addition, there are related cases involving the subpoena of documents and tapes from President Richard M. Nixon and the transfer of grand jury reports to the House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee (In re Grand Jury Subpoena Duces Tecum to Nixon and In re Report and Recommendation of June 5, 1972 Grand Jury Concerning Transmission of Evidence to the House of Representatives).
The remaining case files indicate the variety of cases heard by Sirica on antitrust matters, constitutional law, civil rights, government regulations, and other issues. Many of these files are incomplete and often contain only one or two items, except for two antitrust cases (electrical equipment cases and Riss & Co. v. Association of Am. R.R.) and the murder trial of Robert Louis Ammidown (United States v. Ammidown).
The final two subseries of the United States District Court File consist of Bench Books and an Office File. The Bench Book subseries, 1957-1983, contains Sirica's notes about the cases which came before his court. The Office File subseries, 1954-1986, relates to Sirica's administrative and professional duties. This subseries also documents some of the many awards and honors Sirica received throughout his career.
Papers in the Speeches and Writings File , 1949-1986, pertain mainly to Sirica's book on Watergate, To Set the Record Straight: the Break-in, the Tapes, the Conspirators, the Pardon. Also worthy of mention is a file containing the beginning pages of an autobiography.
The Miscellany series, 1932-1985, consists chiefly of material documenting Sirica's private legal practice and his service as general counsel, 1944, to the Select Committee to Investigate the Federal Communications Commission. In addition, the Miscellany series contains correspondence, 1953-1982, documenting the judge's friendship with former heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey.
Among the more significant and frequent of Sirica's correspondents are Tom C. Clark, Jack Dempsey, Sam J. Ervin, Bernard F. Gimbel, J. Edgar Hoover, Leon Jaworski, Frank Minis Johnson, Milton S. Kronheim, Norman Lear, John V. Lindsay, James W. McCord, Jr., James F. Neal, Richard M. Nixon, E. Barrett Prettyman, Jr., William P. Rogers, Frank Sinatra, and John J. Wilson.
The 2021 Addition, 1973-1978, consists of diaries kept by Sirica containing daily entries and observations, largely relating to the Watergate Affair. Also included is a copy of President Richard M. Nixon's memoir, lightly annotated by Sirica.