Scope and Content Note
The papers of Leonard Garment (1924- ) span the years 1949-1997, with the bulk of the material dating from 1969 to 1997. Garment's work at the White House during the administration of Richard M. Nixon is documented by memoranda, correspondence, appointment books, press releases, and other papers. There is also material from his short tenure with the Gerald R. Ford administration. The majority of the papers is composed of correspondence, writings, book drafts, news clippings, and material from his work as a private practice attorney in Washington, D.C. The papers are organized in series designated as a White House File, Speeches and Writings, a Subject File, Miscellany, and Classified.
The White House File series pertains primarily to the Nixon administration, though material from the Ford administration is also included. Of particular importance are memoranda to and from White House staff members. Many are addressed to presidential assistants Kenneth R. Cole, John Ehrlichman, and H. R. Haldeman as well as to Nixon and Ford. The “Chronology for 1973" is a single document typed in two columns with some attachments. One column gives a daily accounting of Garment's activities from March to December 1973, and the other lists daily White House activities for the same period, especially in regard to the Watergate investigation. Material from Garment's work at the White House can also be found in the Subject File in folders on Indian affairs, Jewish issues, Legal Services Corporation, presidential campaigns, school desegregation, and the Watergate Affair.
The Subject File is the largest series in the papers and covers a wide range of personal and professional topics.. Most items date from the 1980s and 1990s when Garment worked in Washington, D.C., as an attorney involved with a number of high profile cases and clients such as the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), Inslaw, Inc., the Jonathan Pollard spy case (filed under “Israel”), and the Ras Burka massacre (filed under “Middle East”). Garment represented Robert C. McFarlane during the Iran-Contra congressional investigation. They were personal friends and business associates in McFarlane's international trade consultant business, “McFarlane Associates.” The McFarlane file is extensive and includes material from the Iran-Contra Affair, litigation material concerning the alleged “October surprise” regarding possible release of American hostages held in Iran during the 1980 presidential election, McFarlane's correspondence with Garment and others, including Richard Nixon, drafts of writings by McFarlane, and miscellaneous business papers.
The Speeches and Writings series includes magazine and newspaper articles, op-eds, columns, book reviews, letters to the editor, and speeches by Garment. Garment often wrote about Israel and the Middle East, jazz music, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The largest part of the series, however, is composed of drafts, early draft fragments, research files, and other material from his 1997 memoir Crazy Rhythm: My Journey from Brooklyn, Jazz, and Wall Street to Nixon's White House, Watergate, and Beyond... Many of the draft fragments and much of the research material concern the Watergate Affair.
The Miscellany series is composed of general correspondence and clippings from newspapers and magazines about Garment.