Scope and Content Note
The papers of Jerome Herbert Jaffe span the years 1959-2006, with the bulk of the material dating 1967-1974. The collection documents Jaffe's career as a government official and expert in the study of addiction, including his role as head of the United States Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention (known as the "drug czar") during the presidential administration of Richard Nixon. The papers are in English. The collection is arranged into four series: Cipollone v. Liggett Group, Inc. , Illinois Drug Abuse Program (IDAP), Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention (SAODAP), and Other Professional Papers.
The collection documents Jaffe's work as head of the Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention (SAODAP), as director of the Illinois Drug Abuse Program (IDAP), as an expert witness for the plaintiff in Cipollone v. Liggett Group, Inc., and as a clinical professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the University of Chicago. The records of SAODAP comprise the majority of the collection, and document the establishment of the office, its major functions, interactions with the United States Congress and with other governmental agencies, and Jaffe's duties as drug czar. Significant in this series is material documenting the role of SAODAP in the study and prevention of drug use among members of the military and veterans, research on opiate addiction and methadone maintenance programs, and legislative relations. Additional documentation of Jaffe's work and the functions of SAODAP is contained in the correspondence files, which include a chronological file, general file, and memoranda, with significant overlap among the three. The chronological file is maintained as received, while the general file was arranged for the convenience of access; both files contain incoming and outgoing correspondence. Notable within the chronological file is correspondence with poet Allen Ginsberg regarding psychologist Timothy Leary.
The collection also reflects Jaffe's research with methadone maintenance programs at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the University of Chicago, and his role as director of the Illinois Drug Abuse Program (IDAP). Jaffe's participation in conferences and meetings, work with local and national organizations, and correspondence with colleagues, patients, and the public are documented in the Illinois Drug Abuse Program (IDAP) series. As Jaffe directed IDAP while simultaneously working as a clinical professor at the University of Chicago (1969-1971), there is some overlap between the IDAP series and the University of Chicago papers in the Other Professional Papers series.
The collection’s series are listed and briefly described below. A fuller description of each series and a list of its contents can be accessed in the series descriptions within the container list.
The Cipollone v. Liggett Group, Inc. series documents Jaffe's role as an expert witness for the plaintiff in a civil case concerning tobacco addiction.
The Illinois Drug Abuse Program (IDAP) series documents Jaffe's work as director of IDAP and the functions of the program.
The Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention (SAODAP) series constitutes the majority of the collection and documents Jaffe's work and the role of the Special Action Office within the Nixon administration.
The Other Professional Papers series primarily concerns Jaffe's work as a clinical professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the University of Chicago.