NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ralph C. Bledsoe Named Director of Ronald Reagan Library

On February 27, the Archivist of the United States Don W. Wilson announced the appointment of Dr. Ralph C. Bledsoe as Director of the Ronald Reagan Library. The library is located in Simi Valley-Thousand Oaks area of Ventura, Co., CA. Dr. Bledsoe was chosen by the Archivist, in consultation with President Reagan, in accordance with the provisions of the Presidential Records Act of 1978.

Dr. Bledsoe has been the Director of the Washington Public Affairs Center of the University of Southern California School of Public Administration since 1989. Prior to joining the University, he served as a Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan from 1982 to 1988. He was Executive Secretary of

President Reagan's Domestic Policy Council between 1985 and 1988, and from 1982 to 1985 was Assistant Director for Management and Administration of the White House Office of Policy and Development, Executive Secretary of the Cabinet Council on Management and Administration, and Executive Director of the Federal Property Review Board. He was Associate Director of the White House Office of Planning and Evaluation from 1981 to 1982. Prior to joining the White House Staff, he was director of the Federal Emergency Management Institute.

Dr. Bledsoe received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas A & M College in 1955, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1962, and a Doctorate in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.

Verne W. Newton Named Director of Roosevelt Library

The Archivist announced the selection of the new Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, NY. After a nationwide search, he has named Verne W. Newton, an independent scholar and international consultant, to head the Library. The former Director, Dr. William R. Emerson, retired in February after 17 years at the Library.

Mr. Newton is President of the Harry Hopkins Public Service Institute in Bethesda, MD, which was established in 1986. He wrote and produced the widely acclaimed documentary, "Harry Hopkins: At FDR's Side," which aired on public television stations in 1989. He is also a member of the board of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, which has had an instrumental role in supporting the Library and its programs.

Newton's most recent projects include a book on the study of the effects of espionage on foreign policy in the United States, the USSR, and the United Kingdom from 1944 to 1951. The book will be published in May as "Cambridge Spies" in the United

States.

Focusing on British spies Guy Burgess, Donald MacLean,

and Kim Philby, the book is the result of years of research, much of it in the diplomatic and military records at the National

Archives.

From 1977-1980, Mr. Newton served as a senior official in the State Department with the Agency for International Development. Prior to 1977, he worked for real estate development and investment firms in Florida and New York. He received his bachelor's degree from American University in 1967 a Ph.D. candidate in History at Syracuse University.

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Dr. William R. Emerson Retires as Roosevelt Library Director
Dr. William R. Emerson retired on February 2, 1991, as
Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, a position he held
since 1974. During his tenure at the library, Dr. Emerson played

a major role in ensuring that security classified documents relating to World War II diplomacy and strategy were declassified and made accessible to researchers. He also launched the refurbishing of the library's museum galleries and initiated an outreach program for schools that brought 2,000 students to the library last year.

After World War II, in which he served as an Army Air Corps fighter pilot, Dr. Emerson received a B.A. in history from Yale University in 1948 and received a Ph.D. in 1952 from Oxford University, where he attended Christ College as a Rhodes Scholar.

Representative Philip R. Sharp Appointed to NHPRC

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On February 26, Representative Philip R. Sharp (D-IN) was appointed by the House of Representatives to serve as a member of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. succeeds Rep. Lindy Boggs (D-LA) who recently resigned from her position on the Commission when she retired from Congress.

Congressman Sharp earned his B. S. and Ph.D. in government from Georgetown University and completed graduate work at Oxford University. Before his election to Congress in 1974, he was a political science professor at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and serves as chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Power as well as a member of the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.

National Observance of the 50th Anniversary of World War II Week Congress has passed a Joint Resolution, designating the week of June 2-8, 1991, as the "Week of the National Observance of the 50th Anniversary of World War II." To begin this official observance, the National Archives will host an opening ceremony and concert by the world-renowned U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus at the National Archives Building (Constitution Avenue entrance) on June 3, 1991. The National Archives also will present special films and lectures, live performances, and musical and other programs throughout this week of observance.