This collection houses correspondence, reports, speeches, press releases, newspaper clippings, photographs, campaign logs, schedules, notes, promotional items, memorabilia, and other materials documenting Alice Smith's involvement with Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1952 and 1956 Presidential campaigns and subsequent service as President; the 1960 Republican National Convention; Richard M. Nixon's unsuccessful 1960 Presidential campaign against John F. Kennedy and Nixon's later service as President; and the 1990 Eisenhower Centennial. It has been divided into eight series.
Identification:
MSS-378
Language:
Material in English
Repository:
Arizona State University Library. Greater Arizona Collection P.O. Box 871006 Tempe, AZ 85287-1006 Phone: (480) 965-4932 E-Mail: archives@asu.edu Questions? Ask An Archivist!
Biographical Note
Alice Nelms Smith was born to Vernon Bonnyfield Smith (1897-1977) and Virginia May (Overstreet) Smith (1905-1946) in Charlestown, West Virginia on June 19, 1928. She had two brothers, Stanford Bonnyfield Smith (1926-1992) and Addison F. Smith (1931-). The family moved to Denver, Colorado in the 1940s and Alice Smith graduated from the University of Denver with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism in 1950. She went on to work as one of the early female newscasters in New Orleans and on Arthur Godfrey's television show in New York City.
In 1952, Alice Smith joined Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidential campaign staff. She traveled approximately 51,000 miles by air and rail with the campaign, visiting 232 towns and cities in 45 states. After Eisenhower won the election, Smith became an appointment secretary at the White House. Her office opened onto the Oval Office and many of the dignitaries who visited the White House to speak with Eisenhower waited for their appointments with her. Smith left her position in 1955 in order to "go home to Denver to lead a normal life." She returned to Washington in 1956 to work on Eisenhower's re-election campaign.
In 1960, Richard M. Nixon recruited Smith to work on his presidential campaign against Democratic hopeful John F. Kennedy. In this position, she coordinated Nixon's appearances and the schedules of such prominent individuals as vice presidential candidate Henry Cabot Lodge, sitting President Dwight D. Eisenhower, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater. Smith later worked on Texas Senator John Goodwin Tower's campaigns for office.
Alice Smith moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1970, where she wrote extensively about her work with Eisenhower and Nixon. She died on November 9, 2011 and is buried with her parents in Denver's Fairmount Cemetery.
Scope and Content Note
This collection houses correspondence, reports, speeches, press releases, newspaper clippings, photographs, campaign logs, schedules, notes, promotional items, memorabilia, and other materials documenting Alice Smith's involvement with Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1952 and 1956 Presidential campaigns and subsequent service as President; the 1960 Republican National Convention; Richard M. Nixon's unsuccessful 1960 Presidential campaign against John F. Kennedy and Nixon's later service as President; and the 1990 Eisenhower Centennial.
Series I: Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Campaigns houses schedules, correspondence, reports, photographs, newspaper clippings, and other materials documenting Eisenhower's 1952 and 1956 campaigns. The majority of the materials show the 1952 campaign, including Eisenhower's whistle-stop tour of the United States on the "Look Ahead, Neighbor" Special and Nixon's "Checkers Speech" (in which he defended his use of his expense fund). Also included are items documenting the 1956 Republican platform, the 1956 Republican National Convention, and election night in 1952 and 1956.
Series II: Dwight D. Eisenhower's White House includes correspondence, staff lists, newspaper clippings, press releases, photographs, and other materials documenting such subjects as Air Force I (Columbine), Eisenhower's and Nixon's 1954 and 1957 inaugurations, White House visits of such dignitaries as Winston Churchill and Syngman Rhee, the Summer White House, and Christmas at the White House. Also shown are such contemporary events as the release of Jonas Salk's polio vaccine, statehood for Alaska and Hawaii, Josef Stalin's death, and events in the Middle East.
Series III: Republican National Convention houses newspaper clippings, photographs, promotional materials for the Nixon-Lodge ticket, a copy of Nixon's acceptance speech, and other items documenting Nixon's selection as the 1960 Republican Presidential candidate. Series IV: Richard M. Nixon's Presidential Campaign Against John F. Kennedy includes speeches, press releases, schedules, publications, correspondence, notes, memorandae, newspaper clippings, photographs, and other materials documenting Nixon's unsuccessful 1960 Presidential campaign. Of note are a copy of Bob Haldeman's Advance Man's Guide, a complete set of campaign logs, and five spiral-bound notebooks containing notes made by Alice Smith during the campaign. These notebooks cover the campaign from August 10 until election eve on November 7.
Series V: Richard M. Nixon's White House is comprised of speeches, clippings, photographs, and other materials documenting Nixon's term as President, including his 1968 Presidential campaign with Spiro Agnew, trip to China, and resignation.
Series VI: Other Papers houses correspondence, photographs, monographs, and other papers. Many of these items document the 1990 Eisenhower Centennial. Also included are Alice Smith's recollections of her time in the White House and working on Eisenhower's and Nixon's campaigns, digitized news coverage of D-Day, materials showing an atomic bomb test on Bikini Atoll in 1946, campaign materials promoting George H. W. Bush and Dan Quayle, and items regarding a trip Alice Smith took to Cuba in 1954. Series VII: Document Lists consists of copies of Smith's itemized register of her collection.
Series VIII: Memorabilia has been divided into three sub-series. Sub-Series A: Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorabilia includes coins, pins, buttons, lighters, ribbons, matchbooks, and other materials documenting Eisenhower's presidential campaigns, inauguration, and time in office. Of particular note are a deck of playing cards used on Air Force 1. Sub-Series B: Richard M. Nixon Memorabilia houses pins, buttons, earrings, mugs, and other materials documenting Nixon's 1960 Presidential campaign. Sub-Series C: Other Memorabilia houses an ashtray, a coin, drinking glasses, a keychain, pins, and other materials that either relate to Smith's personal life or could not be categorized. Of particular note are a brass object apparently created by Vernon B. Smith during World War I and a 1914 Iron Cross, Second Class.
Arrangement
This collection consists of nineteen boxes and one map case drawer arranged in eight series:
To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.
Copyright
The Arizona Board of Regents retains copyright to this collection for and on behalf of the Arizona State University Library. Requests to publish, display, or redistribute information from this collection must be submitted via our online application.
[Identification of item], Alice Nelms Smith Papers, MSS-378, Arizona State University Library.
Provenance
Julie Montgomery donated these papers to the Arizona Collection in 2013 (Accession #2013-04724).
Processing Note
Alice Smith sorted the original documents in this collection by subject and housed each group in a letter-sized plastic document case. She supplemented these papers with her own recollections, information about relevant concurrent events, and photocopies of archival materials from the Eisenhower and Nixon Presidential Libraries. She then organized these cases into larger chronological groups, specifically "Eisenhower's 1952 Campaign," "Eisenhower's Inauguration," "Eisenhower's White House," "The Eisenhower Centennial," "1960 Republican Convention," and "Campaign '60, Nixon vs Kennedy." This arrangement has been retained and restored to the largest extent possible. Smith's titles have been used when available and are enclosed in quotation marks in the following container list. Additional subject categories have been created to house uncategorized materials where necessary.
In addition to creating subject categories, Smith authored an itemized register assigning a number to each original item in the collection. These numbers, however, do not always appear on the items they correspond to. They have been retained when possible; copies of Smith's full register can be found in Series VII: Document Lists.
Duplicates were weeded and preservation photocopying undertaken as necessary during processing to eliminate newsprint and mold and thus preserve the affected information. Monographs and serial publications have been transferred for consideration for addition to the cataloged book collection.
Commemorative Eisenhower Plate, circa 1953 (Item 254)
Plate Reads "The President's First Birthday in the White House / 14 October 1953."
Box
SubBox
13
6
Gold Elephant Pin Engraved "'52", circa 1952 (Item 134)
13
1
"Ike" Button (Item 126)
13
1
"Ike - Dick" Button (Item 127)
13
6
"Ike" Pin (3 Pins; Item 135)
Gold pin in the shape of the word "IKE."
13
4
"IKE" Pin (2 Pins)
Gold pin in the shape of the letters "IKE." Mounted on the original backing, which reads "IT'S A CINCH TO CLINCH."
13
7
"I Like Ike" Pin
Gold pin depicting the word "IKE" superimposed over the United States.
13
5
"I Like Ike" Pin (Item 133)
Gold button in the shape of the letters "ILIKE." The lower bar of the "L" extends under "IKE," causing the button to read "I LIKE IKE." Mounted on the original backing.
Box
15/OV1
Inaugural Committee Chairman Ribbon, circa 1953
Ribbon reads "1789-1953 / 42nd INAUGURAL / DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER / RICHARD M. NIXON / January 20th / 1953." A purple ribbon reading "Chairman" supports a gold medal showing the White House and a bald eagle. The medal reads "Inauguration of the President and Vice President" around the edge.
15/OV1
Inaugural Committee Member Ribbon, circa 1953
Ribbon reads "1789-1953 / 42nd INAUGURAL / DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER / RICHARD M. NIXON / January 20th / 1953." A purple ribbon reading "Member" supports a gold medal showing the White House and a bald eagle. The medal reads "Inauguration of the President and Vice President" around the edge.
15/OV1
Inaugural Festival Reception Ribbon, circa 1953 (2 Ribbons; Removed from "From Victory to Inauguration")
Label holder at the top of ribbon holds a card reading "INAUGURAL FESTIVAL RECEPTION." Ribbon is pink and reads "1789-1953 / 42nd / INAUGURAL / DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER / RICHARD M. NIXON / JANUARY 20th / 1953." A round graphic reading "Inauguration of the President and the Vice President" around the edge and showing the White House and a bald eagle also appears.
Box
SubBox
13
7
Knife Presented to Alice Smith by Dwight D. Eisenhower (Removed from Letter in Box 10, Folder 10.)
One side of the lighter bears a map of Eisenhower's route and reads "ROUTE OF / Dwight D. Eisenhower / REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN / AIR MILES 30,505 / RAIL MILES 20,871 / JUNE-NOVEMBER 1952;" the other side reads "Alice N. Smith."
16/OV1
Lighter Commemorating an "Eisenhower Dinner", circa 1953
Lighter reads "IN REMEMBRANCE / EISENHOWER DINNER / SEPTEMBER 21, 1953 / T. A. P."
Box
SubBox
13
3
Matchbook Reading "Dwight D. Eisenhower" (2 Matchbooks)
13
3
Matchbook Reading "D. D. E." (2 Matchbooks)
13
2
Matchbook Reading "DDE"
13
3
Matchbook Reading "The President"
13
3
Matchbook Reading "President's House"
13
2
Matchbook Reading "Thomas E. Stephens" (2 Matchbooks)
Mug reads "Merry Christmas and a Happi [sic] New Year,""Dwight D. Eisenhower," and "Erlangen / Germany / 1953 / Marga Rindt." A portrait of Eisenhower appears above his name.
Box
13
New Testament
The front of this book has "Thomas E. Stephens" engraved in gold. The flyleaf indicates that it was distributed by the Pocket Testament League.
13
9
Playing Cards Used on Air Force 1 (Columbine) (Item 502)
Button reads "United Citizens for Nixon-Agnew" and is mounted on a piece of paper advertising UCNA's election night event at the Sheraton-Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. from 8-10pm.
13
6
Nixon Button (2 Buttons; Item 505)
Buttons read "Nixon" on a black background.
13
5
Nixon Earrings, circa 1960 (Item 567)
Clip-on round silver earrings reading "NIXON" in the middle with silver bow at the top and blue gems defining the circle. Mounted on the original backing.
13
1
Nixon-Lodge Campaign Buttons, 1960 (2 Buttons)
These buttons are not listed in Alice N. Smith's inventory of her collection. They show the names "Nixon" (above) and "Lodge" (below) separated by a band of stars.
13
8
Nixon-Lodge Campaign Button, circa 1960 (Item 502)
Button shows either Nixon or Lodge depending on what angle it is viewed from.
Box
15/OV1
Nixon-Lodge Campaign Button, circa 1960 (Item 504)
Button displays portraits of Nixon and Lodge in the middle. The words "Experience Counts" appear at the top and Nixon's and Lodge's names are printed at the bottom.
15/OV1
Nixon-Lodge Victory Night Ribbon, circa 1960 (Item 624)
This ribbon consists of a card holder and card reading "NIXON-LODGE / VICTORY NIGHT / Nov. 8, 1960 - Ambassador Hotel / LOS ANGELES, CALIF. / ALICE SMITH / 6644 / AREA 4" supporting a purple ribbon reading "STAFF." The seal of the Vice President of the United States also appears on the card.
Box
SubBox
13
8
Nixon Medallion
13
5
Nixon Pin, circa 1960 (Item 569)
Gold pin depicting an elephant standing on top of the name "NIXON." Mounted on the original backing.
13
5
Nixon Pin, circa 1960 (Item 567)
Round pin showing the name "NIXON" in the center with a silver bow on top and blue gems defining the circle. Mounted on the original backing.
13
9
"Nixon" Plaque, circa 1960
13
6
"Pat for First Lady" Button, circa 1960 (Item 569)
The bottom of the ashtray depicts the Olympic rings and Munich's Feldherrenhalle, Theatinerkirche, and Frauenkirche.
Box
SubBox
13
4
Brass Object Engraved by Vernon B. Smith
Three-sided brass object apparently engraved by Vernon B. Smith. One side bears the insignia of the Corps of Engineers with an inverted numeral 7 engraved to the left and "23" engraved to the right; one side reads "Vernon B. Smith;" and one side reads "World-War. / Lorraine / Argonne / Verdun / Meuse / 18-19."
Great Seal of the United States Mounted on Granite
13
4
Half Dollar Showing John F. Kennedy, 1971 (Item 568)
13
1
Keychain Depicting the White House
Box
16/OV1
Lighter Covered in Rhinestones
Box
SubBox
13
6
Republican Elephant Pin Reading "Volunteer"
13
1
Stick Pin Showing the Seal of the President of the United States
The reverse of the seal is engraved "Reagan."
Box
17/OV1
Metal Box Showing Winston Churchill
Box
Folder
19/OV3
12
Needlepoint Depicting the White House
World War I Iron Cross 2nd Class (4.5cm. x 4.5cm)
Although this cross lacks its original ribbon, it has been determined to be an Iron Cross Second Class because it lacks the pin or screw posts used on the Iron Cross First Class and is too small to be a Grand Cross. This item was removed from "The Man Who Won World War II" but was most likely given to Smith by her father, as Eisenhower did not serve overseas during World War I.