Series 9 Scope and Content

Records in this series were created from 2001 to 2005 during Thompson's service as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). They exist in a combination of paper and electronic formats and are divided into five sub-series.

Series 9.1, Correspondence, 2001-2005, contains copies of official and personal correspondence bearing Secretary Thompson's signature. This sub-series is further divided into two parts:

The first (9.1.1) contains official correspondence drafted by HHS staff at the Correspondence Control Center (CCC). These letters were commonly sent in reply to incoming correspondence, and they deal with all manner of health and human service issues. A copy of the incoming letter often appears with the outgoing response. The correspondence in this sub-series exists in both paper and electronic formats. The paper copies are arranged chronologically by type of recipient: (1) members of Congress, (2) the general public, or (3) government offices. The electronic versions are stored as tiff or jpeg scans on compact disc. The CCC indexed every outgoing letter on a spreadsheet file stored also on compact disc. The index is valuable for identifying specific documents among the 4,600+ letters in the sub-series.

The second (9.1.2) consists of paper copies of personal correspondence prepared by secretaries in Thompson's office suite. Among these letters are personal greetings, thank you notes, sympathy notes, letters of congratulations, and letters of recommendation. The filing system was maintained inconsistently -- some letters were filed in strict chronological order, others alphabetically by recipient's last name; still others by type of correspondence. The inventory reflects the original arrangement received at Marquette in 2005. This correspondence is not indexed on the spreadsheet in Series 9.1.1.

Series 9.2, Speeches, 2001-2004, contains public remarks delivered by Secretary Thompson in front of a variety of audiences. The speeches are stored as html files on compact disc and are arranged chronologically.

Series 9.3, Congressional Hearings, 2001-2004, consists of paper copies of the Secretary's prepared statements submitted before committees of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Topics include the HHS Budget, bioterrorism preparedness, Medicare reform, and welfare reform. These statements are different from the Secretary's speeches before Congress located in Series 9.2.

Series 9.4, Press Releases, 2001-2005, consists of official HHS news reports released during Secretary Thompson's tenure. All press releases can be viewed electronically on compact disc. Additionally, the archives holds paper copies of press releases for 2001-2003.

Series 9.5, Briefing Binders, 2001-2004, contains binders of paper documents compiled by HHS staff to brief Secretary Thompson about upcoming events in which he participated.

Series 9.6, Publications, 2004, contains publications that reflect Secretary Thompson's accomplishments at HHS.