FRANCES G. KNIGHT PAPERS
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library
West Branch, Iowa
Biography
Frances Gladys Knight was born on July 22, 1905 in Newport, Rhode Island. Of British and Czech parentage, Frances spent her childhood primarily in New York City, where her father, Frederick, worked as a butler. At the age of 11, young Frances appeared in an article in a New York newspaper, in which she asked readers to help her decide upon her ambiguous nationality, in the hope that they would decide that she was indeed an American citizen. This interest in issues of identity and citizenship at a young age seemed to presage her later career in the Department of State as Director of the Passport Office, where she sought to shape a number of policies that centered on these issues.
After studying in Paris, Prague and Monaco for three years in her late teens, Frances returned to New York, enrolling in a secretarial course at a vocational school, and later studying journalism at New York University. During this time she worked as a secretary and assistant editor for various church publications, before landing a job as chief of the editorial division with the National Recovery Administration in 1934. Throughout the next decade, Knight worked in Washington in a series of editorial and public relations jobs for a variety of Federal government agencies, including the Works Progress Administration, White House Conference on Children, Treasury Department, National Defense Advisory Commission, Office of Emergency Management, and the Office of Civilian Defense. She also worked for American Aviation Publications, a company founded by her second husband, Wayne W. Parrish, who she married in 1935.
Following a stint as public relations director with the American Retail Association from 1946-1948, Knight returned to government service, initially as a consultant to the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. In 1949, however, she was hired as a radio information specialist with the Office of International Information (later the U.S. Information Agency) in the State Department, which marked the beginning of an association with that department that would last until her retirement three decades later. In 1952 she was appointed assistant deputy administrator of the recently created Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs. Although this department handled passport and visa functions, the main thrust of her job was to assist the Administrator, Scott McLeod, with the direction of the security program within the State Department. Through this work she became familiar with the operations of the Passport Office and its director, Ruth Shipley, and was therefore picked to replace Shipley when the latter retired in 1955.
In the early years of her tenure at the Passport Office, Knight gained a reputation for efficiency, rapidly modernizing the operations of her department so that it could better meet the demands of travelers in the jet age. Her widely publicized improvements in the Passport Office—including her frequent boast of being one of the few Federal agencies to actually earn a profit—gained her many supporters on both sides of the aisle in Congress. At the same time, however, she often found herself in the center of controversy, as her department denied passports to a number of individuals who were either Communists or who merely had leftist political leanings. With the election of John F. Kennedy as President, a new administrator of Security and Consular Affairs, Abba P. Schwartz, was appointed in 1962. Knights soon found herself in disagreement with the more liberal policies of Schwartz in regard to passport and visa issuance policies, as well as security within the State Department. Their increasingly public feud—and the investigation of Schwartz by allies of Knight in the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee—eventually led to Schwartz’s resignation in March 1966. Shortly after this, Knight was once again embroiled in controversy as a story in the New York Times alleged that the Passport Office collaborated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the latter agency’s surveillance of American leftist scholars abroad, most notably in the case of Professor H. Stuart Hughes of Harvard.
Although these controversies served to raise Knight’s profile among the general public, the late 1960s and early 1970s found her occupied with a host of administrative issues within the Passport Office. These included struggles to gain funding for increased staffing and field offices, the development of a machine-readable passport, and the fight against document fraud. This latter issue led her to suggest the creation of a national identification card for each citizen, which was vociferously opposed by civil-liberties groups in 1975. During these years, Knight channeled her increasing discontent with her superiors within the State Department—including Schwartz’s successor, Barbara Watson—into widely distributed “Christmas letters” that were sent to members of Congress and friends in the press. She also sought the removal of “Kennedy and Johnson holdovers” from the State Department during the Nixon and Ford Administrations, and was disappointed when this didn’t happen in the way that she had hoped. As she approached the mandatory retirement age of 70, she fought two widely publicized campaigns to remain in her post, and succeeded in doing so until 1977, when Secretary of State Cyrus Vance refused her a third extension.
In retirement, Knight sought to remain politically active, promoting causes such as immigration reform and offering her services to the transition teams of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. Bush. Knight died in Bethesda, Maryland at the age of 94 on September 11, 1999.
The Frances G. Knight Papers contain 48.7 linear feet of material divided into three broad categories:
Personal-Biographical: This series, comprising 9.1 linear feet, contains material that focuses more directly on Knight, rather than the administration of the Passport Office. Topics covered include political interests, press contacts, the controversy surrounding her forced retirement in 1977, drafts of her planned autobiography, awards and honors, as well as subseries containing her personal correspondence, calendars, speeches, and photographs. Material is arranged by subject alphabetically, with chronological divisions within the larger subjects.
Passport Office: Knight’s tenure as director of the Passport Office is most fully documented in this series, which contains 25 linear feet of papers. The emphasis in this series is on the administration of the Passport Office and the various issues that were connected with it. Topics are arranged alphabetically—mostly by office or function—and include administrative divisions within the department, field offices, budgetary planning, passport issuance and production, personnel, and training. Broader issues connected with the functions of the department, such as document fraud, the proposed national identification card, the use of the oath of allegiance in the passport application, or the computerized lookout file on passport applicants that was maintained by the department, can also be found in the “Issues and Controversies” subseries. The subseries labeled “Correspondence—Chronological files, outgoing,” “News clippings—Chronological Files,” and “Memoranda for the Files” contain the clearest chronological overview of the development of various issues and activities within the Passport Department.
Federal Agencies: The remaining series contains documentation of Knight’s interaction with other governmental agencies in the executive and legislative branches of Federal government outside of the Passport Office, and contain 14.6 linear feet of material. Although the Passport Office was a branch of the Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs, and by extension of the Department of State, Knight’s opposition to policies and trends in both departments suggested a separate subseries for each one. Each subseries has material arranged alphabetically within further subdivisions by subject and key personnel. Furthermore, material within the subseries for the Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs is divided between 1953-1955, when Knight worked alongside the Administrator of the Bureau, and subsequent years when as Passport Office Director she often felt at odds with the Administrator. Likewise, files documenting Knight’s career in the Office of International Information (U.S. Information Agency) from 1949-1952 can be found in the Department of State subseries.
Outside of the Department of State and Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs, Knight’s contacts with a variety of other Federal agencies, as well as her extensive contacts within Congress and successive Presidential administrations, are also documented in this series. The subseries titled “Other Federal Agencies” is alphabetically arranged by agency, as is the subseries “Government Committees.” The “Congress” subseries is divided among House and Senate committees which had oversight for the funding and operations of the State Department, legislation affecting the Passport Office which was either proposed or enacted, and correspondence with individual members of Congress.
Upon the acquisition of the Frances Knight Papers in 1992, little semblance remained of any original order or filing system. Attempts were made to reconstruct whatever filing system could be deduced from Knight’s handwritten notes at the top of many of her memoranda, however, most of the system of arrangement used in these papers was created by the archivists who processed this collection.
Copies of material from some of these series, especially those that contain chronological correspondence files, can also be found in separate collections of Frances Knight’s papers in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress in Washington, as well as at the Mugar Library of Boston University. Although the Knight Papers at this library are her personal papers, official records of the Passport Office are part of the State Department records found in Records Group 59 at the National Archives and Records Adminstration in Washington DC. The papers of Abba Schwartz, Administrator of the Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs from 1962-1966, are at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston.
Frances G. Knight Papers
Box and Folder Inventory—Table of Contents
Series and subseries Page number
Autobiography 7
Calendar 8
Childhood 9
Correspondence: Personal/general 10
Political interests 15
Press relations 17
Retirement 19
Speeches 20
Travels 22
Writings 23
Photographs
Frances G. Knight 23
Passport Office 26
Oversize items 27
Accomplishments 29
Budget 31
Correspondence: Chronological (outgoing) 32
Divisions 42
General subjects 48
Issues and controversies
Computerized lookout file 50
Document fraud 51
H. Stuart Hughes case 55
National identification card 56
Memoranda for the files 57
News clippings 58
Organizations 63
Passport issuance 64
Passport production 67
Personnel 68
Phone logs: Director’s Office 72
Press releases and circulars 73
Publications 74
Records management 74
Statistics 75
Training 75
State Department
Undersecretary of State-Management 78
Secretary of State 79
Other departmental personnel 79
Subject files 80
Security and Consular Affairs, Bureau of
Frances G. Knight: 1952-1955 85
Administrators 87
Memoranda files 89
Subject files 91
Other Federal agencies
Agriculture, Department of 93
Commerce, Department of 95
Justice, Department of 95
Postal Service, U.S. 96
Treasury, Department of 96
Governmental committees 97
Congress
Hearings on budget 98
House committees 99
Senate committees 100
Legislation concerning Passport Office 101
Correspondence with members 102
Presidential administrations 105
Frances G. Knight Papers
Box and Folder Inventory
1 Art objects, imported
General correspondence, 1959-1974
Hong Kong, 1976-1977
India, 1976-1977
Nepal, 1977
Thailand, 1976-1977
Price lists
Autobiography, proposed, 1977-1978
Correspondence
Drafts
Rough drafts and notes
Typed drafts
Proposal
Awards
General, 1969-1977
American Legion, 1978
American Society of Travel Agents, 1962
Missouri Valley College, honorary doctorate, 1963
Correspondence
News clippings
Newsletters, "Viking Views," 1963-1969
Related subsequent correspondence, 1963-1968
National Press Club, 1960
President's Award, nomination for, 1966
2 Biographical information
General, 1940-1974
Current Biography article, October 1955
First marriage and divorce--clippings, 1930 and undated
Calendars
1955
1956
1957
Folder 1
Folder 2
1958
1959
3 1960
Folder 1
Folder 2
1961
1962
1963
1964
4 1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
5 1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
6 Childhood
Autograph book, 1919
Clippings, ca. 1916
School notebooks, ca. 1910-1920
7 Correspondence-Personal/General
Chronological-Alphabetic Files
1950-1959
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P-Q
R
S
T
U-V
W
Y-Z
1960s
A
B
C
D
E-F
8 G
H-J
K-L
M
N-O
P
R
S
T
U-W
1970S
A-B
C
D
E-F
G
H-I
J-K
L
M-N
O-P
R
S
T
W
1980s
Personal-individual files
Adams, Sherman, 1958
Brown, Liz and Connie, 1961-1970
Bush, George H.W., 1979-1987
Bush, Prescott, 1982
9 Lindbergh, Charles, 1959
Rickenbacker, Eddie, 1969
Rockefeller, Nelson, 1965-1976
Schlafly, Phyllis, 1969-1977
SEE ALSO: Personal-Biographical Series-Political causes-
Newsletters-Phyllis Schlafly Report
Strelsin, Alfred, 1962-1964
Subject files
Birthday greetings to Knight
Undated, ca. 1970s
1977
Christmas letters
1955-1960
1961-1964
1965-1970
Correspondence in response to
SEE ALSO: Federal Agencies Series: Congress: Other
Congressional correspondence: Response to Knight's
Christmas letters
1958-1959
1960
1963
1970-1971
Mailing lists
1970
1971
Memoranda about, 1971
News clippings about, 1970-1971
Fan mail, 1966
Hate mail, 1966
Letters of criticism, 1970-1975
10 Television appearances
Person-to-Person, 1958, re: Suitcase packing
April
May 1-15
May 16-31
June 1-20
June 21-27
1958, July-1959, April
What's My Line, 1970
Threats, 1975-1976
Education
Graduation program, Hunter College Model School, 1919
Transcript and report card, 1928, 1934
Family
Fanni Knight (mother)
Frederick Knight (father)
Freedom of Information Act request from Knight, 1977
Invitations
Events hosted by Frances Knight and Wayne Parrish
Christmas party, 1972
Christmas party, 1975
Reception for Nathanael Reed, 1972
11 Foreign Embassies, 1971-1977, and undated
General, 1972-1976, and undated
President Nixon
Inauguration, 1969
Dinner for President Georges Pompidou, 1973
Reception for Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, 1973
Libraries, donations to
Boston University, 1977-1978
Library of Congress, 1977-1978
Medical records
Abdominal surgery, 1968
General, 1958-1971
Organizations-Washington Animal Rescue League, 1969
Passports
Diplomatic, 1950-1961
Non-diplomatic, 1951-1977
Personnel files
Certificates of service, 1965-1975
Civil service status, 1944-1974
Employment in Washington, 1934-1944
Executive inventories, 1963-1973
Letters of reference for Knight
Congregational Church agencies, 1933-1935
Members of Congress, 1934-1940
12 Personnel action forms and performance reviews
1942-1967
1967-1970
Personnel audit reviews, 1969-1977
Political interests
Conservative causes, 1964-1987
Government waste, 1977-1979
The Heritage Foundation, 1977-1984
Immigration reform
General
1978-1981
1986-1987
Federation on American Immigration Reform
1981
1982
1983-1986
1987-1988
National security, 1977-1979
Newsletters and other reading material
Accuracy in Media Reports, 1976-1981
American Cause, 1977
American-Chilean Council Report, 1976-1979
Citizens for the Republic Newsletter (Ronald Reagan), 1979
Counterattack, 1968
Evans-Novak Political Report, 1976
General, 1968-1981
13 H du B Reports, 1967-1977
Herald of Freedom
Correspondence with Frank Capell, 1972-1973
Newsletters, 1966-1980
Publications, "The Untouchables," Books One and Two
Inform National Reports, 1969-1970
Jack Anderson's Washington Letter, 1978
The Media Report, 1976
News and Views (Church League of America), 1964-1970
Phyllis Schlafly Report, 1972-1980
Pink Sheet on the Left, 1976
Scott Report, 1973-1976
Tactics, 1970-1976
U.S.A. (Alice Widener), 1969
Washington Report, 1975-1978
Panama Canal Treaty, 1977-1978
Republican National Committee
General, 1956-1980
Publications
Republican Campaign Text Book, 1932
Campaign brochures, 1952
Pocket Guide to 1952 Convention Themes
Term limits, 1981
Press relations
Contacts
Berlin, Richard, Hearst Newspapers
1964-1966
1968-1972
14 Buckley, William, 1968-1978
Edwards, Willard, 1953-1977
Friedlander, Paul, 1958-1966
Graham, Katherine, 1966
Harvey, Paul, 1967-1970
Leacacos, John
Lewis, Fulton, 1964-1966
Mollenhoff, Clark
Articles about Knight
September 1970
September 1971
Clippings about Mollenhoff
Correspondence, 1969-1970
Murrow, Edward R., 1958
Pearson, Drew
Correspondence, 1955-1965
Story about Knight, August 1966
Clippings
Correspondence-Friends and other journalists
Correspondence-General public
Correspondence-Washington Post
Other background material
Publications about Pearson sent to Knight
Pegler, Westbrook, 1954-1958
Sentner, David, 1957
Sokolsky, George, 1954-1958
Other journalists, 1969
Coverage of Knight
Responses of Knight, 1970-1977
15 Responses of public
1966, Life magazine article
1970, Time magazine and Clark Mollenhoff articles
Lists of correspondents, 1974-1975
Residences-Washington DC
Wyoming Avenue
30th Street
SEE ALSO: Oversize materials
Retirement
Postponement of mandatory retirement, 1974-1976
Attempts at postponement, 1977
Correspondence with Congress
Correspondence to President Carter
Correspondence to Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance
Correspondence, other
Retirement Division, State Department
Testimony before House Select Committee on Aging
Correspondence following announcement
Congress, July-August 1977
Federal Bureau of Investigation, July-December
Friends, May-July 1977
General public
May
June 1-14
June 15-30
July
16 August-September, and undated
Other Federal agencies
Passport Office staff, July-October 1977
Passport Office memoranda, June-September
Reception, July 28
Resolutions in the House and Senate
Washington Post editorial
Speeches
Texts
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
17 1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
18 1977
Material for future speeches
1946-1960
1961-1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
19 1971
1972
1973-1974
1975
1976-1977
Undated
Folder 1
Folder 2
Folder 3
Travels
Official
1949-1959
1960-1969
1970-1977
20 Unofficial
U.S.S.R., 1958
South Pacific and Australia, 1961--notes
Proposed China trip, 1972-1978
Mideast trip, U.S. Citizens Congress, 1978
General
Background information
Saudi Arabia, Jordan
Kuwait
South Africa, 1981
Writings
Articles by Knight
Esquire, October 1972, typescript of essay
Travel Agent, September 1972, "Fact versus Fiction Regarding the U.S. Passport Office," typescript
Human Events, 1974, "Lower the Flag to Half Mast," typescript
The Scott Report, June 20, 1975, "Tax Dollars Pay for Crime"
"False Economies," manuscript, undated
Photos
Frances G. Knight
Childhood photos of Frances Knight, ca. 1915
Frederick Knight (father), undated
Photo album, 114 snapshots, Wayne Parrish, Frances Knight, friends and family, ca. 1935-1945
21 Office of Civilian Defense, Frances Knight and unidentified woman, grocery shopping, ca. January 1941 (1)
Office of Civilian Defense, James Landis and unidentified personnel, ca. Early 1940s (2)
Office of Civilian Defense, Director James F. Landis, ca. early 1940s (2)
Office of Civilian Defense, Mrs. Henry Morgenthau and Eleanor
Roosevelt, ca. 1942 (1)
Office of Civilian Defense, l-r, Eleanor Roosevelt, Fiorello
La Guardia, James F. Landis, January 12, 1942 (1)
Portrait of Frances Knight, ca. 1946 (1)
Frances Knight and Wayne Parrish, ca. Late 1940's (3)
Knight with Scott McLeod, at Consular Conference, Mexico City,
January 1955 (3)
Knight seated at her desk, Passport Office, October 1955 (1)
Knight seated at her desk, with second woman, Passport Office,
May 17, 1956 (1)
Knight at unidentified events, late 1950s (9)
Portraits of Frances Knight, ca. Late 1950s (5)
Knight at meeting of Zonta Club, Paterson, NJ, April 13, 1957 (4)
Knight addressing Conference on the Role of Women in Foreign
Affairs, Washington, May 17, 1957 (1)
Knight with group at ATA Facilitation Meeting, Chicago,
August 13, 1957 (1)
Knight being interviewed on television program, WMAR, Baltimore, February 19, 1959 (4)
Knight at unidentified event (Willis Young?), June 30, 1959 (5)
Knight with Rep. Dante Fascell, undated, ca. Late 1950s (1)
Knight at Passport Office facility dedication, unidentified
Location and date, ca. Late 1950s (11)
Speaking engagement, Chicago, undated, ca. Late 1950s (11)
Frances Knight preparing passports, for Life magazine, 1960 (2)
Frances Knight using office equipment, two unidentified men
watching, ca. Early 1960s (1)
Frances Knight at Passport Office, February 11, 1960 (2)
Knight at Passenger Traffic Association meeting, New York,
September 13, 1960 (2)
Portraits of Knight in her office, August 8, 1966 (5)
Frances Knight with two unidentified employees, October 5, 1966 (1)
Knight and unidentified man, Christmas toy drive, State Department, ca. December 1966 (1)
Knight with Customs Bureau officials at Dulles Airport,
demonstrating new equipment, 1967 (7)
Knight receiving plaque from Chief James Rowley, 1969 (2)
Knight with Wayne Parrish, at Paris Air Show, 1971 (1)
Knight at event honoring retiring Passport Office employees,
June 20, 1972 (1)
Knight at event honoring unidentified Passport Office employee, November 22, 1972 (7)
Portraits of Knight, ca. 1970s (8)
Passport photos of Knight, ca. 1970s
Knight and Wayne Parrish, with guests at their home, Hobe Sound, Florida, ca. mid-1970s (28)
Knight and Wayne Parrish, various snapshots, ca. 1970s (6)
Knight and Wayne Parrish with representatives of British Travel Authority, ca. mid-1970s (1)
Polaroid pictures of birthday party for Knight, at Passport Office, ca. mid-1970s (10)
Knight with two unidentified men, at black-tie reception, 1975
Frances Knight at birthday celebration, and in front of White House, Washington, July 1977 (10)
Congressional reception for Frances Knight, July 1977
Negatives
Contact proofs
Color prints (55)
Trip to Nepal, 1977, snapshots (25)
Reception for Sen. Carl Curtis, 1978 (3)
Requests for photos of Knight, 1971-1975
22 Passport Office
Washington, June 3, 1946 (5)
Washington, Winder Building, ca. 1955 (22)
Washington, negatives, 1955
Washington, June 27, 1955 (17)
Washington, August 26, 1955 (4)
Washington, construction, August 26, 1955 (4)
Washington, renovated Matomic Building, October 1955 (5)
Washington, January 6, 1956 (6)
Washington, April 2, 1956 (7)
Washington, May 2, 1956 (7)
Washington, May 17, 1956 (1)
New York, May 13-14, 1956 (2)
New York, July 2, 1956 (13)
Chicago Agency, April 1957 (5)
Chicago Agency, January 1958 (5)
Washington, December 14, 1959 (20)
Washington, February 11, 1960 (5)
Miami, Agency Dedication, n.d. (6)
Washington, January 28, 1970 (18)
New York or Washington (?), April 6-10, 1970
New York Agency,
July 1970