Summary Information
Michael N. Bleicher Papers 1961-1987
- Bleicher, Michael N., 1935-
Mss 643; PH 6463
7.0 c.f. (18 archives boxes) and 13 photographs
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Political papers of Michael N. Bleicher, a Democratic Party activist, former state chairman of the Democratic Party (1978-1980), and mathematics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The collection documents Bleicher's service on the Democratic National Committee, his participation in several National Democratic Conventions as a delegate (1968-1976), and his support of various candidates for public office. Noteworthy campaigns Bleicher was involved with include the presidential campaigns of Eugene McCarthy (1968), George McGovern (1972), and Fred Harris (1976). Other campaign files are from Bleicher's position as campaign manager for Wisconsin Assembly candidate Midge Miller (1970) and Madison mayoral candidate Leo Cooper (1971). Also included are materials relating to Bleicher's tenure on the Energy Research Advisory Board and a small amount of material pertaining to Bleicher's mathematical career. English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00643 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Michael N. Bleicher was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1935 to David and Rachel Bleicher. After receiving his undergraduate degree from the California Institute of Technology, Bleicher sought to become a mathematician, and continued his graduate education at Tulane University, receiving his M.S. in 1959 and his Ph.D. in 1961. He also had the opportunity to serve as a fellow at the University of Warsaw during 1960-1961, where he received a second Ph.D. In 1962 he came to Madison, Wisconsin to become a member of the Mathematics Department faculty at the University of Wisconsin.
Not long after he began teaching in Madison, Bleicher began to get involved in Wisconsin politics. In 1964 he was elected 10th Ward Chairman of the Dane County Democratic Party, and he became involved on the local party level in other ways as well. Much of his political work in Madison consisted of campaigning for Democratic candidates for local office. Initially his involvement was as a member of advisory committees (such as for Toby Reynolds, a Madison mayoral candidate in 1969). In 1970, he was the campaign manager for Midge Miller, who ran for the Wisconsin Assembly. The next year, he was the campaign manager for Leo Cooper, a candidate for mayor of Madison.
Concurrently, he was a regular delegate to the Wisconsin Democratic Conventions, and in 1971, was elected on the Administrative Committee of the Wisconsin State Democratic Party. He served on this committee until 1977, when he successfully ran for the office of Wisconsin State Democratic Party Chairman. His term as chairman lasted until 1979.
Bleicher's involvement in politics at the national level came in 1968, when he served as Vice-Chairman of the Wisconsin Primary campaign for the Presidential candidacy of Eugene McCarthy. Later that year, Bleicher served on the Credentials Committee of the National Democratic Convention. In 1972 he again held this position, and was Vice-Chair of the Wisconsin Primary for another Presidential candidate, George McGovern. Between the 1972 and 1976 elections, Bleicher served as a member of the Democratic National Committee, and was also a delegate to the 1974 Democratic Mid-Term Convention. In 1976, he became the co-chair of the Wisconsin Primary for Fred Harris, another Democratic Candidate for President, and once again was a delegate to the National Convention.
Much of Bleicher's political activity was based on his attempts to reform the rules and organization of the party to make participation more democratic. As a member of the Credentials Committee in 1968, he oversaw several challenges to state delegations due to the failure of several states to adequately allow the participation of all races. In 1972, he again served on the Credentials Committee, and many of the challenges were based on the failure of some delegations to include a minimum percentage of women and minorities, as was mandated by new rules at the time. Bleicher's membership on the Administrative Committee of the Wisconsin Democratic Party involved complying with organization reforms mandated by the National Committee.
Bleicher continued to serve as a mathematics professor as well. Between 1972 and 1974 he was the chairman of the University of Wisconsin's Mathematics Department. He began writing for mathematical journals after receiving his Ph.D., and in 1968 co-authored Excursion in Mathematics; a new edition was published in 2000. Currently, Bleicher teaches Mathematics at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia, while also holding the position of Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin.
1935 |
Born in Cleveland, Ohio
|
1957 |
Received B.S. degree from California Institute of Technology
|
1959 |
Received M.S. degree from Tulane University
|
1961 |
Received Ph.D. degrees from Tulane University and University of Warsaw
|
1964 |
Joined the faculty at University of Wisconsin at Madison as member of Mathematics Department
|
1964 |
10th Ward Chairman of the Dane County Democratic Party
|
1965-1966 |
Dane County Ward Organization Chairman
|
1968 |
Delegate to National Democratic Convention; Member of the Credentials Committee
|
1968 |
Vice-Chairman of the Wisconsin McCarthy for President Spring Primary (in charge of Western half of state)
|
1968 |
Distribution Chairman, Kastenmeier for Congress Committee, Fall election
|
1969 |
Chairman of the Wisconsin State Democratic Party Resolutions Committee
|
1969-1970 |
Acting Chairman of the Wisconsin New Democratic Coalition
|
1970 |
Campaign Manager of the Midge Miller for Assembly Fall election
|
1970-1977 |
Member of the Wisconsin Democratic Party Delegate Selection Commission
|
1971 |
Campaign Manager of the Leo Cooper for Mayor Spring election
|
1971-1973 |
Elected to the Wisconsin State Democratic Party Administrative Committee as a member-at-large
|
1971-1973 |
Vice Chairman of the Democratic Party of the 2nd Congressional District, Wisconsin
|
1972-1979 |
Member of the Democratic National Committee
|
1972 |
Delegate to National Democratic Convention, Member of the Credentials Committee
|
1972 |
Vice Chairman of the Wisconsin McCarthy for President Spring Primary campaign
|
1972 |
Floor Manager of the McGovern forces on Credentials Committee, National Democratic Convention
|
1972 |
Member of the National Steering Committee of the New Democratic Coalition
|
1972 |
Steering Committee, Leo Cooper for Mayor
|
1972-1973 |
Co-editor of the Wisconsin Progressive Democrat (defunct after three editions)
|
1973 |
Steering Committee, Paul Soglin for Mayor
|
1973 |
Member (ex-officio, voting) of the Wisconsin State Democratic Party Administrative Committee
|
1974 |
Chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party Development Commission
|
1974 |
Delegate to the Democratic National Mid-Term Conference
|
1975 |
Finance Committee Chairman, Paul Soglin for Mayor
|
1975-1976 |
Co-Chairman of the Wisconsin Harris for President primary campaign
|
1976 |
Delegate to National Democratic Convention; Member of the Rules Committee
|
1977-1979 |
Chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party
|
1979-1981 |
Staff, U.S. Department of Energy
|
Scope and Content Note
The Michael N. Bleicher Papers consists of papers documenting the political activities of Michael Bleicher during the years 1961 to 1987 (particularly focusing on the years 1968-1977). The papers are divided into six series based primarily on Bleicher's roles or activities: NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE, STATE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE, DANE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY, CAMPAIGNS, OTHER PROJECTS, and PHOTOGRAPHS.
The NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE series consists of files documenting Bleicher's involvement in national politics, mostly through his positions on the Democratic National Committee and as delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1968, 1972, and 1976. Many of these documents were generated by other entities, such as the documents issued by the Democratic National Convention, or correspondence addressed to Bleicher regarding decisions made as a member of various committees. Bleicher himself was also involved in the creation of many of these documents, usually as a member of a committee (the reports issued by the Rules Committee are examples of this). The series covers a wide range of subjects, including the development of a charter for the Democratic Party, procedural changes for selection of the Vice Presidential candidate at conventions, and evaluating the credentials of delegates to the National Convention. The latter topic in particular is heavily documented in the series, due to Bleicher's membership on the Credentials Committee while a delegate to the National Convention.
The STATE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE series documents Bleicher's activity as a member of various committees of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Delegate selection is the major subject documented in this series. In addition to the records from the Delegate Selection Commission, Bleicher received materials from other committees which provided input on the issue. Other groups represented are the Executive Committee and the Legislative Liaison Committee. There is some documentation of Bleicher's race for Party Chair in 1977, but the collection contains no material on his chairmanship itself. The folders are labeled by subject and organized alphabetically.
The DANE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY series documents Bleicher's involvement at the local level of the Democratic Party. The most noteworthy files relate to Bleicher's position as head of the Tenth Ward of the Dane County Democratic Party in 1964. Also included are general circulars (1973-1975) printed by the Dane County Democratic Party, of which Bleicher was a National Committee Liaison.
Within the CAMPAIGNS series, the bulk of material pertains to the Presidential campaigns of Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, and Fred Harris. The McCarthy subseries consists mostly of campaign literature, as well as a transcript of Bleicher's interview by the McCarthy Historical Project. The McGovern subseries consists of campaign literature, lists of contributors, and several issue and endorsement files. The Harris subseries is the most extensively documented of the campaigns, with records concerning events Bleicher coordinated, correspondence with other campaigners, and files on rival candidates. The other subseries consist of an assortment of campaign literature and correspondence documenting the campaigns of Toby Reynolds, Midge Miller, Leo Cooper, and Paul Soglin.
The OTHER PROJECTS series is divided into three subseries: Energy Research Advisory Board (ERAB), Organization and Issues Files, and Mathematics Files. The Energy Research Advisory Board Files consist of minutes and subject files of the ERAB although Bleicher's role is unclear from the record. The Organization and Issues Files document two types of records: those authored by various groups that Michael Bleicher may have either belonged to or received mailings from, and general subject files. The organizations include the New Democratic Coalition, a liberal political advocacy group of which Bleicher was a member, and the Wisconsin Political Education Foundation, which published a newsletter co-edited by Bleicher, the Wisconsin Progressive Democrat. The issue folders document Bleicher's interest in the Vietnam War, impeachment of Richard Nixon, and the Spanish government. The Mathematics Files document a portion of Michael's work as a mathematics professor, including printed class handouts, notes, and copies of articles he authored. It consists of a single folder.
The PHOTOGRAPHS series includes photographs of Michael Bleicher, Eugene McCarthy, and Fred Harris.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Michael N. Bleicher, 1975 and 1990.
Processed by Carolyn J Mattern, 1984. Additions processed by Benjamin Ferguson (Practicum student), May 2006.
Contents List
Mss 643
|
Series: National Democratic Committee
|
|
Box
1
Folder
1
|
Advisory Council DNC, 1973
|
|
|
Americans for Democratic Action
|
|
Box
1
Folder
2
|
1975-1977
|
|
Box
19
Folder
1
|
Oversize Files
|
|
Box
1
Folder
3-4
|
Charter Commission, 1973-1974
|
|
Box
1
Folder
5
|
Coalition for a Democratic Majority, 1973-1974
|
|
Box
1
Folder
6
|
Conference on Organization & Policy, 1973
|
|
Box
1
Folder
7-8
|
Convention Correspondence, 1968
|
|
|
Convention Delegate Information
|
|
Box
1
Folder
9
|
Other States, 1968
|
|
Box
1
Folder
10
|
Wisconsin, 1968
|
|
|
Credentials Committee
|
|
Box
1
Folder
11-12
|
1968
|
|
Box
2
Folder
1-7
|
1968, continued
|
|
Box
2
Folder
8
|
Alabama Challenge
|
|
Box
3
Folder
1
|
Various States
|
|
Box
3
Folder
2
|
Wisconsin Challenges
|
|
Box
3
Folder
3-9
|
1972
|
|
Box
4
Folder
1-7
|
1972, continued
|
|
Box
4
Folder
8-9
|
Delegate Selection, 1972
|
|
|
Democratic National Committee
|
|
Box
4
Folder
10-11
|
1973, 1975
|
|
Box
5
Folder
1-6
|
1975, 1976, 1977, 1978
|
|
Box
5
Folder
7
|
Correspondence, 1976
|
|
|
Democratic National Convention
|
|
Box
5
Folder
8-12
|
1968-1976
|
|
Box
19
Folder
2
|
1976
|
|
Box
6
Folder
1-5
|
1976-1980
|
|
Box
6
Folder
6
|
Democratic Planning Group, 1973-1975
|
|
Box
6
Folder
7
|
Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee, 1975
|
|
Box
6
Folder
8
|
Election Information, 1973
|
|
Box
6
Folder
9
|
Jobs, 1977
|
|
Box
6
Folder
10
|
Meetings, 1968
|
|
Box
6
Folder
11-13
|
Midterm Conference, 1974
|
|
Box
7
Folder
1-2
|
Midterm Conference, continued
|
|
Box
7
Folder
3
|
Midwest Democratic Conference, 1973-1975
|
|
Box
7
Folder
4
|
Polls, 1977
|
|
Box
7
Folder
5
|
Polls, Delegates, & Misccellaneous, 1968
|
|
Box
7
Folder
6
|
Platform & Rules, 1968
|
|
Box
7
Folder
7
|
Presidential Candidates, 1976
|
|
Box
7
Folder
8
|
Reform Caucus, 1973-1974
|
|
Box
7
Folder
9-13
|
Rules Committee (of National Democratic Convention), 1976
|
|
Box
7
Folder
14
|
Senatorial Campaign Committee, 1974
|
|
Box
7
Folder
15
|
Vice Presidential Committee, 1974
|
|
Box
7
Folder
16
|
Winograd Commission, 1977
|
|
|
Series: State Democratic Committee
|
|
Box
8
Folder
1-5
|
Administrative Committee, 1971-1976
|
|
Box
8
Folder
6
|
Compliance Review, 1975
|
|
Box
8
Folder
7
|
Congressional Districts, 1976
|
|
Box
8
Folder
8-14
|
Delegate Selection, 1972-1976
|
|
Box
9
Folder
1
|
Development Commission, 1969-1972
|
|
Box
9
Folder
2
|
Executive Committee
|
|
Box
9
Folder
3
|
Legislative Liaison Committee, 1974
|
|
Box
9
Folder
4-5
|
National Committeeman Campaign, 1972,1976
|
|
Box
9
Folder
6-9
|
Party Chair Race, 1977
|
|
Box
9
Folder
10
|
Performance Committee, 1974
|
|
Box
9
Folder
11
|
Peterson Challenge, 1972
|
|
Box
9
Folder
12
|
Peterson, Donald, 1973-1974
|
|
Box
10
Folder
1
|
Primary Election, 1973-1975
|
|
Box
10
Folder
2
|
Second Congressional District, 1972-1974
|
|
Box
10
Folder
3-5
|
State Democratic Convention, 1974, 1976
|
|
Box
10
Folder
6
|
Wisconsin Democratic Party Research Material, 1964, 1969
|
|
|
Series: Dane County Democratic Party
|
|
Box
10
Folder
7
|
General, 1973-1975
|
|
Box
10
Folder
8
|
District 7, 1973-1975
|
|
Box
10
Folder
9
|
Madison Federation of Labor, 1973
|
|
Box
10
Folder
10
|
Madison Tenth Ward Association, 1964
|
|
|
Series: Campaigns
|
|
|
Subseries: Eugene McCarthy
|
|
Box
10
Folder
11-14
|
General, 1968
|
|
Box
10
Folder
15
|
McCarthy Campaign Literature, 1968
|
|
Box
10
Folder
16
|
McCarthy Historical Project, 1969-1973
|
|
Box
10
Folder
17
|
McCarthy Literature, 1968
|
|
Box
10
Folder
18
|
McCarthy on Issues, 1968
|
|
|
Subseries: George McGovern
|
|
Box
11
Folder
1
|
Buttons, etc. Suppliers, 1972
|
|
Box
11
Folder
2
|
Contributors: McGovern, 1971-1972
|
|
Box
11
Folder
3-4
|
Delegate Information Sheets, 1972
|
|
Box
11
Folder
5
|
Designs (silk screen), 1972
|
|
|
Issue & Endorsement Files
|
|
Box
11
Folder
6
|
Agriculture and Rural Development
|
|
Box
11
Folder
7
|
Draft & Amnesty
|
|
Box
11
Folder
8
|
Drugs
|
|
Box
11
Folder
9
|
Ecology
|
|
Box
11
Folder
10
|
Economic Reconversion
|
|
Box
11
Folder
11
|
Economic Policy
|
|
Box
11
Folder
12
|
Education
|
|
Box
11
Folder
13
|
Education Funding
|
|
Box
11
Folder
14
|
Environment
|
|
Box
11
Folder
15
|
Farmers
|
|
Box
11
Folder
16
|
Health
|
|
Box
11
Folder
17
|
Hunger
|
|
Box
11
Folder
18
|
Key & Legislative Record
|
|
Box
11
Folder
19
|
Labor
|
|
Box
11
Folder
20
|
Native Americans
|
|
Box
11
Folder
21
|
Nixonomics
|
|
Box
11
Folder
22
|
POWs
|
|
Box
11
Folder
23
|
Rural Development
|
|
Box
11
Folder
24-25
|
Senior Citizens
|
|
Box
11
Folder
26
|
Several
|
|
Box
11
Folder
27-28
|
Taxes
|
|
Box
11
Folder
29
|
U.S. Role in the World
|
|
Box
11
Folder
30
|
Veterans
|
|
Box
11
Folder
31
|
Vietnam
|
|
Box
11
Folder
32
|
The War
|
|
Box
11
Folder
33-34
|
Welfare
|
|
Box
11
Folder
35-36
|
Women
|
|
Box
11
Folder
37-39
|
McGovern
|
|
Box
11
Folder
40
|
Daily Cardinal
|
|
Box
11
Folder
41
|
Pat Gorman
|
|
Box
11
Folder
42
|
Miami Herald
|
|
Box
11
Folder
43
|
Minnesota Daily
|
|
Box
11
Folder
44
|
New Democrat
|
|
Box
11
Folder
45-47
|
New York Post
|
|
Box
11
Folder
48-50
|
New York Times
|
|
Box
11
Folder
51
|
Progressive
|
|
Box
11
Folder
52
|
Rolling Stone
|
|
Box
11
Folder
53
|
Rural Electrification
|
|
Box
11
Folder
54
|
St. Louis Dispatch
|
|
Box
11
Folder
55-56
|
Time
|
|
Box
11
Folder
56
|
Village Voice
|
|
Box
11
Folder
57
|
Worthington Daily Globe
|
|
Box
11
Folder
58
|
Lists--Basic Contact, 1972
|
|
Box
12
Folder
1-2
|
Literature, 1971-1972
|
|
Box
19
Folder
3
|
Literature
|
|
|
McGovern Campaign
|
|
Box
12
Folder
3-8
|
1971-1972
|
|
Box
13
Folder
1
|
1972, continued
|
|
Box
13
Folder
2-5
|
McGovern Handbook, 1971-1972
|
|
Box
13
Folder
6
|
New Names, 1972
|
|
|
Subseries: Fred Harris, 1975-1976
|
|
Box
13
Folder
7
|
Advertising
|
|
Box
13
Folder
8
|
Bayh, Birch
|
|
Box
13
Folder
9
|
Bentsen, Lloyd
|
|
Box
13
Folder
10
|
Buttons
|
|
Box
13
Folder
11
|
Camper Trip
|
|
Box
13
Folder
12
|
Canvassing
|
|
Box
13
Folder
13-15
|
Carter, Jimmy
|
|
Box
13
Folder
16
|
Carter, UW Letter
|
|
Box
13
Folder
17
|
Clippings
|
|
Box
13
Folder
18
|
Communication
|
|
Box
13
Folder
19
|
Election
|
|
Box
13
Folder
20
|
Events
|
|
Box
14
Folder
1
|
Finances
|
|
Box
14
Folder
2
|
Fred Harris
|
|
Box
14
Folder
3
|
Harris Herald
|
|
Box
14
Folder
4
|
Headquarters
|
|
Box
14
Folder
5
|
Hightower, Jim
|
|
Box
14
Folder
6
|
Iowa (names)
|
|
Box
14
Folder
7-8
|
Iowa (organization)
|
|
Box
14
Folder
9
|
Issues Handbooks
|
|
Box
14
Folder
10
|
Jackson, Henry
|
|
Box
14
Folder
11
|
Johnson, Cecil F.
|
|
Box
14
Folder
12
|
Kaye, Jan & Ken
|
|
Box
14
Folder
13
|
Labor
|
|
Box
14
Folder
14-15
|
Laws
|
|
Box
14
Folder
16-19
|
Lists
|
|
Box
15
Folder
1-2
|
Lists, continued
|
|
Box
15
Folder
3-4
|
Literature
|
|
Box
15
Folder
5
|
Mailings
|
|
Box
15
Folder
6
|
Maps
|
|
Box
19
Folder
4
|
Maps (oversize)
|
|
Box
15
Folder
7
|
Minnesota
|
|
Box
15
Folder
8
|
Miscellaneous
|
|
Box
15
Folder
9
|
McCarthy, Eugene
|
|
Box
15
Folder
10
|
McGovern, George
|
|
Box
15
Folder
11
|
Neighbors Night
|
|
Box
15
Folder
12
|
Organization
|
|
Box
15
Folder
13
|
Other Candidates
|
|
Box
15
Folder
14
|
Phones
|
|
Box
15
Folder
15
|
Polls
|
|
Box
15
Folder
16
|
Posters
|
|
Box
19
Folder
5
|
Posters (oversize)
|
|
Box
15
Folder
17
|
Primaries
|
|
Box
15
Folder
18-19
|
Press Releases
|
|
Box
16
Folder
1
|
Questions
|
|
Box
16
Folder
2
|
Radio
|
|
Box
16
Folder
3
|
Sanford, Terry
|
|
Box
16
Folder
4
|
Shapp, Milton
|
|
Box
16
Folder
5
|
Shriver, Sargent
|
|
Box
16
Folder
6
|
Siefert, John
|
|
Box
16
Folder
7
|
Slide Show
|
|
Box
16
Folder
8
|
Speeches
|
|
Box
16
Folder
9
|
Stationery
|
|
Box
16
Folder
10
|
Toledo
|
|
Box
16
Folder
11
|
Udall, Morris
|
|
Box
16
Folder
12
|
Vote Counts
|
|
Box
16
Folder
13
|
Subseries: Toby Reynolds, 1969
|
|
Box
16
Folder
14
|
Subseries: Midge Miller, 1970
|
|
Box
16
Folder
15
|
Subseries: Leo Cooper, 1971
|
|
Box
16
Folder
16
|
Subseries: Paul Soglin, 1973
|
|
|
Series: Other Projects
|
|
|
Subseries: Energy Research Advisory Board
|
|
Box
16
Folder
17-18
|
1978-1980
|
|
Box
17
Folder
1-3
|
1978-1980, continued
|
|
|
Subseries: Organization and Issues Files
|
|
Box
17
Folder
4
|
J. H. Gore, 1961
|
|
Box
17
Folder
5
|
Impeachment, 1974
|
|
Box
17
Folder
6
|
Legislator's Peace Petition, 1971
|
|
Box
17
Folder
7
|
Midwest NDC, 1973
|
|
Box
17
Folder
8-9
|
Miscellany, 1969-1974
|
|
Box
17
Folder
10-12
|
New Democratic Coalition, 1969-1973
|
|
Box
17
Folder
13
|
Spain, 1973
|
|
Box
18
Folder
1
|
Wisconsin Political Education Foundation, 1973
|
|
Box
18
Folder
2
|
Wisconsin Progressive Democrat, 1973
|
|
Box
18
Folder
3
|
Subseries: Mathematics Files, 1987
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PH 6463
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Series: Photographs
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PH Box
1
Folder
1
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State Democratic Party: Michael Bleicher
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PH Box
1
Folder
2
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Eugene McCarthy Campaign Photographs
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PH Box
1
Folder
3
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Fred Harris Speaking Event Photographs
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