The Edwin R. Bayley papers are composed primarily of writings and correspondence, together with some speeches, subject files, and biographical material. The papers document Bayley's career as a political reporter, official in the Kennedy administration, writer, and educator while also providing some insight into the Bayleys' personal and social life. Most thoroughly documented are the years 1961 through 1963. For these years the collection includes copies of oral history interviews of Bayley from the Kennedy Oral History Project, plus extensive professional and personal correspondence. Material documenting his career at National Educational Television (1963-1969) is found in the NET Records, which are also held by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin (U.S. Mss 66AF, Series 2B). Bayley's association with Governor Gaylord Nelson is also documented by speeches in the Nelson gubernatorial papers.
The Bayley papers have been divided into four series: biographical material, correspondence, writings and speeches, and subject files.
The Biographical Material (1959-1986) is comprised of interviews, articles, photos, and general data about Bayley's life and career. The articles about Bayley are arranged chronologically and include discussion of his views on a variety of subjects, primarily educational television, politics, and journalism. The miscellaneous biographical material includes a genealogical chart of the Bayley family, a security investigation report, and a detailed resume. (Bayley has also donated further information concerning his family in the papers of his great-grandfather, Calvin Bayley (Oshkosh Mss 0).) Photos received in the collection are now filed in the Name File in the Visual Materials Archive.
Particularly informative here are the transcripts of two interviews of Bayley for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Oral History Project in which he candidly discusses his association with Kennedy from the time of their first meeting in 1957. Bayley goes on to talk about a variety of subjects: Wisconsin politics, the 1960 Wisconsin presidential primary, Kennedy's relationship with the press, professional relationships and power struggles in the Kennedy Administration, FBI and CIA involvement in AID and the Peace Corps, and allegations of impropriety within the press office. Of interest are Bayley's remarks on strategies for managing the press. These strategies can also be seen in publications and news releases from the “AID” and “Poteau” files of the Subject Files series. Also included with the oral history file is correspondence (some with Robert Kennedy) related to the interviewing process.
The Correspondence (1943-1985) is organized in two parts: general and personal, each of which is arranged chronologically by month. The general correspondence consists of incoming and outgoing exchanges with colleagues, and it primarily concerns professional matters, although some personal subjects are treated. The majority of this correspondence covers Bayley's years in the Kennedy administration and it includes numerous internal memoranda he directed to White House staff. Topics treated in the section generally relate to the dissemination of information from various agencies, public relations involving the Peace Corps, people seeking jobs in the administration, policies and organization of the White House press office and AID, speaking invitations, some views of political issues, congratulatory letters, and some routine NET letters.
The personal correspondence consists of incoming letters from the Bayleys' relatives and friends, many of whom are politicians, writers, and journalists. Although generally of a routine nature, letters from well-known people such as Hubert Humphrey, John F. Kennedy, George McGovern, R. Sargent Shriver, Newton Minow, James Thurber, Pierre Salinger, Joseph Alsop, Arthur Schlesinger and Estes Kefauver, indicate the level of Bayley's acquaintance. Most of the letters from friends and relatives discuss political issues and opinions, mutual friends, social activities and family matters as well as day-to-day activities. The letters between Edwin and Monica, primarily from 1960 and 1961, are particularly informative.
Writings and Speeches (1941-1986) consists of Bayley's newspaper articles; magazine and journal articles; notes; drafts of his book, Joe McCarthy and the Press; and speeches. The newspaper articles are primarily represented by microfilmed copies of printed articles and occasional drafts. The filmed articles do not represent all of the clippings received with the collection. Because much of this material was undated and the authorship was not
indicated, only articles bearing Bayley's byline or those pasted on scrapbook pages have been included with the papers. The articles from the Green Bay Press-Gazette are of a general nature, while those written for the Milwaukee Journal and several other papers cover state and national politics. Of note is a 1951 series of fourteen articles which exposed examples of secrecy in state and local government. Bayley's free-lance periodical articles, some of which were written under the pseudonym E. B. Richards, consist of final printed copies and are arranged chronologically. Some of these articles were published in the New Republic, The Progressive, and the Sunday Mirror, and they cover such topics as Senator Joseph McCarthy, the Peace Corps, NET, student disturbances of the 1960's at Berkeley, and the campaign of Governor George Wallace in the 1968 Wisconsin presidential primary.
Bayley's book on McCarthy is represented by research material, notes, and five drafts of the book. Research in secondary sources has not been retained as part of the collection because of its wide availability in printed form. Original research which Bayley collected has been retained, however. It consists of notes and transcriptions of interviews with journalists who knew or covered McCarthy. Included are comments by nationally-known figures such
as Joseph Alsop, Nathan Pusey, and George Reedy and by leading members of the Wisconsin press corps such as Laurence Eklund, John Patrick Hunter, Miles McMillen, Morris Rubin, and John Wyngaard. In addition, Bayley accumulated a file of Senator McCarthy's Wisconsin tax forms, which were then by law open for inspection, and notes on exchanges between McCarthy and the Revenue Department. In addition to the book drafts, there are also several notebooks containing additional interview notes and secondary source research, statistical data for content analysis of McCarthy news stories, correspondence with publishers, reviews and publicity about the book, and “Pogo” cartoons in which McCarthy appeared.
Bayley's speeches, which were primarily addressed to college audiences and professional organizations, cover such subjects as the Kennedy Administration and the press, television, McCarthy, and journalism as a profession. An untitled story about Richard Nixon by Monica Bayley is also included.
The Subject files are arranged alphabetically, and they treat a number of topics. The Agency for International Development files contain publications and news releases and Bayley's internal memos concerning the dissemination of information on the AID program. The file on President Kennedy's trip to Poteau, on which Bayley served as press secretary, includes an itinerary, a list of reporters, and local publicity (This material is supplemented by information in Bayley's interview for the JFK library.)
The papers from his years at Berkeley,, which probably are not the official files for the office of the dean, include student evaluations of Bayley as a teacher as well as several letters of appreciation from former students. Some of this material concerns a review of the School of Journalism and the response of the journalism school faculty. Activities related to his years at Berkeley are also documented by correspondence, speeches, and materials on conferences and events he attended.
