State Government Oral History Program Governor's Radio
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California State Archives State Government Oral History Program Oral History Interview with LELAND L. NICHOLS Governor's Radio-Television Press Secretary Chief Consultant to the Assembly 1960-1968 November 12, 14, 19 and December 3, 1991 Sacramento, California By Donald B. Seney California State Archives California State Archives Office of the Secretary of State (916) 773-3000 201 No. Sunrise Avenue (FAX) 773-8249 March Fong Eu Roseville, California 95661 RESTRICTIONS ON TfflS INTERVIEW None LITERARY RIGHTS AND QUOTATION This manuscript is hereby made available for research purposes only. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the California State Archivist or the Oral History Program, Center for California Studies, California State University, Sacramento. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to: California State Archives 1020 O Street Sacramento, CA 95814 or Oral History Program Center for California Studies California State University, Sacramento 6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819 The request should include identification of the specific passages and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Leland L. Nichols, Oral History Interview, Conducted in 1991. by Donald B. Seney, California State University, Sacramento, for the California State Archives, State Government Oral History Program. California State Archives Office of the Secretary of State (916) 773-3000 201 No. Sunrise Avenue March Fong Eu (FAX) 773-8249 Sacramento, California 95661 PREFACE On September 25, 1985, Governor George Deukmejian signed into law A.B. 2104 (Chapter 965 of the Statutes of 1985). This legislation established, under the administration of the California State Archives, a State Government Oral History Program "to provide through the use of oral history a continuing documentation of state policy development as reflected in California's legislative and executive history." The following interview is one of a series of oral histories undertaken for inclusion in the state program. These interviews offer insights into the actual workings of both the legislative and executive processes and policy mechanisms. They also offer an increased understanding of the men and women who create legislation and implement state development in California state government and of how both the legislative and executive branches of government deal with issues and problems facing the state. Interviewees are chosen primarily on the basis of their contributions to and influence on the policy process of the state of California. They include members of the legislative and executive branches of the state government as well as legislative staff, advocates, members of the media, and other people who played significant roles in specific issue areas of major and continuing importance to California. By authorizing the California State Archives to work cooperatively with oral history units at California colleges and universities to conduct interviews, this program is structured to take advantage of the resources and expertise in oral history available thorugh California's several institutionally based programs. •f-- "LFimJ L. NTCBOTB TABLE OF CONTENTS INTERVIEW HISTORY i BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY ii SESSION 1, November 12, 1991 [Tape 1, Side A] 1 Family and early life—Father's education at University of California, Berkeley and his pacifist views—Father's attendance at Stanford University—Family in Southern California— Mother's excommunication from Catholic church— Mother's deafness—Intellectual environment in the home—Father's involvement in commercial Construction—Growing up in the Great Depression—Father's personality, character and business interests—Mother's personality and character—Family relations and brothers. [Tape 1, Side B] 23 Family relations and brother's problems with alcoholism—Career as a student, emphasis on the arts and literature—Start in broadcasting career—Education and life at UCLA [University of California at Los Angeles]—Developing an interest in politics—Democratic Club politics— The congressional election of 1948—Intellectual and political life at UCIiA—Marriage and military service. [Tape 2, Side A] 44 Wife's family's escape from pre-World War II Germany to England—Marriage and writing for medical laboratory—Being drafted into the military—Teaching for the army at Ford Ord— Army life—Admission to Journalism graduate program at UCLA—Going to work for NBC [National Broadcasting Company]—The Malibu fire of December 1954—Becoming an NBC radio commentator and having a show of his own—Promotion to head of the Chicago bureau for NBC news. Participating as cooperating institutions in the State Government Oral History Program are: Oral History Program History Department California State University, Fullerton Oral History Program Center for California Studies California State University, Sacramento Oral History Program Claremont Graduate School Regional Oral History Office The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Oral History Program University of California, Los Angeles The establishment of the California State Archives State Government Oral History Program marks one of the most significant commitments made by any state toward the preservation and documentation of its governmental history. It supplements the often fragmentary historical written record by adding .an organized primary source, enriching the historical information available on given topics and allowing for more thorough historical analysis. As such, the program, through the preservation and publication of interviews such as the one which follows, will be of lasting value to current and future generations of scholars, critizens, and leaders. John F. Burns State Archivist July 27, 1988 This interview is printed on acid-free paper. SESSION 2, November 14, 1991 [Tape 3, side A] 70 Family life and children—Foreign correspondent for NBC news—Democratic party friends and connections—First meeting with Jesse Unruh and the forming of the California Democratic Guild— Alan Cranston and the California Democratic Club movement—Interest in politics—Republican politics and Battaglia affair—The 1960 Democratic convention. [Tape 3, side B] 92 The 1960 Democratic convention—Adlai Stevenson— Rumors and breaking news at the convention—The Johnson-Kennedy battle at the convention— Conflicts among the media at the convention— Pat Brown at the Democratic convention—How conventions work—Pat Brown and the principal of McClatchy High School—Jesse.Unruh at the Democratic convention—Pete Wilson and Pat Brown compared—Dick Tuck and his political pranks. [Tape 4, Side A] 115 More on Dick Tuck—Fred Dutton—Republican convention—African-American demonstration— Nelson Rockefeller—Nixon-Rockefeller battle— Meeting Edward R. Murrow—Leaving NBC job— Joining Pat Brown's staff as radio-TV press secretary. SESSION 3, November 19, 1991 [Tape 5, Side A] 140 Working for Pat Brown as radio—television press secretary--Working on Pat Brown's media image and speaking style—Pat Brown in politics—Cecil Poole, clemency secretary to Pat Brown—Hale Champion—Executive-legislative relations—Frank Mesple, Pat Brown's legislative secretary— Alexander Pope, aide to Pat Brown—Paul Ward, aide to Pat Brown. [Tape 5, Side B] 160 Legislative-executive relations during Pat Brown's terms and the origins of his legislative program—1958 as a watershed year in California politics——Changing from a reporter to ^ participant in the political process——Observing political life as an academic—Pat Brown's staff —Sherrill Luke and making appointments to the governor's staff—Relations with Jack Burby, Pat Brown's press secretary—Nichols' duties and activities as a staff member—Circulation of rumors that Nichols was gay—The battle between print journalism and electronic media. [Tape 6, Side A] 183 Interview with Averell Harriman—Conflict between print journalism and the electronic media— Ownership of television stations by newspapers in California——Conflict between print and electronic media created by personal differences—Pat Brown's view of the media—The quality and use of Pat Brown's staff—John Vasconcellos becoming a member of Pat Brown's staff—Nichols leaving Pat Brown*s staff—Going to work for Jesse Unruh— Running the park and beach initiative, Proposition 5, in 1962—Becoming consultant to Assembly Ways and Means Committee—Running the unsuccessful bond campaign—Bob Crown. SESSION 4, December 3, 1991 [Tape 7, Side A] 207 Moving from the governor's office to the assembly staff—Work with Assemblyman Bob Crown on the Assembly Ways and Means Committee—Controversy over state printing of school textbooks—Flow of legislation to the ways and means committee— Boy Scout image in politics—Subcommittee system in the ways and means committee— Alan Post and the legislative analyst's staff— Beginning of staff growth in the assembly—Ford Foundation interns in the assembly—Nichols as chief consultant to the assembly—Personality and character of Alan Post—Assembly's need for a staff of its own—Staff becoming too permanent— Quality and recruitment of the staff—Impact of the new staff on lobbyists—Relationship of the legislators to the new staff. [Tape 7, Side B] 230 Relationship of the staff to the legislators- Resistance on the part of some legislators to the staff system—Low profile required of staff members—Larry Margolis—Power of the senate staff—Nichols as chief consultant to the assembly—Dealing with committee chairs—Leading members of the assembly—Health