President Nixon, in his three years of office, has named no Jews to either of the two “show-places” of the federal government–the Cabinet and the Supreme Court. But there is an impressive array of Jews on the White House and Executive Branch staffs, some of them appointees of Nixon and others hold-overs from previous administrations, according to Hyman Bookbinder, Washington representative of the American Jewish Committee.
Writing in the AJ Committee’s Washington Newsletter, Bookbinder noted that appointments to the Supreme Court and the Cabinet have in the past been symbolic of important breakthroughs for members of minority groups in America. But none of the 17 Cabinet members named by Nixon or the 15 individuals nominated by him or suggested to the American Bar Association for the Supreme Court, were Jews.
On the other hand, he wrote, “the record of Nixon appointments on other high levels is perhaps not generally appreciated.” On the White House level, these include Dr. Henry Kissinger, “perhaps the most important Presidential appointment of all”; Leonard Garment, “with a broad portfolio that includes civil rights, arts and humanities, long term planning and much more”; William Safire, the President’s chief speech drafter; Edward David, Special Advisor for Science and Technology; and Jerome Jafee, Special Consultant for Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
In the Executive Office, Bookbinder pointed out, are Herbert Stein, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors; Ezra Solomon, member of the Council; Arnold Weber, Executive Director of the Cost-of-Living Council and Ronald Berman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. In addition, Bookbinder noted there is Arthur Burns, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and Jesse Steinfeld, Surgeon General of the US. At the sub-Cabinet level, Jews fill the posts of Undersecretary of Labor and assistant secretaries of Treasury; Defense; Health, Education and Welfare; Housing and Urban Development, and the Office of Management and Budget.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
