The Public Papers of the Presidents and the
Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (WCPD):
What They Are and How to Use Them

Gayle Gunderson
Wichita State University

Public Papers of the Presidents, AE 2.114:

The Public Papers of the Presidents began in 1957 in response to a recommendation of the National Historical Publications Commission.  An extensive compilation of messages and papers of the Presidents covering 1789 to 1897 had been assembled and published under congressional authority between 1896 and 1899.  Since then, various private compilations had been issued, but there was no uniform publication comparable to the Congressional Record or the U.S. Supreme Court Reports.  Many presidential papers could only be found in the form of mimeographed releases or as reported in the press.   The Commission recommended the establishment of an official series of Presidential writings, addresses, and remarks of a public nature; thus the Public Papers series began.   

The material in the Public Papers series is published in chronological order with text notes, footnotes, and cross-references.  All information is indexed by subject entries and by categories of the type of presidential activity or document.  It provides the daily schedule and meeting and other items of general interest issued by the Press Secretary.  Also included are lists of the President?s nominations submitted to the Senate, materials released by the Press Secretary that are not printed full-text in the book, and proclamations and Executive orders. Prior to the 1977 volume, the Public Papers was an edited version of the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (WCPD).  Beginning with the Carter Administation, the Public Papers were expanded to include virtually all materials in the WCPD(see below). 

The contents of the Public Papers of the Presidents includes:

Foreword and Preface
Cabinet Members list
Public Papers
Digest of White House Announcements
Nominations Submitted to the Senate
Checklist of White House Press Releases
Presidential Documents Published in the Federal Register
Subject and Name Indexes
Document Categories List


Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, AE 2.109:

A companion publication to the Public Papers series is the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, which is published every Monday in pamphlet format by the Office of the Federal Register (National Archives and Records Administration).  It began in 1965 and is the single most accessible collection of presidential activities in the public records.  It provides a broader range of Presidential materials on a more timely basis than the Public Papers.  It contains statements, messages, a monthly dateline, lists of laws approved by the president, and other Presidential materials released by the White House up to Friday at 5:00 PM of the preceding week.  Unlike the Congressional Record, it reprints speeches, remarks, and press conferences as delivered.  Each weekly issue has a cumulative index for the year, with separate indexes appearing quarterly, semiannually, and annually.  The contents include:


Addresses and remarks
Bill signings
Bill vetoes
Communications to Congress
Communication to Federal Agencies
Executive Orders
Proclamations
Statements by the President
Swearing-in ceremonies
Supplementary materials


The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is superseded by the Public Papers of the Presidents beginning with the Carter Administration (since 1977 Public Papers has incorporated all of the material published in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents) and Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations (Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations contains the full text of documents signed by the President during a calendar year).  



Gayle Gunderson, Wichita State University