Includes records documenting the service and leadership of Curtis Handley ("Hank") Barnette, former Chairman and C.E.O. of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, in matters of international trade, law, business, and organizations. Throughout his tenure at Bethlehem Steel, Barnette was affiliated with numerous organizations that have influenced business and trade policy. For example, he was Director and Chairman of the International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI), and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). He served through appointments by the Presidents of the United States as a member of the United States Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN), which provides the President with advice from the private sector.

Note: Where possible, the terminology originally used by Barnette and his staff to organize the contents of this record series—as well as the order of folders and items—has been preserved. Accordingly, most folders in this series are described by either 1. topic or 2. organization. In addition, material related to the topic or organization is frequently supplemented by other material; for such folders, descriptions of this supplemental material appear within parentheses in the contents list. Finally, folders containing primarily steel import data or reference materials such as trade publications and directories are described in the contents list as international trade material of a general nature.

To locate material of interest, it is recommended to search the contents list using the full name as well as any abbreviated names of the given topic or organization listed below. For example, to locate documents related to the World Trade Organization, use "World Trade Organization" and "WTO" as search terms.

Topics

Topics primarily represented include:
1. Trade policy (e.g., the Multilateral Steel Agreement (MSA), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA))
2. Trade litigation (e.g., United States Department of Commerce and United States International Trade Commission (ITC) investigations into unfair trade practices of foreign countries)

Some notable trade agreements referenced in this series include:
1. General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
2. World Trade Organization (WTO)
3. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
4. Multilateral Steel Agreement (MSA)
5. Voluntary Restraint Agreements (VRA)
6. Multilateral Specialty Steel Agreement (MSSA)
7. North American Steel Sector Agreement (NASSA)
8. U.S.-E.C. (European Community) Consensus Agreement
9. U.S.-China bilateral WTO agreement

Other topics, represented to a lesser extent, include issues generally relevant to the steel industry, such as labor, health-care reform, and environmental impact, as well as issues specific to the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, such as the Corporation's financial health, steel-production data, and administrative decisions.

Organizations

Organizations occurring most frequently within the contents list for this series include:
1. International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI)
2. American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)
3. Bethlehem Steel Corporation (BSC)
4. United States Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN)
5. World Trade Organization (WTO)
6. United States International Trade Commission (ITC)
7. United States Department of Commerce

Other organizations occurring within the contents list for this series include, approximately in order of decreasing frequency:
1. House and Senate Steel Caucuses (Congressional Steel Caucus, Steel Caucus)
2. United Steelworkers of America (USWA)
3. Council of United States Producers (CUSP)
4. North American Steel Council (NASC)
5. The Steel Alliance
6. Senate Finance Committee
7. European Confederation of Iron and Steel Industries (EUROFER)
8. Stand Up For Steel
9. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
10. The Business Roundtable
11. The Business Council
12. Economic Strategy Institute (ESI)
13. German-American Business Council
14. House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment

Types of Material Within Organization-Related Files in Series 1A

1. Correspondence with steel-industry executives and members of federal and state government (N.B. some of the letters are to or from President William Jefferson Clinton)
2. Briefing materials (e.g., trade publications, reports, data, articles on domestic and foreign industries)
3. Travel documents (e.g., itineraries; receipts; brochures; postcards; and articles on local history, culture, and attractions) associated with conferences held throughout the United States of America, Europe, Asia, and South America, as well as locations in Australia, Bermuda, Canada, and South Africa.

Conference locations in the United States of America include: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, Washington D.C., and West Virginia.

Conference locations in Europe include: Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Spain.

Conference locations in Asia include: China, India, Japan, South Korea (cancelled due to September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks), Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and the U.S.S.R.

Conference locations in South America include: Argentina and Brazil.

Other conference locations include: Melbourne, Australia; Hamilton, Bermuda; Toronto, Canada; and Cape Town, South Africa.

Other Types of Material Found Throughout Series 1A

1. Press releases and clippings
2. Handwritten notes
3. Transcripts of speeches, interviews and comments to press, and testimony (e.g., to the Senate Finance Committee and to the ITC)
4. Legislative documents (e.g., drafts of House and Senate Resolutions and international trade agreements)
5. Biographical material (e.g., application forms for appointment to the ACTPN, including a Delayed Certificate of Birth, résumé, statements of military record and security clearance, as well as miscellaneous other personal information such as assets and fingerprint records)
6. Award materials (e.g., certificates for the General Motors Supplier of the Year)
7. A few original photographs, some with negatives enclosed

Index to Series 1A

Note: Items of particular interest are referenced below according to the Box (B) and Folder (F) in which they are located. Some duplicate items (e.g., additional photocopies) are referenced within this Index.

Barnette interviews, comments to press: B1/F4; B7/F11; B9/F6; B9/F7; B13/F8; B16/F5

Barnette op-ed pieces, The Washington Times and The Baltimore Sun: B5/F5; B8/F10 (same as in B5/F5, but photocopied in different format, larger print); B13/F8

Barnette speeches: B1/F20; B2/F19; B4/F2; B10/F1; B10/F3; B10/F8; B11/F20; B12/F12; B12/F16; B13/F2; B13/F4; B13/F6; B13/F7; B17/F12

Barnette testimony: B3/F17; B4/F3; B4/F4; B4/F5; B4/F8; B5/F5; B8/F2; B8/F3; B8/F7; B8/F10; B8/F14; B9/F6; B9/F7; B9/F17; B9/F18; B9/F19; B10/F2; B10/F5; B10/F6; B10/F7; B13/F6; B13/F11; B13/F15

Clinton, President, letters to/from: B3/F11; B3/F16; B4/F3; B4/F6; B4/F7; B4/F10; B4/F12; B7/F13; B8/F22; B8/F26; B9/F11; B9/F12; B9/F15; B10/F10; B10/F16; B10/F17; B15/F5

Photographs, original: B11/F8 (with negatives); B11/F16; B11/F17 (with negative); B15/F12; B15/F14; B15/F15

This series contains speeches and presentations, published articles and statements, testimonials before Congressional Committees and Caucuses, as well as notes from other events and meetings. There are three major topics represented by these materials: (1) the U.S. steel import crisis (2) the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, and (3) corporate governance.

1. Most items concern the U.S. steel import crisis, circa 1980-2000. Curtis Barnette maintained that the drastic, costly changes the U.S. steel industry underwent to become world class producers of steel were undermined by "dumping"—or the flooding of U.S. markets with cheap steel imports—from less efficient but heavily subsidized foreign companies. As a result, industry officials filed trade cases and lobbied for stronger, strictly enforced trade remedies. In addition to international trade, many items speak to other public policy areas such as environmental regulation, healthcare, pensions, energy, and tax reform. A few items discuss the Clinton Health Plan specifically.

2. The Bethlehem Steel Corporation is another central topic. Most items contain discussion of corporate vision, strategic objectives, financial status, and/or business outlook. Two other common sub-topics are "restructuring," which involves a streamlining process in which a corporation partially or wholly sheds unprofitable divisions, and "modernization," which refers to the installation of state-of-the-art equipment at corporate facilities.

3. Corporate governance is yet another major topic. Several items include extended discussion on alliance-building, executive compensation plans, audit committees, corporate image, and corporate secretaries. Still other topics in this series include volunteerism and good corporate citizenship; public-private partnerships; economic development in the Lehigh Valley; commencement speeches and education generally; scouting; and memorial services.

This series contains books about the steel industry as a whole. Items generally fall under one of two categories: (1) historical books, or (2) books examining the current state of the industry.

1. Several items delve into the past of the U.S. steel industry in considerable detail, including a 5-volume set on economic history. Other books focus on a particular time period, place, or event.

2. Other items in this series give an in-depth look at the state of the U.S. steel industry (1980-2000), as well as offer analysis or interpretation of current trends. Most underscore the need to adapt to changing global economic pressures.

This series contains books, DVDs and news clippings; annual reports and quarterly reports; legal documentation; internal guides and documents; photo albums; and other materials. Items generally fall into three categories: (1) material about Bethlehem Steel published for public consumption (2) internal guides, documents and publications, and (3) materials from a trip to Brazil in 1980.

1. Most books in this series focus on one or more historical aspects of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, including the company's formation, its organization and operations at various sites, notable events, and notable persons such as former executives Charles Schwab and Eugene Grace. Several of the books contain a wide array of photographs. Two DVDs and three news clippings also portray Bethlehem Steel's history.

2. Internal documents and publications include annual reports, quarterly reports, annual meetings of stockholders, and proxy statements. This series also contains legal documentation, the vast majority of which involves a single case, Crystal v. Foy (1980-1983). Other internal documents include items regarding corporate vision, objectives, strategy and performance; financial management; executive guides; and a government reference guide.

3. Items from a 1980 business trip to Brazil include a large number of photographs, news articles on present-day Brazil, and miscellaneous materials such as executive directories, travel schedules, itineraries, maps, and biographical data on notable persons involved in the trip.

Breakdown by box:
Boxes 300 and 301 contain books and two DVDs regarding one or more historical aspects of Bethlehem Steel Corporation.
Boxes 302a and 302b contain annual reports of Bethlehem Steel from 1905-2000.
Boxes 303 and 304 contain legal documentation from Crystal v. Foy (1980-1983) and photographs from various cases.
Box 305 contains corporate documents, publications, and guides for internal use.
Box 306 contains three newspaper clippings about Bethlehem Steel's history.
Boxes 307a and 307b contain materials regarding Curtis Barnette's business trip to Brazil in 1980.

This series contains books, reference and background materials, presentations, clippings, journal articles and reports, office correspondence, and miscellaneous materials. Topics include international trade and globalization; the U.S. steel import crisis (1990-2000); "dumping," or the influx of cheap steel imports from subsidized foreign steel producers; current trends of the U.S. steel industry; Japanese financial ascendency relative to American industries; the Uruguay Round Trade Agreements; the World Trade Organization 4th Ministerial Conference at Doha (2001); the U.S. International Trade Commission on trade laws and remedies; and the President's Trade Advisory Committee (1996-2002).

Breakdown by box:
Boxes 500 and 501 contain books regarding various aspects and issues of international trade, especially in the context of increasing globalization. Several items focus on Japan's theoretical financial ascendency over U.S. industries while other books explore the phenomenon of "dumping," or the flood of cheap imports into American markets from subsidized foreign producers. Other items analyze current trends of the U.S. steel industry and related industries.

Box 502 contains Congressional text and documents on the Uruguay Round Trade Agreements (1994); background materials for the World Trade Organization 4th Ministerial Conference at Doha (2001); reference materials on the U.S. International Trade Commission (2002); and presentations authored by industry officials advocating for governmental assistance in correcting trade distorting practices of foreign competitors.

Box 503 contains a voluminous prehearing brief regarding steel imports before the U.S. International Trade Commission (2000). Other items include materials related to a White House meeting (1999); correspondence and press releases from the Office of U.S. Trade Representative; press releases from Congressional members and other materials related to proposed legislation; press releases from Bethlehem Steel and other organizations; opinion pieces from Curtis Barnette; and clippings from a variety of sources regarding international trade and the U.S. steel import crisis (1998-2000).

Box 504 contains various materials regarding international trade and the U.S. steel import crisis including journal articles and reports, presentations, and materials from discussion panels. Items also include briefing and reference materials from meetings of the President's Trade Advisory Committee between 1996 and 2002.

This series contains speeches and presentations, opening remarks, handwritten notes, conference background and reference materials, training materials, discussion questions, and miscellaneous items such as programs, information about sponsors, lists of attendees, seating charts, and correspondence regarding invitations and/or travel arrangements. Also included are conference papers not authored by Curtis Barnette, a magazine, and a financial report for MetLife Board members.

Most items in this series contain discussion on one or more functions of a corporate secretary/director, including fiduciary duties, the design of corporate boards, logistical arrangements, shareholder suits, and mediation. On a broader level, a few items examine the external (extra-corporate) and internal (intra-corporate) mechanisms governing corporations, as well as the sources and workings of regulatory authority. Other topics include energy, corporate leadership, as well as the financial status of MetLife (2000) and its director benefits.

This series contains two types of items: (1) congratulatory letters and messages to Curtis Barnette upon his election to Chief Executive Officer of Bethlehem Steel Corporation in 1992, and (2) outgoing letters and messages from Curtis Barnette thanking those individuals who congratulated him.

Incoming correspondence is first ordered by type (personal, private business, law firm, or other organization), and then alphabetized within those categories. Personal correspondence is alphabetized by the individual sender's name while all other categories are alphabetized by the name of the business, law firm, or organization. All outgoing letters and messages from Curtis Barnette are ordered alphabetically by the recipient's name.

This series contains comprehensive reports from the Olympic Review Commission and Office of National Drug Control Policy regarding allegations that U.S.A. Track & Field concealed information regarding use of performance-enhancing drugs (2001); appendices and reference documents; formal correspondence; documents regarding travel; clippings; photographs; and miscellaneous items.

This series contains videocassette tapes and one digital video disc (DVD). Types of footage include television interviews, news segments, quarterly news conferences, promotional and informational films, advertisements, highlights of business conferences and trips, Congressional hearings, and other material.

This series encompasses a broad range of topics. Most of these topics concern Bethlehem Steel and the U.S. steel industry. These include earnings and profitability; restructuring and modernization; international trade and the steel import crisis; pensions and health care reform; valued customers such as General Motors (GM) and John Deere; the impact and versatility of steel products; good business practices and ethics; and industrial history. In addition, several items concern Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and the Lehigh Valley in general, especially the decline of manufacturing, redevelopment and revitalization efforts, and local history.

Other topics in this series include education and educational institutions such as West Virginia University (WVU); the career and accomplishments of Curtis Barnette, as well as other industrialists and business leaders; the Board of Directors at MetLife; and special events such as the White House State Dinner that Curtis and Joanne Barnette attended during the Clinton administration.

Digital copies of these VHS tapes have been made; consult a curator for access.

This series consists of one standard audio cassette tape which contains a recording of a news conference at Bethlehem Steel. It regards the corporation's acquisition of Lukens Steel and an agreement with competitor Allegheny Teledyne. Curtis Barnette gives opening remarks before answering related questions from reporters.