As the title suggests, this sub-series consists of memoranda exchanged between Mr. Clark and his office staffers. A very large portion of them are penned by Mr. Clark, and thus express his concerns, attitudes and opinions on Canadian political issues and the management of the P.C. Party. They either direct his staff to undertake actions or request their advice, and thus instruct them to perform research on political issues of note. There are also memoranda from various P.C. Party luminaries and important backroom players, both requested and spontaneous, as well as the occasional commentary from an uninvited outside source which Mr. Clark valued, and hence retained. As one would expect, given that this material reflects both Mr. Clark's own concerns and insider advice from Mr. Clark's closest advisors, this is, historically and from the point of research value, a very high-end sub-series, elucidating the political brainwork that went on in Mr. Clark's inner sanctum. This is where the decisions were made, and actions decided.
Here the researcher will find information on political strategy and planning, the use of resources, the shaping of campaign policies and planks. Here also is reflected the philosophical attempt to define / re-define the P.C. Party, what it stood for in the Canadian political context. The struggle with Reform / Alliance, the attempt at a reconciliation through the Democratic Initiative with less extreme elements of this movement is also captured here. The memoranda additionally illuminate how Mr. Clark and his closest staffers and advisors managed the Leader's office, the nuts-and-bolts of politicking as they tried to save the P.C. Party and make it a viable political player once again in Canadian politics. And very significantly, the memoranda are frank, naming things and people directly, and discussing them frankly and openly. There is an "inside" story here which has serious historical research value.
