The papers of Clay T. Whitehead (1938-2008) span the years 1957-2008, with the bulk of the material dating from 1968-1974. Materials are predominantly in English, with scattered items in Japanese.  The collection documents Whitehead’s academic studies and his career working in the White House for the Richard M. Nixon administration as a Special Assistant to the President and as the Director of the Office of Telecommunications Policy; as a businessman with telecommunications companies including Hughes Communications, SES Astra, and Alpha Lyracom; and as a professor at George Mason University.  There is a gap in the materials; the mid-1990s to early-2000s are virtually undocumented.

The collection consists of memoranda, correspondence, subject files, notes, briefing books, position papers, conference proceedings, university coursework, research material, reports, speeches, writings, trip itineraries and records, printed matter, corporate annual reports, photographs, and ephemera.  The materials are organized in the following series: Prior to the White House, The White House Years, 1970s Post-White House Career, 1980s Career, PAS (PanAmSat), George Mason University (GMU), and CTW Book, 2002-2008.