Powell Memo Circulated to U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Corporate lawyer and future Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell sent a confidential memorandum to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce urging corporate America to build a coordinated political infrastructure. Powell called for funding conservative think tanks, placing corporate representatives on university boards and media outlets, and mounting a sustained legal and political challenge to liberal governance. The memo remained confidential until after Powell's Senate confirmation to the Supreme Court in December 1971.