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FEDERAL EI.ECTION COMI\11SSION

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W/\~tIlNC ION.ll(". ~04bl

REPORT OF TilE AUDIT DIVISION

ON THE

ARRANGEMgNTS COMMITTEE OF TilE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COf-IMITTEE

FOR THE 1976 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION

I. Background

A. Overview

This report covers an audit of the Arrangements Committee

of the Republican National Committee for the 1976 Republican National

Convention ("the Committee") undertaken by the Audit Division of the

Federal Election Commission to determine whether there has been compliance with the provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act of

1971, as amended (tithe Act"). The audit was conducted pursuant to

Section 9008(g) of Title 26 of the united states Code which directs

the Commission to conduct an examination and audit of payments for

Presidential nominating conventions.

The audit covered the period fron\ April 2, 1975, the date

on which the Committee registered with the Office of Federal

Elections, United States General Accounting Office, through Apr~l 19,

1978, the date on which the final repa~nent check was deliver~d to

the United States Treasury. During the period 4/2/75 through

12/31/77 1/, the Corr~ittee reported beginning cash-an-hand of S-O-,

total receIpts of $2,231,842.76, 2/ total expenditures of

$2,195,796.55 2/ and a closing cash balance of $36,046.21. The

Committee received $1,963,800.00 in payments from the Presidential

nominating conventioll fund, disbursed $1,581,686.69 for convention

expenses as defined in section l20.2(f) of the Ccmmlssion's Regulc:.ltions and returned $382,205.36 in unused funds to the United States

Treasury. ~/

This audit report is based on documents and working

papers which support c~ch of its factual statements. They form

part of the record upon which the Commission based its decisions

on the matters in this report and were available to Commissioners

and appropri~te staff for review.
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B. Key Personnel

The principul officers of the Committee during the

period of the audit were Mrs. Mary Louise Smith, Chairman, and

Mr. Robert S. Cart0r, Treasurer. The Committee maintains its

headquarters in Wa~hington, D.C.

c. Scope

The audit included such tests as verification of

reported receipts and expenditures and individual transactions;

review of required supporting documentation; analysis of Committee debts and obligations to ensure compliance with the

provisions of Section 9008 of Title 26 of the United States

Code (Payments for Pre~idential Nominatinq Conventions), and

such other audit procedures as deemed necessary under the

circumstances.

II. Auditor's statement

It is the opinion of the Audit staff, based upon examination

of the reports and statements filed and records presented, that

the reports and statements of the Arrangements Committee of the

Republican National Committee for the 1976 acpublican National

Convention fairly prescnt the financial activities of the Committee for the period covered by the audit. No material problems

in complying with the Federal Election Campaign Act, and

specifically ScctiOll ~008 of Title 26 of the United States Code,

were discovered durin<J the course of the aUdit.

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Activity for the period 1/1/78 through 4/19/78 will be includl"\d

in the Committee's termination report to be filed on or before

7/10/78.

Total receipts of $2,231,842.76 comprised of $1,963,892.05 in

Federal funds, including $92.05 in earned interest, $50,00o.on

in loans received, and $217,950.71 in refunds and rebates

received. rrotal expenditures of $2,195, 796.55 comprised of

$1,762,809.03 .i n gross convention expense~;, $382,135.52 in

rcpa)'mcnls to the Fund, $50,000.00 in lOllll repaymcnta and

$852.00 in other expenditures.

These figures are for the period 4/2/75 through 4/19/78 and

include $92.05 in interest earned on l-·cdcra1 funds.
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