By virtue of being elected Speaker of the House of Representatives O'Neill became the highest ranking officer of the Congress. He identified five roles of the Speaker: representative of his own congressional district; leader of the majority party; presiding officer of the House; chief administrator of the House side of the Capitol building and grounds; and Legislative Branch representative at ceremonial occasions. These duties translated into the power to control legislative scheduling, recognition on the Floor, appointments to committees, and signing legislation. O'Neill recognized the sometimes conflicting elements of the Speaker's job to be both partisan leader and impartial presiding officer. He realized the limits of authority that an independent minded House entailed and set as his goal "the task of reestablishing our rightful authority and trying to restore public confidence in the Congress..."

The papers in this section reflect the variety of duties O'Neill dealt with as Speaker. These include meeting with new members, tracking votes on major pieces of legislation, initiating leadership information packets, and opening the House to television coverage. In addition, they cover ceremonies honoring individuals, such as Anatoly Shcharansky, along with providing the State Department information on congressional delegations travelling overseas.