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Hillary Clintons ambitious endeavor to reform the healthcare system in 1993 required some bare-knuckled politics, and aides to the former first lady were blunt about the political stagecraft required to get things done as they guided her through the early months of the effort.

The primary goal of a two-day healthcare hearing in March of 1993 would be to inoculate ourselves from charges that we are refusing to listen to all those groups out there that want input, aides Alexis Herman and Mike Lux told Clinton in a memo. The communique was included among thousands of pages of new documents released by The Clinton Library and the National Archives on Friday.

Optics were critical. The hearing should be two long days starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 8 p.m., aides told Clinton. There was to be no lunch break either day: We want to give the impression of driving determination to hear everyone out. You, Mrs. Gore, or a cabinet secretary should be there at all times with multiple people listening as much as is possible, Herman and Lux wrote in the Feb. 10 memo to Clinton. The document was withheld from earlier disclosure under the Presidential Records Act because it contained confidential advice.

Even though our primary goal is political inoculation, we should not lose the opportunity for some public education, they told Clinton, whose healthcare effort ultimately failed. Some testifiers should be average people with horror stories, middle class families worried about the future, and senior citizens. These average people should testify during those periods when we believe more people will be watching.

For maximum effect, the aides argued, Clintons remarks should be paired at the start and end of the hearing with real peoples stories. At the same time, they stressed the importance of making time for relatively minor players who werent needed in larger panels but deserved a say.

Consistent with the first batch of archived documents released two weeks ago, memos released Friday show Clintons attention to preparing for her meetings on Capitol Hill and how she and her staff studied the records of key lawmakers as she sought to manage competing egos and win legislators over.

In an extensive briefing memo on then-Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), Clinton aide Chris Jennings noted that Stark could be extremely difficult but would play a pivotal role: It is therefore imperative, Jennings wrote, that we maintain as close and constructive a relationship with him as is possible.

Introducing California Rep. Henry Waxman as the other nuts and bolts healthcare subcommittee chairman, Jennings noted that he was a strong advocate for his point of view but had a better concept of where to draw the lines and a greater willingness to negotiate.

If handled right, Jennings told Clinton, Chairman Waxman can be counted on to be a strong ally for us on Capitol Hill.

maeve.reston@latimes.com

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Aides to Hillary Clinton in 1993: No lunch, and show 'driving determination'

Aug. 12, 2013: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to the American Bar Association Annual Meeting.AP

Bill Clinton's advisers, midway through his tenure as president, urged him to aggressively fight back against Republican criticism, and particularly to defend "the honor" of then-first lady Hillary Clinton -- with one strategist saying Democrats were too "chicken----" to do it.

The cascade of political advice was contained in the 4,000 pages of Clinton-era documents released Friday by the National Archives. The documents cover everything from the 2000 presidential election recount to health care to Democrats' pounding in the 1994 midterm elections.

But among the most pointed memos was one from adviser Paul Begala to senior adviser Donald Baer. In it, Begala called for Clinton to "defend the honor of the First Lady" in his 1996 State of the Union address.

"The Republicans are attacking her without compunction, in part because they know the Democrats are too chicken---- to retaliate," he wrote. "So it's left to the President."

At the time, Hillary Clinton was facing several investigations over various controversies, and still dealing with the fallout from the administration's failed attempt at health care reform. Begala recommended that then-President Clinton include a line in his speech saying the criticism would be "more fairly directed at me by more candid and courageous critics."

The president did not include such a line in his address, though he did thank the first lady, whom he called "a wonderful wife, a magnificent mother and a great first lady."

The documents, which the National Archives began to release last month, continue to reveal behind-the-scenes tidbits about how the Clinton White House dealt with myriad challenges and scandals -- the documents are receiving close attention considering Hillary Clinton's potential interest in a 2016 White House bid.

A first wave of documents released in February provided insight into the Clinton administration's concern over the failed health care overhaul plan, which Hillary Clinton helped lead, and showed how advisers to the first lady tried to shape her public image.

The latest set shows advisers also urging the president not to take the blame after his party's midterm losses and instead to hit back hard. Preparing for Clinton's 1995 State of the Union speech, Begala said the president should change his tone regarding Democratic losses in the midterm elections.

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Clinton Files: Strategist urged president to defend Hillary's honor, said Dems 'chicken----'

Conventional wisdom -- and even some unconventional wisdom -- dictates that Hillary Clinton is running for president in 2016.

In this Jan. 27, 2014 file photo, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

A universe of super PACs and other organizations has been built -- and staffed by former Clinton operatives -- to prepare the way for Hillary 2016. (To understand how fully formed these efforts are, make sure to read Mark Halperin's terrific piece in Time this week.)

And yet, running through all of these preparations is a current of uncertainty about whether the former first lady, senator and top diplomat will, you know, actually run. The thinking is that Clinton would never let efforts this extensive go forward if she, in her heart of hearts, wasn't planning to run. But that, like most of what we think we know about Clinton and her plans, is based not on facts but on interpretation. Clinton has been remarkably reticent about the possibility of running, although -- it's worth noting -- she has never ruled out a bid.

One thing that everyone -- those who want Clinton to run and those who don't -- agrees on is that she has simply not made up her mind on the race yet and likely won't for some time. (Our guess for an announcement about her future? Around this time next year.) So, what happens if she decides not to run?In a word: Chaos. For three reasons:

1. There is a panoply of ambitious Democrats who watched Barack Obama leapfrog them in 2008 and won't want to miss their opportunity this time around.

2. If Clinton announced on March 1, 2015, there would only be 10 months before the calendar turned to 2016. Given how much her candidacy -- or at least her decision-making about her candidacy -- has and will continue to freeze the field, there would be a mad scramble for donors, activists and key consultants in early states the likes of which we haven't seen in modern presidential history.

3. There is no obvious front-runner in a Clinton-less field. Vice President Biden would be the nominal favorite for the nomination, but you could also make a credible case for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo or Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren or even New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand to occupy that space.

One other impact of Clinton taking a pass on the race: It would strengthen Republicans' chances of winning the White House while simultaneously changing the nature of the discussion in the GOP primary. If Clinton runs, one of the narratives of the GOP race will be which of the Republican candidates is best positioned to beat her. (Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is already making that argument -- to decidedly mixed results.) At the same time, the lack of a Clinton-level figure on the Democratic side would mean that the general election would start as essentially a toss-up.

To be clear, we still expect Hillary Clinton to run. But, if she doesn't, the Democratic race for the nomination in 2016 could be one for the ages.

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What happens if Hillary Clinton doesnt run for president? Chaos.

Hillary Clinton sought to improve the chances of passing health care legislation in 1993 by letting Congress fill in the details, according to documents made public today by the Clinton presidential library.

The legislative strategy from the first weeks of Bill Clintons presidency relied on the first lady making lawmakers and major stakeholders feel included in the development of legislation. By proposing broad outlines and ideas for a bill, while letting lawmakers know what the White House considered off limits, the administration foresaw a winning process.

Instead, the Clinton health care proposal withered. Members of Congress held it up in the committee process and interest groups complained of being excluded anyway.

The experience informed President Barack Obamas strategy when he rolled out his health care plan upon taking office in 2009 and framed her advice to the administration as the process got under way. Obama won passage with no Republican support and by pushing his version even as members of his party worried about the consequences for their re-election and the rest of the presidents agenda.

If the administration drafts a detailed bill and sends it to the Congress with a heres the bill, theres not much time, take it to the floor quick approach the bill might fail because of lawmakers feeling excluded, according to notes among the documents released today titled Discussion with Hillary Clinton and dated Jan. 28, 1993, written the White Houses top health care official, Ira Magaziner.

Trying to dictate details of the legislation would mean many Members would feel excluded from playing a role in the refinement of the bill [and] interest groups will object that their concerns, even those that are small or reasonable, have been excluded, he wrote.

Todays document release, the second of its kind this year, provides new insight into how then-first lady Hillary Clinton and top White House aides approached their attempt to pass a health care law, one that ultimately failed.

If she runs for president in 2016, Republicans are certain to use Hillary Clintons health care effort two decades ago to reinforce her ties to Obamas Affordable Care Act, which has been the centerpiece of Republican attacks on Democrats.

Last month, the Republican National Committee released a memo arguing that Hillarycare is Obamacare on steroids.

For her part, Clinton, 66, who lost the 2008 Democratic nomination to Obama and then became his first secretary of state, has been trying to put a little daylight between herself and Obamas law.

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Clintons 1993 Health-Care Strategy Show Obama Pitfalls

By Doug Adams

Hillary Clinton was warned not to take questions while attending the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana in order to avoid nasty Palace politics, new documents released by the Clinton Library on Friday show.

[S]he will be the most prominent guest at the funeral and it is appropriate/expected that she make a brief statement but answer no questions (to avoid entanglement in what he describes as the increasingly "nasty" Palace politics) White House aide Glyn Davies wrote in a message to staff.

Davies relayed the advice from Bob Bradtke, who then served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in London.

Davies also indicated that a cousin of Price Charles had requested to fly with Clinton on the plane to London. Its not clear if he was successful in hitching the ride.

First published March 14 2014, 2:33 PM

Doug Adams is an award-winning producer for NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. He has covered Capitol Hill and presidential politics since joining NBC News in 1997. Adams was instrumental in producing NBCs coverage of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in 1998.

He has won four Emmys and two Gerald Loeb Awards as well as an Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of the D.C. sniper.

He graduated from Bucknell University.

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Clinton Aides Warned of 'Nasty' Politics at Diana Funeral