NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, 8; 25 February 2005)
by Bruce Craig (editor) [log in to unmask]; and Giny Cheong
(contributor)
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
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1. NARA OPENS BUSH PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS
2. DONALD KAGAN TO DELIVER NEH JEFFERSON LECTURE
3. SENATE RECOMMENDS NAZI WAR CRIMES BOARD EXTENSION
4. SMITHSONIAN'S SMALL HAS YET TO FULFILL TERMS OF SENTENCE
5. BITS AND BYTES: Save Our History National Awards Program; Survey
Shows Drop in History PhDs; Classified Documents in Jackson Papers Removed
6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: "Interview with Sam Tanenhaus, Editor of the New
York Times Book Review" (History News Network)
1. NARA OPENS BUSH PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS
On 18 February 2005, the National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA) opened approximately 9,700 pages of presidential records that are
associated with the presidency of George H.W. Bush that were previously
withheld under Presidential Records Act (PRA) restrictions. This is the
first release of Bush presidential records that are no longer subject to
presidential restrictive categories or applicable Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) exemptions.
The good news for scholars is that neither representatives of former
President Bush nor the incumbent President Bush have chosen to assert any
constitutionally-based privilege on any of these papers that could have
been claimed under provisions of PRA implementation Executive Order 13233.
This release brings the total number of records now available to scholars
and researchers relating to the Executive Office of the President during
George H. W. Bush's presidency to 5.4 million pages.
The records included in the release are drawn from a wide variety of
presidential subject files and as such contain materials from some
thirty-five general subject categories ranging from agriculture to
welfare. The Bush Library is continuing to review some 57,000 pages of
other records subject to E.O. 13233 review. Additional releases will be
forthcoming "soon," according to library officials.
The next release will probably contain much more targeted information as
they will reflect some of the FOIA requests that the library has received
to date and that have been processed. Future releases, for example, may
contain documents relating to such specific topics as civil rights, and
Bush administration Supreme Court nominations for Clarence Thomas and David
H. Souter.
For additional information about the contents of the release call the
George Bush Library Research Room at (979) 691-4041.
2. DONALD KAGAN TO DELIVER NEH JEFFERSON LECTURE
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has announced that Donald
Kagan, Sterling Professor of Classics and History at Yale University, will
deliver the 2005 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities on 12 May 2005 in
Washington D.C. The annual NEH-sponsored Jefferson Lecture is the highest
honor the federal government bestows for distinguished intellectual
achievement in the humanities.
Kagan -- who has published numerous books, articles, and commentaries -- is
renowned for his study of war in the classical world and his analysis of
contemporary America. He is also a prominent advocate for core curriculum.
His most recent work is The Peloponnesian War (2003), a one-volume history
of the war.
Kagan was born in Lithuania in 1932. He earned his BA from Brooklyn
College, an MA in classics from Brown University, and received his Ph.D. in
history from Ohio State University. He has taught at Pennsylvania State
University and Cornell University and currently teaches at Yale
University. Kagan, who has served on the NEH National Council (1988-93),
has received many awards and fellowships, including a 2002 National
Humanities Medal.
The Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities will be presented on 12 May 2005 at
7:30 pm in Washington D.C. Attendance is free but by invitation. Those
interested in attending should call (202/606-8400) or email [log in to unmask] to
request tickets.
3. SENATE RECOMMENDS NAZI WAR CRIMES BOARD EXTENSION
On 16 February 2005, the Senate approved legislation (S. 384) introduced by
Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH) along with Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to extend the duration of the Interagency Working
Group (IWG) on Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records for
another two years. To date, the work of the IWG has resulted in the release
of more than 8 million pages of documents including 1.25 million pages of
CIA records and those of its preceding agency, the Office Of Strategic
Services (OSS).
The work of the IWG has captured considerable public attention recently
when several government openness and Jewish organizations (including the
Anti-Defamation League) claimed that the CIA was refusing to divulge
certain records, in spite of the 1998 law championed by Senator DeWine
which mandates their disclosure. According to Steven Aftergood, of the
Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy, "The
dispute is an important test for CIA secret-keepers. If they can withhold
highly-charged records of Nazi war crimes in defiance of a statutory
obligation to disclose, then there is nothing that can ever force them to
release more mundane documents. They will be a law unto themselves."
For years, the CIA has resisted the release of formerly classified
documents. To the great embarrassment of the agency, the Washington D.C.
based National Security Archives managed to secure formerly classified
documents under provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and
released them. The documents, including a CIA history entitled, "Forging
an Intelligence Partnership CIA and the Origins of the BND, 1945-49,"
provide concrete documentary evidence of what historians have long
suspected - that at the conclusion of World War II, U.S. intelligence
agencies were waging a contradictory campaign of de-nazification and
prosecuting Nazi war criminals, yet, at the same time, recruiting Nazi
leaders, including Gestapo and SS officials, and protecting them in order
to advance broader American national security interests. The documents
show, for example, that at least five associates of the notorious Nazi
Adolf Eichmann worked for the CIA and no less than 23 other Nazis were
also approached.
As a result of the intervention of Senator DeWine and mounting public
pressure, the CIA appears to have backed down and has agreed to release
more information on Nazi war criminals. The historical community is
indebted to Senator DeWine and government openness organizations that have
steadfastly refused to cave in to CIA demands to keep secret those records
that have no present day national security value but do possess enormous
public interest and historical importance.
4. SMITHSONIAN'S SMALL HAS YET TO FULFILL TERMS OF SENTENCE
As regular readers of the NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE may recall, some time back
Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small pleaded guilty plea to a violation of
the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and agreed to perform some 100 hours of
community service. Now, the Washington Post reports that more than a year
has now elapsed since Small was sentenced by a federal court, but he has
yet to start the 100 hours of community service he agreed to perform.
To refresh readers' memories*.Two years before Small gained his leadership
position at the Smithsonian, he bought a $400,000 collection of Amazonian
tribal artifacts that turned out to contain 219 items that were partly
comprised of feathers from endangered species. Small pleaded guilty to a
misdemeanor and received a sentence of two years' probation and was to
perform 100 hours of community service. He was also to send "a public
apology" to several national newspapers for publication; reportedly the
letter was sent though none of the papers printed it.
The Post now reports that Small is arguing with a federal district attorney
about what should be deemed "acceptable" community service. Small
originally proposed doing "traditional" community service, such as working
in a soup kitchen, but his proposal was rejected by the court. The judge
believed that because of Small's position of influence he could do more
good by "mediating political discussion [on endangered species] and
promoting legislative change."
Small then proposed "doing extensive reading" on the Endangered Species Act
so that he could perhaps write a series of reports and articles, chat with
public officials and otherwise make "a constructive contribution to the
effort to preserve endangered species." But Frank Whitney, the U.S.
attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, opposed the idea of
having Small "promote change" as it shows disrespect for the law; Whitney
prefers the traditional methods of community service or as an alternative,
he has suggested that Small could volunteer or agree to do fundraising with
a conservation group that is concerned with the issue. For the time being,
Small and the court remain deadlocked.
5. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 - Save Our History National Awards Program: Sponsored by The
History Channel, the "Save Our History National Awards Program" seeks
applications for the National Preservation Award, National Classroom Award,
and National Lowe's Community Award. History organizations can submit
projects for consideration to compete for a $10,000 cash grand prize.
Finalists receive a three-day trip to Washington, D.C. to the "Save Our
History" National Awards Event in May. The "Save Our History" initiative
raises awareness and support for preserving local heritage. The deadline
for applications is 8 April 2005. For additional information, application
forms, tap into: http://www.saveourhistory.com .
Item #2 - Survey Shows Drop in History PhDs: According to a recent survey,
the number of history PhDs awarded (a total of 940) in 2002-03 fell almost
9 percent. This marks only the fourth decline in the number of new history
PhDs since 1988. The data from the federal Survey of Earned Doctorates
conducted by the National Opinion Research Center and discussed in the
February issue of the American Historical Association's (AHA) newsletter
"Perspectives" reveals these statistics and provides additional demographic
details about who is receiving degrees. For example, the time spent
working toward the history degree as well as the average age of students
also increased in comparison to other disciplines; time working toward the
history degree averaged 9.3 years versus 7.5 for all fields and the typical
history PhD candidate was 34.9 years old versus 33.4 for other disciplines.
Meanwhile, employment after receiving the degree also declined from 52.9%
to 51.3%. Within the discipline, the number of American history specialists
increased while those focusing their study on other regions of the world
seemed to decrease. To read the report,
visit:
http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/issues/2005/0502/0502new1.cfm?pv=y.
Item #3 - Classified Documents in Jackson Papers Removed: A team of
federal officials (including three CIA agents) from the External Referral
Working Group - an interagency organization charged with overseeing the
disposition of federal documents -- has removed over a dozen classified
documents from the Henry M. (Scoop) Jackson papers deposited at the
University of Washington library. Researchers first discovered documents
stamped "classified" a decade ago after Helen Jackson donated that papers
to the university following her husband's death, but federal investigators
failed to take action until recently. Government officials examined 470 of
1,200 boxes and in the end found eight still classified documents. The
content of the confiscated documents remains unknown but they are now
secure in a university vault. The papers presumably were overlooked during
the library's review. According to university officials, such removals and
redactions are not uncommon, though "what is unusual, however, is how long
it took federal officials to act on the university's request for
clarification of the status of the documents discovered 10 years ago."
6. ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
One posting this week: In "Interview with Sam Tanenhaus, Editor of the New
York Times Book Review" by Samantha Funk (History News Network; 21 February
2005) Tanenhaus discusses how he operates as book editor at the Times. For
the article, tap into: http://hnn.us/articles/10143.html .
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