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NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 12, #12; 16 March 2006)
by Bruce Craig (editor)
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at: http://www.h-net.org/~nch/
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1. HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE CONDUCTS OVERSIGHT HEARING ON GOVERNMENT SECRECY
2. CONGRESSIONAL SEMINAR ON RECONSTRUCTION DELIVERED TO CAPACITY CROWD
3. ARCHIVISTS LAUNCH NHPRC FUNDING INITIATIVE
4. HOUSE APPROVES CLINTON BIRTHPLACE HOME AS NATIONAL PARK UNIT
5. FEDERAL REGISTER TURNS 70
6. BITS AND BYTES: Google To Digitize NARA films; Northwest Archivists 
Conference to Sponsor
Advocacy Workshop
7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: "Secrecy Under Scrutiny" (U.S. News and World 
Report)

1. HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE CONDUCTS OVERSIGHT HEARING ON GOVERNMENT SECRECY
Representative Christopher Shays (R-CT), Chair of the House 
Subcommittee on National Security,
Emerging Threats and International Relations, conducted an oversight 
hearing on 14 March titled "Drowning
in a Sea of Faux Secrets: Policies on Handling of Classified and 
Sensitive Information." The hearing
focused on government-wide barriers to information sharing, and 
problems in classification and
declassification with particular emphasis on a recently revealed 
program at the National Archives to
withdraw and reclassify documents from the archive's open shelves. 
Appearing before the committee was
Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein, Information Security 
Oversight Office (ISOO) Director William
Leonard, several other federal agency representatives, and a panel of 
witnesses, including several
historians.

Shays' hearing was the third that his subcommittee has conducted in 
recent months. While the first two
focused largely on the use of Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) 
designation like "For Official Use Only
(FOUO) or "Official Use Only" (OUO), this hearing focused on the NARA 
reclassification program and the
declassification activities of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the 
Department of Energy (DoE).

Following opening statements by Shays and four Democratic members of 
the subcommittee who were in
attendance Archivist Weinstein delivered his testimony. He focused on 
the imposition of a moratorium on
federal agency personnel from withdrawing what were previously 
declassified documents. ISOO Director
Leonard commented next and his testimony concentrated on the audit of 
re-review program that is currently
underway. Both Weinstein and Leonard spoke in support of a "National 
Declassification Initiative" that
would assist in the development of standardized guidelines and 
protocols and ensure consistency in
declassification review. Representatives of the DoD and the DoE 
discussed how their agencies currently
address matters relating to safeguarding classified national security 
information.

Testimony was also provided by Ms. Davi M. D'Agostino of the U.S. 
Government Accountability Office
(GAO) who released to the committee a GAO report (GAO-06-369) on how 
the DOE and DOD could
improve their policies and oversight. The DoD agency representative 
took issue with several of the GAO
findings while the DoE representative "agreed that the findings 
contained in the draft report were accurate
and fully concurred with the report's recommendations."

Members of the subcommittee questioned Weinstein and Leonard about a 
Memorandum of Understanding
(currently classified as "Secret") that exists between the DoD and NARA 
regarding the re-review program.
After considerable discussion, the committee formally requested a copy 
of the MOU and requested a
classified briefing by NARA and the DoD regarding the MOU. The DoD 
representative had no objection to
providing a "sanitized version," but Congressman Shays stated that that 
would not do -- he wanted an
unsanitized version for the committee, a closed briefing, and hoped to 
be able to release a sanitized version
to the general public.

During the hearing the committee learned that the CIA had pulled many 
documents from NARA's open
shelves (some that were not even CIA documents) because of an alleged 
"breakdown of quality control" in
the year 2000. The DoE representative stated that during the re-review 
of his department's records, that
thus far no DoE documents have been "reclassified." Leonard summed it 
all up when he stated that the
audit that ISOO is conducting is essential as "this situation cries out 
for transparency" -- a point of view that
was heartily endorsed by all the members of the subcommittee.

To the amazement of all, in response to a question posed by a member of 
the subcommittee, the DoD
representative stated that "anyone" in the DoD has the authority to 
classify a document, subject only to a
supervisor's approval. He recognized that this was problematic but that 
his agency endorsed the GAO
recommendation for "better and uniform training" -- several members 
questioned whether that
recommendation alone would solve the problem of over-classification 
within the DoD. Shays concluded,
"my view is that we have an absurd system [of classification review]."

Following the agency presentations, a second panel, comprised of Thomas 
Blanton of the National Security
Archive; Dr. Anna Nelson, Distinguished Historian in Residence at the 
American University; and Matthew
Aid, the historian who uncovered the reclassification program, provided 
testimony.

Blanton summarized the results of his organization's audit of federal 
agency classification policies titled
"Pseudo-Secrets: A Freedom of Information Audit of the U.S. 
Government's Policies on Sensitive
Unclassified Information." Historian Nelson provided historical context 
to the ongoing reclassification
program and stated that agencies "tend to overreact to current events" 
and that this was probably one of the
causes of what she characterized as an questionable program that lacks 
any "consistency" in policy and
administration. She speculated that re-reviewed documents may have been 
reclassified "simply because
those re-examining the documents did not know of the previous release." 
Matthew Aid concluded the
hearing with testimony explaining how he came to discover the 
reclassification program. He posed a
rhetorical question to the subcommittee -- whether the reclassification 
effort has made America any safer û
and stated "he doubted it."

Here are the links to several of the reports cited above; a special 
thanks to the Federation of American
Scientists for posting these studies. For "'Sensitive But Unclassified' 
Information and Other Controls:
Policy and Options for Scientific and Technical Information," dated 15 
February 2006 (published 14 March
2006) go to: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/secrecy/RL33303.pdf. For The 
Government Accountability Office
report on SBU policies at the Departments of Energy and Defense, go to:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/gao/sensitive.pdf. For the National Security 
Archive survey of SBU policies at
federal agencies entitled "Pseudo-Secrets: A Freedom of Information 
Audit of the U.S. Government's
Policies on Sensitive Unclassified Information" go to:
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB183/press.htm.

2. CONGRESSIONAL SEMINAR ON RECONSTRUCTION DELIVERED TO CAPACITY CROWD
On 13 March, the National History Center inaugurated its second annual 
Congressional seminar series with
a program that featured historians Eric Foner and John Hope Franklin 
who addressed the topic "Revisiting
Race and Reconstruction: What is the Federal Government Role?" The 
seminar was taped by C-SPAN
and will be broadcast in the near future. The program also will soon be 
available via a webstream at the
National History Center's website at: 
http://www.nationalhistorycenter.org .

The event was held in the Senate Russell Building in Washington D.C. 
and was attended by a capacity
audience. Lonnie Bunch, founding director of the National Museum of 
African American History and Culture
moderated the presentations by Eric Foner, De Witt Clinton Professor of 
History at Columbia University and
John Hope Franklin, James B. Duke Professor of History Emeritus at Duke 
University.

Foner, author of several books on the reconstruction, opened the 
session by noting that the federal
government as we know is really a creation of the Civil War and 
Reconstruction which together placed new
and extraordinary burdens on the central government. Franklin took a 
somewhat longer view, considering
some of the contradictions inherent in the earliest institutions of the 
federal government. During a lively
question and answer period both discussed ways in which the nation's 
inability to find a satisfactory
outcome to the problem of race relations in the aftermath of the Civil 
War continues to impact American
society today.

The National History Center is an initiative of the American Historical 
Association. It seeks to create a
common ground for historians drawn from throughout the world and to 
reaffirm the place of history in public
life; the Congressional Seminar Series seeks to provide historical 
background and context to policy issues
being addressed by Congress.

3. ARCHIVISTS LAUNCH NHPRC FUNDING INITIATIVE
Three national archival organizations have launched a new initiative 
designed to at least double the
authorized appropriation level for the National Historical Publications 
and Records Commission (NHPRC).
The initiative seeks to support a significant enhancement of the 
commission's program by creating a
program of formula grants to states. For the FY 2007 federal 
appropriation to the NHPRC, the groups hope
to see Congress adopt an appropriation level of $20 million and expand 
that figure beyond $20 million over
time.

Launched 9 March by the Council of State Archivists, National 
Association of State Archives and Records
Administrators, and the Society of American Archivists, the initiative 
is titled the "Partnership for the
American Historical Record (PAHR)." If funded the new program would be 
administered through the NHPRC
in addition to the existing national grants program.

The initiative seeks to increase federal support for records held by 
state and local governments, historical
societies, libraries, and related organizations by providing an 
infusion of new funds, above the current
Congressionally sanctioned NHPRC authorization of $10 million. 
According to the PAHR factsheet
released by the organizations, "PAHR will provide formula-based grants 
to states for regrants and statewide
services to support preservation and use of historical records" 
including: access to records of long-term
value by supporting emergency planning for records, research and 
development on electronic records,
creation of a wide variety of access tools such as finding aids, 
providing for the conservation of records,
supporting the development of teaching materials, and providing funds 
for education and training of
archivists.

According to a "Joint Statement" that also was released by the 
organizations, for the FY 2007 federal
budget proposal, the national archival organizations "support funding 
of the NHPRC at the fully authorized
level, but we believe that the current authorization is insufficient to 
address the profound issues that archival
repositories face. Therefore, the archives community will advocate for 
a funding level of $20 million."

The president's FY 2007 budget proposal (as did the proposal in FY 
2006) calls for zeroing out all funds for
the NHPRC. Last year, a concerted effort by the archives, history, and 
humanities communities managed
to secure from Congress national grant funding to the tune of $5.5 
million (plus an additional $2 million for
administration/staffing) û a figure far better than zero funds but 
still far below the current authorized level for
the NHPRC.

The archival partnership believes that the NHPRC FY 2007 appropriation, 
"at whatever level" should be
shared between traditional programs (i.e. documentary editions and 
nationwide grants to state archives) and
the PAHR. According to a NARA spokesperson, exactly how the commission 
would divide up funds
remains unclear -- it all depends on how much Congress decides to 
appropriate to the commission. Though
NARA officially supports the president's request of zero funding for 
the NHPRC, insiders report that key
NARA and NHPRC officials are supportive of the PAHR program "in 
concept."

The archival groups are seeking organizational resolutions of support 
for the proposed new program. For
additional information on PAHR and the advocacy effort in its support, 
go to http://savearchives.pbwiki.com .

4. HOUSE APPROVES CLINTON BIRTHPLACE HOME AS NATIONAL PARK UNIT
On 8 March 2006, by a vote of 409 to 12, the U.S. House of 
Representatives granted approval to the
Secretary of the Interior to designate President Bill Clinton's 
birthplace in Hope, Arkansas, as a National
Historic Site thus making it a unit of the National Park System. The 
bill is somewhat unusual as it
empowers the Secretary of the Interior to designate the home rather 
than have the site created through the
more common process where Congress alone makes the designation.

The legislation (H.R. 4192) was introduced by Representative Mike Ross 
(D-AK) with other members of the
Arkansas Congressional delegation on 1 November of last year. On 16 
November the House Committee on
Resources met and favorably reported the measure (H. Rept. 109-133) to 
the House by unanimous consent.

The legislation provides that the Hope residence located at 117 South 
Hervey Street will be established as
a unit of the National Park Service and given the name the "President 
William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace
Home National Historic Site" once the Clinton Birthplace Foundation 
donates the house and related
property to the federal government. Figures provided by the National 
Park Service and Congressional
Budget Office estimate the costs of preparing and operating the site 
would be about $1 million a year.

National Park Service (NPS) insiders report that there was no 
contextual study to assess and compare the
"suitability, feasibility, and historical significance" of this site 
with others associated with President Clinton.
The NPS was not requested by the committee to comment on the proposal.

NPS policy discourages designations of birthplaces as NPS units and 
instead favors designations of other
sites more closely associated with a president's historical 
significance. Congressional supporters of the
Clinton site maintain that "While there are numerous residences 
associated with Clinton, this property is
the one most closely identified with his youth and early development." 
The designation also has the
support of President Clinton.

5. FEDERAL REGISTER TURNS 70
On 14 March 2006 the Federal Register celebrated its 70th year as what 
one newspaper characterized as
"the country's chronicle of regulatory minutia." For agency-watchers, 
the Federal Register provides official
notice of agency proposed rules, regulations, and publishes other 
official federal government notices. The
celebration party at the Government Printing Office was attended by 
Archivist of the United States Allen
Weinstein and Bruce R. James, Public Printer of the United States.

One of the accomplishments of the Federal Register is that it has never 
missed a day of publication in its
entire existence since its first issue came off the presses 14 March 
1936. A subscription in 1936 cost $10
but by 1994 the print version ran $729 a year. Subscriptions plummeted 
from a high of 20,000 to about
2,500 when in 1994 the register became available free online. Today, 
the public downloads approximately
200 million Federal Register documents each year.

6. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 -- Google To Digitize NARA films: Google Incorporated has begun 
take National Archives (NARA)
films, digitize them and then offer them as part of an effort to expand 
content offered on its online video
service. Clips include World War II newsreels, the Apollo 11 moon 
landing, and over 100 other films clips.
The films have been digitized by Google at no cost to the government. 
NARA hopes to seek additional
films put online. (Ed Note: sorry, no link to this posting!)

Item #2 -- Northwest Archivists Conference to Sponsor Advocacy 
Workshop: On 18 May 2006, during the
annual meeting of the Northwest Archivists in Butte, Montana, Kathleen 
Roe, past president of the Council
of State Archivists, and Rand Jimerson, past president of the Society 
of American Archivists, will conduct a
one day workshop on how to advocate for archival programs. Up to twenty 
participants will have the
opportunity to learn how to effectively describe the importance of 
archives, and identify and tailor messages
to various audiences. The cost is $80 per participant and the 
registration deadline is 15 April 2006. For
more information and registration materials, visit the Northwest 
Archivists 2006 conference website at:
http://weblib.lib.umt.edu/faculty/mccrea/nwa/nwaindex.htm .

7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST:
One posting this week: Given the amount of press coverage of the event, 
it is hard not to have known that
this last week was "Sunshine Week" -- a nationwide effort designed to 
spark discussions about the
importance of preserving access to government information. For an 
interesting article on government
secrecy, see "Secrecy Under Scrutiny" by David E. Kaplan in the U.S. 
News and World Report; 20 March
2006). For the article visit: 
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060320/20qa.htm .

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