Note the description of a bleak budget picture for the National 
Archives.

Maarja
***********************************************************************
NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 12, #26; 8 JUNE 2006)
by Bruce Craig (editor)
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www.h-net.org/~nch/
***********************************************************************

1. HOUSE COMMITTEE FINISHES UP WORK ON HISTORY/ARCHIVES-RELATED FY 2007 
BUDGET PROPOSALS
2. SENATE CONDUCTS HEARING ON ANDERSON PAPERS
3. CIA DECLASSIFIES NAZI FILES
4. SMITHSONIAN INSPECTOR GENERAL RESIGNS
5. STATE DEPARTMENT HISTORICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETS
6. BITS AND BYTES: A Clarification and a Correction; NEH Announces 
Hurricane Recovery Grants
7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: “The Amateur Sleuth Who Gave the Archives a 
Red Face” (Washington Post)

1. HOUSE COMMITTEE FINISHES UP WORK ON HISTORY/ARCHIVES-RELATED FY 2007 
BUDGET PROPOSALS
Over the last couple of weeks, the House Committee on Appropriations 
has been finishing work on the proposed budget for several federal 
agencies whose programs and activities include history and archives. 
With the 7 June funding level announcement for the Department of 
Education, all that remains is formal adoption of the recommended 
budget figures by the full House.

On 6 June 2006, the Appropriation Committee acted on the budget 
recommendation advanced to it by the House Subcommittee on 
Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, The 
Judiciary, District of Columbia. The committee recommended funding the 
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) at the president’s 
request level – $338 million.

For the National Historical Publications and Records Commission 
(NHPRC), the committee approved $7.5 million – $5.5 for national grants 
and $2 million for staffing. This number reflects “level funding” 
(based on FY 2006 appropriated funding levels) for the commission. The 
recommendation is far better than the zero money proposal in the 
president’s budget, but still far less than what history and archival 
supporters had hoped. According to a NHPRC spokesperson, “a higher 
number would let us serve the community better.”

While NARA insiders were pleased that at least some level of funding 
was restored to the NHPRC, unless the Senate gives NARA a much needed 
shot in the arm, NARA faces a bleak year in FY 2007. Funding at the 
president’s level translates into a shortage of about $12.2 million 
over current operational needs. Things are so tight right now at NARA 
that a hiring freeze is already in place. Unless NARA gets all or at 
least part of a $12.2 million shortfall, there may be additional cost 
cutting actions. Cuts in training, travel, and other core activities 
frequently result in times of budgetary crisis.

The House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, 
and Related Agencies also has had its budget recommendations approved 
by the House’s full Appropriations Committee. Of particular interest to 
the historical community is the recommended funding level for the 
Department of Education’s “Teaching American History” (TAH) initiative. 
The House embraced the president’s recommendation of $50 million – a 
cut of $69.790 million over last year’s appropriation. Hill watchers 
expect that when the Senate acts on the Education Department bill, 
funding for the TAH initiative will be restored near to or at its 
current level by Senator Byrd, the Ranking Minority member of the 
Senate Appropriations Committee and the avowed champion of the 
initiative.

For the Institute or Museum and Library Services (IMLS) the recommended 
funding is $262.240 million – an increase of $15.09 million. For the 
Office of Museum Services the committee allotted $41.385 million – an 
increase of $4.8 million over the amount appropriated in FY 2006.

Several weeks ago, the full House acted on the House Appropriation 
Committee funding proposal for the National Endowment for the 
Humanities (NEH). It includes funding for the “We the People” history 
initiative. On the floor the House approved a $5 million increase for 
the NEH to $142 million.

2. SENATE CONDUCTS HEARING ON ANDERSON PAPERS
On 6 June 2006, the Senate Judiciary Committee conducted an oversight 
hearing in which members questioned Justice Department officials about 
the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) interest in the papers of 
the late journalist Jack Anderson that are now deposited at the George 
Washington University. The Justice Department spokesman gave the 
senators little information, refusing to comment on sources, methods, 
or recent developments in the case.

The FBI has publicly stated that the bureau believes that Anderson 
collected secret documents and other information from sources 
unauthorized to release them. Information gleaned from these documents 
and from sources were used in the preparation of his syndicated column, 
“Washington Merry-Go-Round,” that ran in papers across the country from 
1969 until 2004. The FBI apparently was particularly concerned about 
materials in Anderson’s file that may relate to a current espionage 
case against two pro-Israel lobbyists.

Quickly reaching a dead end on the Anderson case with questions posed 
to Matthew Friedrich, Chief of Staff for the Criminal Division of the 
U.S. Department of Justice, Senators Charles E. Grassley (R-IA), 
Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT), and Committee Chair Arlen Specter (R-PA) 
shifted their line of questioning. They attempted to obtain the Justice 
Department’s views on whether Congress needs to provide more protection 
for journalists and unnamed sources. Friedrich asserted that the 
existing laws were sufficient and that there was no need for additional 
legislation. Based on the tone of questions, the Senators, for the most 
part, disagreed.

Also appearing before the Committee was Anderson’s son, Kevin Anderson, 
as well as Gabriel Schoenfeld, a senor editor at Commentary magazine; 
Professor Rodney Smolla, Dean of the University of Richmond Law School; 
and Mark Feldstein, Director of the Journalism Program at George 
Washington University. The panelists spoke to the need for a law to 
protect journalists from government intimidation.

3. CIA DECLASSIFIES NAZI FILES
In accordance with the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act of 1998, on 6 
June 2006 the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)released some 27,000 
files relating to Nazi war criminals and those involved with them. When 
added to some other 60,000 pages of CIA documents that have been 
released since 1999, this release of documents provides additional 
corroboration of what historians have long believed – that the CIA 
recruited war criminals and protected and supported them during the 
Cold War era when fighting communism became the thrust of American 
intelligence efforts.

According to historian Timothy Naftali of the University of Virginia 
(and Nixon Presidential Library Director designee), “Hiring of these 
tainted individuals brought little other than operational problems and 
moral confusion to our government’s intelligence community.” The 
documents show that many of the former Nazi CIA recruits peddled mostly 
hearsay and gossip in the hope of advancing personal agendas while at 
the same time avoiding retribution for their past crimes.

Release of the documents was stalled by the CIA last year when the 
Agency balked at declassifying the more detailed materials (the more 
revealing documents) relating to the Agency’s operational activities, 
but caved in after Congress intervened.

A similar declassification effort relating to Japanese war criminals is 
expected by the end of summer.

4. SMITHSONIAN INSPECTOR GENERAL RESIGNS
Debra S. Ritt, the Inspector General (IG) of the Smithsonian 
Institution (SI) has resigned. In announcing her departure, Ritt 
referenced three reasons: family considerations, a new better paying 
job offer in the Small Business Administration, and concern over 
shrinking resources that she felt compromised her SI office’s 
effectiveness and independence.

The Smithsonian’s IG’s office is responsible for conducting audits and 
investigations of alleged wrong doings at the institution. Current 
investigations by Ritt’s office include the alleged accounting 
irregularities and questionable executive compensation within the 
Business Ventures unit of the SI.

Ritt was a real short-timer at the SI. With over 30 years experience as 
a government auditor, including 23 at the Government Accounting Office, 
she took a pay cut to join the SI only last year, in 2005. While Deputy 
Secretary and Chief Operating Office Sheila P. Burke wished “Debra 
every success in her new position” being sure to thank her for her 
service to the Institution, SI observers suspect there is more to the 
resignation than mere acceptance of a new position.

It should be noted that at present the IG reports to the Secretary. In 
an interview with the Washington Post, Ritt hinted at what some believe 
may be another reason for her departure: she would like to see the IG 
answer to the Board of Regents, the governing body that oversees the 
institution. “The IG should be hired by the regents and report to the 
regents. We should be an independent assessment group” she said, a 
comment that suggests at present she felt that her office was not.

A. Sprightley Ryan, Counsel to the IG and Assistant Inspector General 
for Investigations, will become the acting IG beginning 11 June 2006. A 
permanent replacement will be recruited from outside the SI, consistent 
with past appointments.

5. STATE DEPARTMENT HISTORICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETS
On 5 June 2006 the Department of State Advisory Committee on Historical 
Diplomatic Documentation met. The committee heard reports from the 
Executive Secretary Marc Susser, Deputy Historian David Herschler, and 
other key members of the History Office (HO) staff.

Some highlights of their reports: Since the last meeting of the 
committee, two volumes of the Foreign Relations of the United States 
(FRUS) series have been released: a hard copy volume on Vietnam (Vol 
VI, 1969-1970) and an electronic Internet-only edition of a FRUS volume 
on Africa (1969-1976).

The Committee learned that because the HO had met its departmental 
approved hiring ceiling of about 40 historians, eight new historians 
will be hired “on contract” in the coming months to help address the 
FRUS backlog. The committee was informed that Joint Historian of the 
CIA and State Department, Dr. James C. Van Hook, has accepted a 
position with another agency and would be leaving at a still 
to-be-determined future date. Herschler emphasized the importance of 
this position and stated that a replacement would be hired and put in 
place shortly after Van Hook’s departure.

FRUS General Editor Ted Keefer gave an optimistic report on the status 
of the dozen or so FRUS volumes scheduled to be released this year. The 
committee discussed the FRUS review and production process, including 
aspects that some members feared would serve as encumbrances to meeting 
the 30-year release targets. Of particular concern was the report that 
some agencies that have equity in FRUS volume materials have or will be 
cutting back on staffing and, as a consequence, target completion 
deadlines may not be met. It was noted that already several agencies 
have exceeded the target standard of 120 days for volume review, and 
that in some cases volumes have been under review for eight months and 
have yet to be approved. The problem, one committee member reasoned, is 
that “there are no carrots and no sticks.”

Before adjourning back into closed session, the committee heard from 
William Burr of the National Security Archive and Bruce Craig of the 
National Coalition for History. Both queried the committee about its 
support for the National Archives Declassification Initiative being 
spearheaded by the National Archives and Records Administration. The 
committee was encouraged to consider entertaining a motion to go on 
record “supporting the concept of a National Declassification 
Initiative” and the speakers urged that the State department should 
consider playing a “lead” role in that initiative. The recommendation 
was taken under advisement.

6. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 –– A Clarification and a Correction: In last week’s NCH UPDATE 
posting on the Smithsonian Institution (“Smithsonian Officials Testify 
Before Oversight Committee”; NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE; Vol 12,# 25; 1 June 
2006)we reported that revenues of only $500,000 a year were guaranteed 
to flow to the Smithsonian from the Showtime deal. Not exactly accurate 
report SI officials – $500,000 is correct for the first year, but the 
guaranteed annual minimum increases each year so that at the end of the 
30 year contract period $99 million is guaranteed. The editor thanks SI 
public affairs specialists for their vigilance!

Item #2 –– NEH Announces Hurricane Recovery Grants: The National 
Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has announced it will designate 
$750,000 for grants to stabilize humanities collections at libraries, 
museums, colleges, universities, and other cultural and historical 
institutions in Gulf Coast areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and 
Rita. “These grants will support projects by cultural institutions in 
the Gulf Coast region to provide long-term protection and preservation 
of their significant humanities collections, many of which sustained 
major damage in the aftermath of last year’s hurricanes,” said NEH 
Chairman Bruce Cole. The application deadline for hurricane-related NEH 
stabilization grants is 2 October 2006. Cole also announced that the 
NEH has awarded 20 recent emergency grants of up to $30,000 each to 
preserve books, records, manuscripts, art, and cultural artifacts 
damaged by the hurricanes and the flooding that followed. For details 
on the grants to be awarded and those already made, visit the NEH 
website at http:www.humanities.gov .

7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST:
One posting this week: In “The Amateur Sleuth Who Gave the Archives a 
Red Face” (Washington Post; 7 June 2006) reporter Christopher Lee 
provides a profile of Matthew Aid whose work at NARA brought to light 
the recent reclassification effort. For the article, go to: 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/07/AR2006060
701870.html?referrer=emailarticle .

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