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News :: Civil & Human Rights : Education : Government Secrecy : Regime |
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National Archivist Urges U.S. to Reopen Classified Files |
Current rating: 0 |
by Scott Shane
(No verified email address) |
02 Mar 2006
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Allen Weinstein, the nation's chief archivist, announced what he called a "moratorium" on reclassification of documents until an audit can be completed to determine which records should be secret.
A group of historians recently found that decades-old documents that they had photocopied years ago and that appeared to have little sensitivity had disappeared from the open files. They learned that in a program operated in secrecy since 1999, intelligence and security agencies had removed more than 55,000 pages that agency officials believed had been wrongly declassified. |
WASHINGTON, March 2 — After complaints from historians, the National Archives directed intelligence agencies on Thursday to stop removing previously declassified historical documents from public access and urged them to return to the shelves as quickly as possible many of the records they had already pulled.
Allen Weinstein, the nation's chief archivist, announced what he called a "moratorium" on reclassification of documents until an audit can be completed to determine which records should be secret.
A group of historians recently found that decades-old documents that they had photocopied years ago and that appeared to have little sensitivity had disappeared from the open files. They learned that in a program operated in secrecy since 1999, intelligence and security agencies had removed more than 55,000 pages that agency officials believed had been wrongly declassified.
Mr. Weinstein, who became archivist of the United States a year ago, said he knew "precious little" about the seven-year-old reclassification program before it was disclosed in The New York Times on Feb. 21.
He said he did not want to prejudge the results of the audit being conducted by the archives' Information Security Oversight Office, which oversees classification. But he said the archives' goal was to make sure that government records that could safely be released were available. The audit was ordered by J. William Leonard, head of the oversight office, after he met with historians on Jan. 27.
"The idea is to let people get on with their research and not reclassify documents unless it's absolutely necessary," said Mr. Weinstein, who in the mid-1970's successfully sued the Federal Bureau of Investigation to obtain records he used for his book about Alger Hiss, the State Department official found to be a Soviet spy.
The flap over reclassified records takes place at a time when record-setting numbers of documents are being classified, fewer historical records are being released and several criminal leak investigations are under way. Bush administration officials have cited the need to keep sensitive information from terrorist groups and executive privilege in justifying the need for secrecy, and some members of Congress have called for tougher laws against leaks.
Mr. Weinstein met with historians on Thursday to announce the moratorium and plans for a meeting on Monday with representatives of the intelligence and military agencies, which have had teams of reviewers at the archives studying and withdrawing documents.
In a statement, Mr. Weinstein called on those agencies to "commit the necessary resources to restore to the public shelves as quickly as possible the maximum amount of information consistent with the obligation to protect truly sensitive national security information."
The secret agreement governing the reclassification program prohibits the National Archives from naming the agencies involved, but archivists have said they include the C.I.A., the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Air Force.
Judith A. Emmel, a spokeswoman for the director of national intelligence, John D. Negroponte, said the intelligence agencies would "continue to work with the National Archives to strike a balance between protecting truly sensitive national security information from unauthorized disclosure and ensuring that the public receives maximum access to unclassified archival records."
A C.I.A. spokesman, Paul Gimigliano, said the agency looked forward to discussing the issue. "The C.I.A. has worked hand in glove with the National Archives over the years on declassification and welcomes this initiative," Mr. Gimigliano said.
Historians have found that among the documents removed from open files are intelligence estimates from the Korean War, reports on Communism in Mexico in the 1960's and Treasury Department records from the 60's. The historians argue that there is no justification for keeping such papers secret.
Mr. Leonard has said he was shocked after reviewing a selection of documents presented by the historians, none of which he thought should be secret.
Matthew M. Aid, an intelligence historian in Washington who first uncovered the reclassification program and who attended the meeting with Mr. Weinstein, said the archivist's actions were "a positive first step." But Mr. Aid said "the real deals are going to get made" only after next week's meeting with the intelligence agencies.
Meredith Fuchs, general counsel of the National Security Archive at George Washington University, which has posted many of the reclassified documents on its Web site, said Mr. Weinstein "took our concerns very positively." She said he did not promise that the reclassifications would stop permanently, but assured the historians that "if it happens, it will be guided by better standards and it will be more transparent."
Copyright 2006The New York Times Company
http://www.nytimes.com |
Copyright by the author. All rights reserved. |
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ARCHIVES DECLARES MORATORIUM ON RECLASSIFICATION |
by via Secrecy News
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
03 Mar 2006
|
In a rather vigorous response to the controversy over the withdrawal of
thousands of declassified historical records from the National
Archives on purported national security grounds, the Archivist of the
United States announced that such withdrawals would be halted, at
least temporarily, while an audit and investigation of the matter is
conducted.
Archivist Allen Weinstein declared a "moratorium" on the removal or
reclassification of "any declassified records currently on the public
shelves at the National Archives until the audit, conducted by the
National Archives Information Security Oversight Office, is complete."
See "Archivist of the United States Announces New Steps in Response to
Withdrawal of Declassified Records from Open Shelves at the National
Archives," news release, March 2:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2006/03/nara030206.html
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