Jun 8, 2006
NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 12, #26; 8 JUNE 2006)
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 AdvisoryCommittee 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 thatbecause 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
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 AdvisoryCommittee 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 thatbecause 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