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(FWD) NCC Washington Update, Vol 7, #3, January 18, 2001



NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #3, January 18, 2001
by Bruce Craig <rbcraig3@juno.com> of the National Coordinating Committee for
the Promotion of History.
*****************

1.  107th Congress: House Members Introduce a Variety of Bills
2.  Bush Cabinet-Designees: Civil War Nostalgia Becomes an Issue
3.  State Department Historical Advisory Committee Issues Annual Report
4.  News Bits and Bytes: Gilder Lehrman Summer Seminars; NARA Gains Custody
of Clinton-Gore Administration E-Mail Communications; Jefferson Day 2001
Program Posting

1.  107th CONGRESS: HOUSE MEMBERS INTRODUCE A VARIETY OF BILLS
As the 107th Congress now gets underway, a plethora of bills are being
introduced. On January 6th alone, over 250 bills and Concurrent Resolutions
were dropped in the bill hopper, including several of interest to the
historical/archival community.

Rep. Douglas K. Bereuter (R-NE) introduced H.R. 37 - legislation that
authorizes  suitability/feasibility studies of four possible additions to the
National Historic Trails System.  Areas to be assessed include: several
routes related to the Oregon National Historic Trail, a twenty-mile segment
in Kansas considered appropriate for possible addition to the Pony Express
and California National Historic Trail (NHT), a variety of routes in the
Missouri Valley related to the California NHT, and several routes associated
with the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail.

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and a half-dozen co-sponsors have introduced H.R. 40
- legislation entitled "Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for
African-Americans Act."  The legislation is designed to establish a
seven-member commission to study the institution of slavery and make
recommendations to Congress on appropriate remedies for de jure and de facto
racial and economic discrimination against African-Americans. Among their
other charges, the commission would determine whether compensation to the
descendants of African slaves is warranted. The legislation was referred to
the Committee on the Judiciary for consideration.

Rep. Joel Hefley (R-CO) reintroduced a bill H.R. 107 - legislation designed
to study and identify sites and resources and to recommend alternatives for
commemorating and interpreting the Cold War. Hefley introduced a similar (but
not identical) bill late in the 106th Congress but no action was taken on it.
 The new legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior (operating through
the National Park Service) to inventory sites and resources associated with
the Cold War.  In preparing the study, NPS historians would be required to
review studies completed by the Department of Defense, surveys conducted by
State historic preservation offices, and to review other studies currently
underway. The Secretary would also be required to consult with the public and
"scholarly and other interested organizations and individuals."  H.R. 107
includes a new section not present in the 106th Congress version - creation
of a nine member Cold War Advisory Committee which is charged to consult and
advise the Secretary of Interior.

The thrust of the study currently focuses on defense/strategic related sites.
 During Congressional hearings (yet to be scheduled) it is expected that
witnesses may seek to expand the scope of the study to include civilian
related and other non-military sites associated with the Cold War.  Once the
study is finished, the legislation mandates that an interpretive handbook be
published based on the assessment's findings. The bill authorizes $200,000 to
be appropriated to carry out the provisions of the Act.

Finally, Rep. William J. Pascrell (D-NJ) has introduced H.R. 146 -
legislation only a few lines long - that seeks to authorize a study of the
Great Falls Historic District in Paterson, New Jersey, as a unit of the
National Park System.

All of these bills have been referred to various committees for action during
this legislative session. While at this writing none of these House bills
have had companion bills introduced in the Senate, because they were
introduced so early on in this congressional session, the likelihood of them
receiving a hearing in the next few months is enhanced.

2.  BUSH CABINET-DESIGNEES: CIVIL WAR NOSTALGIA BECOMES AN ISSUE
Recent seeming "pro-Confederate views" expressed by President-elect George W.
Bush's two most controversial Cabinet nominees have raised questions about
the real meaning of the Civil War.   Because of comments made in 1996,
several environmental groups, eager to defeat her nomination, have targeted
Interior Secretary-designate Gale A. Norton for her alleged, "lack of
sensitivity to the horror of slavery." Attorney General-designee, John
Ashcroft, also faces criticism for his praise of a neo-Confederate journal,
Southern Partisan.

In her comments, Norton clearly was not defending slavery. Rather, objections
stem from her comments that focused on the issue of states rights verses the
power of the federal government.  Specifically, when discussing the
relationship of states rights to the 10th Amendment, Norton expressed the
view that "bad facts make bad laws."  She said, "we certainly had bad facts
in that case where we were defending state sovereignty by defending
slavery...but we lost too much. We lost the idea that the states were to
stand against the federal government gaining too much power over our lives."
The question Norton's critics have posed is: Who is the  "we" in the phrase
"we lost too much" and what specifically was "lost" when the Confederacy lost
and slavery ended in 1865?  When queried about her comments by reporters for
the Washington Post, Norton, through a spokesman for the transition of
President-elect Bush, declined comment.

Attorney General-designee John Ashcroft also is facing criticism for his
references to the Civil War.  Criticism of Ashcroft stems from a 1998
interview in Southern Partisan, a magazine that advances pro-Confederate
views. According to Ashcroft, "Your magazine also helps set the record
straight...you've got a heritage of doing that, defending Southern patriots
like Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis...Traditionalists
must do more, I've got to do more. We've all got to stand up and speak to
this respect, or else we'll be taught that these people were giving their
lives, subscribing their sacred fortunes and their honor to some perverted
agenda."  Critics of Ashcroft's nomination have zeroed in on the question,
was slavery not a "perverted agenda"?  When questioned about his remarks
before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his recent confirmation hearing,
Ashcroft declared, "Had I been fighting in the Civil War, I would have fought
with Grant...Slavery is abhorrent." Asked to comment on Ashcroft's remarks, a
Bush transition spokesman stated, "Senator Ashcroft believes in an exact
reading of history."

On a related note, Ashcroft is also a well-known opponent of the National
History Standards. In a speech to the conservative Claremont Institute,
Ashcroft stated his view that, "History standards became a recipe for
disenchanting students with American history, for rendering in them a sense
of shame." In that speech he also criticized the Standards for making too
much of the Ku Klux Klan and nothing at all of Lee.

3. STATE DEPARTMENT HISTORICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ISSUES ANNUAL REPORT
On December 13, 2000, the State Department Historical Advisory Committee
issued its annual "Report of the Advisory Committee on Historic Diplomatic
Documentation" for the year 2000. The report outlines ongoing efforts to
redesign and modernize the Foreign Relations (FRUS) series, discusses the
future of the series, and raises access concerns relating to various agency
records, including the Library of Congress (Henry Kissinger papers). The
report also laments that the State Department history division has
experienced "a serious shortage of sufficient staff" but happily states that
14 new positions have recently been authorized to be filled.

Most importantly, the report states that the CIA and the President's Foreign
Intelligence Advisory Board have both exempted entire categories of documents
from classification review including the CIA's Presidents Daily Briefs: "The
Committee is gravely concerned that these blanket denials will set a
dangerous precedent and compromise the historical record."  The report is
posted at http://www.fas.org/sgp/advisory/state/hac00.html

4.  NEWS BITS AND BYTES:
Item #1 - Summer Seminars: The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
has announced that twelve seminars in summer 2001 will be targeted to middle
and high school teachers and National Park Service rangers.  Public,
parochial, and independent school teachers are eligible. Seminars last about
a week and stipends, books, room and board are all provided. Instructors for
this year's seminars include Gordon S. Wood, Alan Brinkley, Daniel P. Jordan,
Kenneth T. Jackson, James McPherson, Ira Berlin and others. For more
information and applications visit the Institute's website:
<http://www.gliah.org> or call (202) 867-1170.

Item #2 - Clinton Administration E-Mail: On January 11, 2001, the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA) signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Executive Office of the President (EOP) granting NARA
sole legal custody of the Clinton-Gore Administration electronic e-mail
records that are governed by the Presidential Records Act. Public access to
Clinton Presidential records, including e-mail messages, will generally be
made through the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Item #3 - Jefferson Day Posting: The National Humanities Alliance (NHA) has
announced the preliminary program for Jefferson Day 2001.  The event, which
will take place March 26-27 in  Washington D.C., is an important opportunity
for scholars and others interested in the humanities to engage in the
political process.  The program along with online registration is available
through the NHA web site at: http://www.nhalliance.org/jd/
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