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NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #12, March 22, 2001



NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #12, March 22, 2001
by Bruce Craig <rbcraig3@juno.com> of  the National Coordinating Committee
for the Promotion of History  - with apologies from Cassedy for the delay in
posting.
*****************

1.  Bush Plans to Boost Smithsonian's Budget
2   NEH Regional Humanities Center Initiative Receives Grant
3.  Last Minute Clinton Action Opens Records
4.  Legislation Introduced: Accountability for Presidential Gifts Act;
Moccasin Bend NHS; Freedom's Way NHA
5.  News Bits and Bytes: Jefferson Day; CIA Declassifies Records Relating to
Ex-Nazis; Library of Congress Fire Safety Violation Update; Fulbright
Scholarships; NCC Breakfast.

1.  BUSH PLANS TO BOOST SMITHSONIAN'S BUDGET
With recent announcements that the President's proposed budget for the
Department of the Interior will show increases for the National Park Service
in order to enable that agency to begin to address a multi-billion dollar
backlog in maintenance and infrastructure needs, it appears that the Bush
administration intends to make a similar commitment to the upkeep of
buildings and structures associated with the world's largest complex of
national museums in the world - the Smithsonian Institution.  In the
preliminary budget blueprint, President Bush requests $87.9 million for
repair and construction of some of the Smithsonian's crumbling facilities.
This figure represents a 46% increase from the previous year. Overall, if
the Bush budget as currently drafted is approved by Congress, the
Smithsonian would get $494 million - a 9% increase.

There are a total of 14 museums, three research facilities, and the National
Zoo associated with the Smithsonian Institution. Unlike many other museums,
government funding accounts for more than 70% of the Institution's budget.
Some of the Smithsonian's buildings are over 150 years old and are in need
of extensive upgrading and renovation.

The President's funding package includes $30 million for the new National
Museum of the American Indian, funds for the Old Patent Office renovation
and for the construction of the annex for the National Air and Space Museum
at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. All of these projects, however,
appear to be costing more than originally expected.  The Indian museum, for
example, is now slotted to cost $206 million - almost double the original
estimate.  Similarly, costs for the Air and Space Museum project have been
increased 25% over the original estimates.

2.  NEH REGIONAL HUMANITIES CENTER INITIATIVE RECEIVES GRANT
On March 22, 2001, The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced
that the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has made a $2.5 million gift
in support of NEH's Regional Humanities Centers Initiative.  The gift is the
single largest ever awarded to the NEH by a private sector donor and will be
used to help create a nationwide network of 10 major regional centers
dedicated to preservation, research and lifelong learning about the heritage
and cultures of America's regions.

According to NEH Chairman, William Ferris, "Regional centers are at the
heart of NEH efforts to encourage all of us to rediscover America. Regional
centers will deepen our understanding and pride in the people, culture and
history that make every community in our nation unique."

The NEH's Regional Center Initiative seeks to raise a total of $50 million
over five years from foundations, corporations, individual philanthropists
and Congress to underwrite grants to 10 educational institutions, to be
selected on a competitive basis, to implement plans for regional humanities
centers. Each regional center finalist will be required to raise its own
funds to match the implementation grant, 3 to 1, priming it to play a major
role as steward and educator for the region's share of America's heritage.

Last year, the NEH raised nearly $1 million from private donors to make
planning grants to two universities in each of the 10 regions identified for
the NEH initiative: Pacific, Southwest, Rocky Mountains, Plains, Upper
Mississippi Valley, Central, Deep South, South Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, New
England.  The grants were awarded on the basis of each institution's
existing resources, capacity for original research and documentation of
regional heritage, plans for educational outreach to schools, communities
and cultural tourists, and commitment to creating region wide partnerships.

3.  LAST MINUTE CLINTON ACTION OPENS RECORDS
The March 19, 2001, issue of "Secrecy News," an on-line publication of the
Federation of American Scientist's Project on Government Secrecy, reports
that on January 19, 2001, President Bill Clinton rejected an appeal by the
President's Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB) and ordered that hundreds of
historical records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
be released to the National Archives.

A number of years ago, the JFK Assassination Records Review Board identified
17 PFIAB documents dating from 1961-1963, classified hem as "assassination
records," and decided that they were subject to the 1992 law requiring the
release of JFK assassination records to the fullest extent possible. The
PFIAB objected to the Review Board's actions and refused to release the
records and waited until late in 1998 (when the Review Board was about to be
disbanded) to file and appeal with the President in an effort to block
disclosure of the records. Clinton, however, rejected the appeal the day
before his term ended. The President also turned down an appeal by the
Secret Service to withhold some of that agency's assassination records.

The records are now open to researchers at the JFK assassination records
collection at Archives II in College Park, Maryland. Information about the
records may be found at: <http://www.nara.gov/research/jfk/index.html>.

4.  LEGISLATION INTRODUCED:
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PRESIDENTIAL GIFTS ACT
On March 15, Representative Doug Ose (R-CA) introduced legislation (H.R.
1081) to direct the Archivist of the United States to maintain an inventory
of all gifts with a value of over $250 received from domestic sources for
the President, the Executive Residence at the White House, or any
Presidential archival depository.  The "Accountability for Presidential
Gifts Act" seeks to provide better accountability for various Presidential
gifts that currently are received by various agencies including the National
Park Service, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the
White House Gifts Unit. The Congressman hopes that the legislation which
calls for the Archivist to maintain a consolidated records of receipt,
administration and disposition of gifts would eliminate confusion and ensure
accountability.

MOCCASIN BEND NHS - On March 13, Representative Zach Wamp (R-TN ) introduced
legislation (H.R. 980) to establish Moccasin Bend National Historic Site in
Tennessee.  The bill seeks to establish a new national park unit consisting
of approximately 911 acres that embraces a wide range of cultural resources
associated with the "Trail of Tears" (Cherokee removal from ancestral lands
to Oklahoma in 1838-39), and the Confederate siege of Chattanooga,
Tennessee, in 1863.

FREEDOM'S WAY NHA - On March 14, Representative John W. Oliver (D-MA)
introduced legislation (H.R. 1027) to establish the Freedom's Way National
Heritage Area in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.  The bill seeks to
designate some 34 communities in Massachusetts and 6 in New Hampshire that
"have made important and distinctive contributions to the national character
of America."  The legislation is rather vague on what sites and/or
contributions constitute the "significant legacies," but they seem to range
from Native American and African American resources to sites associated with
the evolution of political and social ideas and religious freedom. The
legislation authorizes the creation of a Freedom's Way Heritage Association
that would oversee the development of the area.  The National Park Service
would be responsible for creating a regional cooperative framework
consisting of dozens of sites and would provide technical assistance to
achieve important goals established by a Cultural Heritage and Management
Plan.  The Plan would lay out the framework for a unified approach to
historic preservation and interpretation of the resources.

5.  NEW BITS AND BYTES
Item #1-JEFFERSON DAY: Supporters of the National Endowment for the
Humanities will be assembling in Washington D.C. this next week (March
26-27, 2001).  On March 26, the Jefferson Day lecture will be presented at
the Kennedy Center by playwright Arthur Miller.  The following day,
participants will make visits to members of the House of Representatives and
Senate to advocate for support of the NEH.  For additional information,
contact the National Humanities Alliance at (202) 296-4994.

Item #2 - CIA DECLASSIFIES RECORDS RELATING TO EX-NAZIS: The CIA has located
251 boxes and 2, 901 file folders and perhaps as many as 250,000 pages of
documents relating to that agency's dealing with former Nazi spies after
World War II.  According to a Washington Post article (Sunday March 18,
2001; p. A-4) political writer and researcher Carl Oglesby has sought the
records for over 13 years. His interest has focuses on General Reinhard
Gehlen, head of a Nazi intelligence organization who apparently worked with
the CIA after the war. It is expected to take about two years to process the
collection.

Item #3 - UPDATE: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS FIRE SAFETY VIOLATIONS: It seems that
published Associated Press reports citing seven citations resulting from the
fire safety inspections of Library of Congress buildings were in error (see
WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, # 11, March 14, 2001).  In fact, only three of
the seven were issued to the Library (the others were issued to the
Architect of the Capitol; two of the three mentioned above were issued to
both the Library and the Architect). Classified as "Serious," citation #7
deals with the storage of materials in the Jefferson, Adams, and Madison
buildings that contain cellulose nitrate which "is easily ignited, burns
with intense heat and emits gases that are poisonous and flammable." There
is no immediate danger, however, and the Library has six months take
corrective action.

Item #4 - FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIPS: The Fulbright Scholar Program has
announced lecture/research awards in some 140 countries for the 2002-2003
academic year. Opportunities exist for college and university faculty and
administrators, professionals in business and government as well as
journalists, scientists, lawyers, independent scholars and others. Differing
deadlines exist for the various programs.  For more information, call (202)
686-7877 or visit the Council for International Exchange of Scholars at
<http://www.cies.org>.

Item #5 - NCC BREAKFAST: The National Coordination Committee for the
Promotion of History will hold its breakfast briefing during the meeting of
the Organization of American Historians (OAH) in Los Angeles, California, on
April 27 from 7:30 to 9:00 am. The NCC Board meeting will follow. Readers
with an interest in the work of the NCC are invited to attend the breakfast
portion. Please contact Bruce Craig (rbcraig3@juno.com) for details.  In
addition, the NCC will host one of the OAH's experimental "chat-rooms" on
Sunday April 29 from 9 to 11 am. The chat room will provide attendees with
an opportunity to learn about the political process, ask questions about
pending legislation, appropriations, and the work of the NCC. Consult the
OAH program for additional details.

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