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Re: Results of DoE reviews at NARA



I am unsure what prompted Mr. Goodrich's recent posting.  I have not seen
anyone on the Archives List suggest that NARA should not screen and protect
restrictable information.  A careful reading of my postings makes it clear
that I strongly support the careful and proper balancing of the need to
protect national security information against the public interest in
disclosure. Mr. Lardner's Washington Post article describes a situation in
which NARA already has screened many of the records that DoE now is
re-reviewing.  Surely there is a more efficient way to accomplish protection
of the information that requries continued restriction.  I know that the
National Archives hires people with history degrees and trains them to apply
declassification guidelines to "the essential evidence of government action."
 By contrast, the DoE contractors appear to have degrees in physics and
science.  Based on a 14-year career at the National Archives, I believe that
seasoned NARA employees are better positioned than DoE's young contractors to
balance carefully the need to protect restricted information against the
public interest in disclosure.  Because they know the nation's history, they
understand context and are better able than the contractors to judge what
they are screening and to apply declassification guidelines.  Instead of
sending in "censors," why not simply continue to provide NARA with
declassification guidelines and let its archivists do the same work they have
done so well for many decades?
Maarja Krusten
Maarja@aol.com