[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

FW: [NCCmailings] NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #23, June 6, 200 2



-----Original Message-----
From: rbcraig@nccph.org [mailto:rbcraig@nccph.org]
Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 10:43 AM
To: NCCmailings List Member
Subject: [NCCmailings] NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #23, June 6, 2002


NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #23, June 6, 2002
by Bruce Craig <rbcraig@nccph.org>
National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History (NCCPH)
*****************

1.   Congress Returns From Recess -- Dozens of Measures Left to Address
Before Session Ends
2.   More Shakeups at the Smithsonian
3.   New ISOO Director Takes the Helm
4.   Legislation Introduced: American Revolution Commemorative Program;
Southern Campaign Heritage Area Study; Hudson-Fulton-Champlain 400th
Commemoration Commission
5.   News Bits and Bytes: President Ford Comments on Access to Presidential
Records; Call for Authors; Final Volume of Clinton Public Papers Issued
6.   Articles of Interest: "Report Details Artifacts Lost 9-11," from The
Chicago Tribune; Heritage Preservation report.

1.   CONGRESS RETURNS FROM RECESS -- DOZENS OF MEASURES LEFT TO ADDRESS
BEFORE SESSION ENDS
Lawmakers returned from their traditional Memorial Day break to confront a
host of issues. Undoubtedly, media attention will focus on the closed-door
House and Senate Intelligence Committee's joint oversight hearings which
will examine what is characterized as a "colossal intelligence failure"
relating to the September attacks on the World Trade Center.  Also in the
coming weeks, the House Government Reform Committee expects to act on
Representative Stephen Horn's (R-CA) legislation, "The Presidential Records
Act Amendments of 2002" (H.R. 4187).  Both the House and Senate resource
committees expect to move literally dozens of national park-related bills
(including several new area and "theme" studies).  The appropriations
committees will also be finalizing their recommendations for the 2003
fiscal year.

In the September 11 post-mortem, documents are at the center of the
congressional investigations.  For example, the CIA claims that the Agency
has found proof -- e-mail messages from January 2000 -- that demonstrate
that FBI officials were informed about the Agency's knowledge about two of
the hijacker suspects. Fearing that the investigation may become
politicized, some lawmakers are calling for an independent commission to
conduct a separate investigation, free from the passions that typify
congressional investigations. If they do, historians may get access to the
documentary record of the 9/11 events long before they otherwise would have
been made available by the National Archives.

In the next two weeks, Representative Horn's bill, (H.R. 4187) which seeks
to nullify the E.O., is expected to move out of the Government Reform
Committee and to the full House for action. On the Senate side, efforts are
currently underway with a number of Democratic and Republican lawmakers to
see legislation introduced to nullify the Bush E.O.  It is expected the
Senate will take up their version of the Presidential Records Act
Amendments in coming weeks.

Congress will also consider a number of new area and historic "theme"
studies, including Senator Harry Reid's (D-NV) Cold War theme study bill
(S. 1257), which is similar to the House-passed measure (H.R. 107).  This
legislation requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to
identify sites and resources and to recommend alternatives for
commemorating and interpreting the Cold War.  It is scheduled to receive a
hearing by the Senate Energy Committee on June 12.  While the Senate passed
Senator Daniel Akaka's (D-HI) "Peopling of America" theme study bill (S.
329), the House has yet to act on it or Representative Mark Souder's (R-IN)
version of this bill (H.R. 2420) (see "Legislation Passed: 'Peopling of
America' Theme Study," in NCC Washington Update, Vol. 7, #35, August 17,
2001).

Finally, there are a host of agency appropriation measures that have yet to
be passed. With President Bush making homeland security and the military
his top priorities, lawmakers and special interest groups are scrambling to
compete for the limited remaining money available for domestic programs.
Preservationists, for example, are pushing for a $270 million increase for
the National Park Service while supporters of the National Historical
Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) are seeking "full funding" --
$10 million -- for that financially strapped agency.  With tugs and pulls
coming from so many directions, congressional insiders doubt that the
lawmakers will be able to finish all the appropriations bills by the
beginning of the new fiscal year that begins October 1.  It looks like it
will be a long summer!

2.    MORE SHAKEUPS AT THE SMITHSONIAN
There are several recent personnel changes to report at the
Smithsonian.  First, Douglas H. Erwin, a paleontologist at the
Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, has been appointed
"interim director" of the museum.  Erwin, a seasoned museum professional
with a doctorate from the University of California at Santa Barbara, has
served as Chair of the museum's paleobiology department since 1990. He
replaces Dennis O'Connor, the former Undersecretary for Science who also
had served in an acting capacity since last October.  The Smithsonian also
announced that Irwin I. Shapiro, Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory, will serve as interim Undersecretary for Science while the SI
conducts a search for O'Conner's replacement.

The big news is the naming of Evelyn S. Lieberman, a former senior level
Clinton White House official with impeccable "democratic" credentials to
fill a newly-created position, Director of Communications and Public
Affairs.  Lieberman held a number of posts in the Clinton Administration
including Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy
Press Secretary for Operations, and Under Secretary at the State Department
for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (1999-2001).  She also served as
Director of the Voice of America.  Lieberman will oversee three program
areas at the Smithsonian -- visitor information, communications, and public
affairs. A Smithsonian spokesperson stated that, upon her arrival,
Lieberman will have "a free hand to reorganize the operations as she deems
necessary."

Lieberman's appointment has sparked considerable internal discussion about
her selection. Several weeks ago rumors were circulating in the Castle that
interviews were being conducted for a replacement of David Umansky, current
Director of Communications. Concern has also been recently raised on
Capitol Hill that since the arrival of Lawrence Small as Smithsonian
Secretary, the SI had been acquiring an "all too Republican look" in its
policies, regents, boards and senior management. Smithsonian insiders
report that this management profile seemed "disadvantageous" with the
current strained relationship between the SI upper-level management and
Congress and the strong likelihood that in the upcoming Congressional
elections, the Democrats are expected to strengthen their hold of the
Senate and will probably make gains in the House as well.  As one insider
reported, the Smithsonian 'ticket' needs balancing" and the Lieberman
selection helps meet that objective.

3.    NEW ISOO DIRECTOR TAKES THE HELM
On June 3, 2002 J. William Leonard assumed the helm as Director of the
Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) replacing Laura Kimberly who
has been "acting" Director since the retirement of Steven Garfinkle. The
ISOO is a small but important office responsible to the President of
the United States for policy oversight of the Government-wide security
classification system and the National Industrial Security Program.  While
the ISOO receives its policy and program guidance from the National
Security Council (NSC), it is an administrative component of the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

According to Archivist John W. Carlin who announced the appointment last
month,  "With almost 30 years of federal service in the Defense Department,
Mr. Leonard is a recognized authority on information, intelligence and
industrial security policies and issues. His experience and expertise will
serve ISOO and the interested communities in Government and the public and
private sectors well in meeting the challenges ahead."

Most recently, Leonard held the position as Principal Director (Security
and Information Operations) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of
Defense where he was responsible for programmatic and technical issues
relating to the DoD's information assurance, critical infrastructure
protection, counterintelligence, security and information operations
programs. Previously, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense (Security and Information Operations) and since 1998, he served as
the DoD member to the Interagency Security Classification Appeals
Panel.  Leonard holds a Master of Arts degree in International Relations
from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from St.
John's University in New York City.

4.    LEGISLATION INTRODUCED
Several bills have been introduced in the House of Representatives focusing
on the American Revolution:
American Revolution Commemorative Program:  On May 21, 2002 Representative
Maurice D. Hinchey (D-NY ) and fourteen co-sponsors introduced legislation
(H.R. 4786) to establish within the National Park Service the 225th
Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program.  The bill
directs the Secretary of the Interior to produce and disseminate
educational materials, enter into cooperative agreements, assist in the
protection of resources associated with the American Revolution, enhance
communications among NPS units and create an official uniform symbol for
the theme, "Lighting Freedom's Flame: American Revolution, 225th
Anniversary."  To this end the bill empowers the NPS to enter into
cooperative agreements with heads of federal agencies, states, local
governments, and private entities.  The bill authorizes an appropriation of
$500,000 for each fiscal year between 2003 and 2008.  The measure was
referred to the House Committee on Resources for action.

Southern Campaign Heritage Area Study:  On May 23, 2002 Representative John
Spratt (D-SC) introduced legislation (H.R. 4830) to direct the Secretary of
the Interior to conduct a suitability/feasibility study to consider
establishing the Southern Campaign of the Revolution Heritage Area in South
Carolina. According to the legislation, South Carolina contains aspects of
the country's Revolutionary heritage worthy of recognition and has the
potential for various public and private entities to work collectively to
develop a national heritage area.  The study area includes over two dozen
counties in South Carolina and an unspecified number of counties in North
Carolina.  The measure has been referred to the House Committee on
Resources for action.

Hudson-Fulton-Champlain 400th Commemoration Commission: On May 23, 2002
Representative Maurice D. Hinchey (D-NY) and five co-sponsors introduced
legislation (H.R. 4841) to establish the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain 400th
Commemoration Commission.  If established, the commission would ensure
suitable national observance of the historical anniversaries relating to
Henry Hudson, Robert Fulton, and Samuel de Champlain who played an
important role in the diverse history of Hudson River and Lake Champlain
communities for over four centuries. The commission is empowered to "plan,
develop, and execute programs and activities appropriate to commemorate"
the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain story in the northeast and throughout the
nation. The authors of the legislation appear to have neglected to
authorize any appropriations for this measure. The bill was referred to the
House Committee on Government Reform for action.

5.   NEWS BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 -- President Ford Comments on Access to Presidential Records:  On
June 3, 2002, during a National Press Club luncheon, former President
Gerald Ford was asked a question posed by John Wertman, the Associate
Director for Public Affairs of The Consortium of Social Science
Associations, regarding the former President's views on public access to
presidential records. Ford said, "I firmly believe that after x period of
time, presidential papers, except for the most highly-sensitive documents
involving our national security, should be made available to the public,
and the sooner the better. . . .I can tell you research people who go to
various libraries are very grateful that many of the documents in most
presidential libraries are available."  For the broadcast tap into "The
Gerald Ford Journalism Awards" (June 3, 2002) at <http://www.C-Span.org>.

Item #2 -- Call for Authors: "U.S. Story of Statehood" Book:
In September 2003, the Greenwood Press will publish, "The Uniting States:
The Story of Statehood for the 50 United States of America," a book
targeted to general trade as well as public and academic libraries. It
seeks to bring together in a single monograph the unique stories of each of
the 50 states' journey into statehood.  No such single source is currently
available in the marketplace.  Each essay is to tell the story of the
people and the issues behind the debate for statehood. The editor envisions
a total of fifty-one 12,000-word (app.) essays on each state, in
chronological order of statehood, based largely on primary federal and
state sources, footnoted, and with a bibliography.  Interested authors
should contact the Executive Editor, Benjamin F. Shearer, at (877) 850-3409
or write: shearerben@hotmail.com for additional information.

Item #3 -- Final Volume of Clinton Public Papers Issued:  The National
Archives released the final volume of the "Public Papers of President
William J. Clinton, 2000-2001." The 890-page hardcover volume covers the
period October 12, 2000 to January 20, 2001 and contains public speeches,
news conferences, messages, statements, and communications to Congress. The
volume is available for $75 (Order Stock # 069-000-00140-8) from the
Superintendent of Documents; telephone: (202) 512-1800.

6.   ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One article and a related report this week: The article, "Report Details
Artifacts Lost 9-11" from The Chicago Tribune (06/04/02) discusses the
latest 32-page Heritage Preservation study, "Cataclysm and Challenge" that
details cultural objects lost in the World Trade Center collapse. Among the
losses, first editions of Helen Keller's books, sculptures by Auguste
Rodin, thousands of photographs of Broadway, off-Broadway and even
off-off-Broadway shows, and thousands of other important works of art,
photographs, negatives, museum artifacts, and historical documents." For
the article, tap into:
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-attacks-heritage0604j
un04.story>.
For the full report, tap into:
<http://www.heritagepreservation.org/PDFS/Cataclysm.pdf>.

***********************************************************
NCC invites you to subscribe to this FREE weekly newsletter! You are also
encouraged to redistribute the NCC Washington Updates to colleagues,
friends, teachers, students and others who are interested in history and
archives issues. A complete backfile of these reports is maintained by
H-Net on the NCC's web page at <http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~ncc>. To subscribe
to the "NCC Washington Update," send an e-mail message to
listserv@h-net.msu.edu according to the following model: SUBSCRIBE H-NCC
firstname lastname, institution.  To unsubscribe send an e-mail message to
listserv@h-net.msu.edu according to the following model: SIGNOFF H-NCC or
tap into the web interface at:
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/lists/subscribe.cgi and at the "network" prompt,
scroll down and select H-NCC; enter your name and affiliation and "submit".
**************************************************************

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>