A Quiet Nomination
Tuesday, Apr. 20, 2004 at 9:51 a.m.
Yet another reason I hate this administration.
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"A QUIET NOMINATION
BY TOM BRUNE
WASHINGTON BUREAU
April 17, 2004
WASHINGTON - The White House quietly nominated a new national archivist
earlier this month at a time when crucial decisions loom about access to
sensitive documents of the 9/11 Commission and confidential papers of the first Bush administration.
Unlike in the case of the two previous archivists since the post was
officially established by Congress in 1984, the Bush administration on April
8, with scant public notice, sent to the Senate the nomination of historian
Allen Weinstein.
That action surprised and raised concerns among archivists and historians
because it came without notice and before current archivist John Carlin had
announced his retirement or other plans, said Tim Ericson, president of the Society of American Archivists.
In the wake of legal battles over increasing government secrecy, such as the names of the Energy Policy panel and new restrictions on presidential
papers, archivists also are wary of White House motives, Ericson said.
"We were blindsided by this," Ericson said. "In the past, it's been done by
having either a call put out saying they are looking for a nomination for
the archivist for the United States or a call to react to possible
nominees."
Ericson and other archivists said they thought Carlin had planned to step
down next year in July after 10 years on the job.
Friday, however, the White House released a copy of Carlin's Dec. 19
resignation letter, in which he advises that a successor search begins in
the spring.
"We're filling a vacancy," said White House spokeswoman Erin Healy.
Carlin, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1995, has issued no public
statement and declined requests for an interview.
His spokeswoman, Susan Cooper, said he told her he was not focused on future
plans because he remained focused on his work and would stay on the job
until the Senate confirmed a new archivist.
Nine organizations of archivists and historians issued a statement
Wednesday, saying they were concerned about the nomination and had questions
about how the White House is handling it.
Weinstein, a former professor at Smith College, Georgetown and Boston
University, is the author of two controversial books about the Cold War
espionage.
He has advised Republican senators, founded the Center for Democracy and has
critics among liberal groups.
Weinstein could not be reached for comment.
Healy said Weinstein was well qualified.
"Allen Weinstein is a respected historian who has worked for over 30 years to preserve America's history," she said.
And an archivist at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University said
Weinstein has donated more than 1,000 boxes of documents from his Center for
Democracy to the Hoover Institute's archives.
Historian R. Bruce Craig posted an e-mail article Friday on the National
Coalition for History Web site saying presidential advisers "want their own
archivist." They are concerned, he said, because of sensitive presidential
documents to be released in January and the 9/11 Commission records, which
will go to the archives in August.
He also said that, in January, communications during the first Bush
administration will be released.
Copyright (c) 2004, Newsday, Inc."
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