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Sender: H-NET Distribution List for News and Announcements <H-ANNOUNCE@H-NET.MSU.EDU> X-Sender: announce@mail.h-net.msu.edu Approved-by: H-Net Announce <announce@MAIL.H-NET.MSU.EDU> To: H-ANNOUNCE@H-NET.MSU.EDU Reply-to: H-NET Distribution List for News and Announcements <H-ANNOUNCE@H-NET.MSU.EDU> X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.1 Delivered-to: h-announce@h-net.msu.edu Original-recipient: rfc822;john.saillant@vmh.cc.wmich.edu Date: Thu, 06 Jun 2002 12:42:39 -0400 From: Bruce Craig -- NCCPH <rbcraig@nccph.org> Subject: 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-heritage0604jun04.story>. For the full report, tap into: <http://www.heritagepreservation.org/PDFS/Cataclysm.pdf>. *********************************************************** NCC invites you to subscribe to this FREE weekly newsletter! 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