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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, 20 Jun 2002 12:56:23 -0400 From: Bruce Craig -- NCCPH <rbcraig@nccph.org> Subject: NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #25, June 20, 2002 NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #25, June 20, 2002 by Bruce Craig <rbcraig@nccph.org> National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History (NCCPH) ***************** 1. White House Clears First Release of Bush P-5 Vice-Presidential Records 2. House Delays Action on "National Monument Fairness Act" 3. NEH/Interior Department Funding Update 4. Museum and Library Services Act Introduced in the Senate 5. Juneteenth Celebration Marks End of Slavery 6. News Bits and Bytes: Fish and Wildlife Issues Finding on Smithsonian Secretary's Private Collection; NCC Submits Letter for the Record on Cold War Theme Study; Advisory Council for Historic Preservation Meeting; Arts/Museum Leader J. Carter Brown Dies 7. Articles of Interest: "They Heard It All Here, And That's The Trouble" (Washington Post); "Deep Throat's Identity Revealed? (Salon.com and NBC "Dateline") 1. WHITE HOUSE CLEARS FIRST RELEASE OF BUSH P-5 VICE-PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS On June 14, 2002, White House Counsel Alberto R. Gonzales authorized the release of 844 pages of P-5 records (official records reflecting "confidential advice" to the President) of President Bush's father when he was Vice-President under Ronald Reagan. The papers are the first installment of Vice-Presidential records cleared under the new procedures established by Executive Order 13233 that President Bush signed in November 2001. Under relevant provisions of the Presidential Records Act, the release of these documents should have taken place in January 2001, but was held in abeyance because Bush White House officials wanted first to examine the papers. It is believed that the release is a tactical legal response to a "discovery request" filing by Public Citizen Litigation Group on behalf of that organization and a coalition of historical, archival, and media groups that are challenging the legality of provisions of the Bush executive order. Neither the White House nor the National Archives has yet compiled a list of what Bush P-5 papers have been released and which ones are still under review. However, the National Archives has responded to an NCC request for copies of the redaction sheets of the materials released. As soon as that list is available, the NCC will publish their contents for readers. In addition to the Bush Vice-Presidential records, on June 14 the White House also cleared some 23,653 pages of Reagan-era presidential records that were processed in response to some twenty-three Freedom of Information requests (FOIA) filed by historians and journalists since the year 2000. None of the Reagan papers contained P-5 "confidential advice" materials, however, under the provisions of E.O. 13233, the White House still had to review the documents before authorizing their release. 2. HOUSE DELAYS ACTION ON "NATIONAL MONUMENT FAIRNESS ACT" The House of Representatives has postponed action on a controversial measure -- the "National Monument Fairness Act" (H.R. 2114) -- legislation that if enacted could have long-lasting repercussions for the ability of the president to provide for the protection of our natural and cultural legacy using the Antiquities Act of 1906. Preservationists strongly oppose passage of the measure. The bill's primary advocates are the supporters of the property rights movement. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, H.R. 2114, "would undermine the president's power to declare national monuments and protect natural and cultural heritage because it would sunset all new national monuments over 50,000 acres within two years of designation unless Congress approves the president's actions. This provision fundamentally defeats the very purpose of the Antiquities Act and significantly alters the appropriate balance of power between the president and Congress in protecting important federal-level natural and cultural resources that have served the nation well." For more than 90 years, the Antiquities Act has been an important tool for protecting some of the nation's most treasured natural and cultural resources located on public lands. Specifically, the Act gives the president the authority to grant national monument status to areas possessing significant historical, cultural, scenic, and/or scientific value. Fourteen of the last seventeen presidents have used the Act to designate and protect more than one hundred national monuments. Most recently, Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush employed the Act to designate two of the more significant historic sites in the nation -- Lincoln Cottage National Monument in Washington, D.C., and Governors Island National Monument in New York. The Antiquities Act maintains an appropriate role for both the president and the Congress in the protection of important federal land values. The Act allows the president to act quickly to protect important objects and values on the public lands. Congress, however, retains the ability to designate national monuments legislatively, change monument boundaries, direct resources for monument management, re-designate monuments as national parks, and even to abolish monuments. Though action in the House has been postponed, the measure probably is still not dead. The legislation may come up again on the House calendar in the coming weeks. However, should it pass the House, Hill insiders predict the bill will arrive "dead in the Senate." Some Congressional staff sources report that even in the House, the measure has only lukewarm support, but in order to placate the land-rights movement, each year conservative members of Congress advance a piece of legislation on their behalf in order to garner the movement's support on other issues. This year it appears that legislation is H.R. 2114. 3. NEH/INTERIOR DEPARTMENT FUNDING UPDATE It may well be that the snail-paced progress lawmakers have been making on the federal budget is about to change, at least with respect to the Interior and Related Agencies budget. According to Hill insiders, House Interior subcommittee staffers report that a mark-up on the Interior and Related Agencies FY 2003 funding proposal is expected before the scheduled Independence Day break, which begins on June 28. If that takes place, a full Committee markup may occur shortly thereafter with the funding bill reaching the floor of the House as early as mid-July. On the Senate side, that body just completed its oversight hearings (see "Secretary Norton Testifies Before Senate Appropriations Subcommittee," in NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #24, June 14 2002) and the full Committee may be able to act before the August recess scheduled to begin July 28. According to the National Humanities Alliance (NHA), conversations with committee staff on both sides of the aisle suggest that a cultural agency increase at the House subcommittee level is unlikely. This is not only because money is tight but because the National Parks community has been especially effective this year in focusing public attention on the huge backlog of park infrastructure and maintenance needs that have accrued over years because of budget cutbacks and deficits. Things look especially good for NPS supporters. President Bush is on record having pledged to reduce the $500 million backlog, and a coalition of National Park enthusiasts, who are pushing for a $270 million increase, are effectively reaching the Congressional community. The coalition, headed by National Parks Conservation Association, reportedly has tremendous clout with several appropriation's Committee members including David Obey (D-WI), the ranking minority member of House Appropriations Committee. While the outlook for parks and historic sites is favorable, if increases for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) are to be achieved, the NHA predicts it probably will take place during consideration of the appropriations bill on the House floor. However, an increase for the NEH or any other Interior agency, necessitates that supporters identify a budget line "offset" -- that is, another item in the Interior budget will have to be reduced by an amount equal to the proposed increase. According to the NHA, "since virtually every item in any federal budget has a constituency, it is a challenge to identify an offset for an increase that can win a majority of the vote. Last year, Louise Slaughter (D-NY) successfully led a floor fight to increase NEH, NEA, and IMLS, a scenario that may be repeated this year." In recent years, the Senate and its Interior and Related Agencies Subcommittee have been much more hospitable to increases for NEH and NEA. Increases may be advanced there. However, all things considered, humanities advocates will still have to lobby hard in coming weeks and months to win the levels of increases desired by the humanities community. 4. MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES ACT INTRODUCED IN SENATE On June 12, 2002 Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) along with 14 co-sponsors introduced legislation entitled, the Museum and Library Services Act of 2002 (S. 2611), which is the Senate version of Representatives Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) and Tim Roemer's (D-IN) pending House bill, H.R. 3784, the Library Services and Technology Act of 2002 (LSTA). Like its House counterpart, the Senate bill reauthorizes the Museum and Library Services Act for six years and proposes several important modifications to current law. Among other provisions, the Senate measure establishes a Museum and Library Services Board to advise the Director of the IMLS; it authorizes national awards for library and for museum service; it establishes a reservation of 1.75% for museum services for Native Americans; and it updates the uses of funds for library and museum programs. The Senate bill has a state base minimum of $680,000 and increases the authorization of LSTA from $150 million to $350 million (the House measure proposes an authorization of $300 million). The Senate bill also authorizes $65 million for museum services as compared to $50 million in the House version. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for action. Similar legislation was reported out of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce (see House Report 107-395). Action on the House bill was expected prior to the Memorial Day recess, but the debate was postponed. After sorting out some difficulties relating to the measure, Hill insiders are now "reasonably optimistic" that the bill will reach the House floor soon. Reportedly, the measure is now merely awaiting scheduling. 5. JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION MARKS END OF SLAVERY In many cities throughout the United States, the days leading up to and including June 19th are celebrated with festivities similar to the July 4th Independence Day celebration -- with song, dance, exhibits, memorial services, and rereading of the Emancipation Proclamation. The event celebrates and commemorates the events of June 19, 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended. At that time, General Gordon Granger's "General Order #3" declaring all slaves free was read. For years, what has come to be known as "Juneteenth" was celebrated only in Texas. Recently though, more and more states have officially recognized the date with state-holiday status. Though the celebration has special meaning for African Americans, Juneteenth celebrates the freedom of an entire nation. Dr. Ronald V. Myers, founder and chairman of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation states, "We all got freedom through different routes, but the common bond we share is freedom. It's for all Americans." Last year, on June 14, 2001, Rep J.C. Watts Jr. (R-OK) introduced House Congressional Resolution 163 that recognized the historical significance of Juneteenth Independence Day and expressed the sense of Congress "that history be regarded as a means of understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future." The measure passed the House unanimously and was received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, which has yet to act on the resolution. Myers, however, hopes to get President Bush to issue a proclamation making Juneteenth a nationally-observed, unpaid holiday similar to Flag Day. He is seeking one million supporters to sign an on-line petition before the end of the month. Persons interested in signing the petition can do so by tapping into: <http://www.juneteenth.us>. 6. NEWS BITS AND BYTES Item #1 -- Fish and Wildlife Issues Finding on Smithsonian Secretary's Private Collection: Following up on a story posted in this publication last year (see "Fish and Wildlife Service Reopens Investigation of Smithsonian Secretary Private Collection," in NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #29, July 12, 2001), officials of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have determined that the private art collection of Smithsonian Institution (SI) Secretary Lawrence Small contains endangered species -- feathers from the endangered Harpy eagle, one of the world's largest birds of prey -- and could result in civil or criminal charges being filed against him. The central question that has not yet been determined is whether Small "knowingly" violated the law. But according to a FWS spokesperson, someone who even "unknowingly" purchased endangered-species items could face fines; "What makes a violation is how the species was acquired." Small, who has amassed a large collection of cultural artifacts and art work, purchased a substantial collection of Amazonian art which was featured in a November 2000 article in Smithsonian magazine. Photos in the article raised concerns with FWS inspectors. Daniel Squire, Mr. Smalls's attorney, said that the Smithsonian head "is cooperating fully" with the investigation and "if there is an issue....he will cooperate with the FWS in resolving it." Item #2 -- NCC Submits Letter for the Record in Support of Cold War Theme Study: Following up on last week's posting about the Senate hearing on legislation (H.R. 107/S. 1257) to authorize a Cold War theme study (see "Cold War Theme Study Bill Gets Senate Hearing," in NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #24, June 14, 2002), the NCC submitted a letter for the record to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks supporting enactment of the theme study legislation. The letter addressed to Senator Daniel K. Akaka endorses the study authorization and supports the production of an interpretive handbook on the Cold War. The letter also makes suggestions regarding the creation of a Cold War Advisory Committee and advocates a larger appropriation for the bill -- up to $500,000. For a copy of the letter, contact the NCC Director Bruce Craig at:<rbcraig@nccph.org>. Item #3 -- Advisory Council for Historic Preservation Meeting: A belated report from our correspondent on the spring business meeting of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) reveals that the Council has adopted a new mission statement: "The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation promotes the preservation, enhancement, and productive use of our Nation's historic resources, and advises the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy." Reporting through a new standing committee structure (Federal Agency Programs; Preservation Initiatives; and Communications, Education and Outreach) ACHP members also endorsed the concept for a new initiative -- the "Preserve America Program" that will seek "to encourage public and private preservation partnerships to help sustain the future communities and foster an appreciation of America's history and cultural diversity." For more on the meeting, tap into: http://www.achp.gov/news-5-02mtg.html Item #4 -- Arts/Museum Leader J. Carter Brown Dies: J. Carter Brown, the patrician/populist museum director who headed the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. for 23 years (1969-1992) died June 17 at a Boston hospital. He was 67. Brown elevated the museum's profile, enhanced its public appeal and is credited with breaking new artistic ground in the staging of "blockbuster" special exhibitions. In addition to his achievements at the National Gallery, Brown served on the boards of more than a dozen arts and education organizations. He was a Trustee of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Geographic Society, Brown University, and served as Chair of the Commission of Fine Arts, a federal panel that has oversight responsibility over Washington D.C. monuments and architectural landscapes. For the New York Times obituary, tap into:<http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/19/obituaries/19BROW.html>For the Washington Post's coverage, tap into: <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7583-2002Jun18.html>. 7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST Two postings this week, a controversial Op-Ed in The Washington Post (06/16/02) entitled "They Heard It All Here, And That's the Trouble" and a couple of news items speculating on the identity of "Deep Throat." In the Washington Post article, Dennis Pluchinsky (a State Department official speaking on his own behalf), lashes out at the nation's press (especially investigative reporters) and states: "I accuse the media in the United States of treason" in their reporting on American vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks. Pluchinsky, a "threat analyst," is "appalled" at recent articles giving tactical details that can be used by terrorist groups. He claims, "if you put all the unclassified information together, sometimes it adds up to something that ought to be classified." His solution: the new Department of Homeland Security could award Homeland Security Protective Security certificates and "gold stars" to newspapers or Internet sites that "put country first during a time of war." For the article tap into: <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54650-2002Jun14.html>. Next, two postings regarding the identity of "Deep Throat." Thirty years ago this week -- on June 17, 1972 -- a burglary at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., served as the catalyst for a chain of events that ultimately brought down the presidency of Richard Nixon. Since then, journalists, historians, and others have speculated on the identity of "Deep Throat" -- that mysterious chain-smoking, whiskey-drinking man who served as a secret source for Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in their Pulitzer-prize winning book, 'All the President's Men.' Over the years, dozens of individuals ranging from Henry Kissinger to Alexander Haig have been suggested as candidates for the secret source. But in a 40,000-word e-book published this month on Salon.com, (http://www.salon.com) former White House Counsel John Dean (who spent 127-days in prison for his part in the Watergate scandal) narrows the circle of suspects to four: three-time presidential candidate Pat Buchanan, Nixon speech-writer Ray Price, presidential assistant Steve Bull, and ex-press secretary Ron Ziegler. But perhaps more convincing than the speculations of John Dean are the findings of a group of investigative journalism students at the University of Illinois whose historical research techniques and persuasive findings were detailed in a June 14 broadcast on NBC's news feature program "Dateline." The students' "best hunch" for "Deep Throat" is Pat Buchanan. For a transcript of the "Dateline" program, tap into: <http://www.msnbc.com/news/764689.asp>. *********************************************************** 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". *************************************************************
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