AP (Nat) Archives OK'd Removing Records, Kept Quiet

[rodeodance]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/archive_secrecy;_ylt=AqQoL9jWEFWHDPzIq_RWPV2s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--
Archives OK'd Removing Records, Kept Quiet

By FRANK BASS and RANDY HERSCHAFT, Associated Press Writers 17 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The National Archives agreed to seal previously public
CIA and Pentagon records and to keep silent about U.S. intelligence's role in the reclassification, according to an agreement released under the Freedom of Information Act.


The 2002 agreement, requested three years ago by The Associated Press and released this week, shows archivists were concerned about reclassifying previously available documents — many of them more than 50 years old — but nonetheless agreed to keep mum.

"It is in the interest of both (unnamed agency) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to avoid the attention and researcher complaints that may arise from removing material that has already been available publicly from the open shelves for extended periods of time," the agreement said.

The agreement was originally stamped "secret." The National Archives and Records Administration provided a redacted copy of the agreement to AP under FOIA this week and then posted the document on its Web site.

[Sleepless In NY]

1. This is truly frightening

And it's getting very little attention..mind boggling.

[ForPeace]

2. Orwellian

Now they just have to get Winston to rewrite the records and they will be available to the public again.

[MasonJar]

3. There is so much going on that it is hard to keep track of all the

Bush atrocities. I heard about this a month ago on NPR, but look at the cabal news since. They overwhelm everything everyday.

[NVMojo]

4. No wonder we didn't see it coming this year when it happened.

[lovuian]

5. All of these men in office are over 70 years old...

they want to close the history documents... and rewrite history... Truth does come out eventually...

[rodeodance]

6. hard for me to think these 'librarians" folded to the WH.

......"It is in the interest of both (unnamed agency) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to avoid the attention and researcher complaints that may arise from removing material that has already been available publicly from the open shelves for extended periods of time," the agreement said.

[LostinVA]

7. Patriotic Act -- you're arrested if you complain

[rodeodance]

9. I was wondering if the PA came into play here. 2002

[rodeodance]

10. says process began in 1999 but has 'soared" under Bush

Intelligence officials began reviewing documents for reclassification in 1999, The New York Times reported earlier this year.

The number of documents that have been removed from public view, however, has soared since
President Bush took office in 2001 and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks occurred.

An estimated 55,000 pages within 10,000 documents have been removed from public view, ranging from information about 1948 anti-American riots in Colombia to a 1962 telegram containing a translation of a Belgrade news article about China's nuclear capabilities.

Weinstein announced a moratorium on the reclassification last month so his information security oversight office can audit the process.

Historians expressed concern about the secrecy in the reclassification agreement.

[rodeodance]

11. more. This whole thing is secretive and no answers are forthcoming

Historians expressed concern about the secrecy in the reclassification agreement.

"This whole activity was effectively concealed," said Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists' government secrecy project. "It's baffling. It's basically a covert action taking place at the National Archives."

Aftergood also said he found it odd that the agreement named two of the agencies involved in the reclassification program — the U.S. Air Force and
Central Intelligence Agency — but redacted the name of a third, arguing it would compromise national security, reveal internal government deliberations and violate statutes against disclosure of specific information.

In congressional testimony last month, a historian said the third agency was the Defense Intelligence Agency, but archivists refused to address his assertions.

[justgamma]

8. Shrub fired the archivist that had been there

and put in a Bushie. So there should be no surprise here. I figured the only reason why was to make sure that history gets rewritten.

[rodeodance]

12. It took 3 years for the AP to get this information.

The 2002 agreement, requested three years ago by The Associated Press and released this week, shows archivists were concerned about reclassifying previously available documents — many of them more than 50 years old — but nonetheless agreed to keep mum.

[Bonobo]

13. Scary shit. K&R!

Let's send this in a ltter to everyone we know!

[NYC]

14. This could cause a serious problem for authors, etc.

Someone who had documents that were later "classified" didn't know if he would be charged with releasing classified documents if he published that previously public information.