Who is the
Most Secretive President?
Executive Order 13233 - Executive Order 13233,
which restricts access to the records of former United States Presidents, was drafted by White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales, and issued by President George W. Bush on November 1, 2001, shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The Bush administration issued the order just as the National Archives was preparing to release a small portion of Presidential records from the Ronald Reagan administration, some of which might prove embarrassing to the President's father, George H. W. Bush, due to his involvement in the Iran-Contra Affair. Section 13 of Executive Order 13233 revoked Executive Order 12667, of January 18, 1989.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_13233The Secret President
"
The Bush administration has put a much tighter lid than recent presidents on government proceedings and the public release of information, exhibiting a penchant for secrecy that has been striking to historians, legal experts and lawmakers of both parties," writes Adam Clymer in a detailed report on the administration's new and wide-ranging secrecy policies.
http://www.prwatch.org/node/1653Secrecy in the Bush Administration, a report by Representative Henry Waxman
It concludes that:
This review of the nation’s open government laws reveals that
the Bush Administration has systematically sought to limit disclosure of government records while expanding its authority to operate in secret. Through legislative changes, implementing regulations, and administrative practices,
the Administration has undermined the laws that make the federal government more transparent to its citizens, including the Freedom of Information Act, the Presidential Records Act, and the Federal Advisory Committee Act. At the same time, the Administration has expanded the reach of the laws authorizing the Administration to classify documents and to act without public or congressional oversight. Individually, some of the changes implemented by the Bush Administration may have limited impact. Taken together, however,
the Administration’s actions represent an unparalleled assault on the principle of open and accountable government.
http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:KLEQNSil31YJ:www.democrats.reform.house.gov/Documents/20050317180908-35215.pdf+%22secrecy+in+the+bush+administration%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2&client=firefox-a