Secrecy News reports that the current Archivist of the United States is not only distancing himself from the secret re-classifications of his predecessor, but he’s saying good stuff,
The resulting firestorm of criticism that has been directed at the National Archives is “absolutely fair,” said Archivist Weinstein in a meeting with historians and public interest groups today.
He took responsibility for the affair (which originated prior to his appointment as Archivist). More significantly, he repudiated the underlying practice.
“There can never be a classified aspect to our mission,” Weinstein said. “Classified agreements are the antithesis of our reason for being.”
“If records must be removed for reasons of national security, the American people will always, at the very least, know when it occurs and how many records are affected.”
Yay!
(Previous post on the re-classification of public materials: No Institution Left Behind.)
