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Presidential Order 13233 and the purpose of Presidential Libraries
Issue date: 2/8/07 Section: Opinion
Our two primary professional organizations, the American Historical Association and the Organization of American Historians, are on record as opposing Executive Order 13233. They have sought in court to have the order overturned. In their opinion, which they seek to have tested in the courts, the order contravenes the spirit and intent of the Presidential Records Act.
As the act makes plain, presidential papers from Reagan onward are the property of the United States, not of any individual or family. The clear purpose of the Presidential Records Act is to permit and encourage the fullest possible discussion of presidents and their policies at an early point following a presidency's end. Under the Act, release of materials is intended to begin 12 years after a president leaves office. The act already establishes conditions and procedures for withholding certain records. Mere choice by a former or incumbent president, by a "designated representative," or by a former president's family should not be enough to do so, beyond the provisions of the act.
We believe that the greatest benefit to SMU of having a presidential library will be to make the university a center of serious research on matters of the highest public import. We recognize that the records of this Administration will be of immense historical and civic interest. We believe that like its counterparts, the proposed George W. Bush Presidential Library should be a place of serious study and discussion, to the fullest extent and at the earliest time possible as mandated by the statute that makes the library possible.
We are making this statement in regard to the Presidential Order, not in regard to the proposed Bush Library, Museum, and Institute. We do not expect that our opposition to the order could lead to its being rescinded. That will require a decision by the Supreme Court, or an act of Congress, or an executive order by a subsequent president. But we do believe that all material in all presidential libraries, including the Bush Library, should be open to full access in accord with the letter and the spirit of the Presidential Records Act.
Signed by SMU History Department:
Jeremy Adams
Sabri Ates
Peter Bakewell
John Chávez
Edward Countryman
Dennis Cordell
Crista DeLuzio
Melissa Barden Dowling
Kenneth Hamilton
James Hopkins
Benjamin Johnson
Thomas Knock
Glenn Linden
Alexis McCrossen
John Mears
Donald Niewyk
Daniel Orlovsky
Ling Shiao
Sherry Smith
Kathleen Wellman
David Weber
R. Hal Williams
As the act makes plain, presidential papers from Reagan onward are the property of the United States, not of any individual or family. The clear purpose of the Presidential Records Act is to permit and encourage the fullest possible discussion of presidents and their policies at an early point following a presidency's end. Under the Act, release of materials is intended to begin 12 years after a president leaves office. The act already establishes conditions and procedures for withholding certain records. Mere choice by a former or incumbent president, by a "designated representative," or by a former president's family should not be enough to do so, beyond the provisions of the act.
We believe that the greatest benefit to SMU of having a presidential library will be to make the university a center of serious research on matters of the highest public import. We recognize that the records of this Administration will be of immense historical and civic interest. We believe that like its counterparts, the proposed George W. Bush Presidential Library should be a place of serious study and discussion, to the fullest extent and at the earliest time possible as mandated by the statute that makes the library possible.
We are making this statement in regard to the Presidential Order, not in regard to the proposed Bush Library, Museum, and Institute. We do not expect that our opposition to the order could lead to its being rescinded. That will require a decision by the Supreme Court, or an act of Congress, or an executive order by a subsequent president. But we do believe that all material in all presidential libraries, including the Bush Library, should be open to full access in accord with the letter and the spirit of the Presidential Records Act.
Signed by SMU History Department:
Jeremy Adams
Sabri Ates
Peter Bakewell
John Chávez
Edward Countryman
Dennis Cordell
Crista DeLuzio
Melissa Barden Dowling
Kenneth Hamilton
James Hopkins
Benjamin Johnson
Thomas Knock
Glenn Linden
Alexis McCrossen
John Mears
Donald Niewyk
Daniel Orlovsky
Ling Shiao
Sherry Smith
Kathleen Wellman
David Weber
R. Hal Williams
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Ryan
posted 2/08/07 @ 2:25 AM CST
I was hoping I would see something pertaining to Executive Order 13233 in the DC after reading about it in the Dallas Morning News. What scares me is the correlation between this president and Nixon. (Continued…)
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