News Archives

HNN - 10/7/2005

#1 David Greenberg: Bush Is No FDR (Not Even a Hoover)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16558.html

#2 Robert S. McElvaine: O.J., W, `us' and `them'--and truth
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16594.html

#3 Juan Cole: Bush Gives Another Speech Against Terrorism
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16792.html

#4 Victor Davis Hanson: Interview
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16491.html

#5 Jonathan Alter: Tom DeLay's House of Shame
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16788.html

#6 Sidney Blumenthal: Fall of the Rovean Empire?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16699.html

#7 Next Time Let's Have Congress Declare War
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16783.html

#8 Anatol Lieven: There is no 'New Deal' in today's America
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16729.html

#9 Keith Windschuttle: Mao's Lies
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16693.html

#10 Judith Klinghoffer: The US Should Learn the Lesson of Zheng He
http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/16565.html

#11 Hiram Hover: What's So Bad About Being Called a Redskin?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16585.html

#12 Spencer Dew: The Trivialization of Nazism
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16725.html

HNN - 10/7/2005

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HNN - 10/7/2005

test 1 this will be removed by hiding it.

HNN - 10/6/2005

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NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #38; 6 October 2005)
by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org with Nathaniel Kulyk
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************

1. CONGRESS PASSES CONTINUING RESOLUTION -- KEEPS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OPERATING
2. ISSO ISSUES STATUS REPORT ON FEDERAL AGENCY MANDATORY DECLASSIFICATION
EFFORT
3. NEH KICKS OFF 40th ANNIVERSARY EVENTS
4. NATIONAL HISTORY CENTER SELECTS ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
5. NPS TO MOVE HAMILTON GRANGE
6. BITS AND BYTES: NARA Announces Changes in Microfilm Policies; Preserve
America Awards; History Teacher of the Year; Teaching American History Awards
7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: “Bit by Bit, Federal Team Recoups Gulf’s
History” (Washington Post)


************************************
ATTENTION FEDERAL EMPLOYEES!!!!
In October, many federal agencies will be conducting their annual Combined
Federal Campaign (CFC) workplace donation drives. The National Coalition
for History (NCH) is a member of the Conservation & Preservation Charities
of America (http://www.conservenow.org) and for the first time we are
participating in the CFC.

The history coalition is supported entirely by annual donations from member
organizations and readers of the NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE. If you enjoy
receiving your weekly posting of this electronic newsletter, please
consider contributing to the National Coalition for History. Our federal
agency CFC donation code is CFC # 2351. Please contribute!
***************************************************************

1. CONGRESS PASSES CONTINUING RESOLUTION -- KEEPS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OPERATING
For the ninth time in a row, Congress has failed to complete all of its
necessary appropriations work prior to the start of the federal fiscal
year. Consequently, this last week, the Congressional leadership agreed to
enactment of a joint resolution (H.J.Res. 68), a stopgap funding bill that
enables the federal government to continue functioning until Congress
completes its outstanding appropriations work. The Continuing Resolution
(CR) Congress passed and President Bush signed (P.L. 109-77) runs until 18
November at which time Congress will have to have passed the pending
appropriations bills or it will need to pass yet another CR.

While the House has successfully completed work on their versions of all
eleven remaining spending bills, the Senate has only cleared eight of
theirs. To date, only the Interior-Environment (P.L. 109-54 which includes
funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Park
Service, the Wilson Center and other history-related agencies) and
Legislative Branch funding legislation (P.L. 109-55 which includes funding
for the Library of Congress) have been signed into law.

2. ISSO ISSUES STATUS REPORT ON FEDERAL AGENCY MANDATORY
DECLASSIFICATION EFFORT
The National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) Information
Security Oversight Office (ISOO) has released a report on the automatic
declassification of 25-year-old documents of various executive branch
agencies. Submitted to President Bush, the report indicates that most of
the agencies are on track to meet the 31 December 2006 deadline, though a
handful still remain at risk of coming up short.

The report states that an estimated 155 million pages of textual records
await review by agencies for declassification, authorized exemption, or
referral. In accordance with provisions of Executive Orders 12958 and
13292, with a handful of exceptions (special media, such as microfilm,
audiotapes, or motion pictures, for example, are not subject to automatic
declassification until 31 December 2011) any records that are not acted
upon by an agency by the deadline of 31 December 2006 would be
automatically declassified.

Of the 74 executive branch agencies that responded to ISOO’s survey, 28
agencies (or 38%) assert they do not to possess any 25-year-old or older
historically valuable documents. Of the remaining 46 agencies (62%), 22 of
them stated they anticipate being prepared for the implementation of
automatic declassification at the end of next year. These 22 agencies only
account for 39% of the total number of pages identified as being subject to
automatic declassification. An additional 8 agencies, which account for
59% of the total volume of records, ISOO predicts most likely will be
prepared to meet the deadline. However, for each of these 8 agencies there
exists a large volume of material that has yet to be reviewed, with roughly
43% of their remaining records requiring some type of declassification
action. ISOO is also concerned that 9 agencies may not be able to comply
with the EO which represents 2-3% of the papers identified that are subject
to automatic declassification.

The principle of the automatic declassification of historically valuable
documents and records once they become 25 years old was originally mandated
by President Clinton in his 1995 Executive Order 12958. President Bush
also affirmed the principle in his 2003 Executive Order 13292, although he
deferred the effective date to the end of 2006, so as to allow the agencies
more time to assess their classified documents and prepare for their
release. ISOO remains confident, based upon their report, that the
executive branch will, for the most part, fulfill its responsibilities
under the automatic declassification program when it takes effect at the
end of 2006.

3. NEH KICKS OFF 40th ANNIVERSARY EVENTS
On 29 September 2005, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
kicked off a year-long celebration of their 40th anniversary with a private
reception at the National Gallery of Art.

Vice President Richard Cheney and Lynne Cheney attended and provided brief
remarks to the estimated 500 dignitaries, donors, and supporters in
attendance. NEH Chairman Bruce Cole stated that “For forty years, the NEH
has strengthened our democracy by supporting the great ideas, ideals, and
institutions that shaped America. Through the support of President Bush
and Congress -- especially for the NEH’s “We the People” initiative -- the
endowment will continue to furnish citizens with the wisdom necessary to
remain both fearless and free.” Chairman Cole also announced that the NEH
has received more than $1 million in new support for the programs and
events planned for the upcoming year.

During the event the NEH recognized a number of gifts in which $50,000 or
more was donated. Some gifts of note include one from the Carnegie
Corporation of New York, which will support the production and distribution
of the publication “Fearless and Free: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of
the National Endowment for the Humanities”; a gift from the History Channel
to support a new video on the importance of the humanities; a gift from the
Pew Charitable Trusts which will go to an expanded “Landmarks of American
History and Culture” summer program in Philadelphia; and a gift from the
McCormick Tribune Foundation for the expansion of the NEH’s “We the People
Bookshelf” program, as well as funds to launch the 2006 “Heroes of History”
lecture and “Idea of America Essay Contest” on the theme of the First
Amendment.

Additional information about NEH grant programs and activities is available
at www.humanities.gov .

4. NATIONAL HISTORY CENTER SELECTS ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
The National History Center, an initiative of the American Historical
Association, has appointed Miriam E. Hauss as its Administrative Officer
effective 1 August 2005. Ms. Hauss, who hold a Master’s degree in Modern
European History from the American University and a B.A. with honors in
Modern European History from the University of Kentucky, has worked for the
American Historical Association since October 1999, first as Special
Projects Coordinator and more recently as Marketing and Development
Manager. A Kentucky native, Ms. Hauss came to Washington, D.C. in 1996 and
currently lives on Capitol Hill. She will retain a position at the AHA as
Council Staff Associate and Public Information Officer.

Wm. Roger Louis, Chair of the National History Center and the Kerr
Professor of English History and Culture at the University of Texas at
Austin, stated, “She is extraordinarily competent and efficient. She will
bring to the Center a unique blend of skills and experience. A strong
proponent of the Center since its founding, she has a thorough
understanding of the hopes and needs of the historical community as well as
what it will take to build a new organization in the nation’s capital.”

“The creation of a National History Center is a key initiative of the
American Historical Association, as an effort to establish a more public
presence for the historical profession,” stated Arnita Jones, Executive
Director of the American Historical Association. “I look forward to
continuing to work with Miriam Hauss in this important effort.”

The National History Center promotes research, teaching, and learning in
all fields of history. It is dedicated to the study and teaching of history
as well as to the advancement of historical knowledge in government,
business, and the public at large. The Center was established to help
historians reach out to broader audiences by providing the historical
context necessary to better understand today’s events. For further
information about the Center, visit its web site:
www.nationalhistorycenter.org .

5. NPS TO MOVE HAMILTON GRANGE
The National Park Service (NPS) has selected a new location for the
Hamilton Grange, the NPS administered New York residence of Alexander
Hamilton. After existing for over one hundred years at Convent Avenue and
141st Street in New York City, Hamilton’s residence is being moved to St.
Nicholas Park. By relocating the house the NPS hopes to reveal the true
front and back of the structure and would permit the original porches to be
reattached and enhance the visitor experience.

This is not the first time the Hamilton Grange has been moved. In 1889,
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church purchased the land where the house originally
stood; it was relocated a short distance away to clear space for a new
road; it has stood at this location for just over 100 years.

Congress declared the house a National Memorial in 1962 and since that time
had been looking for a more appropriate location for the residence of the
noted American. St. Nicholas Park is just down the street from the
Hamilton Grange’s original location. The move will be financed with
federal funds.

6. BITS AND BYTES
Item # 1 -- NARA Announces Changes in Microfilm Policies: The National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has announced two major changes
to their microfilm policies. First, microfilm is now available for
ordering online. On 12 September 2005, NARA added their microfilm
publications catalog to “Order Online!” which serves as a secure way to
research and request reproductions and materials. For the first time,
researchers can view the microfilm catalog online to obtain full
descriptions of what is offered, review and download pamphlets and roll
lists, find out if an item is for sale or for rent, and purchase items with
a credit card. For more information, visit
http://www.archives.gov/research/order/orderonline.html .

Secondly, NARA has announced that in order to keep up with costs, prices
for microfilm will be raised. Effective 1 October 2005, the price of
National Archives black-and-white microfilm will be $65 per roll ($68 per
roll for foreign orders). Color microfilm will be $82 per roll ($85 for
foreign orders). Microfiche prices will not be affected. NARA currently
operates 19 regional records facilities across the United States, in
addition to 11 Presidential libraries. Please visit www.archives.gov for
more information.

Item # 2 -- Preserve America Awards: The Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation is pleased to announce that nominations for the annual
“Preserve America Presidential Awards” are now open. These awards
recognize outstanding achievements in sustainable historic preservation and
are the highest federal honor given for heritage tourism efforts and
historical preservation efforts. The advisory council administers this
program on behalf of the White House. The deadline for nominations is 1
November 2005. For more information, including nomination forms,
instructions, and profiles of past recipients, please visit
http://www.preserveamerica.gov .

Item #3 -- History Teacher of the Year: The Gilder Lehrman Institute of
American History is pleased to announce that the state recipients for the
2005 History Teacher of the Year Award have been selected. This awards are
designed to promote, celebrate, and encourage the teaching of U.S. History
in classrooms across the country. History teachers at all levels, from
elementary to high school, are eligible for nomination. In addition, each
of these state winners is a finalist for the national award, which will be
announced on 14 October 2005. For the list of this year’s state winners,
please visit http://www.gilderlehrman.org/teachers/student8.html .

Item #4 -- “Teaching American History” Awards: The U.S. Department of
Education is pleased to announce that 129 Teaching American History Awards
have been made to school districts across the country. The purpose of
these grants is to support programs that raise student achievement by
improving teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of American
history. In addition, the grants are used to promote the teaching of
traditional American history in elementary and secondary schools as a
separate academic subject. In order to receive a grant, local educational
agencies must agree to carry out the proposed activities in partnership
with an institution of higher education, a nonprofit history or humanities
organization, a library, or a museum. Another grant competition will be
announced in the first quarter of the 2006 fiscal year. For additional
information, and a complete list of the 2005 recipients, please visit
www.ed.gov/programs/teachinghistory .

7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: In “Bit by Bit, Federal Team Recoups Gulf’s
History” (Washington Post; 3 October 2005) an article by Petula Dvorak
highlights the efforts of historians and preservationists to salvage and
preserve historical artifacts that were affected by Hurricane Katrina in
the Gulf Coast region. For the article, tap into:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/02/AR2005100201338.html
.

***********************************************************
Who We Are…..
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that provides leadership in history-related advocacy; it serves as the
profession's national voice in the promotion of history and archives, and
acts as a clearinghouse of news and information of interest to
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HNN - 9/30/2005

#1 Niall Ferguson: What happens if we pull out of Iraq? Think Beirut - to the power of 10
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16310.html

#2 Juan Cole: Why US Troops Have to Begin Leaving Iraq Now
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16490.html

#3 David Remnick: How Presidents and citizens react to disaster
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16294.html

#4 Robert McElvaine: Is God a Terrorist?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16429.html

#5 Arjun Makhijani: The Soviet Nuclear Waste Explosion America Helped Cover Up (And Other Crimes Against Public Health)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16364.html

#6 Ira Katznelson: New Deal, Raw Deal ... How Aid Became Affirmative Action for Whites
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16329.html

#7 James M. Banner: What's Wrong with the Teaching American History Grants
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16441.html

#8 Nat Hentoff: John Roberts v. Thurgood Marshall
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16439.html

#9 Steven Plaut: The Leftwingers Who Have Emerged from the CIA
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16428.html

#10 Maurice Isserman: David Horowitz and the Truth
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16301.html

#11 Dan Savage: Could Gay Marriage Lead to Demands for Polygamist Rights?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16437.html

HNN - 9/30/2005

*************************************************************************
NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #37; 30 SEPTEMBER 2005)
by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org with Nathaniel Kulyk
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************


1. PARKS COMMITTEE CHAIR PROPOSES PARK AND HISTORIC SITE
SELLOFF
2. CAMPAIGN 2006 -- FIRST REPORTS
3. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE ­ ARTIST/MUSEUM PARTNERSHIP ACT
4. THE NEVER-ENDING PRA LEGAL BATTLE -- ­ LATEST RULING
5. PASSING OF ROSS HOLLAND
6. BITS AND BYTES: New FRUS Electronic Only Edition Issued; Library of
Congress Makes Confederate Maps Available Online; “Archives Made Easy”
Launched; SAA Offers Educational Programs; Battlefield Preservation Grants
7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: “Where the Relics Meet the Road: Ireland's
Highway Dispute” (Christian Science Monitor); “Learning Isn’t a Short-Term
Affair: The Flaw in Most Federal Grant Programs for Teachers” (Edweek.org)


************************************
ATTENTION FEDERAL EMPLOYEES!!!!
This next month, most federal agencies will be kicking off their annual
Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) workplace donation drives. The National
Coalition for History (NCH) is a member of the Conservation & Preservation
Charities of America (http://www.conservenow.org) and for the first time we
are participating in the CFC.

The history coalition is supported entirely by annual donations from member
organizations and readers of the NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE. If you enjoy
receiving your weekly posting of this electronic newsletter, please
consider contributing to the National Coalition for History. Our federal
agency CFC donation code is CFC # 2351. Please contribute!
***************************************************************


1. PARKS COMMITTEE CHAIR PROPOSES PARK AND HISTORIC SITE
SELLOFF
Proposals by the Chair of the House Resources Committee has National Park
Service (NPS) oversight and history watchdog groups up in arms. In a
260-page draft of a budget reconciliation bill (a tool that is used by
Congress to meet budget goals), committee chair Richard Pombo (R-CA) has
advanced several controversial provisions aimed to help address the current
governmental fiscal crisis. Among his ideas that purportedly are designed
to save the government $2.4 billion is a proposal to sell no fewer than 15
national parks, including a number of historical sites: the Eugene O’Neill
National Historical Site in Danville, California; the Thaddeus Kosciuszko
National Memorial in Pennsylvania; the Fort Bowie National Historic Site,
Arizona; the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House, Washington D.C.; and the
Thomas Stone National Historic Site, Maryland, as well as a number of
smaller, less visited natural areas most of which are located in Alaska,
including the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve; the Lake Clark National
Park and Preserve; and the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. If all
the parks were sold off as Pombo wants, the total land holdings of the NPS
would be reduced by 23 percent thus saving the government billions over a
period of years.

In addition to the park closures, Pombo also seeks to require that the NPS
raise $20 million through commercial sponsorships and by granting naming
rights for certain national parks facilities. His plan would permit
commercial advertisements on national park vehicles and advertising would
be mandated to appear in official park service maps and guidebooks;
billboards would be placed on in-park buses, trams, and vans.

While Pombo is silent about the proposals, his House Resources Committee
spokesperson states that the Congressman “isn’t seriously thinking” about
putting national parks on the auction block, that the list of parks was
drawn up for the Congressional Budget Office merely as a hypothetical
situation. Nevertheless, NPS watchdog organizations have expressed outrage
over the proposals and are taking them (especially the commercialization
plans) seriously. Jim DiPreso, communications director for the grassroots
organization Republicans for Environmental Protection
(http://www.repamerica.org) maintains “Pombo’s extremism, if turned into
law, would turn our treasured national park system into a tawdry carnival
of advertising and fast-buck commercialism, squandering a priceless
inheritance.”

Most likely, the underlying purpose of Pombo’s proposals is something of a
political ploy to call attention to budget alternatives that could be
implemented to cover the perceived revenue shortfall if Congress fails to
open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska for oil and gas
drilling as Pombo wants. If Pombo is to be taken at his word -- that his
legislation is merely a “conversation starter”-- then it certainly has had
the desired effect. But if the Congressman is offering legislation as a
“joke” (as first claimed by his spokesperson) or merely seeking to taunt
environmentalists as others first thought, it would seem to be a new low
for a member of Congress, let alone a powerful committee chair.

One final note…former Representative Pete McClosky, a modern day Bullmoose
Republican if there was ever one and co-author of the Endangered Species
Act that enviros claim Pombo is also “trying to gut,” has announced that he
will challenge the sitting Congressman in 2006 if another credible primary
challenger does not emerge. According to McClosky, “The Republican values
that I grew up with, Pombo is not espousing.” Pombo faces several
allegations of ethics violations including accusations that in the last
election he spent about a quarter of his campaign funds to pay family
members. House Democrats believe Pombo’s seat in California’s 11th
District may be up for grabs in the 2006 mid-term elections.


2. CAMPAIGN 2006 -- FIRST REPORTS
Midterm elections are not that far off. With President Bush’s job rating
battered by the war in Iraq, with high gas prices, and with other
international and domestic challenges plaguing the Republican
administration Democratic strategists see an opportunity to make
congressional gains in what some analysts claim are up to 32 competitive
House races as well as a handful of Senate contests.

According to Republican strategists, however, the White House is targeting
for removal an eight-term powerful senator, the 87 year-old Robert C. Byrd
(D-WV). Byrd has earned the administration’s wrath for his fiery speeches
on the Senate floor reviling Bush on his budget, and his domestic and
international policies; for some time Byrd’s was nearly the lone voice
speaking in opposition to the war in Iraq. This last week Byrd put to rest
rumors that he may not seek re-election when he announced that he is
running for a historic ninth term in the United States Senate.

Byrd is the Ranking Minority member of the powerful Senate Appropriations
Committee and is widely recognized as a champion of funding for the
teaching of American history and the Constitution. His is the master hand
behind the Education Department’s “Teaching American History” initiative
and, over the years, no member of Congress has done so much to advance the
cause of American history education than the senator. Speaking before
hundreds of supporters at the West Virginia state capitol building in
Charleston, Byrd stated, “I have the best job in America because I
represent you, the people of West Virginia. I want to keep this job.”

Hill insiders predict that what undoubtedly will be Byrd’s last campaign
may be his toughest. At least four Republicans have announced plans to
challenge Byrd though none probably have the political clout to
successfully take him on. Most political pundits, however, contend that
Representative Shelly More Capito (R-WV), who has yet to announce whether
she will run against Byrd, has the name recognition and charm to run a
successful campaign to unseat Byrd.

In reaching a decision, Capito rightfully is being cautious. Byrd’s
incumbency and seniority in the Senate, the fact that he is so powerful in
terms of bringing much needed federal dollars into West Virginia which
Capito, as a junior senator would not be able to deliver, and Byrd’s
independence, feistiness, and devotion to traditional family values make
him a formidable opponent. Capito is expected to announce later this fall
whether she will run for Byrd’s seat or for a fourth term in the House. At
present she trails Byrd 39% to his commanding 55% lead. If Capito makes an
unsuccessful bid for the Senate and loses her House seat it could well
swing back to the Democrats, thus returning this fledgling red state to the
blues.

In the realm of Republican candidates, expected to seek re-election in 2006
is Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY). First elected to the United States Senate in
1994, Thomas currently serves as Chair of the Subcommittee on National
Parks where he has jurisdiction over the most important national historic
sites in the nation. In 1998, Sen. Thomas authored the Vision 2020
National Parks Restoration Act, legislation designed to improve management
and increase accountability for National Park Service programs. Though he
has his critics, Thomas has an amicable relationship with most Democrats
both in the committee and on the Senate floor. Thus far, no Democratic
challenger has emerged to run against Thomas in his bid for a third term
next year.

In Maryland Dr. Allan Lichtman, an American University history professor,
CNN political analyst, History News blogger, and author of “The Keys to
the White House” has announced his intention to run for the senate seat
being vacated by Paul Sarbanes (D-MD). Lichtman, who plans to run a “Paul
Wellstone-type campaign” is no newcomer to Maryland politics having once
previously mounted an unsuccessful bid for Congress. In more recent years,
as a presidential scholar, Lichtman has enhanced his name recognition by
serving as a political commentator for national and state television
networks and as a consequence he knows the Maryland political landscape well.

In announcing his candidacy on 28 September, Lichtman stated he was running
to challenge what he believes to be the largest, most intrusive, and least
responsive government that has existed in the history of the United
States. Today, he states, the Federal Government is interfering in the
private lives of its citizens (he cites examples like the Terri Schiavo
issue and the Patriot Act), and is not meeting their needs in such areas of
education, energy, and planning an exit strategy from Iraq.

Lichtman is but one of several declared candidates looking to win the
Democratic Party’s nomination for the Senate. Lichtman hopes to raise
about $1 million in his bid to capture the Democratic primary; to help
finance his campaign, he has mortgaged his house. For more information,
visit http://www.allanlichtman.com/.


3. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE ­ ARTIST/MUSEUM PARTNERSHIP ACT
Legislation that could provide a tax relief for historians and other
authors who wish to donate their research to non-profit groups in order to
gain a tax deduction is one step closer to becoming law.

On 14 February 2005, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced the
Artist-Museum Partnership Act (S. 372) in the Senate. This legislation, if
passed, would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow taxpayers
who create literary, musical, artistic, or scholarly compositions to take
federal income tax deductions if they donate their notes, manuscript rough
drafts, and research notes to qualified tax-exempt organizations and meet
other provisions stipulated in the law. While S. 372 has languished in the
Senate Finance Committee, it is expected to be wrapped into a larger bill
known as the CARE Act, which is slotted to be reintroduced in the Senate.

Crafted by a bipartisan coalition led by Senators Rick Santorum (R-PA) and
Joe Lieberman (D-CT), the CARE Act is a bill with many incentives designed
to increase charitable giving. In the last Congress, the Artist’s bill was
also included in a slightly different version of the Senate version of the
CARE Act. On the House side, Congressmen Roy Blunt (R-MO) Majority Whip
and new Majority Leader of the House of Representatives is preparing to
introduce a version of the CARE Act that does not include the artist’s
bill. However, Hill insiders report that Blunt favors this addition and
will support it in the conference that will reconcile the differing House
and Senate versions once they pass their respective chambers.

Given the number of natural disasters and pressure on the government to
support relief efforts that could be aided by non-profit organizations, the
CARE Act holds promise of passing prior to the end of this session of Congress.


4. THE NEVER-ENDING PRA LEGAL BATTLE -- ­ LATEST RULING
On 24 September 2004, Judge Kollar-Kotelly of the United States District
Court for the District of Columbia issued a ruling on a claim made by
historians and archivists in the case “American Historical Association, et
al v. National Archives and Records Administration.”

The case focuses on a claim for access to 74 pages (9 documents) of
presidential-related “confidential” (P-5 exemption) materials dating back
to the administration of Ronald Reagan that President George W. Bush
claimed a privilege on and refused to release. In her ruling the judge
held that the law required that the plaintiffs had to demonstrate a
“special need” to overcome the claim of privilege, and that in spite of the
passage of time the special need still has to be asserted; since no such
claim was made, summary judgment was granted to the government.

Regarding another count still pending in the original suit made by the
historical/archival community -- that the Executive Order 13233 signed by
President George W. Bush on 1 November 2001 which purports to “further
implement” the Presidential Records Act of 1978 contains illegal provisions
-- the judge granted the plaintiffs motion to “reconsider” her earlier
order from March 2004 in which she dismissed the case on “ripeness”
grounds. Judge Kollar-Kotelly now has directed that the plaintiffs and
the government prepare a new round of stand-alone briefings. Public
Citizen Litigation Group is preparing the brief that will be submitted on
behalf of the plaintiff organizations by the 31 October 2006, the court
filing deadline.


5. PASSING OF ROSS HOLLAND
F. Ross Holland Jr., the dean of American lighthouse historians and the
author of an insightful book on the Statue of Liberty's restoration project
of the 1980s, died 16 September 2005 of Alzheimer's disease at his home in
Mason, New Hampshire. He was 78. Holland, a historian and cultural
resources manager for more than three decades with the National Park
Service, wrote prolifically on lighthouses, their builders and keepers
including, "America's Lighthouses: An Illustrated History" (1988), "Great
American Lighthouses" (1995), and "Maryland Lighthouses of the Chesapeake"
(1997).

Holland was born in Savannah, Georgia, and graduated from Georgia State
University in 1949. He received a master's degree in history from the
University of Texas at Austin in 1958 and served as a park historian at a
number of different national park units, including Cabrillo National
Monument, Channel Islands National Monument in Southern California, and the
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park in Cumberland,
Maryland. Additionally, he served in Boston, Denver, and Washington in
various Park Service regional and central office management positions.

Few people have left a more lasting mark on present-day NPS cultural
resources programs than Holland. He received the Department of the
Interior's Meritorious Service Award for his contributions to historic
preservation. In addition, in 1983, he received the Interior Department's
highest award, the Distinguished Service Award, for "outstanding
contributions to the National Park Service in the field of cultural resources."

Holland became a member of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
after his retirement from the National Park Service in 1983; he later wrote
a very personal and thoughtful book entitled “Idealists, Scoundrels, and
the Lady” (1993) on the entire difficult experience that led to the
restoration of the Statue of Liberty. Throughout his career and well into
his retirement Holland continued to be actively involved in defending the
principles underlying the National Park Service mission and preservation
mandate. Among other things he served on the Mid-Atlantic Council, a group
that for years served as National Parks Conservation Association’s citizen
watchdog group for the Mid-Atlantic region.

Holland always put the betterment of the parks (especially their cultural
resources) first, and time and time again he courageously defended the NPS
against political interference. In the words of former NPS Associate
Director for Cultural Resources Jerry Rogers, for those who knew Ross
Holland, “the real image he leaves behind is a ready smile, a hearty laugh,
and a friendly handshake.”


6. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 -- New FRUS Electronic Only Edition Issued: The Department of
State has released an electronic only edition in the Foreign Relations of
the United States series. “FRUS, 1969-1976, Volume E-1, Documents on
Global Issues, 1969-1972” is the latest in a sub series of the FRUS series
that documents the most important decisions and actions of the foreign
policy of the administrations of President’s Richard Nixon and Gerald
Ford. Volume E-1 is the second such FRUS volume to be published in this
new format and is available to all free of charge on the
Internet. Approximately 25 percent of the volumes scheduled for
publication for the 1969-1976 sub series, covering the Nixon and Nixon-Ford
administrations, will be in this format.

This particular volume documents the foreign policy of the Nixon
administration towards global-sometimes called
transnational-issues: terrorism, hijacking, and other attacks on civilian
aviation; international narcotics control; international cooperation in
space and on the environment; and oceans policy, especially the law of the
sea. However, this volume does not cover the complete list of global
issues faced by the first Nixon administration; issues such as energy,
disarmament, refugees, and human rights-will be covered in other regional
or topical FRUS volumes. The volume, including a preface, list of names,
abbreviations, sources, and an annotated document list is available at the
Office of the Historian website,
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/nixon/e1. For additional information,
please contact Edward Keefer, General Editor of the Foreign Relations
series, at (202) 663-1131; fax (202) 663-1289; or e-mail history@state.gov.

Item #2 --­ Library of Congress Makes Confederate Maps Available Online: A
collection of Civil War era maps, many of which were used by Gen. Robert E.
Lee and Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, is now available from the
Library of Congress (LC) online at
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/maps/hotchkiss/. The maps that are
deposited in the LC’s Geography and Map Division collection were obtained
from Mrs. R.E. Christian, the granddaughter of Maj. Jedediah Hotchkiss
(1828-1899), who served as a topographic engineer in the Confederate Army.
“The Hotchkiss Map Collection” contains cartographic items by Hotchkiss,
who made detailed battle maps, primarily of the Shenandoah Valley. Some of
these maps were used by Gens. Lee and Jackson for their combat planning and
strategy. Several of them have annotations of various military officers,
demonstrating their importance in the military campaigns. Most of the
collection focuses on Virginia and West Virginia, but they also cover other
states and even other countries around the world. In its entirety, the
collection consists of 341 sketchbooks, manuscripts and annotated printed
maps. This online presentation includes all the materials in the Hotchkiss
Map Collection, some of which also appear in the complementary American
Memory collection “Civil War Maps, 1861-1865” at
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/civil_war_maps/.

Item #3 – “Archives Made Easy” Launched: The London School of Economics
(LSE) has recently launched a new web resource for historians in the 21st
century. The site, called “Archives Made Easy,” is an online guide to
archives around the world. It serves the global research community by
providing transparency of the costs and processes involved in an archive
visit, essentially the kind of information researchers need to know
beforehand in order to avoid costly mistakes and delays. Content of this
site has come from the doctorate students of LSE's International History
department and their colleagues at various universities
worldwide. Researchers of all levels are welcome to submit a review on any
archive, or update an existing review. This new website can be viewed
online at www.archivesmadeeasy.org.

Item #4 -- SAA Offers Educational Programs: The Society of American
Archivists (SAA) has announced three education programs scheduled for
November: “Archival Perspectives in Digital Preservation” (3-4 November
2005 in Richmond, Virginia). While the course is almost filled, for more
information, visit
http://www.archivists.org/prof-education/workshop-detail.asp?id=1343. A
second course, “Understanding Photographs: Introduction to Archival
Principles and Practices” (3-4 November 2005 in Washington, D.C.); for more
information, visit
http://www.archivists.org/prof-education/workshop-detail.asp?id=1644.
Finally, “Describing Photographs in the Online Environment” (7 November
2005 in New York city); for more information, visit
http://www.archivists.org/prof-education/workshop-detail.asp?id=1597.
Anyone with questions or comments can call (312)-922-0140, or e-mail
education@archivists.org.

Item #5 -- Battlefield Preservation Grants: Beginning on 1 October 2005,
the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) will make grant
applications available on its website for non-profit groups, interested
community groups, and local, state, and regional officials. In recent
years, grants have averaged around $32,300. The ABPP leads a partnership
initiative for the purpose of helping communities identify, assess, and
protect the historic battlefield sites across the United States. Projects
generally focus primarily on land use, site management planning, and public
education. The deadline for grant applications is 13 January 2006. For
more information about the ABPP, call the Grants Manager Kristen Stevens at
(202) 354-2037, or visit http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/.


7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Two postings this week: First, “Where the Relics Meet the Road: Ireland's
Highway Dispute” by Ron DePasquale (Christian Science Monitor; 26
September 2005) describes the opposition being mounted by archaeologists to
try to stop a government plan to pave the valley beneath the Hill of Tara,
Ireland’s ancient ceremonial seat and the island’s “most important
prehistoric site.” Visit:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0926/p07s01-woeu.html?s=hns .

Second, James Banner Jr. in his essay, “Learning Isn’t a Short-Term
Affair: The Flaw in Most Federal Grant Programs for Teachers” (Edweek.org
(28 September 2005) argues U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) “Teaching
American History” grant program is wasting money “because of a defect in
the federal regulations governing the grants.” Banner proposes that the ED
needs to issue regulations requiring recipients to show evidence that they
will “sustain each project beyond a grant term.” To access the article,
visit http://www.edweek.org and search under author’s name; the article can
be viewed free after registering on the Education Week website.


***********************************************************
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Pam Kay Early - 9/29/2005

My uncle was also involved in the liberation of Santo Tomas. I am very interested in knowing more about it. I am pretty sure he was in the 8th Calvary.
Pam Early

HNN - 9/25/2005

#1 Ted Widmer: Whatever Became of Presidential Peacemaking?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16155.html

#2 Juan Cole: No, We Can't Immediately Withdraw from Iraq
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16169.html

#3 Sidney Blumenthal: Bush's responses to the crisis in Iraq and the
aftermath of Katrina are jarringly repetitive
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16095.html

#4 Jim Sleeper: Forget the cheap slogans. Saving a city is hard and dirty
work.
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16141.html

#5 Felipe Fernández-Armesto: Cities Do Not Last
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16167.html

#6 Harold Meyerson: Master of the Poison Pill
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16053.html

#7 Nick Kotz: Review of Ira Katznelson's When Affirmative Action Was White
(Norton)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16111.html

#8 Robert J. Samuelson: Discovering Poverty (Again)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16054.html

#9 Ted Steinberg: Our Tsunami?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15913.html

#10 Lawrence Goldstone: The White Washing of American History
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15982.html

#11 Michael T. Klare: More Blood, Less Oil
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15992.html

#12 Simon Jenkins: British Official Seeks Control Celebrations Of Historical
Events
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16128.html

#13 Michael Vorenberg: Review of Mary Frances Berry's My Face Is Black Is
True: Callie House and the Struggle for Ex-Slave Reparations
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15931.html

HNN - 9/23/2005

*************************************************************************
NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #36; 23 SEPTEMBER 2005)
by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org with Nathaniel Kulyk
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************

1. CONSTITUTION DAY EVENTS HELD ACROSS THE COUNTRY
2. BRADEMAS CENTER MAKES ITS PROGRAMMATIC DEBUT
3. CIA HISTORICAL REVIEW PANEL MEETS
4. KATRINA ASSISTANCE UPDATE
5. BITS AND BYTES: History Now Webpage; Historian Gets MacArthur Grant;
Revised FOIA Guide
6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: “Teaching 9/11” (The Nation)

1. CONSTITUTION DAY EVENTS HELD ACROSS THE COUNTRY
In an effort to comply with a new federal law mandating that publicly
funded schools and universities as well as federal agencies should, in some
way, observe Constitution Day (17 September), hundreds of institutions
across the nation held events this last week to commemorate the nation’s
founding document. Millions of copies of the Constitution were distributed
throughout the country and hundreds of readings, lectures, and special
events were sponsored by educational and governmental institutions.

Because 17 September fell on a Saturday this year, most events were held
the day before. Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) who authored legislation last
year delivered the Tom E. Moses Memorial Lecture on the U.S. Constitution
at the Robert C, Byrd Center for Legislative Studies at Shepherd University
in Shepherdstown, West Virginia on Friday. Byrd’s presentation was
broadcast over C-SPAN (for video clips go to www.c-spanclassroom.org )
which had partnered with the National Archives and Records Administration,
the Constitution Center in Philadelphia, and other organizations to deliver
a wide range of broadcast programs throughout the day commemorating the
Constitution.

Because the regulations for the new law are extremely loose ­- institutions
could do practically anything they wished to commemorate the day ­ and as
it happens, they did. One college baked three large birthday cakes with
the Constitution and Bill or Rights written in the icing which enabled
students to literally devour the constitution. At the University of the
Arts in Philadelphia, rather than give mere lip service extolling the
time-honored virtues embodied in the Constitution, students were invited to
propose additions or changes to the nation’s founding document on large
boards mounted at various campus locations. One community college in
Texas put students to the test by holding a “Constitution Day Jeopardy”
contest in which prizes were awarded to students with the deepest knowledge
of the Constitution. However, Vanderbilt University probably offered the
most controversial program: Edward Rubin, dean of the Vanderbilt law school
led a panel questioning the constitutionality of Byrd’s Constitution Day
law that Rubin argued ”honors the Constitution by violating it.”

Most college campuses though stuck to conventional lectures. Because the
U.S. Supreme Court is currently in the news due to the pending nomination
of Judge John Roberts to become Chief Justice, some institutions focused
their programs on the Constitutional provisions relating to the Supreme
Court.

Educational institutions planning their special events had access to any
amount of web-based Constitution related information made available by
scores of federal, state and private institutions. One of the most
comprehensive sites to emerge out of this effort is the National
Constitution Center’s http://www.constitutionday.us . The National
Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), led by the EDSITEment Project and the
“We the People Program,” also set up a special website to help deepen
understanding about the Constitution. An assortment of documents,
background essays, and bibliographies allows for a quick reference on the
history of the Constitution, the debates surrounding its creation, and the
Founding Fathers who authored it. This website can be viewed at
http://edsitement.neh.gov/ConstitutionDay/constitution_index2.html.

2. BRADEMAS CENTER MAKES ITS PROGRAMMATIC DEBUT
On 15 September 2005, the John Brademas Center for the Study of Congress, a
new institution affiliated with New York University’s Robert F. Wagner
Graduate School of Public Service, held its first public program: the
annual Bernard and Irene Schwartz Lecture on Congress to a packed audience
at the Library of Congress. The program featured presentations by two
distinguished members of Congress: Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) and Paul
S. Sarbanes (D-MD). In their formal remarks both senators explored the
dynamic tension that exists between the executive, legislative, and
judicial branches of the federal government.

The invitation-only event espoused the Brademas Center’s core mission: that
of focusing attention on the processes by which the Congress of the United
States shapes policy. After being introduced by the center’s founder ­
former Indiana Congressman and NYU President, Dr. John Brademas -- Senator
Lugar delivered a finely crafted 20-minute presentation that focused on the
institutional strengths and weaknesses of Congress in relation to the
Executive department in the arena of foreign policy. Lugar noted the huge
staffing and hence informational and analytical advantage that the
Executive Branch has in formulating foreign policy, a fact that makes
congressional oversight a challenge. Senator Sarbanes delivered a less
focused more off-the-cuff talk that addressed Congresses role in the
formulation of domestic policy.

After the lectures, Brademas called on veteran political commentator Dr.
Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar of the American Enterprise Institute,
to deliver some comments and moderate a question and answer
session. Ornstein had little positive to say about how Congress has been
operating recently. Ornstein stated that much has changed over the last
thirty years in terms of how Congress operates. He lamented the decline of
Congress’s institutional autonomy, independence, and authority, especially
vis-a-vis the Executive branch. He noted that under the present Republican
administration Congressional leaders have become merely “lieutenants in the
President’s army” and consequently Congressional oversight is virtually
non-existent. He took various committees, especially the appropriations
committees to task for providing little fiscal oversight and noted that the
huge number of recent earmarks hardly served the national interest.

Changes in the rules, stated Ornstein, have brought an end to any and all
meaningful debate in the House. Above all though, he lamented the
“collapse of the center” where in the past members of both parties were
able to work across institutional and party lines to accomplish great
things. Today, stated Ornstein, there is an overarching attitude
(particularly by Republicans) that the “ends justify the means.” All in
all, Ornstein characterized today’s Congressional environment as “tribal”
and he called on Congress to reinstitute its independence of the White
House and reinvigorate its traditional institutional roles.

The activities of the Brademas Center are supported by a grant directed by
the U.S. Congress as well as by private contributions from individuals,
corporations, and foundations. For more on the center, visit
http://www.nyu.edu/ofp/brademascenter .

3. CIA HISTORICAL REVIEW PANEL MEETS
The Central Intelligence Agency’s Historical Review Panel (HRP) has
released a statement regarding its most recently convened meeting in which
a number of topics related to the usage, declassification, and release of
historical documents for public use were at the core of discussion. The
HRP focused on the CIA’s contribution to the Foreign Relations of the
United States (FRUS) series. There was a continuation of the debate over
outstanding controversial matters relating to the yet to be released FRUS
Congo volume and for a pending volume on Iran circa 1950-55. In addition,
HRP discussed the standards that should guide the declassification of
documents related to the FRUS and the ways in which deliberations might be
accelerated.

Other topics addressed during the meeting of the HRP included a discussion
of issues relating to the collection and release of documents related to
the Warsaw Pact; the usage of CIA documents under the 25-Year Program at
the National Archives; ways of increasing the number of documents that are
reviewed and released to the public; a review of a proposed release of
National Intelligence Estimates (NIEs) on Vietnam and plans for similar
releases in other areas. The HRP (which meets twice annually) is expected
to meet again in December.

The Central Intelligence Agency's Historical Review Panel (HRP) was formed
in 1995, and replaced a similar panel that was less formally organized and
that had met only periodically. The HRP advises the Central Intelligence
Agency on systematic and automatic declassification review under the
provisions of Executive Order 12958 as amended; assists in developing
subjects of historical and scholarly interest for the Intelligence
Community declassification review program; advises the CIA and the
Intelligence Community on declassification issues in which the DCIA's
statutory responsibility to protect intelligence sources and methods
potentially conflicts with mandated declassification priorities; provides
guidance for the historical research and writing programs of the CIA
History Staff, and when appropriate, review draft products; and advises
Information Management Services on its voluntary declassification review
initiatives and the Center for the Study of Intelligence on its academic
outreach programs.

The HRP, like the other DCIA panels, is convened at the pleasure of the
Director of the CIA to provide confidential advice and
assessments. According to an HRP statement, the HRP's advice to the DCIA
“is completely frank and candid,” and hence panel recommendations are not
reported in detail, but because the panel's primary concern is the program
of declassification and the release of information to the public, it does
seek to inform the interested public of the subjects and problems that the
panel is discussing.

Members of the HRP include Professor Robert Jervis of Columbia University
who serves as Chair, Dr. Lewis Bellardo of the National Archives and
Records Administration, Professor Melvyn Leffler of the University of
Virginia, Professor Robert Pastor of American University, Professor Marc
Trachtenberg of UCLA, Professor Betty Unterberger of Texas A&M University,
and Professor Ruth Wedgwood of Johns Hopkins University.

4. KATRINA ASSISTANCE UPDATE
Reports to the NCH office suggest that Mississippi appears to be somewhat
ahead of Louisiana in access to and recovery of records ­ largely because
of the type of damage that occurred. Collections are being evacuated from
coastal locations and architects and engineers have been assessing damage
to Jefferson Davis’s home, Beauvoir; the good news is that the house
appears restorable. There still remain some serious questions about the
status of public records in Hancock and Jefferson counties.

In Louisiana and New Orleans in particular there are a variety of things to
report: the Jean Lafite collections have been moved out of New Orleans and
the University of New Orleans archives appears to be dry. Power has been
restored to the Notarial Archives and most of the 19th and 20th century
records there have now been removed. Wet books and some records have been
sent to Chicago for vacuum freeze-drying and the rest of the records have
been placed in climate controlled trucks and are awaiting storage space

In an effort to assist in the hurricane relief effort, the American
Association for State and Local History (AASLH) has assembled two teams to
visit Louisiana and Mississippi for the purpose of assessing the damage to
historical resources and to rescue them. Working in cooperation with the
American Institute for Conservation, the Southeast Museums Conference, the
Louisiana Museums Association, and the Mississippi Museums Association, the
AASLH hopes to be able to send follow-up teams to work with different
museums and sites to help preserve the resources. It is important that
this endeavor has all the help and financial support it needs to ensure
that it is a success. Anyone who is interested in volunteering to be on a
team can send their information to sawyer@aaslh.org.

The AASLH is looking for additional help as well. Anyone who has access to
conservation supplies is encouraged to contact Richard Waterhouse, the
director of the Southeast Museums Conference, at
director@SEMCdirect.net. Individuals willing to contribute frequent flyer
miles to help the teams get to the sites can e-mail Sharin Barkmeier at
barkmeier@aaslh.org. Monetary contributions are also greatly
appreciated. Donations can be made online at www.aaslh.org or checks can
be sent in the mail to 1717 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37203.

Finally, the Society of Southwest Archivists (SSA) and the Society of
American Archivists (SAA) have announced the creation of the SSA-SAA
Emergency Disaster Assistance Grant Fund -- a fund established to address
the stabilization and recovery needs of archival repositories that have
been directly affected by Hurricane Katrina. Any repository that holds
archival records or special collections and that is located in Hurricane
Katrina-affected areas of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, or Mississippi is
eligible to apply for a grant. The repository need not be a member of SSA
or SAA. Grant monies may be used for the direct recovery of damaged or
at-risk archival materials; such services as freeze drying, storage,
transportation of materials, and rental facilities; supplies, including
acid-free boxes and folders, storage cartons, cleaning materials, plastic
milk crates, and protective gear; and to defray the costs for volunteers or
other laborers who assist with the recovery.

The SSA/SAA are also inviting colleagues to support the fund; to this end
visit http://www.archivists.org/katrina/contribute.asp in order to make a
donation; both the SAA and SSA have each contributed $5,000 in seed money
to establish the fund. Contributions by fax (using a credit card) maybe
made by calling (312) 347-1452 or via snail mail to: Society of American
Archivists, Attn: EDA Grant Fund, 527 South Wells Street, Fifth Floor,
Chicago, IL 60607.

Organizations in need of assistance may apply for an initial grant of up to
$2,000, though additional requests may be considered if funds remain
available. Approved grant payments may be made directly to a service
provider, upon the grantee's request, if an itemized invoice is
presented. Recipients will be asked to provide a financial accounting of
expenditures made using the award within six months of receiving the
funding. A short application form is available on the SAA website at
http://www.archivists.org/katrina/apply.asp. Or, if organizations prefer,
a a letter may be submitted containing the information listed below.
Ideally, the letter should come from the head of an organization, but it
may come from a primary contact. Please include contact information for
both the head of the organization and the primary contact if these are
different individuals. Send the letter to: SSA President Brenda Gunn,
Assistant Director for Research and Collections, Center for American
History, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station, D1100,
Austin, TX 78712; 512-495-4385; 512-495-4542 (fax); bgunn@mail.utexas.edu.
The letter of application should address the following: the mission of the
repository; a brief description of archival collection(s); a description of
damage to the affected collection(s) (which may include supporting
photographs or digital images); how much funding is being requested; a
brief description of how the funds will be used; what other sources of
funding are available to the repository; and if selected, to whom the check
should be made payable.

A review panel comprising four SSA former presidents and the immediate past
treasurer, along with one member of the SAA Council, will review
applications and select the grant recipients. The committee will score
proposals based on the application criteria. The Society of American
Archivists is responsible for financial administration of the fund.

5. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 ­ History Now Webpage: The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American
History is pleased to present the fifth issue of HISTORY NOW, an online
journal for teachers and students of history. The current issue examines
the abolitionist movement in the United States. Sylvia Frey and Ronald
Walters look at the history of the antislavery movement; Carol Berkin,
Margaret Washington, and Steven Mintz relay the stories of various
individuals who participated in the abolitionist cause; and Robert Abzug
studies the influence and impact that religion had among the
abolitionists. The journal also provides an extensive list of resources
for teachers, as well as an interactive map that traces the path of freedom
in the 1850s. It is now available for viewing at
http://www.historynow.org/09_2005/historian.html.

Item #2 ­ Historian Gets MacArthur Grant: University of California - San
Diego Associate Professor of History Emily Thompson was named one of the
MacArthur Foundation's 2005 Fellows. Prof. Thompson, whose groundbreaking
work in the field of aural (or sound history) will recieve a half-million
dollar "no-strings" grant over the next five years. Thompson’s interests
are focused on the changes in acoustic design as reflections of a larger
cultural and social shift in American life in the early 20th century. Her
most recent project is centered on the role of engineers and industry
technicians in the transition to synchronized sound in cinema, which
promises to be an innovative analysis in this historical field.

Each year, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awards
approximately twenty-five Fellowship awards. First created as a grant
program in 1981, Fellows are selected for their creativity, originality,
and potential. A Selection Committee of twelve members, who serve
anonymously, meet regularly to discuss the files of nominees and to make
their recommendations to the Foundation’s Board of Directors. A list of
this year’s MacArthur Fellows can be viewed online at
http://www.macfound.org/programs/fel/winners_overview.htm. The MacArthur
Foundation is a private, independent grant making institution dedicated to
helping groups and individuals foster lasting improvement in the human
condition. Since its establishment in 1978, the foundation has awarded
approximately $180 million in grants.

Item # 3 ­ Revised FOIA Guide: The House Committee on Government Reform
has published a new edition of its popular "Citizen's Guide on Using the
Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act of 1974 to Request
Government Records." The Guide, first published in 1977, "is one of the
most widely read congressional committee reports in history," the new
edition says. A copy of the updated Guide, House Report 109-226, 20
September 2005, is available at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/foia/citizen.html

6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: U.C. Irvine history professor Jon Wiener’s article
“Teaching 9/11” in the 26 September 2005 edition of “The Nation” magazine
examines how the events of 11 September 2001 are being taught in the
classroom. Wiener takes a close look at the politics of 9/11 and how it
has been incorporated into history textbooks written over the past three
years. Among other points, Weiner argues that the debate on how 9/11
should be taught is overshadowed by the simple fact that there is a great
deal of American history that students are expected to know, and there is
so little time to teach all of it. For the article, tap into:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050926/wiener .


***********************************************************
Who We Are
The National Coalition for History is a non-profit educational organization
that provides leadership in history-related advocacy; it serves as the
profession's national voice in the promotion of history and archives, and
acts as a clearinghouse of news and information of interest to
history-related professionals. Membership in the history coalition is open
to organizations that share our concern for history and archives. For
information on how your history/archive organization can become a member,
visit our website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch/ and click on the "Join
the Coalition" web link.

Individuals are invited to help support the NCH by sending a donation
directly to the NCH at 400 A Street S.E. Washington D.C. 20003, or, by
making an on-line donation at
http://www.conservenow.org/detail.asp?ORGID=2032&;memflag=true . All
contributions are tax deductible.

Subscribe Today!

We invite you to subscribe to this FREE weekly newsletter! You are also
encouraged to redistribute the NCH 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 NCH's recently updated web page at
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch .

To subscribe to the "NCH Washington Update," send an e-mail message to
listserv@h-net.msu.edu with the following text in the body of the message
(and only this text) SUBSCRIBE H-NCH firstname lastname, institution. To
unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu according to
the following model SIGNOFF H-NCH.

You can accomplish the same tasks by tapping into the web interface at
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/lists/subscribe.cgi and at the "network" prompt,
scroll down and select H-NCH; enter your name and affiliation and "submit".
******************************************************

HNN - 9/16/2005

#1 Cory Robin: The Fear of the Liberals
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15799.html

#2 Joshua Wolf Shenk: Lincoln's Great Depression
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15818.html

#3 Ari Kelman: America's Underclass Exposed
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15644.html

#4 Daniel Pipes: What If The United States Had Not Invaded Iraq
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15642.html

#5 Martin Kramer: When Scholars Make Predictions About the Middle East I
Keep Track
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15765.html

#6 Joshua Brown: Mission Not Accomplished (Illustration)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15807.html

#7 Paul Krugman: Not the New Deal
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15808.html

#8 David Greenberg: The Legend of the Scopes Trial (Science didn't really
win.)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15813.html

#9 Rebecca Solnit: The Uses of Disaster
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15781.html

#10 Richard Cohen: What Responsibility?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15780.html

#11 Margaret Washington: The Unheralded Black Women Who Railed Against
Slavery
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15761.html

#12 Barbara Demick: South Koreans Clash Over A 1957 Statue Of McArthur
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15748.html

HNN - 9/15/2005

*************************************************************************
NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #35; 15 SEPTEMBER 2005)
by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org with Nathaniel Kulyk
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************

1. JOHN G. ROBERTS – “HISTORIAN”
2. SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES REVISIONS TO HIGHER EDUCATION ACT – NEW
HISTORY LANGUAGE INCLUDED
3. KATRINA UPDATE
4. BITS AND BYTES: LBJ Oral History Project Online; NEH “We the People”
Bookshelf Announced
5. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: “UNESCO Treaty to Protect Oral Traditions On
Track to Enter Into Force Next Year” (UN News Centre)


1. JOHN G. ROBERTS – “HISTORIAN”
It is fairly well known that President Bush’s nominee to serve as Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court, John G. Roberts, majored in history as an
undergraduate at Harvard University. There is evidence to suggest that
Roberts seriously contemplated becoming a history professor, and, based on
his undergraduate record, he was well on his way to fulfilling that
aspiration. Roberts’s interest in history also appears to have continued
long after graduation and has served him well in his career as a lawyer and
judge.

As an undergraduate at Harvard Roberts finished his undergraduate work in
three years and graduated Summa Cum Laude. He won two awards for papers
while at Harvard – one entitled “Marxism and Bolshevism: Theory and
Practice” and the other “The Utopian Conservative: A Study of Continuity
and Change in the Thought of Daniel Webster.” Copies of the former paper
have not been located, but the later paper provides some insight into
Roberts’s personal decision to pursue a legal career. The paper reflects
his admiration for Webster – both as a lawyer and a man. The paper
describes what Roberts characterized as a particular type of “Websterian
man” – a person “not bound by the sectional and divisive influences of
party politics…[a man who] raised himself above the conflict and stilled it
through dispassionate compromise.” One can hope that as Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court Roberts will aspire to cultivate in himself such
qualities.

A third work -- Roberts’s senior history thesis entitled “Old and New
Liberalism: The British Liberal Party’s Approach to Social Problems,
1906-1914” -- ran some 166 pages and focused on the rise and subsequent
decline of the Liberal party in early 20th century politics. Boston
College professor of history James Cronin who recently was shown a copy of
the work, characterized it as “an impressive piece of work: it is
well-written and quite thoughtfully argued and it appears that Roberts has
done a good deal of research and has read the most recent
literature.” Though the article was written some thirty years ago and
Roberts’s views in the intervening years may certainly have changed, Cronin
adds, “What I’ve read provides little cause to regard Roberts as especially
right-wing or ideological.”

Another document has now come to light that reflects Robert’s continuing
interest in historical scholarship. It is an article entitled “Oral
Advocacy and the Re-emergence of a Supreme Court Bar” published this year
in an issue of the Journal of Supreme Court History (2005, Vol. 30 No. 1;
pp 68-81). In this most recent writing Roberts reflects on the historical
trend toward “discernible professionalization among the advocates before
the Supreme Court” (of which Roberts is one) and traces the role that oral
advocacy has had on the court.

Reading between the lines, the article suggests that Roberts has a
tremendous respect for the history of the Supreme Court as an
institution. Furthermore, his training as a historian is reflected in how
he examines case law, analyzes statutes, and probes for weaknesses in
arguments. There is no question he values legal precedent.

The article focuses on the historical role that Supreme Court specialists
have played in the operations of the court. To that end Roberts central
conclusion is that “oral argument is terribly, terribly important.” He
compares these court specialists to medieval stonemasons who spent months
carving intricate gargoyles in high cathedrals where practically nobody
would see their work: “The stone masons did it because they were carving
for the eye of God,” wrote Roberts. Similarly, “the advocate who stands
before the Supreme Court also needs to infuse his craft with a higher
purpose. He must appreciate that what happens here, in case after mundane
case, is extraordinary – the vindication of the rule of law…the higher
purpose will steel him for the long and lonely work of preparation…and will
forge a special bond with his colleagues at the Supreme Court bar.”

2. SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES REVISIONS TO HIGHER EDUCATION ACT – NEW
HISTORY LANGUAGE INCLUDED
On 6 September 2005, Senators Michael B. Enzi (R-WY) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA)
introduced legislation (S. 1614) to reauthorize programs associated with
the Higher Education Act of 1965. Two days later, the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions reported the bill out with minor revisions.
Among the titles included in the bill is one focusing on history-related
postsecondary grant programs.

Members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions spent all of a half-hour making minor revisions to the bill and
then passing the measure by a unanimous vote of 20-0. Among other things
the bill leaves in place the current formula for distributing funds for the
Perkins Loan, Federal Work Study, and Supplemental Educational Opportunity
Grant Programs. The legislation does make changes to the Pell Grant
Program, raising the program income eligibility cutoff to $20,000; the bill
also increases the ceiling to which appropriators can raise the maximum
Pell award to $5,100 in 2006-07.

But of direct interest to the historical community is language in Section
851 of the measure entitled “American History for Freedom.” This section
authorizes the Secretary of Education to award three-year competitive
grants to institutions of higher education for the purpose of strengthening
postsecondary academic programs that promote and impart knowledge of
“traditional American history; the history, nature, and threats to free
institutions; and the history and achievements of Western Civilization.”

As was the case during the last Congress when a similar measure was
introduced (the bill became stalled in the House shortly before adjournment
and never passed), this Congress’s bill version includes a definition of
“traditional” American history: “the significant constitutional, political,
intellectual, economic, and foreign policy trends and issued that have
shaped the course of American history; and the key episodes, turning
points, and leading figures involved in the constitutional, political,
intellectual, diplomatic and economic history of the United
States.” Notably absent is any mention of “social” history or any notion
of “comparative” history.

If this legislation passes the appropriated funds would be used to design
and implement programs of study, individual courses, lecture series,
seminars, symposia and the like. In addition, funds may be used for the
development and publication of instructional materials, research, support
for undergraduate and graduate programs, student and teacher fellowships,
and teacher preparation programs that stress “content mastery.” Not only
would grants be made available to traditional educational agencies such as
colleges and universities, but also eligible “nonprofit organizations” such
as museums and libraries, “whose mission is consistent” with the purposes
of this act.

The legislation does not include any specific appropriation authorization
but merely states that funds “are authorized to be appropriated…as may be
necessary for fiscal year 2006 and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal
years.” Action in the Senate is expected in the coming months; no
companion bill has yet been introduced in the House.

3. KATRINA UPDATE
As relief and recovery efforts continue along the Gulf Coast in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, work is concentrating on assessments of
damage to museums, libraries, archives, historic structures, and sites of
historic interest.

As reports continue to be logged in by the American Association of Museums
(see http://www.aam-us.org/aamlatest/news/HurricaneFirstReports.cfm ) it
appears that in spite of individual horror stories, historic sites in New
Orleans, since they generally were constructed on higher land, have been
incredibly lucky. Staff members of the Historic New Orleans Collection
were able to enter the French Quarter with an escort of state
police. Their buildings and collections were “high and dry” and much of
the material has been moved to institutions elsewhere in Louisiana. At the
present time, it has been reported that while the city’s archives was
spared from flooding, concerns remain about documents left exposed to the
humidity which may result in their destruction from mold.

The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) has set up a
Historical Resources Recovery Fund, which can be viewed at
http://www.aaslh.org/katrina.htm . Organizations that are going to need
financial support in this recovery effort include the New Orleans Public
Library, which houses a number of un-microfilmed records of the city’s
civil, criminal, and probate courts and the University of New Orleans,
which houses the records of the state’s Supreme Court. While all of the
aquatic life at the city’s aquarium was lost, the majority of animals at
the zoo were quickly transported to other facilities across the
country. Reports also indicate that the New Orleans Notarial Records have
been packed into freezer trucks to ensure their preservation. And despite
seemingly overwhelming odds, Dillard University president Marvalene Hughes
remains determined that her campus, viewed by many as a cultural and
historical jewel in its own right, will ultimately recover from the
devastation.

Reports are also coming in from other areas along the Gulf Coast. At the
present time, no fewer than 20 Mississippi libraries have endangered
collections and continue to be without power. The public libraries in
Biloxi and Pascagoula apparently have been completely destroyed. By
contrast, archives and records centers in Florida have been reported as
surviving the storm satisfactorily.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is reaching out to the
history and cultural communities and is now working closely with the State
Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) to gather as much information as
possible about all of the cultural institutions and specifically determine
which have been directly affected by Katrina. FEMA is hiring 15-20
Historic Preservation Specialists for the purpose of providing technical
assistance to the disaster programs to fulfill the necessary legal
responsibilities under various historic preservation laws. In addition,
the specialists will assist FEMA in integrating historic preservation
considerations into the development and review of projects proposed for
funding. For interested parties, additional information regarding the job
description and contact information can be found at:
http://www.planetizen.com/node/17342 .

In an effort to help with the prompt recovery of historic places,
collections, and records in the future, the National Park Service (NPS) has
created the Historic Preservation Learning Portal, which can be viewed at
www.historicpreservation.gov . Working in collaboration with FEMA, the
United States Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security, and 15
additional Federal agencies, the Historic Preservation Leaning Portal is a
powerful new tool to provide a direct link to all historic preservation
information on the Internet. Individuals can quickly find Federal agency
sites, the sites of historical preservation offices, state historic
preservation offices, and the sites of non-profit and professional
historical organizations. The system does not require keywords and will
allow for a specific question to be asked, resulting in a range of
information on the particular subject. There are currently over 1,000
historic preservation sites that have been indexed by the portal.

In response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Academy of Certified
Archivists (ACA) has joined with the Society of American Archivists (SAA)
and the National Association for Government Archivists and Records
Administration (NAGARA) in issuing a joint statement recognizing the tragic
losses and offering continued support as the region rebuilds. To this end,
the ACA has offered their members who live in the affected regions easier
ways to retain their CA status. Membership dues will be waived for one
year for any CA in the affected area; any impacted CA who is due to
recertify in 2006-2007 will have a 2 year extension time; and a waiver on
the one-time ACA membership fee will be granted to new CA’s who passed the
exam in 2005. The statement can be viewed at
http://www.certifiedarchivists.org/html/newsarch.html .

4. BITS AND BYTES
Item # 1 – LBJ Oral History Project Online: The Scripps Library at the
Miller Center of Public Affairs has made their “Lyndon B. Johnson Oral
History” project available online. A collection of over 1,150 interview
transcripts from the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, may be
viewed online in .pdf format
at:
http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/scripps/diglibrary/oralhistory/ohp_display.php?project=1&;check=0
. Each interview is fully searchable using the “binocular” button in Adobe
Acrobat.

Item # 2 – NEH “We the People” Bookshelf Announced: On 8 September 2005,
the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced the third “We the
People Bookshelf” in which classic books targeted to younger readers (K-12)
are distributed free to libraries and institutions. This year’s theme
focuses on “becoming American.” Some of the titles that appear on the new
bookshelf include “The Lotus Seed” by Sherry Garland, “Rip Van Winkle” by
Washington Irving, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith, and the
“Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” edited by Louis P. Masur. Working
through its partnership with the American Library Association (ALA), the
NEH will offer complete sets of the new bookshelf collection to schools and
libraries across the country. A donation by the McCormick Tribune
Foundation doubles the potential distribution of this year’s books to
nearly 2,000 institutions. The NEH is currently accepting applications for
the bookshelf; application guidelines and necessary forms may be accessed
at: http://www.wethepeople.gov/bookshelf/becomingamerican-guidelines.html .

5. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: In “UNESCO Treaty to Protect Oral Traditions On
Track to Enter Into Force Next Year” (UN News Centre; 15 September 2005),
an update is posted on the current status of the so-called Convention for
Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.” For the article, tap in
to: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=15751&;Cr=culture&Cr1=UNESCO .


***********************************************************
Who We Are
The National Coalition for History is a non-profit educational organization
that provides leadership in history-related advocacy; it serves as the
profession's national voice in the promotion of history and archives, and
acts as a clearinghouse of news and information of interest to
history-related professionals. Membership in the history coalition is open
to organizations that share our concern for history and archives. For
information on how your history/archive organization can become a member,
visit our website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch/ and click on the "Join
the Coalition" web link.

Individuals are invited to help support the NCH by sending a donation
directly to the NCH at 400 A Street S.E. Washington D.C. 20003, or, by
making an on-line donation at
http://www.conservenow.org/detail.asp?ORGID=2032&;memflag=true . All
contributions are tax deductible.

Subscribe Today!

We invite you to subscribe to this FREE weekly newsletter! You are also
encouraged to redistribute the NCH 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 NCH's recently updated web page at
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch .

To subscribe to the "NCH Washington Update," send an e-mail message to
listserv@h-net.msu.edu with the following text in the body of the message
(and only this text) SUBSCRIBE H-NCH firstname lastname, institution. To
unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu according to
the following model SIGNOFF H-NCH.

You can accomplish the same tasks by tapping into the web interface at
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/lists/subscribe.cgi and at the "network" prompt,
scroll down and select H-NCH; enter your name and affiliation and "submit".
******************************************************

HNN - 9/10/2005

#1 Juan Cole: Christopher Hitchens Is Still Hopeful About Iraq?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15440.html

#2 Daniel Pipes: L.A.'s Thwarted Terror Spree
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15397.html

#3 Victor Davis Hanson: Why We Must Stay in Iraq
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15258.html

#4 Francis Fukuyama: The Price of the Iraq War ... Undermining Support for
the Real War on Islamist Enemies
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14983.html

#5 Elliott Gorn: There's A Long Liberal Tradition of Motherhood and Social
Justice
http://hnn.us/roundup/1.html#14821

#6 Fred Glass: How Much Longer Will Unions Survive?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15367.html

#7 Lawrence F. Kaplan: 4 Years After 9-11, We're Still Bowling Alone
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15121.html

#8 Alan Dershowitz: Telling the Truth About Chief Justice Rehnquist
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/15448.html

#9 Todd Gitlin: Anti-War America
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14993.html

#10 Larry Elliott : Welcome to The Balmy Days of Another Edwardian Summer
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14946.html

HNN - 9/9/2005

*************************************************************************
NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #34; 9 SEPTEMBER 2005)
by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org with Nathaniel Kulyk
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************

1. HISTORY/ARCHIVES COMMUNITY RALLY TO ASSIST IN KATRINA AFTERMATH
2. NARA SELECTS LOCKHEED MARTIN TO BUILD ERA; ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNOUNCED
3. PATRIOT ACT UPDATE
4. NPS TO REVISE MANAGEMENT POLICIES
5. BERGER FINED FOR ARCHIVES THEFT
6. BITS AND BYTES: NEH Awards "We the People" Grants; Secrecy Report Card
7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: No posting this week

1. HISTORY/ARCHIVES COMMUNITY RALLY TO ASSIST IN KATRINA AFTERMATH
As emergency officials continue to find and rescue survivors, recover
bodies, and clean up the wreckage from Hurricane Katrina, which devastated
a significant portion of the Gulf Coast nearly two weeks ago, efforts are
also underway by various history and archival organizations to pitch in and
begin to survey the damage done to sites of historical significance and to
preserve as much as possible. This rescue and salvage effort takes on
special importance in a part of the country that is especially rich with
historic sites, artifacts, and archives.

In New Orleans, aerial photos indicate that the French Quarter is
relatively dry and intact. Locations such as the Caf du Monde,
Preservation Hall, and St. Louis Cathedral appear to have survived the
brunt of the storm. Museum directors have also determined that the New
Orleans Museum of Art, home to one of the most important collections in the
south, has also been spared from severe damage.

However, other sections of the city were not so fortunate. Virtually
everything in the Latin Quarter and the Garden District suffered some
damage. Preliminary reports indicate that the New Orleans Public Library
was hit hard and its archive of city records, which are housed in the
basement of the building, probably experienced flooding. At the New
Orleans Notarial Archives, which hold some 40 million pages of signed acts
compiled by notaries of new Orleans over three centuries, initial efforts
to save historical documents were unsuccessful. A Swedish document salvage
firm, hired by the archives to freeze-dry records to remove the moisture
from them, was turned away by uniformed personnel as they attempted to
enter the city. There are a considerable number of freezer trucks
available as soon as they are allowed to access areas currently closed. In
the case of both the public library and the notarial archives, time is of
the essence as humidity, mold, and water damage may decimate these
collections in a matter of days.

Many of the city's oldest historic neighborhoods were completely lost to
the floods. The U.S. Mint, which was once captured by the Confederate
Army, is missing part of its roof, while uncertainty remains about the
artifacts inside.

Katrina has affected other important historic sites in Louisiana as
well. Fort Jackson, located south of New Orleans, location of an important
Civil War naval battle, has suffered extensive flooding. In addition, the
Louisiana State Museum suffered moderate to extensive damage.

In Mississippi, the Old Capitol Museum had a third of its copper roof blown
off, resulting in the flooding of a storage room and exhibit
area. Beauvoir, the home of Jefferson Davis, located in Biloxi, was
virtually destroyed. Throughout the ravished parts of the Gulf Coast,
numerous trees and old houses have been lost, in many cases with no hope of
recovery. Many unanswered questions remain as to the condition of
historical artifacts that were in private hands, or the condition of other
archival collections that may have survived the floodwaters.

As the recovery efforts continue, historical preservation teams will begin
the long process of retrieving documents, photographs, and other important
pieces of history that have helped to shape a nation. What follows is a
summary of the emergency recovery and assistance efforts we know about.

An emergency team from the National Park Service Museum Resource Center
will soon be arriving in New Orleans to begin its preservation work,
salvaging every artifact they possibly can and protecting them from
mildew. They will be concentrating specifically on artifacts located at
the Jazz Museum, the Louis Armstrong home, the archives at Jean Lafitte
National Historical Park, and the Chalmette battlefield. The National Park
Service has also assembled a technical leaflet entitled After the Flood:
Emergency Stabilization and Conservation Methods, which offers suggestions
on how to prevent additional damage and how to maintain historical
integrity: http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/nps/npsafter.html .

The Heritage Emergency Task Force is also stepping in to assist in the
recovery. This task force was created for the purpose of assisting
cultural heritage institutions in the protection of their collections in
the event of natural disasters. Co-sponsored by Heritage Preservation,
Inc. and the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), it includes
over 30 federal agencies. At the present time, the task force is working
to coordinate information with the various historical institutions along
the Gulf Coast and are encouraging everyone to donate money to the Disaster
Relief Fund, as health and safety remain the highest priorities. The FEMA
web page at http://www.fema.gov/ehp/ehp_katrina.shtm and the Heritage
Emergency National Task Force webpage
(http://www.heritagepreservation.org/PROGRAMS/TASKFER.HTM) have links to
hurricane response information posted that cover such topics as how to get
aid (both individuals and governments), how to respond and salvage, and how
to mitigate damage.

The Library of Congress will be offering free rewash services to
institutions impacted by the hurricane for motion picture films, provided
that the film can be transported to the lab at Wright Patterson Air Force
Base. Those interested in the offer should contact Lance Watsky at
lwatsky@sos.state.ga.us.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is making available $1
million in hurricane relief for Gulf Coast cultural resources. The
emergency grants of up to $30,000 are being made available through the
executive directors of the state humanities councils in Alabama,
Mississippi, and Louisiana and are available to libraries, museums,
colleges, universities and other cultural and historical institutions
affected by the hurricane. For additional information about the program,
tap into http:www.humanities.gov .

In order to help with assessing the damage that has been done to other
historical institutions, the American Association for State and Local
History (AASLH), working with the American Association of Museums, has put
together a "first reports" webpage that can be accessed at
http://www.aam-us.org/aamlatest/news/HurricaneFirstReports.cfm; other
information is being updated constantly at http:www.aaslh.org and at the
AAM website at http:www.aam-us.org/aamlatest/news/hurricane.cfm . The
AASLH has also established a Historical Resources Recovery Fund in which
100% of the dollars secured will be used for the recovery of historical
resources in the affected states. Additional information is available at
http://www.aaslh.org/katrina.htm . A disaster relief for museums web site
established by the International Council on Museums (ICOM) also provides
exhaustive and updated information on the effects of the disaster with
regard to museums; visit the site at
http://icom.museum/disaster_relief/katrina.html .

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is also raising funds to
assist in the recovery of historical properties and is looking for
volunteers skilled in preservation, architecture, engineering, and small
business development. People interested in serving on one of the
assessment teams scheduled to go to affected areas when allowed in should
go to the Trust's webpage at http://www.nationaltrust.org/ for further
information.

The Society of American Archivists (SAA) has begun a list of volunteers
willing to help with disaster recovery. Interested parties can visit
http://www.archivists.org/news/hurricane-volunteer.asp; additional
information including a joint statement by the archival community can be
viewed at http://www.archivists.org . One of the first organizations to
act especially swiftly in efforts to assist is the Society of Southwest
Archivists (SSA). That organization has established a weblog to share
information about colleagues and others in Louisiana and Mississippi who
have been affected by the hurricane. It can be viewed at
http://herbie.ischool.utexas.edu/ssacares or contact Brenda Gunn at
bgunn@mail.utexas.edu for additional information. One bit of good news is
that there do not appear to be any archivists missing - all have been
accounted for and have reported in to their home institutions.

The Organization of American Historians (OAH) along with the American
Historical Association and the Southern Historical Association have joined
hands to establish a "historians to historians" message board; it is a
place where historians can offer or request assistance. Several categories
such as "Need help-housing" and "Need help-transportation" have been set up
to facilitate communication and assistance. For the site, visit the OAH
webpage at http:www.oah.org where the URL link (still under development at
this writing) is prominently displayed.

On the academic front, while many of the colleges and universities affected
by Hurricane Katrina will soon resume classes, Tulane University
(information about Tulane is available at http://emergency.tulane.edu ) and
Loyola University will remain closed until the spring semester in order to
repair the damages to their infrastructure, technology, and communication
systems. Students enrolled at both Tulane and Loyola are being encouraged
to attend nearby schools and to transfer credits. The History News Network
(HNN) has established a blog where the Tulane history students and faculty
can communicate with each other. It can be viewed at
http://hnn.us/blogs/45.html . In addition, the Chronicle of Higher
Education has created a webpage where affected colleges, associations, and
government agencies providing assistance can post messages; go to
http://chronicle.com/katrina .

Colleges and Universities across the country are offering temporary
admission for students directly affected by the hurricane and its
aftermath. For example, some schools in Texas, where many residents of
Louisiana fled, will allow out-of-state students to enroll at in-state
tuition rates. The University of Miami has said that they will allow
students to take classes there, collect tuition, and hold it in escrow for
the colleges that the students would otherwise attend. The Smithsonian
Institution's National Museum of American History has also said that they
would offer temporary positions to the faculty members of the affected
universities.

2. NARA SELECTS LOCKHEED MARTIN TO BUILD ERA; ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNOUNCED
On 8 September 2005, Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein
announced the award of a $308 million, six year contract to Lockheed Martin
to build the Electronic Records Archives (ERA) system for the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The ERA system seeks to
capture and preserve the electronic records of the federal government,
regardless of format; ensure hardware and software independence; and
provide access to the American public and Federal officials. According to
NARA officials, after a year-long design competition, Lockheed Martin was
chosen to build the archives of the future "based on the technical merit of
the solution it proposed, the excellence of their system and software
engineering methodology, and the quality of their project management."

In making the announcement, Weinstein said, "I am indebted to those who
acted decades and centuries ago to ensure that the records of our past were
preserved for use today. These parchments, pieces of paper, photographs,
and maps have allowed us to reconstruct and understand the story of our
nation and its people. Today, we act on behalf not only of archivists but
of all Americans of the 21st Century who will use the electronic records
being created by the Federal Government, today and tomorrow, to research,
write, and understand the history of our times. The ERA system will make
that possible. The Electronic Records Archives' goal is clear and simple:
a system that accepts, preserves, and makes accessible - far into the
future - any type of electronic document."

Lockheed Martin was selected based on its ability to design a system which
addresses in considerable depth NARA's business needs, on the one hand, and
on the other hand, a system that entails a modern, service-oriented
architecture. NARA's business needs encompass handling rapidly-growing
volumes of electronic records, ensuring the authenticity of those records,
preserving them for the long term, and providing public access while
protecting privacy and sensitive information.

At a press conference where the announcement was made, Mr. Donato (Don)
Antonucci, President, Transportation and Security Solutions, Lockheed
Martin Corporation said, " the Lockheed Martin team is proud to have been
selected for this essential solution and we will not fail you. Our vision
is that the ERA system can adapt to the diverse needs of state and local
governments to keep their electronic records accessible for generations to
come. The challenge of preserving electronic records affects everyone -
from federal agencies, to state and local governments, to the academic
community, to even the private sector."

The announcement comes at the close of a one-year design competition
between Harris Corporation and Lockheed Martin. The announcement marks the
beginning of the ERA system development, with the initial operating
capability targeted for release during Fiscal Year 2007.

During the same press conference, Dr. Kenneth Thibodeau, Director of the
Electronic Records Archives Program, announced the formation of a
high-level committee to advise and make recommendations to Archivist of the
United States on issues related to the development, implementation, and use
of the ERA system. This committee is named the Advisory Committee on the
Electronic Records Archives (ACERA).

The advisory committee will provide an ongoing structure for bringing
together experts in computer science and information technology, archival
science and records management, information science, the law, history,
genealogy, and education. The twenty member committee are recognized
experts and leaders in their field.

Committee members include: Dr. David Carmichael, State Archivist of
Georgia; Dr. Jerry Handfield, State Archivist of Washington State; Richard
Pearce-Moses, Director of Digital Government Information at the Arizona
State Library and Archives; Jonathan Redgrave, partner at Jones Day; Dr.
Sharon Dawes, Director of the Center for Technology in Government and
Associate Professor of Public Administration and Policy, the State
University of New York at Albany; Dr Luciana Duranti, Chair and Professor
of Archival Studies, School of Library, Archival and Information Studies,
The University of British Columbia, and Director of the InterPARES Project;
Dr. Daniel Greenstein, Associate Vice Provost Scholarly Information and
University Librarian, California Digital Library, University of California;
Andy Maltz, Director, Science and Technology Council, Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences; David Rencher, Director, Records and Information
Division, Family and Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints; and Dr. Kelly Woestman, Professor and History
Education Director, Pittsburg State University.

The committee is governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), which sets forth standards
for the formation and use of advisory committees.

3. PATRIOT ACT UPDATE
A recently opened federal lawsuit has revealed that the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) has used a controversial power under the USA PATRIOT
Act to demand records from an organization that possesses a variety of
sensitive information about library patrons. This includes information
about past usage of the Internet as well as reading materials that were
borrowed by patrons.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is seeking an emergency court
order to lift the gag imposed by the FBI on the plaintiff of the lawsuit
who is a member of the American Library Association (ALA) so that they may
actively participate in the public debate. As Congress prepares to
reauthorize or amend the PATRIOT Act this month, debate is likely to
increase due to the very importance of this issue.

The ALA, in collaboration with the ACLU, is offering all its members the
resources necessary to host a public forum on the PATRIOT Act. These
resources include a DVD copy of "Beyond the PATRIOT Act," and the first
episode of "The ACLU Freedom Files," a new television series from producer
Robert Greenwald. For additional information or to order the DVD, please
email FreedomFiles@activevoice.net, or call (415) 553-2841.

4. NPS TO REVISE MANAGEMENT POLICIES
Since the creation of the National Park Service (NPS) in 1916, its primary
mission has been to ensure that the parks would remain "unimpaired" by
human activity for the benefit of "future generations." However, a recent
proposal offered by Paul Hoffman, the deputy assistant of the Department of
the Interior and state director (1985-89) for the then U.S. Representative
Dick Cheney, looks to completely redefine the meaning of "impairment" as it
applies to the NPS's 388 natural and historic sites throughout the country.

Hoffman's proposal would change the meaning of "impairment" from "an impact
to any park resource or value [that] may constitute an impairment" to one
that proves to "permanently and irreversible adversely [affect] a resource
or value." The controversial redefinition of "impairment" is part of a
larger 194-page draft "revision" of the NPS guideline, "Management
Policies." The implications of the change on the long-term conservation
and preservation practices of the NPS are staggering.

Opponents of the change, including the 400 member strong Coalition of
National Park Service Retirees, argue that the very face of the national
parks could be altered from places of refuge for natural and cultural
heritage into sites opened up to developers, mining, logging, and
recreational vehicles of every sort imaginable. According to Bill Wade,
spokesperson for the coalition, "Regardless of what happens in the
redrafting, the Department of the Interior is going to do what it can to
get (the Hoffman proposal) in there. It can only be [through a] public
outcry and the influence from Congress that can be brought to bear on this"
that the proposal can be "turned back."

The National Coalition for History will be monitoring the development of
the proposed draft revision and will alert readers and member organizations
when the revised document is released by the Interior Department and
published in the Federal Register thereby providing an opportunity for
public comment. According to NPS director Fran Mainella, the public,
Congress, and the Department of the Interior could all ultimately play a
part in which version is adopted.

5. BERGER FINED FOR ARCHIVES THEFT
Readers of this publication may recall the story we reported a few months
back in which former Clinton administration national security advisor
Samuel "Sandy" Berger was caught smuggling classified terrorism-related
documents out of the National Archives. On 8 September 2005 federal
Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson ordered Berger to pay a $50,000 fine
as well as $6,905 in administrative costs, give up his security clearance
for three years, serve a two year probation, and perform 100 hours of
community service as penalty for smuggling classified documents back in 2003.

This last April Berger pled guilty to unauthorized removal and retention of
classified documents and Justice Department lawyers had proposed only a
$10,000 fine. But in passing sentence Judge Robinson declared that the
proposed fine "is inadequate because it doesn't reflect the seriousness of
the offense."

Berger told the court that he let "considerations of personal convenience
override clear rules of handling classified material." He accepted the
judgement and does not plan to appeal the sentence.

6. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 - NEH Awards "We the People" Grants -- The National Endowment for
the Humanities (NEH) has awarded $19.8 million for 124 new grants for
seminars and institutes, programs in television, radio, and film, and
faculty workshops. Thirty-seven of these grants are designated as "We the
People" projects, a special recognition by the NEH for projects that
specifically seek to advance and promote the study of American culture and
history.

Some of the grants that have been awarded for "We the People" projects
include $1 million for the creation of an Institute for Constitutional
studies at George Washington University; $1 million for a project entitled
"Freedom of Religion, for Religion or From Religion? Religion in American
Public Life" at the University of Notre Dame; $500,000 for the Walt Whitman
Archive at the University of Nebraska; $250,000 for the National Video
Resources for a project entitled "Jazz Legacy: An American Art Form"; and
$1 million for the Montpelier Foundation's Center for the Constitution
Endowment. For a complete list of grant recipients, visit
http://www.neh.gov/pdf/august2005grants.pdf (Adobe Reader is required).

Item #2 - Secrecy Report Card -- Many Americans have sensed a qualitative
reduction in their access to government information, particularly when it
concerns matters of security policy. A new publication from the coalition
OpenTheGovernment.org (of which the National Coalition for History is a
member) provides some quantitative benchmarks that confirm and document the
rise in official secrecy. Metrics cited in the report range from formal
classification -- which is at a record high -- to the fraction of federal
advisory committee meetings closed to the public -- nearly two-thirds. For
the Secrecy Report Card 2005 by Rick Blum, OpenTheGovernment.org, September
2005 go to: http://www.openthegovernment.org/otg/SRC2005.pdf

7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
No posting this week.

***********************************************************
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acts as a clearinghouse of news and information of interest to
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HNN - 9/2/2005

*************************************************************************
NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #33; 2 SEPTEMBER 2005)
by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org with Cliff Jacobs and
Nathaniel Kulyk
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************


1. NARA RELEASES YET MORE ROBERTS PAPERS -- PAPERS REFLECT VIEWS ON PRA
2. RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION INTO HUMANITIES ENDOWMENT
3. AHA ISSUES NEW STATEMENT ON PEER REVIEW
4. RECENT EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE ACTION
5. WEINSTEIN TO APPOINT ERA ADVISORY COMMITTEE
6. NYU LAUNCHES BRADEMAS CENTER
7. TEXAS SITES VIE FOR BUSH LIBRARY
8. BITS AND BITES: History Center to Hold Decolonization Seminar; IMLS
Grants Available
9. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: "U.S. Mint Confiscates 10 Rare Coins"
(Associated Press)


1. NARA RELEASES YET MORE ROBERTS PAPERS -- PAPERS REFLECT VIEWS ON PRA
This week NARA officials released another 47 pages from the George Bush
Presidential Library and 175 pages from the Ronald Reagan Presidential
Library relating to the pending nomination of John G. Roberts Jr. to the
Supreme Court. The documents were among those that previously were being
held back because they may have contained "personal information" and thus
had triggered a FOIA exemption. In re-examining the documents NARA
officials concluded they should be released, though some are heavily redacted.

Government archivists at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library continue
their concentrated effort to process all the papers prior to Tuesday's
upcoming hearing when the Senate will begin to consider Roberts's
nomination. As if NARA didn't have enough work already in processing the
Roberts's papers, two days ago another "large volume" -- some 42 boxes --
of unreviewed and unreleased documents written by Roberts were
discovered. The discovery triggered accusations by some Democrats that the
Bush administration is concealing records on the eve of Robert's
confirmation hearing. NARA officials assert that apparently the materials
were filed by operational code numbers rather than by name and that in the
expedited review they were inadvertently skipped over. A preliminary
survey of the documents suggest that many may well be duplicative of some
of those already processed and released.

According to NARA spokesperson Susan Cooper, "The National Archives is
doing everything it can to make these documents available as soon as
possible." To that end, and in part because of the huge volume of
remaining papers that still need to be processed, Cooper stated that NARA
has dedicated people and resources from other NARA centers around the
country to assist in the processing.

In the meantime, members of Congress, their staff, and journalists continue
to pour over the over 51,285 pages already released. Journalists have
discovered one document of particular interest to historians and archivists
as it relates to Roberts's views on government openness with respect to
presidential records and the Presidential Records Act (PRA).

On 29 August 1985, in his capacity as a lawyer for President
Reagan, Roberts vigorously argued that White House internal files should
be kept secret and should not be released even to the U.S. Senate if
requested by that body to win confirmation for a presidential nominee
slotted for a senior government post. Roberts argued that the White House
should not facilitate document release and suggested, "Hill staffers need
only go to the Reagan Library to see any internal White House deliberative
document they want to see." Roberts stated, "We should take whatever
steps are necessary to ensure the general opening of files to Hill
scrutiny...does not become routine."

Furthermore, Roberts characterized the Presidential Records Act of 1978
which provides for the eventual opening of virtually all documents housed
in a president's library as "pernicious." In taking these positions,
Roberts views are consistent with those held by many senior Bush
administration officials who have repeatedly opposed actions that they
consider to be an erosion of presidential prerogatives and powers.

2. RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION INTO HUMANITIES ENDOWMENT
Over the last two years we have periodically reported on a pending
investigation by the Inspector General of the National Endowment for the
Humanities (NEH) involving Julia C. Bondanella, a former endowment
employee. The NEH was seeking a federal prosecution against Bondanella for
allegedly improperly revealing information about pending grant
applications, and for making public her views regarding the agency's use of
"flagging" ("flagging" is the process by which topics that are considered
to be controversial in nature -- such as race, gender, and sexuality -- are
identified in advance and thereby given closer scrutiny during peer and
agency review). Bondanella, now a professor of French and Italian at
Indiana University at Bloomington, alleged the NEH investigation was
"retaliation" against her for speaking truthfully. This week, the
Department of Justice announced it was declining the NEH's request to
prosecute Bondanella. And, in a separate finding a Government Accounting
Office (GAO) investigation into Bondanella's and other complainants'
accusations against the NEH were determined to be "unsubstantiated."

Bondanella joined the NHE in 2001 and left about a year later after she
concluded that politics, not merit, was being used as a primary factor in
the agency's grant review process. She emphasized this point in a news
article critical of the NEH that appeared in the "Chronicle of Higher
Education" in January 2004. The NEH responded by threatening Bondanella
with civil and criminal penalties for improperly disclosing information
about the agency. If found guilty, Bondanella faced major fines and up to
one year in prison. Sheldon Bernstein, the NEH's inspector general,
investigated the agency's allegations and requested that the President's
Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) investigate whether the NEH had
"retaliated" against Ms. Bondanella.

The PCIE's investigation also involved an investigation of an even more
serious complaint filed by FraudNet, a website set up by the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) to report agency abuses of tax-payer money, in
which it had been alleged that the NEH had misused funds when it created an
office for its "We the People" project (a presidential initiative aimed to
advance the public's understanding of American history and culture). The
complaint also alleged that funds were improperly used to pay for luncheon
meetings held by Lynne Munson, the NEH's deputy chairman. The PCIE
determined the allegations against the NEH were "unsubstantiated."

With respect to the NEH practice of "flagging," Bernstein found that while
the practice has become more commonplace, it does not have a substantial
effect on the outcome of the awards made by the endowment.


3. AHA ISSUES NEW STATEMENT ON PEER REVIEW
In a related story involving "flagging," during its June 2005 meeting the
Council of the American Historical Association (AHA) unanimously adopted a
new statement on the role of peer review in conducting and funding
historical research. The statement was developed in an effort to address
complaints the AHA has received from members about political interference
during the peer review phase at the National Endowment for the Humanities
(NEH). In issuing its statement, the AHA joins with other scholarly
associations, which have recently passed similar resolutions affirming the
centrality of peer review in scholarship and in the grant-making process..

The statement declares that the AHA strongly supports a peer review process
that is "free of political interference"; that peer review panels "should
be composed of competent, qualified, and unbiased reviewers that reflect a
balance of perspectives"; and that grants should not be denied funding
"because of political, religious, or other biases of political appointees
in the funding agencies." The statement recognizes that "peer review is
not a flawless process" and that "many biases can creep in" but the
"awareness of the potential for bias has led to practices designed to
prevent it so far as possible."

For the statement, tap into:
http://www.historians.org/press/2005_08_15_PeerReviewStatement.htm


4. RECENT EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE ACTION
With Congress slated to return from its summer break, several pieces of
legislation acted on prior to their traditional break have now been signed
by the president. When it returns, Congress is poised to act on several
other pending bills.

Executive Actions.....
Sand Creek Massacre NHS -- On 2 August 2005, President Bush signed P.L.
109-45, the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Trust Act of
2005. This law serves to further the purposes of the Sand Creek Massacre
National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2000, allowing the Secretary of
the Interior to acquire the Dawson Ranch, consisting of approximately 1,465
acres of land related to the historic site. This acquisition adds to the
920 acres already acquired by the National Park Service.

29 November 1864 saw the bloody massacre of 150 people of the Cheyenne and
Arapaho tribes by 700 United States volunteer soldiers on the banks of Big
Sandy Creek in southeastern Colorado. The government ultimately condemned
the actions taken by Colonel John M. Chivington, who ordered the
attack. For the descendants of this massacre, the land that has been added
to the historic site remains significant as a permanent reminder of a
tragedy that occurred on U.S. soil. With the signing of this new public
law, and the acquisition of additional land, the National Park Service will
be able to formally establish the National Historic Site at Sand Creek.

Joint Resolution on Role of Women Suffragists -- On 2 August 2005, on the
eve of the 85th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution,
President Bush signed P.L.109-49, legislation expressing the "sense of
Congress" regarding the role that was played by women suffragists who
fought for and won the right of women to vote in the United States.

Introduced in the House of Representatives as H. J. Res. 59, by Rep.
Shelley Berkley (D-NV), this resolution highlights some of the most
important figures in the women's suffrage movement, the actions they
undertook for the right to vote, and resolves that a national day of
recognition be created in honor of the suffragists. Glen Taylor Elementary
School students Hannah Low and Destiny Carroll inspired the resolution by
starting their own petition drive and collecting hundreds of signatures
supporting the idea of a national day of recognition.

Bills Passed.....
National Women's History Museum Act -- On 29 July 2005, The United States
Senate voted by unanimous consent to approve S. 501, the National Women's
History Museum Act of 2005. Introduced by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)
with the support of all the women members of the Senate, this legislation
directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to enter into a long-term
occupancy agreement with the non-profit Women's History Museum, Inc. The
existing plan is to convert the Pavilion Annex, adjacent to the Old Post
Office on Pennsylvania Ave. NW, into a museum that is estimated to draw 1.5
million visitors a year. Such a museum would showcase the many social,
political, economic, and cultural contributions that women have made to the
United States throughout its history. The United States House of
Representatives must now consider the legislation. To date, no companion
bill to S. 501 has been introduced.

National Heritage Areas Act -- On 26 July 2005, the Senate passed by
unanimous consent the National Heritage Areas Partnership Act of 2005 (S.
243). Introduced by Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY), this legislation seeks to
establish a framework and criteria for National Heritage Areas in the
United States. Representative Joel Hefley (R-CO) introduced a companion
bill (H.R. 760) in the House of Representatives on 10 February 2005. The
Hefley bill has been referred to the House Committee on Resources for
further review.

Bills introduced.....
Battle of Camden Study Act of 2005 -- On 26 July 2005, Representative John
Spratt (D-SC) introduced the Battle of Camden Study Act of 2005 (H.R.
3493). The legislation would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
study the suitability of designating the site of the Battle of Camden in
South Carolina as a unit in the National Park System. H.R. 3493 has been
referred to the House Committee on Resources for further consideration.

National Historic Preservation Act Amendments Act of 2005 -- On 11 July
2005, Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV) introduced National Historic
Preservation Act Amendments Act of 2005 (H.R. 3446). A companion bill (S.
1378) was introduced by Senator Jim Talent (R-MO). This legislation would
amend the National Historic Preservation Act to provide appropriation
authorization and to improve the operations of the Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation. The House version of the bill has been referred to
the Committee on Resources for review and the Senate version has been
referred to the Committee on Energy and National Resources. Both bills are
currently awaiting consideration.


5. WEINSTEIN TO APPOINT ERA ADVISORY COMMITTEE
On 17 August 2005, Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein announced
his intention to establish an Advisory Committee on the Electronic Records
Archives (ERA). The committee will consist of not more than 20 voting
members who possess particular expertise, knowledge, and experience in
electronic records. In its deliberations the committee will comply with
relevant provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

Those slotted for appointment include: recognized experts and leaders in
organizations that have an active interest in records management and
electronic records; representatives of academia and researchers;
individuals with expertise in information technology; state officials with
responsibility in electronic records; and others who merely possess an
interest in records management and electronic records. The committee,
which has a two year charter, will advise the Archivist on technical,
mission, and service issues related to the development, implementation, and
use of the ERA system.

According to NARA officials, the establishment of the committee signals a
"turning point" for the ERA program. The first meeting of the Committee is
tentatively scheduled for 8 September 2005 when NARA officially announces
the winner of the $500 million ERA program contract. The ERA program was
launched by the previous Archivist of the U.S., John Carlin, and has been
under development for some number of years. When fully operational, the
ERA will enable government records to be accessed by researchers regardless
of format and make them available on future hardware and software.


6. NYU LAUNCHES BRADEMAS CENTER
New York University has announced the creation of The John Brademas Center
for the Study of Congress. The center is a bi-partisan policy research
institution housed at NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public
Service. The center seeks to bring together current and former presidents,
members of Congress, other public officials from America and abroad,
journalists, students, scholars, and others to discuss the processes by
which Congress shapes and addresses policy. Dr. Alicia D. Hurley has been
selected to serve as the center's acting director.

The center is named after Dr. John Brademas, a 22-year (1959-81) democratic
member of the House of Representatives from Indiana. During his last two
terms in office, Brademas served as Majority Whip of the House of
Representatives. He also served on the Committee on Education and Labor
where he played a leading role in writing major legislation to support
schools and colleges, the arts and humanities, and libraries and
museums. Of particular interest to historians and archivists, Brademas was
a major figure in the development of the Presidential Records Act (PRA).

On 15 September, during the center's inaugural event to be held at the
Library of Congress in Washington D.C., senators Richard G. Lugar and Paul
S. Sarbanes will discuss the role of Congress in shaping foreign
policy. The activities of the Brademas Center are supported by a start-up
grant directed by the U.S. Congress as well as by private contributions
from individuals, corporations, and foundations. For additional
information, tap into: http://www.nyu.edu/ofp/brademascenter .


7. TEXAS SITES VIE FOR BUSH LIBRARY
President George Bush won't be completing his term of office for a few
years, but nevertheless, a search committee led by Don Evans, former
Secretary of Commerce, and Marvin Bush, the president's brother, are
examining sites throughout Texas in an effort to find the home for the
future Bush Presidential Library.

Formal bidding has not yet begun but several Texas universities including
Southern Methodist University, Texas A&M, Baylor University, as well as the
city of Arlington, Texas, have all cobbled together proposals and have
begun lobbying to sway the committee to select their respective location
for the library. The library is expected to cost as much as $200 million
to construct and, like other presidential libraries, is expected to attract
the interest of not just scholars but local officials who predict the
library will bring in millions of dollars in annual tourism revenue.

A decision on the site may well be reached later this year. The city of
Arlington feels it has an advantage over the competing universities. It
has also been rumored that the Bush family will make Arlington their home
after the president has completed his second term. In its effort to win
the bid for the library the city joined forces with the Dallas Cowboys, the
Texas Rangers, and the University of Texas at Arlington. City officials
hope that their relationship with the president (which goes back to his
days when he was part owner of the Texas Rangers), as well as the prime
30-acre location in the city's entertainment district will all work in its
favor.

Officials at Texas A&M University believe that their College Station site
has something that the city of Arlington cannot offer -- the opportunity to
host a father and son presidential library. The only other such
presidential library is located in Massachusetts and is devoted to
presidents John and John Quincy Adams. Baylor University has been lobbying
for the library even before President Bush was elected to office. The
campus features more than 100 acres of land that it is willing to donate
for library purposes.
Academics have yet to officially weigh in though in informal meetings with
high level White House officials representatives of the National Coalition
for History have suggested that the selected site should be associated with
a university-based research library or educational institution.


8. BITS AND BITES
Item #1 --History Center to Hold Decolonization Seminar: The National
History Center, an initiative of the American Historical Association,
invites applications from historians in the United States and abroad who
are at the beginning of their careers and who possess an interest in
participating in an international seminar to be held 10 July ­ 4 August
2006, in Washington, D.C., on the history of decolonization in the 20th
century. The focus of the seminar will be on the transitions from colonies
to nations in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. The seminar is being
conducted in collaboration with the Library of Congress with the financial
support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Wm. Roger Louis, Kerr Professor
of English History and Culture at the University of Texas at Austin, will
direct the seminar. The seminar faculty includes: Professors Julia
Clancy-Smith (University of Arizona), Dane Kennedy (George Washington
University), Joseph Miller (University of Virginia), and Marilyn Young (New
York University). The National History Center will provide travel and
living costs for the 15 applicants selected to participate. The deadline
for applications is 1 November 2005. For details about the seminar and an
application, visit
http://www.nationalhistorycenter.org/conferences/decolonization .

Item #2 -- IMLS Grants Available: Museums are encouraged to apply for
matching grants to help museums identify conservation priorities and
perform activities to ensure safe-keeping of their collections. Private,
non-profit museums and state or local museums that exist for educational
purposes are eligible to apply provided they have at least one full-time
staff member and are open to provide museum services to the general public
on a regular basis. Applications and additional information on the grant
program can be found at the IMLS web site at www.imls.gov. Application
deadline is 1 October 2005.

9. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: In an Associated Press report, "U.S. Mint
Confiscates 10 Rare Coins" published in the New York Times (25 August 2005)
and elsewhere, the U.S. Mint has seized ten double eagle gold coins from
1933 that were never put in circulation and allegedly were taken from the
Mint "in an unlawful manner." Some 445,500 double eagle coins were minted
in 1933 but were never put into circulation and consequently were reduced
to bullion in 1937; only a handful are know to have survived, including two
in the possession of the Smithsonian Institution. For the article, tap into:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Rare-Coins.html

***********************************************************
Who We Are
The National Coalition for History is a non-profit educational organization
that provides leadership in history-related advocacy; it serves as the
profession's national voice in the promotion of history and archives, and
acts as a clearinghouse of news and information of interest to
history-related professionals. Membership in the history coalition is open
to organizations that share our concern for history and archives. For
information on how your history/archive organization can become a member,
visit our website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch/ and click on the "Join
the Coalition" web link.

Individuals are invited to help support the NCH by sending a donation
directly to the NCH at 400 A Street S.E. Washington D.C. 20003, or, by
making an on-line donation at
http://www.conservenow.org/detail.asp?ORGID=2032&;memflag=true . All
contributions are tax deductible.

Subscribe Today!
We invite you to subscribe to this FREE weekly newsletter! You are also
encouraged to redistribute the NCH 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 NCH's recently updated web page at
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch .

To subscribe to the "NCH Washington Update," send an e-mail message to
listserv@h-net.msu.edu with the following text in the body of the message
(and only this text) SUBSCRIBE H-NCH firstname lastname, institution. To
unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu according to
the following model SIGNOFF H-NCH.

You can accomplish the same tasks by tapping into the web interface at
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/lists/subscribe.cgi and at the "network" prompt,
scroll down and select H-NCH; enter your name and affiliation and "submit".
******************************************************

HNN - 8/26/2005

#1 Sidney Blumenthal: A Servile Congress Has Let Bush Go on Permanent Vacation
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14675.html

#2 Juan Cole: The Iraqi Constitution ... DOA?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14745.html

#3 Joseph Ellis: Baghdad's foundering fathers
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14473.html

#4 Gavan McCormack: If You Ran North Korea, You'd Want Nukes too Given American Hostility
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14742.html

#5 Andrei Lankov: Welcome to Capitalism, North Korean Comrades
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14691.html

#6 David N. Gibbs: How Elites Use Pretexts to Manufacture Public Support for War
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14690.html

#7 Daniel Pipes: How Terrorism Obstructs Radical Islam
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14562.html

#8 Gary Hart: Who Will Say 'No More'?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14642.html

#9 Charles Platt: What the Inventor of the Neutron Bomb Could Teach Us (If Only We Listened)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14648.html

#10 Catholic Website Calls Hiroshima a Sin and the Complaints Fly
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14681.html

HNN - 8/26/2005

*************************************************************************
NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #32; 26 AUGUST 2005)
by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************


1. THE WITHHELD ROBERTS DOCUMENTS -- AN ABUSE OF THE PRA?
2. THE HISTORY MAJOR -- ARE UNDER GRADS LOOKING ELSEWHERE?
3. IMPLEMENTATION OF GOOGLE LIBRARY DATABASE DELAYED
4. MARTIN TO DEPART -- IMLS TO GET NEW DIRECTOR
5. BITS AND BITES: Census Bureau Launches New Website; Digital History
Workshop Announced
6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: "The Smithsonian's Newest Exhibits: Water Stains"
(New York Times)


1. THE WITHHELD ROBERTS DOCUMENTS -- AN ABUSE OF THE PRA?
With Congress preparing to consider the Bush administration's nomination of
John G. Roberts Jr. to the Supreme Court in just two weeks, the documentary
record created by the nominee has been getting top-billing in the
news. With the approval of the White House, recently the National Archives
and Records Administration released some 57,385 Roberts-related materials
documenting much of Robert's career when he worked for the Reagan
administration. News articles have focused on what the papers contain and
what they reveal about the nominee. But what about the 2,945 pages that
the White House has not yet released? Are they being withheld legitimately
under provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, the Presidential
Records Act and its accompanying Executive Orders that interpret the law
and provide guidance to NARA for the release of such documents? Some
government openness advocates are beginning to wonder whether the remaining
papers are being withheld legitimately by the Bush administration.

In spite of the controversial missing "lost file" -- the folder relating to
Roberts' work on affirmative action some 20 years ago that appears to have
gone missing at the Reagan Presidential Library after it was reviewed by
White House and Justice department lawyers, NARA, and particularly the
Reagan Library, has received the praise of both White House and government
openness advocates for doing a job that would normally have taken three
months in less than three weeks. Indeed they have been working night and
day and have performed a herculean task. Nevertheless, Executive Order
(EO) 13233 issued by President Bush in 2001 -- an order that in fact is
still being litigated in court by history and archives organizations --
grants White House lawyers the right to block the release of Roberts' memos
produced when he worked for president Reagan including any documents in
which an incumbent president wishes to assert a "constitutionally based
privilege" based on "legal advice or legal work" performed -- a privilege
the White House has claimed.

Elliot Mincberg, vice-president and legal director for the advocacy group,
People for the American Way states, "We are concerned about what they [NARA
and the White House] have withheld." On 23 August Mincberg's group filed a
formal appeal with the Deputy Archivist of the United States calling for
"expedited treatment" of what may be upwards of 3,000 pages of
Roberts-related documents that Mincberg's organization believes should be
released prior to the beginning of the Senate confirmation hearings.

Mincberg's appeal is scathing: the group charges that the personal privacy
exemption is being abused, that overly broad standards are being applied to
NARA withholdings, that redactions sheets are insufficiently descriptive,
and argues that segregable portions of the withheld documents "should be
released immediately." Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) goes even farther
in expressing his concerns: "I fear that...the timely production of
important documents located at the Reagan Library related to Judge Roberts'
work in the White House Counsel's Office is being delayed and possibly
politicized." If true, Schumer's concerns should also be the concern of
the history and archives professions.

In fact, the professionals at the Reagan Library and the two White House
lawyers who were sent to the Simi Valley based presidential library to
review and screen documents, quickly made a first cut of the mountain of
Roberts' papers. White House aides have declared that "documents that
opponents [of Roberts] would try to twist and launch attacks on....would
not be a criterion for withholding documents for release." Perhaps not,
but now that the bulk of the non-sensitive papers have been processed and
released, what is now left are those documents that deserve closer
scrutiny. They deserve special attention as to whether they are being
legitimately withheld.

Right now the White House is withholding all of the documents produced by
Roberts during his tour as deputy solicitor general in George H. W. Bush's
administration (these papers are still in the custody of the Department of
Justice and are not subject to NARA custody or processing); awaiting
processing are the nearly 3,000 "politically sensitive" memos from the
Reagan Library that have been set aside by government archivists during the
initial review for further closer examination and review by NARA and White
House authorities.

Insiders report that most of the documents that NARA officials pulled aside
during the initial screening were done so because of statutory Freedom of
Information (FOIA) exemptions (such as national security and personal
privacy) and most do not relate to the more discretionary PRA privilege
exemptions. Nevertheless, on their face the redaction sheets of some of
the held back documents are suggestive of generalized topics that may tell
senators much about Roberts' views on a wide range of issues and could be
important with respect to the nomination. Among the topics covered include
Roberts' views on presidential pardons and President Reagan's strategy on
judicial nominations; thoughts on the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission; thoughts on spending US money to aid to the Nicaraguan Contras
in their fight against the Sandinista government; and advise on and during
the Iran-contra scandal.

Now that the sensitive documents have been flagged, the tricky work, the
real work relating to the review of the most sensitive documents that could
be subject to executive privilege claims begins. Through what NARA
officials describe as a "surgical redaction" process, archivists are
electively redacting names, individual words or sentences that relate to
various exemptions. It is hoped the White House will permit such a
redaction process and permit the release of the bulk of the document
rather than withhold the contents of a document in its entirety. This was
frequently done with the release of the controversial P-5 ("confidential
advise" records) that were withheld by the Bush administration several
years back when President Reagan's more sensitive papers were slotted for
release in accordance with the PRA.

In a recent letter to R. Duke Blackwood, the Reagan Library's executive
director, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the Ranking Member on the Judiciary
Committee, stated that the senators will need "accurate and complete
information" before they can vote on the Roberts nomination. The senators
need to stand firm in that position as from the historians' perspective
what is at stake is not only wrenching loose more information about Roberts
and his political and legal views, but also the integrity of the
implementation process for the Freedom of Information Act and Presidential
Records Act.

2. THE HISTORY MAJOR -- ARE UNDER GRADS LOOKING ELSEWHERE?
With the beginning of the Fall academic semester this week, across the
country undergraduate students (for the most part born in 1987) are
descending upon campuses of American universities. So just how popular is
history major with the class of 2009? Recent statistical trends indicate
that since the mid-1990s the number of students majoring in government,
political science, history, and the other social sciences have remained
constant or have been in decline while the number of declared majors in
economics and other business-related fields has grown.

In 2004, some 16,141 degrees in economics were awarded by American colleges
and universities. The total number of history majors is numerically larger
-- just over 25,000 (because of a surge in the total student population) --
but the number of declared majors has not necessarily grown in relation to
percentage of total degrees conferred, and definitely has not grown as
rapidly as in other disciplines such as economics.

According to statistics provided by the American Historical Association,
the number of undergraduate history majors declined dramatically in the
1980s from a high of just over 5 percent of the total student population to
a low of just over 1.5 percent in the mid-1980s. It then rose to almost
2.5 percent in the mid-1990s, only to drop back again slightly in the early
years of the 21st century. According to the most recent numbers provided
by various history departments and the Department of Education, over the
last five years the number of undergraduate history majors has risen nearly
14 percent, but it still appears to remain flat relative to other
disciplines. Today, history majors represent only about 2 percent of all
undergraduate degrees conferred. Bottom line, since the early 1970s,
history degrees conferred at all levels (BA, MA and PhD) have declined
significantly as a proportion of all degrees conferred.

The rapid increase in economics as an undergraduate major appears to
reflect students' perceptions of changing global needs. In 2004, a survey
conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers ranked
economics and business as among the five most desirable majors. According
to promoters, an economics degree has "practical job value" and
globalization appears to be a major factor in a typical student's decision
to select it as a major. Harvard University reports that 964 students
majored in economics in 2005 and Columbia University has seen the number of
such majors rise 67 percent in recent years. At New York University,
economics has become the major of choice of incoming under grads -- their
numbers have more than doubled in the past 10 years. Perhaps realizing
that they may well carry a huge debt for a few years after graduation, many
students (or their parents) want to see a practical return on their
investment in education and the economics degree is viewed as a vehicle for
a promising good paying and secure job.

Within the discipline of history, the advent of the "public history"
movement created some hope that history students could obtain a more
"practical" history education and more would find discipline-related jobs
upon graduation. But history departments have been slow to adapt to
changing realities; the total number of colleges or universities offering
graduate degrees in public or applied history has grown, yet the growth is
not reflected in the realm of undergraduate education. In the last twenty
years some 105 history departments of the 1,200 institutions offering
history degrees have started graduate public history programs, but few
offer a major within the framework of an undergraduate degree. For all
intents and purposes, public history remains the domain of graduate programs.

Today, approximately 1,269 colleges and universities confer baccalaureate
degrees in history in the United States. There are also some 340 Master's
(MA) degree-granting programs and 157 doctorate programs in history.

3. IMPLEMENTATION OF GOOGLE LIBRARY DATABASE DELAYED
The on-line search company Google has announced a temporary halt in its
program to make searchable, digital copies of the contents of university
libraries at Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Michigan. The
stoppage is designed to grant publishers and copyright holders the chance
to opt out of having their protected works copied. But a major publishing
trade association deemed the program as "inadequate" and stated that the
Google Print Library Project is built on a foundation of "purposeful"
copyright violation.

Google intends to continue work on the project by focusing on digital
conversion of books currently in the public domain until November 1 at
which time the company plans to resume scanning of copyrighted works. By
pushing back the date to commence scanning, publishers are being given an
opportunity to notify Google with regards to their works they would not
like included in the searchable database.

Google asserts the opt-out policy is being conducted in accordance with the
way they traditionally have conducted relationships with web site
owners. According to Adam Smith, Senior Product Manager, " this program is
consistent with the principles of fair use, and it will allow authors to
write more books, allow publishers to sell more books." But Patricia
Schroeder of the Association of American Publishers states, "the program
still sets [a] damaging precedent that copyrighted works could be
reproduced at will as long as a copyright holder had not preemptively
objected." Two other central issues have yet to be adequately addressed:
1) how are authors going to know whether their work has been copied, and 2)
how is revenue derived from sales to be shared with copyright owners.

In December 2004, Google negotiated a deal with Oxford University and the
New York Public Library that permitted the company to make copies of all
books deposited at those two institutions that were in the public
domain. Google's agreements with the three university libraries have
proven more problematic. At these institutions, Google has been given
access not only to works in the public domain but copyrighted books as
well. In marketing the project, Google intends to display small samples of
a digitized book at its website (http:/www.print.google.com) and then, if a
searcher wants to purchase the book they will be directed to authorized
sites for purchase. But some publishers feel that even though Google is
displaying only small samples of a particular work, the company has
violated copyright by making wholesale copies and keeping the copies on
their computers.

While Google has agreed to temporarily suspend a portion of its project, it
appears the company and various book publishing trade companies still are
far apart in reaching agreement on various outstanding copyright-related
issues. For example, most recently, the Association of American University
Presses requested that Google specifically address sixteen questions about
program parameters, future plans for storage, and use of copied materials;
Google rejected the association's suggestions after receiving a
briefing. Nevertheless, discussions continue.

4. MARTIN TO DEPART -- IMLS TO GET NEW DIRECTOR
On 12 July 2005 Dr. Robert S. Martin completed a four-year term as Director
of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Next week, on 1
September, Martin will return to Texas Women's University (Denton campus)
where he will occupy the Lillian Bradshaw Endowed Chair. The history,
archives, and museum community wish Dr. Martin all the best in his new
position.

During his tenure as head of the IMLS, the agency received a massive influx
of support from Congress and, as a consequence, awarded some 4,704 grants
to America's libraries and museums. Under Martin's leadership the IMLS
realized an increase in the agency budget, and it was reauthorized through
2009. Martin's commitment to research led to the development of an online
project planning tutorial. Partnership, involvement, and leadership were
major themes during Martin's tenure. Perhaps most importantly, he was
responsible for launching a multi-million dollar grant program that seeks
to recruit and educate the next generation of librarians.

Mary Chute, IMLS Deputy Director will serve as Acting Director until a new
director is confirmed.

5. BITS AND BITES
Item #1 -- Census Bureau Launches New Website: Beginning in the 1950s the
United States Census Bureau established a formal history program to prepare
procedural histories of the Census of Population and Housing. By 1968,
census historians produced procedural histories of the 1960 Population and
Housing census and the 1963 economic and 1964 agricultural censuses. Since
its official establishment in 1972, the Census History Staff has continued
to produce these histories and its responsibilities for preserving the
institutional history of the census have grown more expansive with the
development of special publications, including the "Factfinder for the
Nation" series, the oral history project that began in 1983; a variety of
monographs and research papers on specific Census Bureau operations,
activities, and projects; and most recently a symposium, "America's
Scorecard" focusing on the role of the census in American life. The Census
History Staff has now launched a new website that makes its publications
and services available online. There are high hopes also of being able to
provide electronic copies of all available procedural histories as well
transcripts of oral histories and a variety of publications and articles
relating to the history of the Census Bureau and its efforts to provide
quality data about America's people and economy. To access the new website,
tap into: www/history/index.html">http://www.census.gov/mso/www/history/index.html

Item #2 -- Digital History Workshop Announced: The Center for History and
New Media at George Mason University invites public historians to a free
workshop on the theory and practice of digital history entitled "Doing
Digital History," to be held October 26-28, 2005. Specific topics to be
covered include genres of online history, designing a website, creating a
site infrastructure, digitizing documents, identifying and building
audiences for online history, and issues of copyright and preservation. A
prospective agenda is available at http://echo.gmu.edu/workshops/oct2005/
. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of both the technical and
methodological issues raised by the practice of digital history, as well as
the ways that digital technologies can facilitate the research, teaching,
writing and presentation of history. In cooperation with the American
Historical Association and the National History Center, the workshop will
be held at George Mason University's Arlington campus, conveniently located
in metropolitan Washington, DC. There is no registration fee, however
spaces are limited, so please submit an application form by 19 September
2005 (available at http://chnm.gmu.edu/tools/surveys/894/). Notification
will be provided by 26 September. Strong preference will be given to those
whose work connects with the history of science, technology, and industry
broadly defined. Please contact Olivia Ryan (oryan@gmu.edu) with any questions.

6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: In "The Smithsonian's Newest Exhibits: Water
Stains" (New York Times; 25 August 2005) reporter Lynette Clemetson
documents the budget crisis facing various Smithsonian Institution
museums. For the article tap into:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/25/arts/design/25smit.html?oref=login .


***********************************************************
Who We Are
The National Coalition for History is a non-profit educational organization
that provides leadership in history-related advocacy; it serves as the
profession's national voice in the promotion of history and archives, and
acts as a clearinghouse of news and information of interest to
history-related professionals. Membership in the history coalition is open
to organizations that share our concern for history and archives. For
information on how your history/archive organization can become a member,
visit our website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch/ and click on the "Join
the Coalition" web link.

Individuals are invited to help support the NCH by sending a donation
directly to the NCH at 400 A Street S.E. Washington D.C. 20003, or, by
making an on-line donation at
http://www.conservenow.org/detail.asp?ORGID=2032&;memflag=true . All
contributions are tax deductible.

Subscribe Today!
We invite you to subscribe to this FREE weekly newsletter! You are also
encouraged to redistribute the NCH 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 NCH's recently updated web page at
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch .

To subscribe to the "NCH Washington Update," send an e-mail message to
listserv@h-net.msu.edu with the following text in the body of the message
(and only this text) SUBSCRIBE H-NCH firstname lastname, institution. To
unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu according to
the following model SIGNOFF H-NCH.

You can accomplish the same tasks by tapping into the web interface at
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/lists/subscribe.cgi and at the "network" prompt,
scroll down and select H-NCH; enter your name and affiliation and "submit".
******************************************************

HNN - 8/19/2005

#1 David Morse: Why Don't the Media Explain that Oil Drives the Genocide in Darfur?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14435.html

#2 Douglas R. Burgess Jr.: The Dread Pirate Bin Laden
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14429.html

#3 Paul Krugman: Al Gore Was Elected President in 2004
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14433.html

#4 Daniel Pipes: The End of Treason
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14260.html

#5 Jonathan Cutler and Thaddeus Russell: Workers of the World ... Disunite!
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14316.html

#6 Juan Cole: Iraqis Shouldn't Rush Constitution-Writing Just to Get a Deal
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14072.html

#7 Fumio Matsuo: Tokyo Needs Its Dresden Moment
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14268.html

#8 Roger Pulvers: The Japanese Diplomat Who Saved the Lives of Jews
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14129.html

#9 Norman Solomon: So Now They Are Trashing Cindy Sheehan?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14304.html

#10 Max Boot: Hamastan? Gaza pullout is worth the risk
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14303.html

HNN - 8/12/2005

#1 John Gray: Tom Friedman Is Wrong ... The World Is Round After All
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13993.html

#2 Daniel Pipes: Today Gaza, Tomorrow Jerusalem?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13951.html

#3 Juan Cole: Iraqis Shouldn't Rush Constitution-Writing Just to Get a Deal
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14072.html

#4 Karen Armstrong: On Misreading Holy Books
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14064.html

#5 Jim Hoagland: Dynasties in Both Saudi Arabia and America
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13979.html

#6 Max Boot: A Dying Man's Cry for Freedom in Iran
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13952.html

#7 Noam Chomsky: We Must Act Now to Prevent Nuclear Holocaust
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13805.html

#8 Michael F. Shaughnessy: Never Have So Few Tried to Teach So Many with So Few Resources
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13798.html

#9 Harvey Wasserman: Nagasaki, the Forgotten Atomic Target
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/14045.html

#10 Michael Oren: "Downfall" Is About Letting Germans Off the Hook
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13996.html

Kerry Anne Baldwin - 8/9/2005

Dear Ms. Chavez

My father was involved in the liberation of Santo Tomas and is very active in a veteran's group. They have been compiling and privately publishing information regarding Santo Tomas. Please let me know if you have copies of your document. I would love to present my dad with something he can bring to his monthly meetings.

Kerry Baldwin

HNN - 8/8/2005

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/08/05/world_war_ii_and_the_fog_of_history/

HNN - 8/5/2005

#1 What Recent Scholarship Concludes About Hiroshima
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13737.html

#2 Christopher Levenick: How the Culture Wars Have Changed Since the Scopes Trial
http://hnn.us/roundup/archives/12/2005/08/#13719

#3 Juan Cole: Blowback, Big Time
http://hnn.us/roundup/archives/1/2005/08/#13722

#4 Niall Ferguson & Laurence J. Kotlikoff: Why a New New Deal Is Needed
http://hnn.us/roundup/archives/1/2005/08/#13668

#5 Daniel Pipes: Why TV Execs Shouldn't Give Extremists a Platform
http://hnn.us/roundup/archives/1/2005/08/#13568

#6 Mohamad Bazzi: Insurgency Continues Targeting Civilians--Which Is Almost Unprecedented
http://hnn.us/roundup/archives/12/2005/08/#13712

#7 James Howard Kunstler: Globalization Is an Anomaly and Its Time Is Running Out
http://hnn.us/roundup/archives/12/2005/08/#13669

#8 Lawrence S. Wittner: What We Need to Do to Make Progress Controlling Nukes
http://hnn.us/roundup/archives/11/2005/08/#13716

#9 A Texas Scholar Digs into The Dark Truths About the Role of the Texas Rangers in Early-20th-Century Border Wars
http://hnn.us/roundup/archives/11/2005/08/#13715

#10 Scott Jaschik: The Debate About Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel
http://hnn.us/roundup/archives/11/2005/08/#13614

HNN - 8/4/2005

Stephen Davies attended the University of St. Andrews in Scotland from 1972 to 1976, graduating with a First Class degree in History. He also obtained his PhD from the same university in 1984, on the topic of the Scottish criminal justice system before the abolition of private courts.

Since 1979 he has taught at the Manchester Metropolitan University where he now holds the post of senior lecturer. His academic and research interests include the history of crime and criminal justice, the history of ideas and political thought, comparative economic history, and the history of the private supply of public goods. He teaches, amongst other topics, courses on the history of crime and punishment in Britain and the history of the Devil.

He has published a number of books and articles on a range of topics. His books include The Dictionary of Conservative and Libertarian Thought (edited with Nigel Ashford) and more recently Empiricism and History. Among his published essays are two in the recently published collection The Voluntary City, on the subjects of the private provision of law enforcement and the use of markets and property to plan urban growth. He is not a supporter of Manchester United!

HNN - 7/29/2005

#1 Eliot A. Cohen: A Military Historian Whose Son Is Headed to Iraq Reflects on the War He Supports
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13407.html

#2 Morton Mintz: The Senate Should Ask John Roberts If He Thinks Corporations Are Persons Under the 14th Amendment
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13446.html

#3 Juan Cole: On How US Troops Aren't Coming Home Any Time Soon
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13483.html

#4 Daniel Pipes: British Opinion Surveys from an Islamist Hell
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13376.html

#5 James Ottavio Castagnera: An Open Letter to Liberals
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13400.html

#6 Juan Cole et al: An Exchange About the Middle East in the Wake of the Iraq War
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13475.html

#7 Max Boot: Support for Islamist Terrorists Is Declining
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13430.html

#8 David Kennedy: Our Mercenary Army
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13377.html

#9 Harold Bloom: Walt Whitman, America's Greatest Artist
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13478.html

#10 William Fowler: Massachusetts Should Apologize for the Arcadian Expulsion
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13399.html

Margaret Chavez - 7/28/2005

I am in possession of a diary kept during interment at Santo Tomas and Los Banos POW camps by a family friend, D'Arcy Hunt. Would this be of interest to anyone conected with the museum? Many people are mentioned as well as day to day activities. I have long wondered what I should do with is archive.

Margaret Chavez

Edward Siegler - 7/27/2005

test

Edward Siegler - 7/27/2005

test

HNN - 7/26/2005

************************************************************************
*
NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #30; 25 July 2005) by Bruce Craig
(editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY
(NCH) Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************

1. APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE - "TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY GRANTS" AND THE
NHPRC
2. HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES SWEEPING HIGHER-EDUCATION LEGISLATION
3. COURT UPHOLDS PERMANENT PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF (PDB) SECRECY
4. BITS AND BYTES: Hiring Trends of Women Historians; NEH Film
Grants; New NPS Preservation Briefs
5. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: "Increase in the Number of Documents
Classified by the Government" (New York Times; 3 July 2005)

**********************
NOTE TO READERS: This is a special NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE issued during
our annual summer publishing hiatus. We will resume the regular weekly
newsletter in early August.
*********************

1. APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE - "TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY GRANTS" AND THE
NHPRC There is good news to report from the Senate appropriations
subcommittee for the Department of Education "Teaching American History"
(TAH) grants initiative but not great news from the Senate relating to
the funding level for National Historical Publications and Records
Commission. (NHPRC). The Senate has recommended approximately $121
million for the TAH initiative, but only $5 million for the NHPRC.

On 12 July the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee passed the FY 2006
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
Appropriations bill. Funding for the Department of Education is pegged
at $56.709 billion, an increase of $132.2 million over the FY05 level
(.25% increase) and $490.3 million over the president's budget request.
Funding for "No Child Left Behind" programs stand to be decreased by
approximately $750 million, for total funding of $23.771 billion.
Similar to the president's budget request, many education programs are
level funded, some are cut, and 13 programs are eliminated entirely.

The good news is that once again nearly $120 million has been set aside
for the "Teaching American History" program (this compares to $50
million that is recommended by the House). In addition, advocacy efforts
targeting Senator Byrd's office to set aside some of the funds for
"national" history-related programs has finally paid off!

As many readers are aware, for some number of years, the National
Coalition for History (NCH) has advocated setting aside a portion of the
total TAH grant package for "national activities." This year, after
meetings with Senator Byrd's staff and follow-up letters our message
finally is being acted upon. Report language in the Senate
appropriations bill sets aside "up to 3 percent of funds appropriated
for this program for national activities."

Here is the specific language: "Teaching of Traditional American
History: The Committee recommends $121,000,000 for the teaching of
traditional American history program....The budget request includes bill
language that would allow the Department to reserve up to 3 percent of
funds appropriated for this program for national activities. The Committee
bill includes the requested language. The Committee requests that the
Department prepare and submit an operating plan to the House and Senate
Committees on Appropriations, within 30 days of enactment of this Act,
on how these reserved funds will be used to support the intent of this
program."

In addition to the good news for the TAH program, the Senate
Appropriations Committee approved the Subcommittee's recommendation of
an overall funding level of $290,129,000 for the Institute of Museum and
Library Services (IMLS). This is $40,489,000 above the allocation
provided by the House of Representatives. However, according to the
American Library Association, "this increase is likely to be used to
fund Congressionally-directed projects."

For the NHPRC the news is not as good. On 19 July the Senate T-THUD
appropriations subcommittee issued its recommendations for the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA), including the funding level
for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
The numbers are not as good as many in the history and archives
community had hoped to see. The subcommittee set aside $5 million for
the grants program (this compares to $5.5 million set aside by the House
for the NHPRC), plus the Senate did not allocate any funding for
administration (the House had set aside $2 million for this purpose).

As did the House, the Senate began with the president's figure of zero
funding for the NHPRC, so a move from zero funds to $5 million is no
small matter. Nevertheless, should the Senate funding level hold when
House and Senate managers conference the bill later this fall, this
funding level would potentially be especially damaging to ongoing
documentary editions projects.

The NHPRC granting cycle was especially tough this year (FY 2005) and
the Commission actually had approximately $6 million in available grants
funding. If only $5 million is made available in FY 2006, Hill insiders
project that only about $2.5 million will be available for editions.

2. HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES SWEEPING HIGHER-EDUCATION LEGISLATION On 22
July 2005, the House Committee on Education approved a new six-year
reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (H.R. 609) - legislation
that includes a provision setting aside special funds for undergraduate
and graduate history programs.

While sections of the bill caused considerable debate (i.e. provisions
relating to for-profit colleges, federal student-loan programs and
academic freedom provisions), Section 704 (Fund for the Improvement of
Post-Secondary Education) that includes an authorization in the "Areas of
National Need" (subsection (b)-(5) relating to the teaching of history,
generated no controversy.

The section reads as follows: "(5) Establishment of academic programs
including graduate and undergraduate courses, seminars and lectures,
support of research, and development of teaching materials for the
purpose of supporting faculty and academic programs that teach
traditional American history (including significant constitutional,
political, intellectual, economic, diplomatic and foreign policy trends,
issues and documents); the history, nature, and development of
democratic institutions of which American democracy is a part; and
significant events and individuals in the history of the United States."

While the inclusion of history program language in the "Areas of
National Need" section of the bill is a positive development, the
National Coalition for History has repeatedly met with committee staff
urging the inclusion of broader language that would be more inclusive,
including a reference to "social" history in the section relating to
"traditional" American history, as well as reference to "ancient, world,
and comparative" history in the overall reauthorization. Thus far,
Republican staff have not responded favorably to the NCH recommendations.

The bill passed the House committee on a straight party-line vote, 27 to
20 with Republican's hoping to see passage on the House floor this fall.

Democrats in the Senate are expected to unveil their version of the
reauthorization legislation in September.

3. COURT UPHOLDS PERMANENT PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF (PDB) SECRECY The
Federation of American Scientists publication "Secrecy News" reports
that a federal judge has accepted the Central Intelligence Agency's
contention that the President's Daily Brief (PDB) is itself an
"intelligence method" that is exempt from disclosure no matter how old
it is and despite the fact that other PDBs have been declassified and
disclosed without adverse effect.

The decision clearly is a disappointment for historians and others who
looked to the courts to impose restraint and rationality on CIA's
indiscriminate secrecy practices. For the background on the judge's
ruling, see "Judge Grants Immortality to Presidential Privilege" from
the National Security Archive at:
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/pdbnews/index.htm .

4. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 - Hiring Trends of Women Historians: According to a recent
analysis of hiring trends, new women history Ph.D's today constitute 40
percent of the total graduates; in 1979, women made up about 16 percent
of new history Ph.D.'s. The report, prepared by Elizabeth Lunbeck, a
Princeton historian for the American Historical Association Committee on
Women Historians, shows that in 1988 approximately 39 percent of
assistant professors of history were women; based on 1999 figures, about
18 percent of full professors of history were women. The report also
documents that women who have entered the profession in recent years
find challenges in balancing work and family responsibilities; they also
are finding inadequate support for doing so. For the report, tap into:
http://www.historians.org/governance/cwh/2005Status/index.cfm .

Item #2 - NEH Film Grants: The National Endowment for the Humanities
(NEH) has awarded $6.4 million in grants for 16 film projects. Nine of
these have been named "We the People" projects, a special recognition by
the NEH for model projects that advance the study, teaching, and
understanding of American history and culture. Funding for the film
projects may be used for film development, production, scripting, or
planning. Ten of the 16 grants will support production of
documentaries, including a two-hour television biography of Walt
Whitman; a two-hour television documentary on the life of Helen Keller
and her place in American culture; a four-hour documentary examining the
life and times of Andrew Jackson; a one-hour documentary on the life and
work of Louisa May Alcott; a one-hour documentary on the Ellis Island
immigrant hospital; and a two-hour film exploring the life and work of
American playwright Eugene O'Neill.

Item # 3 - New NPS Preservation Briefs: The National Park Service's
Technical Preservation Services staff added two titles to its
Preservation Briefs series: Preservation Brief 43: The Preparation and
Use of Historic Structure Reports and Preservation Brief 44: The Use of
Awnings on Historic Buildings: Repair, Replacement, and New Design. Since
1975, more than 2million copies of Preservation Briefs have been used by
architects, consultants, preservation officials, teachers, and students
throughout the country. Preservation Briefs are updated to reflect
developments in technology or preservation practice. The entire series is
also available online at:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/tps/briefs/brief43.htm ,
http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/tps/briefs/brief44.htm and
http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/tps/ .

5. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: A New York Times article "Increase in the Number
of Documents Classified by the Government" by Scott Shane (3 July 2005)
states that government secrecy "has reached a historic high," and that
"across the political spectrum there is concern that the hoarding of
information could backfire." For the article, tap into:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/03/politics/03secrecy.html .


***********************************************************
Who We Are....
The National Coalition for History is a non-profit educational
organization that provides leadership in history-related advocacy; it
serves as the profession's national voice in the promotion of history
and archives and functions as a clearinghouse of news and information of
interest to history-related professionals. Membership in the history
coalition is open to organizations that share our concern for history
and archives. For information on how your history/archive organization
can become a member, visit our website at
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch/ and click on the "Join the Coalition"
web link.

Support the history coalition!
Individuals are invited to help support the NCH by sending a donation
directly to the NCH at 400 A Street S.E. Washington D.C. 20003, or, by
making an on-line donation at
http://www.conservenow.org/detail.asp?ORGID=2032&;memflag=true . All
contributions are tax deductible.

Subscribe Today!
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To subscribe to the "NCH Washington Update," send an e-mail message to
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******************************************************

HNN - 7/25/2005

http://www.defenddemocracy.org Foundation for the Defense of Democracy.

http://www.freemuslims.org Free Muslims

http://www.pmw.org.il Palestinian Media Watch

http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/index.shtml Persian Journal

http://realclearpolitics.com/ Real Clear Politics

http://islam-democracy.org/ Islam&Democracy

http://honestreporting.com Honest Reporting

http://news.google.com/news?ned=us&;topic=w Google News - World

http://gloria.idc.ac.il/ The Global Research in International Affairs

HNN - 7/22/2005

#1 Victor Davis Hanson: And then They Came After Us
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13333.html

#2 Rick Perlstein: What's Wrong with the Democrats (Interview)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13112.html

#3 Caleb Carr: Islamist Terrorists Target Us When They Smell Fear
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13259.html

#4 Tom Engelhardt, Mark Danner, Michael Kinsley: The Downing Street Memo
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13306.html

#5 Burke Vs. Horowitz: Does the Left Hate America?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13332.html

#6 Gavan McCormack: A North Korean Visitor to the White House
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13262.html

#7 Norman Solomon: General Westmoreland’s Death Wish and the War in Iraq
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13299.html

#8 Joshua Brown: Bush's Nominee to the Supreme Court (Illustration)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13294.html

#9 James Pinkerton: Understand Terrorism? Ridiculous
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13258.html

#10 Martin E. Marty: Radical Islam in Europe
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13245.html

#11 Alan Dershowitz: A Children's Book Celebrates Chomsky and Zinn?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13311.html

#12 Daniel Pipes: The Apology He Got from an Islamic Group that Claimed He Approved of Hitler
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13255.html

HNN - 7/21/2005

From: Ascribe

http://www.ascribe.org/

Wed Jul 20 09:02:06 2005 Pacific Time

Supreme Court Expert: History Foresees High Odds on Contentious Justice Hearing
HARRISONBURG, Va., July 20 (AScribe Newswire) -- President Bush has selected federal appellate judge John G. Roberts Jr. to succeed Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to the Supreme Court of the United States, and the president has called for "a dignified confirmation process that is conducted with fairness and civility."

Despite calls for bipartisanship from both the president and senators, Americans should not expect a smooth confirmation process, according to a James Madison University political scientist.

"The next confirmation is going to be difficult," said Assistant Professor Margaret S. Williams, who recently co-wrote an article about U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings from 1955 to 1994.
"It's going to be increasingly difficult to get nominees through the Senate Judiciary Committee. It's highly political because the payoff is so big and Supreme Court nominations are rare."

Williams and political science Professor Lawrence Baum of Ohio State University studied records of confirmation hearings since 1955, when Supreme Court nominees began testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee following the court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which found separate schools inherently unequal and in violation of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment.
"Senators began to see the court as a creator of change and they became more interested in what the court was doing," Williams said.
"The senators took their 'advice and consent' role very seriously after 1955 because they realized what the court could do."

"We found that the confirmation hearings are getting increasingly hostile," Williams said. "The questions are getting tougher. They tend to question whether the decision made by the judge was a good decision. Not just good in terms of that it was followed by a higher court or implemented, but whether it was the right decision to make in the case."

"In 1955, the confirmation hearings were still pretty low-key," she said. "When you get to Thurgood Marshall's nomination (in 1967), it gets increasingly hostile. Southern senators are opposed to some of the civil rights issues and they are opposed to Thurgood Marshall because he is a well-known civil rights leader. Then you see Nixon's two failed nominations (Clement Haynsworth Jr. in 1969 and G. Harrold Carswell in 1970) and Reagan's failed nomination of (Robert H.) Bork (in 1987) and it began a ratcheting effect -- where, with Marshall, it got a little bit tougher, Nixon's got much tougher and Reagan's set the bar for as tough as it could get."

"Clinton had a relatively easy time with his two nominees,"
Williams said, "but they were fairly non-controversial in that they were well-known judges who people would have a hard time picking apart what they had done. Bork was a well-known judge, but his decisions in constitutional law raised a lot of questions for the senators. That's why it got so hostile."

The confirmation hearings article Williams and Baum wrote is currently under review for publication in a professional journal.
Williams also is planning a national survey of public opinion on the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation process.

Williams earned a B.A. in political science and philosophy at John Carroll University, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in political science at Ohio State University. Williams teaches courses in American Politics, specifically Introduction to American Government, Political Research Methods, Women and Politics, Judicial Decision Making, Women and the Law, Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties.

HNN - 7/16/2005

At its 24 June 2005 meeting, the governing council of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations approved unanimously the following resolution:

The Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) wishes to commend the British Association of University Teachers’ recent decision to repeal it earlier motion calling for a boycott of Haifa and Bar Ilan Universities. SHAFR is committed to the free exchange of ideas among academics without regard to the policies of their respective governments. It rejects proposals that curtail the freedom of teachers and researchers to engage in work with academic colleagues, and it reaffirms the paramount importance of the freest possible international movement of scholars and ideas. SHAFR supports the right of all in the academic community to communicate freely with other academics on matters of professional interest.

David L. Anderson, Ph.D.
President, SHAFR
www.shafr.org

Dean, College of University Studies and Programs + California State University, Monterey Bay + 100 Campus Center, Building 58 + Seaside, California 93955-8001 + Phone: 831-582-3818 + Fax: 831-582-3843

testing testing - 7/16/2005

more tests

HNN - 7/16/2005

response to test

HNN - 7/15/2005

#1 Clarence Page: The Memin Pinguin Controversy--And What We Could Learn from Mexico
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13198.html

#2 Alvaro Vargas Llosa: The Selling of Che Guevara
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13183.html

#3 Juan Cole: How Sharon May Trigger Terrorist Attacks in the US
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13202.html

#4 Henry Mark Holzer: Justice O'Connor Was No Conservative on the Bench
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13119.html

#5 Max Boot: The BBC Still Refuses to Call the London Terrorists Terrorists?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13200.html

#6 Daniel Pipes: Weak Brits, Tough French?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13092.html

#7 Walter Laqueur: Terrorism Won't Be Defeated in Our Lifetime
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13118.html

#8 Abigail Thernstrom and Edward Blum: Republicans Should Vote to End the Emergency Provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13199.html

#9 Alan Dershowitz: New Challenge to Columbia and to Chomsky, Finkelstein, and Cockburn
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13143.html

#10 Christopher Hitchens: Would Thomas Jefferson Have Opposed the Iraq War?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13117.html

#11 Thomas Woods: The Flat Earth Libel Against Religion
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13147.html

HNN - 7/11/2005

South China Morning Post

July 9, 2005

SECTION: Pg. 1
Recent Chinese history 'a mystery to students'

BYLINE: Will Clem

BODY:
Secondary school students lack a proper understanding of modern Chinese history, according to a survey.

A total of 473 Form Four to Seven students in 65 secondary schools were quizzed on their knowledge of Chinese history, from the early 19th century to the present day. They were also tested on the Basic Law and social development theory.

Overall, the students scored well - in excess of 70 per cent answering more than half of the 60 multiple-choice questions correctly, as well as more than 80 per cent of all responses in some of the paper's six sections.

But when it came to the section on the period following the foundation of the People's Republic in 1949, only 37 per cent of answers were correct.

Economic history gave students the most trouble. Just over a quarter knew that Hainan Island became a Special Economic Region in 1988. And just over a third knew that Guangdong and Fujian provinces were the first to be given special economic status.

"It is clear from their answers that they have hardly even touched this period," said Chan Yun-kan, honorary president of cultural awareness group the Hok Yau Club, which carried out the study in association with the Education and Manpower Bureau and RTHK.

"It wasn't that the questions were more difficult, they just haven't studied this."

Hui Chun-lung, president of Hong Kong Teachers' Association of Chinese History Education, said he was not surprised by the results. They highlighted a gap in the secondary school syllabus as post-1949 history was only introduced at the very end of Form Three.

"It is covered in just one or two chapters in the textbook," Mr Hui said. "So obviously their knowledge of this subject is shallow."

Traditionally, schools taught China's 5,000-year history in chronological order, he said, but many historians now felt that recent history was the most important.

"To rectify this, we should require students to learn this history and make it a compulsory part of the syllabus," Mr Hui said.

HNN - 7/8/2005

#1 Max Boot: Why Throwing Money at Africa Won't Work
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12960.html

#2 Bill Witherup: Richland, WA ... Where They Made the Plutonium Used in The Bomb
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12946.html

#3 Warren Goldstein: Remembering that Liberal Protestants Matter
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12996.html

#4 James Taranto: Has Roe Helped Reduce the Number of Democratic Voters?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12949.html

#5 Tom Engelhardt: Robbing the Cradle of Civilization
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13001.html

#6 Richard Labunski: Congress Should Call Conventions for Flag Amendment
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12905.html

#7 Murray Polner: What's Needed Are Nuremberg Trials for Terrorists
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12945.html

#8 Norman Solomon Interview: The Lies Presidents Tell in Wartime
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12994.html

#9 Stephanie Coontz: It Was Straights Who Undermined Marriage, Not Gays
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12910.html

#10 Louis Menand: What Is Wanted in a Justice Is ...
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/13003.html

#11 James Pinkerton: What the "War of the Worlds" Says About Our Fears in a Post-9-11 World
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12911.html

#12 Martin E. Marty: Did Jesus Believe in the Rapture?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12907.html

#13 Gary Younge: Why the Story of Racism in the South Doesn't End with the Jailing of Edgar Ray Killen
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12938.html

HNN - 7/8/2005

The Herald (Glasgow)

July 8, 2005

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 3

LENGTH: 201 words

HEADLINE: Scottish historian slept 100 yards from blast

BYLINE: Raymond Duncan

HIGHLIGHT:

TOM DEVINE: In London to deliver lecture to Royal Historical Society.

BODY:


TOM Devine, the Scottish historian, narrowly escaped becoming a victim of the blasts.

The director of the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies at Aberdeen University was staying within 100 yards of the blown-up bus.

He slept in and said last night:

"Somebody was looking after me."

Professor Devine said that, if he had he been on schedule leaving his hotel, in the Russell Square area, he would have been caught up in the horror. "When I woke up, I turned over for a few minutes and fell back asleep. I didn't have an alarm. I was intending to go round the corner to the Tube station."

The academic, who on Wednesday night gave a lecture to the Royal Historical Society in London, said he had had some experience of Northern Ireland and knew immediately there had been a bombing.

Author of The Scottish Nation, an international best seller that for a time outsold Harry Potter in Scotland, he has won all three major prizes for Scottish historical research, is a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, an honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy and a fellow of the British Academy. His latest major work, Scotland's Empire, was published in 2003 and formed the basis of a six-part BBC2 series.

HNN - 7/1/2005

#1 Max Boot: Torture at Gitmo? Ask the Mau Mau
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12789.html

#2 Tom Engelhardt: The Immoral Relativism of the Bush Administration
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12823.html

#3 Juan Cole: Evaluating Bush's Big Speech
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12830.html

#4 Daniel Pipes: Is Allah God?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12794.html

#5 Sidney Blumenthal: Bush's Empty Words
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12775.html

#6 Eric Hobsbawm: America's Neo-conservative World Supremacists Will Fail
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12678.html

#7 Timothy Naftali: What Bush Could Learn from LBJ
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12828.html

#8 Chris Bray: Concerning the War Historian Who Knows Nothing About the Military
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12830.html

#9 Gil Troy: What's Wrong with Live 8
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12736.html

#10 George Beres: A July 4th to Lament What's Happened to Our Country
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12815.html

#11 Neve Gordon: Sharon's Plan Is Never to Negotiate
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12793.html

#12 Chester Finn: Philadelphia's Misguided Demand for African-American History
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12783.html

HNN - 7/1/2005

*************************************************************************
NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #29; 1 July 2005) by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH) Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************


1. SENATE ACTS ON NEH BUDGET
2. SENATE HEARING: "U.S. HISTORY: OUR WORST SUBJECT"
3. NEH ANNOUNCES SECOND ROUND OF "WE THE PEOPLE" BOOKSHELF AWARDS
4. NEH AWARDS CHALLENGE GRANTS TO TEN INSTITUTIONS
5. BITS AND BYTES: Shelby Foote Dies; Two New Index/Archives For CRS Reports; South Asia FRUS Volume Release
6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: "Books Swept Aside in Bid to Celebrate Russia's History" (Financial Times)


*******************
NOTE TO READERS: After this posting of the NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE, we revert to our summer publishing schedule of periodic postings rather than a regular weekly newsletter. We will resume the regular weekly newsletter in August.
********************

1. SENATE ACTS ON NEH BUDGET
On 29 June 2005, by a vote of 94:0, the United States Senate approved its version of the FY-2006 appropriation bill for the Department of Interior and Related Agencies that includes funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Supporters of the NEH were able to beat back a proposed amendment by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) designed to cut funding for both the NEH and NEA by $5 million each. The senator proposed transferring these funds to the Bureau of Land Management to help fight wildfires. Thanks in part to over 700 communications to senators from NEH/NEA supporters, in the end Coburn withdrew his amendment and the Senate approved a figure of $143.1 million for the NEH ($5 million higher than last year's appropriation). This is the same level that was recommended by the House for the NEH in FY 2006.

Now that the funding levels have been set by both the House and Senate, several matters still need to be resolved when managers meet in conference to address the outstanding aspects of the Interior appropriations bill. The key issue of concern for the NEH is whether the $5 million increase for the agency will be earmarked for the history-based "We the People" program as recommended by the House, or not be earmarked for any particular NEH program as recommended by the Senate. The conference has yet to be scheduled and probably will take place in the early fall.

2. SENATE HEARING: "U.S. HISTORY: OUR WORST SUBJECT"
On 30 June 2005, the Senate Subcommittee on Education and Early Childhood Development of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions conducted a hearing on "The American History Achievement Act,"
legislation (S. 860) introduced by senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA). The legislation seeks to authorize a 10-state pilot study to provide a state-by-state comparison of U.S. history and civics test data for 8th and 12 grades administered through the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP).

During the hearing that was chaired by Alexander, NAEP officials announced that beginning in 2006 the U.S. history NAEP test would begin to be administered every four years. Furthermore, in response to criticism from historian David McCullough about the impact of the president's "No Child Left Behind" initiative on the teaching of history, Senator Kennedy promised that when the "No Child Left Behind" legislation comes up for reauthorization, history will be added as a core element in the initiative's teaching mission.

Panelists who testified included historian David McCullough; Executive Director of the National Assessment Governing Board Charles Smith; Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies Director Stephanie Norby; and Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals Field Representative James Parisi.

In his thoughtful remarks, McCullough told the senators that one of the central problems in the teaching of history is that teachers who possess degrees in education rarely possess the needed subject matter expertise to teach specific subjects such as history. He stated that history majors make the best history teachers because they are able to communicate a love of history to students. He also called on colleges and universities to place renewed emphasis on the importance of a liberal arts education.

McCullough also stated that, with some notable exceptions, history texts are often written in a style far to boring to interest students; he called for a renewed effort to emphasize the "literature of history." McCullough then returned to a familiar theme that he often raises in his appearances before congressional committees -- that it is important for teachers to focus on narrative history to reach students. McCullough minced no words when he pointed out the detrimental impact that the "No Child Left Behind"
initiative -- with its emphasis on math and English testing -- is having on the teaching of history. Finally, he called on the committee to explore ways that school teachers can benefit from the superb educational opportunities that exist at the historic sites and places administered by the National Park Service. The national historical parks, stated McCullough, needed to be better tapped "as educational resources especially as locations for summer institutes and workshops."

In his prepared remarks, Charles E. Smith of the National Assessment Governing Board reviewed the widely known NAEP assessment results relating to history testing at the 4th, 8th, and 12th grade levels. In what perhaps was the most important news item to emerge out of the hearing, Smith announced that during the 19-21 May 2005 meeting his board of governors a new history testing schedule was adopted. He said that beginning in 2006, the NAEP U.S. history exam would be conducted every four years -- in 2006, 2010, and 2014. Smith also stated that as embodied in the legislation under consideration by the committee, the objective of conducting history assessments in at least ten geographically diverse states was "a reasonable goal" provided "a sufficient and timely appropriation" was forthcoming.

Stephanie Norby focused her brief remarks on the work of the Smithsonian Institution in offering teaching workshops throughout the country. James Parisi looked at the legislation from a state perspective. He expressed the opinion that S. 860 was particularly important as "state departments of education have a limited capacity to develop and implement any more assessment programs....Clearly, if states are to develop high-quality assessments" said Parisi, "federal assistance will be needed."

For the written testimony of the witnesses, please visit http://help.senate.gov/calendars/all.html and tap into the appropriate hearing link.


3. NEH ANNOUNCES SECOND ROUND OF "WE THE PEOPLE" BOOKSHELF AWARDS This week the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced that a second group of 500 school and local libraries throughout the country will receive free copies of 15 classic books from the "We the People Bookshelf,"
with four also offered in Spanish. The theme of this year's bookshelf is "freedom" -- last year's theme was "courage." As part of the award, libraries will hold programs or events to raise awareness of these classic books and engage young readers. The first group of 500 libraries was announced earlier this year in March.

According to NEH Chair Bruce Cole, "The Endowment's "We the People Bookshelf" enables younger readers to examine this important concept from many perspectives. This year's bookshelf tells the stories of freedom sought, freedom denied, freedom lived."

The new awards are part of the Endowment's "We the People" initiative, which supports projects that strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture. The awards will go to neighborhood and public school libraries as well as libraries at private schools, charter schools, and home school cooperatives throughout the United States. Each library will receive a set of the 15 books, posters, bookmarks, and other promotional materials from NEH through the American Library Association, which is working in partnership with NEH on this initiative.

The books that will be distributed include (among others) the following:
"Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; "To Be a Slave" by Julius Lester; "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury; and the "Miracle at Philadelphia" by Catherine Drinker Bowen. A complete list of the 500 school and public libraries to receive books can be found at:
http://www.neh.gov/pdf/bookshelf6-2005.pdf .


4. NEH AWARDS CHALLENGE GRANTS TO TEN INSTITUTIONS The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has announced that ten cultural institutions in seven states and the District of Columbia will receive NEH Challenge Grants. NEH recognized four of the institutions as part of the Endowment's "We the People" initiative, which supports projects that strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture.

These new grants, which require the awarded institutions to match the offered federal funds on a 3-to-1 or 4-to-1 basis, are awarded to institutions where it is believed that NEH funds could make a significant improvement in humanities programs, help institutions carry out long-term plans for strengthening their basic resources and activities in the humanities, and enhance financial stability through increased non-federal support. If successful in raising the required $17.3 million in matching non-federal funds, benefitting institutions will receive more than $5.2 million in federal funds from NEH. Together the federal and non-federal funds should provide $22.5 million in new support for the humanities.

Four institutions received special recognition under the Endowment's "We the People" initiative: 1) The Old Independence Regional Museum, Batesville, Ark., will receive up to $62,500 to provide an endowment for a half-time humanities educator position to expand programming; 2) the Trustees of Reservations, Beverly, Mass., will receive up to $450,000 in NEH funds to provide an endowment to hire a full-time archivist and a part-time historic resources manager, and they will provide direct support for equipment purchases and reproduction costs; 3) the Arkansas State University, Main Campus, Jonesboro, will receive up to $1,000,000 in NEH funds to support the restoration of two historic sites that are integrated with the university s Heritage Studies Ph.D. program -- the 1858 Lakeport Plantation near Lake Village and the 1930s Mitchell-East Building in Tyronza; 4) the Liberty Memorial Association, Kansas City, Mo., will receive up to $500,000 in NEH funds to support an endowment for a historian/educator director, for educational programming, and for related acquisitions.

New NEH Challenge Grants have also been awarded to Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, the Washington (D.C.) Drama Society, Inc./Arena Stage, the University of California Press, Berkeley, Minnesota Public Radio, St.
Paul, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri and the Durham
(N.C.) Library Foundation. NEH grants are awarded on a competitive basis.
Additional information about NEH and its grant programs is available on the Internet at http://www.NEH.gov.


5. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 -- Shelby Foote Dies: Shelby Foote, who became a national celebrity explaining the Civil War to audiences that tuned into Ken Burns'
popular 1990 PBS documentary on that subject died this last week at the age of 88. Foote's written legacy includes a 3,000-page history of the Civil War, as well as six novels. But most Americans will remember him as the soft-spoken historian whose encyclopedic knowledge of the Civil War graced Ken Burns' 11-hour PBS series. In later years, Foote said that being a celebrity made him uneasy, and he worried it might detract from the seriousness of his work. For his obituary in the New York Times, go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-Obit-Foote.html .

Item # 2 -- Two New Index/Archives For CRS Reports: A Washington based research group has created a web site where the public can access often hard-to-find policy briefs and research reports produced with tax-payer money by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) has unveiled its "Open CRS" web site which offers a searchable, consolidated archive of several large CRS collections totaling some 3,300 reports -- about half of the reports the CRS has issued in the last five years. Because a CRS report is not generally made public unless a lawmaker chooses to release it, the CDT archive encourages others who do gain access to specific CRS reports to submit copies of these reports in order to build the on-line collection. To access the CDT's Open CRS site, tap into: http://www.opencrs.com/ .

The University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries is also producing its own archive of CRS reports. It is even larger than the CDT collection, with which it naturally overlaps, though it includes numerous updates of the same report. Unlike the CDT archive, the UNT search engine does not currently permit sorting by date to identify the most recent report on a subject. For the UNT collection tap into:
http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs/index.tkl .

Item # 3 -- South Asia FRUS Volume Release: On 28 June 2005, the State Department's Office of the Historian released Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969-1976, Volume E-7, Documents on South Asia, 1969-1972, in conjunction with a conference that it is sponsoring this week on U.S.
relations with South Asia, 1961-1972. This volume, released as an electronic-only publication, is part of the subseries of the Foreign Relations series that documents the most important decisions and actions of the foreign policy of the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. This is the first Foreign Relations volume to be published in this new format on the Internet. Approximately 25 percent of the volumes scheduled for publication for the 1969-1976 sub-series, covering the Nixon and Nixon-Ford administrations, will be in this format.

This e-volume documents the foreign policy of the Nixon administration toward South Asia, 1969-1972, and should be read in conjunction with Foreign Relations, 1969-1976, Volume XI, South Asia Crisis, 1971 (GPO:
Washington, March 2005; IBSN 0-16-072401-5), which documents in depth the period from March to December 1971. Together, these two volumes provide full coverage of U.S. policy toward the larger countries of South Asia. For the period January 1969 to February 1971 and all of 1972, the e-volume released today provides full coverage of U.S. policy toward India and Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the newly created state of Bangladesh. The volume, including a preface, list of names, abbreviations, sources, annotated document list, and this press release, are available at the Office of the Historian website (
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/nixon/e7 ). For further information
contact: Edward Keefer General Editor of the Foreign Relations series (202)
663-1131 fax (202) 663-1289 e-mail at:
history@state.gov <mailto:history@state.gov>


6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: In "Books Swept Aside in Bid to Celebrate Russia's History" (Financial Times 29 June 2005) reporter Arkady Ostrovsky states that after 170 years Russia's largest and oldest archives that documents Russia's history from the era of Peter the Great to the Bolshevik coup is being "evicted by the Kremlin." The archive that contains 6.5 million manuscripts will be relocated to a new location just outside St.
Petersburg. Prominent Russian historians state the "relocation" of the archive is most disturbing. For the article tap into:
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/8519565a-e74d-11d9-a721-00000e2511c8.html .


***********************************************************
Who We Are....
The National Coalition for History is a non-profit educational organization that provides leadership in history-related advocacy; it serves as the profession's national voice in the promotion of history and archives and functions as a clearinghouse of news and information of interest to history-related professionals. Membership in the history coalition is open to organizations that share our concern for history and archives. For information on how your history/archive organization can become a member, visit our website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch/ and click on the "Join the Coalition" web link.

Support the history coalition!
Individuals are invited to help support the NCH by sending a donation directly to the NCH at 400 A Street S.E. Washington D.C. 20003, or, by making an on-line donation at http://www.conservenow.org/detail.asp?ORGID=2032&;memflag=true . All contributions are tax deductible.

Subscribe Today!
We invite you to subscribe to this FREE weekly newsletter! You are also encouraged to redistribute the NCH 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 NCH's recently updated web page at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch .

To subscribe to the "NCH Washington Update," send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu with the following text in the body of the message (and only this text) SUBSCRIBE H-NCH firstname lastname, institution. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu according to the following model SIGNOFF H-NCH.

You can accomplish the same tasks by tapping into the web interface at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/lists/subscribe.cgi and at the "network" prompt, scroll down and select H-NCH; enter your name and affiliation and "submit".
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HNN - 6/24/2005

#1 Max Boot: Why the Rebels Will Lose
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12627.html

#2 Harold Meyerson: No One to Demonize
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12614.html

#3 Diane Ravitch: Ethnomathematics
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12625.html

#4 Jack Rakove: Bush, Nader and the 'I' Word (Impeachment)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12624.html

#5 Daniel Pipes: Radical Islam as its Own Cure?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12586.html

#6 Juan Cole: The Revenge of Baghdad Bob
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12555.html

#7 Paul Johnson: The Anti-Semitic Disease
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12512.html

#8 Sidney Blumenthal: Blinded by the Light at the End of the Tunnel
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12629.html

#9 Anne Applebaum: The Only Thing That the Museum of American History Doesn't Do Is Teach History
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12589.html

#10 Alan Wolfe: The Referendum of 2004
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12529.html

#11 Arlie Hochschild: 30 Years Ago We Cared About the Common Man
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12626.html

HNN - 6/24/2005

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NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #28; 23 June 2005) by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH) Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
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1. HOUSE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS $7.5 MILLION FOR NHPRC 2. HOUSE HANDS BUSH A DEFEAT -- VOTES TO CURB PATRIOT ACT LIBRARY PROVISIONS
3. HOUSE VOTES TO FUND PUBLIC INTEREST DECLASSIFICATION BOARD IN FY 2006
4. "HIGHER EDUCATION FOR FREEDOM ACT" INTRODUCED IN BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS
5. NPS RESPONDS TO CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRIES ABOUT NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
REORGANIZATION
6. BITS AND BYTES: Education Department Announces Funding Availability
for Presidential Academies for American History and Civics Education; DOD Legacy Resource Management Program Issues RFP for FY 2006; Gilder Lehrman Institute Founders to be Interviewed
7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: "Expert Outflanks Swindler of History"
(Washington Post)


1. HOUSE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS $7.5 MILLION FOR NHPRC On 21 June 2005, the House Appropriations Committee voted a Transportation/Treasury appropriation bill out of committee that allots a total of $7.5 million for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) -- $5.5 million in grants and $2 million for administrative support. This is significantly more than the president's FY
2006 budget proposal which zeros out all monies for the NHPRC, but less than the figure advanced by the archives and history communities -- $8 million for grants; $2 million for program support. The budget measure is expected to go to the House floor for action -- probably before the Independence Day recess.

During the nearly day-long meeting of the House Appropriations Committee, partisan disagreements over various transportation-related issues dominated the proceedings. Republicans stated that the various funding bills under consideration were "fiscally responsible" and that they eliminated "duplicate and ineffective" programs. Democrats argued that an inadequate budget allocation to committees made it virtually impossible for the committee to report out a responsible bill. While members vocally disagreed over AMTRAK funding and other transportation support measures, there was no disagreement about need to continue funding for the NHPRC.

Quick action on the Treasury/Transportation bill is but one aspect of the Republican leadership's plan to dispense with FY 2006 spending bills in record time. Reportedly, Appropriations Committee Chair Jerry Lewis (R-CA) aims to complete work on all eleven House spending bills a month early -- by the July 4 holiday recess. Already, bills for the Department of Justice, State, and Commerce are finished and the massive Pentagon spending bill is slotted for action soon.

The recent action by the House Appropriations Committee on the FY 2006 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill is also of interest to historians and archivists. While funding details are sketchy, the bill that passed 16 June would provide $2.87 billion for the operations of the House and related congressional agencies, including the Library of Congress, the GAO, the Government Printing Office and the maintenance and security of the Capitol grounds. The figure represents a 1.7 percent increase over last year's funding level.

The Legislative Branch funding bill provides a total of $543 million for the Library of Congress -- a $2 million decrease from FY 2005. The embattled Government Printing Office would get $123 million -- an increase of about $3 million over last year. The Office of the Superintendent of Documents also posts a slight increase this year of $1.384 million; that figure is still some $500,000 below the president's request. Action by the full House is expected late this week.


2. HOUSE HANDS BUSH A DEFEAT -- VOTES TO CURB PATRIOT ACT LIBRARY PROVISIONS On 15 June 2005, in a stunning 238 to 187 victory for the library community, the House approved an amendment to the Patriot Act that bars the Department of Justice from using any appropriated federal funds to search library and bookstore records under provisions of the Patriot Act.

The amendment, remarkably similar to the "Freedom to Read Protection Act"
that was attached to the House Science-State-Justice Subcommittee appropriations bill, was advanced by Representative Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and endorsed by a curious coalition of some 38 House conservatives worried about government intrusion and about 200 Democrats concerned about personal privacy. One House aide referred to the victorious coalition as "the crazies on the left and the crazies on the right, meeting in the middle."

Far from being "crazies," the library community has long argued that certain provisions in Section 215 of the Patriot Act are draconian. When the Patriot Act was enacted in 2001 it granted broad new powers to the FBI to access what the law merely defined as "tangible things" from libraries, bookstores, and other records. All that was needed was a warrant issued by the government's secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act or "FISA"
court. The effect of the provision was to make permissible what Patriot Act critics characterized as "fishing expeditions" by FBI agents who could investigate, among other things, what library patrons were reading.

The House passed measure mandates that security officials would need to obtain a standard court-ordered search warrant issued by a judge or a subpoena from a grand jury in order to seize records relating to a suspect's reading habits. In other words, the Sanders amendment restores legal standards and warrant procedures for investigations of library and bookstore records that were in place prior to enactment of the Patriot Act.

Administration officials claim that national security officials have never invoked the provision against a library or bookstore; nevertheless, one administration official did not hesitate to declare that "bookstores and libraries should not be carved out as safe havens for terrorists and spies who have, in fact, used public libraries to do research and communicate
with their co-conspirators." The House Republican leadership hopes to
have the provision removed when a conference committee meets to work out differences between the House and Senate passed versions of the bill.


3. HOUSE VOTES TO FUND PUBLIC INTEREST DECLASSIFICATION BOARD IN FY 2006 The Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB), an advisory group that focuses attention on government classification and declassification policy that was established by law five years ago but has yet to meet, will receive its first allocation of funds next fiscal year provided the FY 2006 Defense Appropriations Act (House Rept 109-119) becomes law.

According to the House report language, "The [House Appropriations] Committee directs that from amounts available in Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide, $1,000,000 shall be available for the Public Interest Declassification Board." According to Secrecy News, a newsletter of the Federation of American Scientists, "approval of the funding would mark an end to an embarrassing impasse in which the Board has been unable to meet even though most of its members have now been named by the Bush White House and Congressional leaders."

The board is not empowered to enact structural changes to the classification system, nor does it have any independent declassification authority. It is strictly an advisory body. Nevertheless, it provides an official venue to air concerns over classification and declassification policies. For a copy of the law creating the PIDB and to access links to additional articles about the PIDB go to:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2005/pida.html .


4. "HIGHER EDUCATION FOR FREEDOM ACT" INTRODUCED IN BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS On 9 June 2005 Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Representative Thomas Petri
(R-WI) introduced legislation (S. 1209 and H.R. 2858 respectively) designed "to establish and strengthen post-secondary programs and courses in the subjects of traditional American history, free institutions, and Western civilization." The legislation which is identical in both the House and Senate introduced versions seeks to authorize an appropriation of $140 million for FY 2006 and "such sums as may be necessary for each of the succeeding 5 fiscal years."

In his floor statement introducing his legislation, Senator Gregg stated, "College students' lack of historical literacy is quite startling...We cannot hope to preserve our democracy without taking action to remedy our students' historical literacy...I believe the time has come for Congress to do something to promote the teaching and study of traditional American history at the post-secondary level."

Last Congress, Senator Gregg, as Chair of the Senate Education Committee introduced similar legislation and was well positioned to aggressively advance his bill. But Gregg's bill sparked criticism from some historical groups because of its overly narrow focus on "traditional American history"
when clearly the demonstrated need was for federal funding-support for a broader-based history curriculum at the post-secondary level -- a curriculum covering not just "traditional" American history but also ancient history and the history of Western civilization, as well as comparative world history.

In meetings with Gregg's staff in October 2003, representatives of the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, and the National Coalition for History advanced for the senator's consideration certain suggested changes to the bill. They included a more expansive definition of both "traditional American history" (including as part of the definition some dimension of state and local history and social
history) and "western civilization," and also recommended "world or comparative history" be included in the legislation. As introduced, Gregg's most recent legislative initiative merely corrects grammatical errors in the old bill but continues its narrow focus. The National Coalition for History once again hopes to coordinate a meeting with Congressional staff to advance much needed revisions to these well-meaning but flawed legislative initiatives.


5. NPS RESPONDS TO CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRIES ABOUT NATIONAL PARK SERVICE REORGANIZATION On 8 June 2005, the National Park Service responded to congressional inquiries relating to the effort "to realign certain functional responsibilities of the Washington headquarters office." The response was addressed to Norman Dicks (D-WA), Ranking Minority member of the House Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, of the U.S.
House of Representatives, with copies going to other House and Senate appropriations committee members.

According to the memo obtained by the National Coalition for History, the realignment of the Cultural Resources Division is part of what an NPS spokesperson described as a larger "consolidation of business practices"
that is to take effect within 30 days of the receipt of the letter by the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations -- that being 8 July.

The letter states that "the purpose of this realignment is to improve our ability to carry out the broad mission responsibilities of the NPS" and to that end, "we seek to improve efficiency by balancing responsibilities among top managers and consolidating similar functions under common leadership." The most significant aspect to the realignment is the consolidation of park operations to a single deputy director and park support services under another deputy director. The memo declares that "there are no added costs associated with the realignment" and that the number of Senior Executive Service slots remains "unchanged." The letter is signed by P. Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary, Policy, Management and Budget.

Several NPS inside sources familiar with the memo's contents questioned the rationale advanced in the letter justifying the reorganization, specifically as it relates to the Cultural Resources Division. According to these insiders, the realignment justifications are based on "service-wide management objectives and do not address the specifics
relating to the Cultural Resources division." Of the nine justifications
advanced to Congress, only one directly addresses the "proposed" changes to the Cultural Resources division. According to the letter to Congress, "efficiency, effectiveness and accountability" will be achieved in the Cultural Resources division "by organizing fourteen divisions among three Assistant Associate Directors."

According to some analysts the NPS letter fails to adequately address concerns raised by some within the cultural resources community regarding the reorganization (specifically, the removal of Carol Shull as Keeper of the National Register). Recent press reports also note that the reorganization consolidates a "great deal of power into the hands of Stephen P. Martin," the recently appointed deputy director who replaced Durand "Randy" Jones just four months ago. But other observers note the reorganization basically returns the NPS to an organizational structure that existed well over a decade ago, prior to the Bush administration taking office.

If nothing else, the reorganization suggests a reversal in the management trend popular with the Reagan and other past Republican administrations in which decision-making power and authority vested more at the field and regional level than in a centralized Washington office. Instead, the new organizational structure more closely adheres to a corporate model that consolidates power and authority in the hands of a few at the top. Clearly, the NPS is now adhering more closely to the corporate model that seems to better typify the government-wide management style of the Bush administration.


6. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 -- Education Department Announces Funding Availability for
Presidential Academies for American History and Civics Education: A
recent Federal Register posting (21 June 2005 (Volume 70, No. 118; page
35644-35649) invites institutions of higher education (IHEs), museums, libraries, and other public and private agencies, organizations, and institutions (including for-profit organizations) or a consortium of such agencies, organizations, and institutions to apply for the first year FY
2005 awards for the Education Department's newest history-based program -- "Presidential Academies for the Teaching of American History and Civics" -- a program designed to offer workshops for both veteran and new teachers of American history and civics. The program is authorized under the authority of Public Law 108-474 (118 Stat.3898) that in the last Congress was championed by Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN).

Estimated funds available for this program are $700,000 with probably two awards being made in the $300,000 to $600,000 range. The deadline for intent to apply notifications is 21 July 2005; the deadline for actual transmittal of applications is 5 August 2005. Interested parties need to access the rather lengthy official Federal Register announcement for a more detailed description of the goals of the presidential academies, eligibility requirements, details of what is expected of applicant institutions, departmental priorities, regulatory mandates, and submission guidelines that apply to all applicants. For the Federal Register document in text or Adobe portable Document (PDF) format on the Internet, go to:
http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister .

Item #2 -- DOD Legacy Resource Management Program Issues RFP for FY
2006: The Legacy Resource Management Program (Legacy Program) of the Department of Defense announces a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 for projects to protect, enhance, and sustain cultural and natural resources while supporting military readiness. The Legacy Program was established by Congress in 1991 to provide financial assistance to Department of Defense (DoD) efforts to preserve the nation's natural and cultural heritage. Stewardship initiatives assist the DoD in safeguarding its irreplaceable resources for future generations. Through partnerships, the program strives to access the knowledge and talents of individuals outside of DoD. For more information on the program, please visit the Legacy website at http://www.dodlegacy.org. The FY 2006 RFP is available on the Legacy website at:
http://www.dodlegacy.org/legacy/intro/guidelines.aspx . For more information, contact the Legacy Program Staff as listed at http://www.dodlegacy.org/legacy/intro/contact.aspx .

Item #3 -- Gilder Lehrman Institute Founders to be Interviewed: On Sunday
26 June 2005, C-SPAN's "Q&A" program hosted by Brian Lamb will feature Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History co-founders Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman. The show will air Sunday at 8 and 11 PM Eastern and 5 and 8 PM Pacific. For additional information tap into: http://www.quanda.org/ .


7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: In "Expert Outflanks Swindler of History"
(Washington Post 13 June 2005) reporter Michael E. Ruane profiles Gettysburg historian Wayne E. Motts whose tip about a Civil War era letter stolen from the National Archives that he noticed being offered for sale on e-Bay resulted in the arrest and conviction of a relic hunter/document thief who took and sold more than 100 documents. For the article tap into:
http:washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/12/AR2005061201248.html




***********************************************************
Who We Are:
The National Coalition for History is a non-profit educational organization that provides leadership in history-related advocacy; it serves as the profession's national voice in the promotion of history and archives, and acts as a clearinghouse of news and information of interest to history-related professionals. Membership in the history coalition is open to organizations that share our concern for history and archives. For information on how your history/archive organization can become a member,
visit our website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch/ and click on
the "Join the Coalition" web link.

Individuals are invited to help support the NCH by sending a donation directly to the NCH at 400 A Street S.E. Washington D.C. 20003, or, by making an on-line donation at http://www.conservenow.org/detail.asp?ORGID=2032&;memflag=true . All contributions are tax deductible.

Subscribe Today!
We invite you to subscribe to this FREE weekly newsletter! You are also encouraged to redistribute the NCH 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 NCH's recently updated web page at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch .

To subscribe to the "NCH Washington Update," send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu with the following text in the body of the message (and only this text) SUBSCRIBE H-NCH firstname lastname, institution. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu according to the following model SIGNOFF H-NCH.

You can accomplish the same tasks by tapping into the web interface at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/lists/subscribe.cgi and at the "network" prompt, scroll down and select H-NCH; enter your name and affiliation and "submit".
******************************************************

Assistant Editor - 6/23/2005

Letter to H.E. Tatoul Markarian Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the United States from Ali Banuazizi President, Middle East Studies Association

Your Excellency:

I write to you on behalf of the Committee on Academic Freedom of the Middle
East Studies Association of North America in order to express our grave concern about the
current condition and whereabouts of Mr. Yektan Turkyilmaz. Mr. Turkyilmaz is a Ph. D.
candidate at Duke University and has been a member in good standing of the Middle East
Studies Association. Mr. Turkyilmaz is being held by the Armenian security services at an
undisclosed location in Yerevan.

The Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) comprises 2600 academics
worldwide who teach and conduct research on the Middle East and North Africa, and is
preeminent professional association in the field. The association publishes the International
Journal of Middle East Studies, and is committed to ensuring respect for the principles of
academic freedom and freedom of expression in the region and in connection with the study
of the Middle East and North Africa. Numbered among our members are some of the
world’s experts on Armenian history, culture, literature and genocide studies, and the Society
for Armenian Studies is an affiliated organization.

At the time of his detention Mr. Turkyilmaz was in Armenia conducting research on the
history of Eastern Anatolia during the interwar period. He has conducted research in the
country before without incident. Upon seeking to leave the country after finishing his work
on this trip, he was seized on suspicion of smuggling old books and/or documents and
questioned on his archival work and political beliefs. He has been held incommunicado
over 72 hours and we are unaware of any charges against him.

We ask on behalf of our organization that you use your good offices to investigate the
specific issues involved and act to ensure that Mr. Turkyilmaz is treated fairly and provided
all legal rights due him. We strongly urge you, at a minimum and urgently, to obtain
information about Mr. Turkyilmaz’s whereabouts and conditions of detention, and convey
that information to his family. We are willing to act as a conduit for that information.

As evidence of our commitment to academic freedom, MESA recently sent a strongly worded statement to Prime
Minister Erdogan of Turkey decrying actions by members of his government that led to the cancellation of a
conference organized by Turkish academics on the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and other events of the period
1915-1923. Our actions derive from our larger belief that scholarship, free exchange of ideas and international
collegiality can help lessen political tensions between states and increase mutual respect and understanding
amongst peoples. With your help, what may merely be a misunderstanding can be kept from turning into an
international political issue of value to none.

Ali Banuazizi
President, Middle East Studies Association

HNN - 6/22/2005

NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY ACTION ALERT!

HOUSE RESTORES FUNDING TO NHPRC!
ALL EYES NOW FOCUS ON THE SENATE

Good News! Late yesterday the House Appropriations Committee voted to restore funding for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) -- $5.5 million for grants and $2 million for administration related costs, for a total of $7.5 million. This is far better than what was proposed in the presidents's budget, which had zeroed out all funding for both NHPRC grants and administrative support.

Thanks are especially due to the members of the House Transportation, Treasury and Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, District of Columbia Appropriations Subcommittee (T-THUD) for advancing its funding recommendation of 21 June to the full committee. Without a doubt, the funding restoration is due to the hard work by the coalition of archives and history organizations that have put so much time and energy into this effort
- special kudos to history coalition members: the Association for Documentary Editing, the Council of State Historical Records Coordinators, the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators, and the Society of American Archivists. Through collective action we are moving mountains!

While the news from the House Appropriations Committee is extremely welcomed and definitely a step in the right direction, there is still much that needs to be done to insure funding for the NHPRC in FY 2006. To that end, NHPRC supporters now need to focus attention on the Senate. In your communications with senators, please request that the funding recommended by the House be increased to $8 million for competitive grants and $2 million for administration and staffing in the National Archives budget.

As a result of meetings with Senate Appropriations Committee staff last week, it appears there is strong support for the NHPRC by some members of the committee (http://appropriations.senate.gov/members/members.htm
). However, all members of the committee need to hear from constituents and organizations.

Phone calls, faxed letters, and e-mail communications need to be sent to members of the Senate Transportation/Treasury Appropriations Subcommittee (http://www.savearchives.org/SenateAppropTTHUD.html ) and to all the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee (http://www.savearchives.org/SenateAppropMemb.html ).

Members of the full committee include: Republicans: Cochran (R-MS); committee Chair), Allard (R-CO), Bond (R-MO), Shelby (R-AL), Specter (R-PA), Bennett (R-UT), Hutchison (R-TX), DeWine (R-OH), Brownback (R-KS), Stevens (R-AK), Domenici (R-NM), Burns (R-MT), McConnell (R-KY),Gregg (R-NH); Craig (R-ID); Democrats: Byrd (D-WV; Ranking Member), Feinstein (D-CA), Inouye (D-HI), Landrieu (D-LA), Mikulski (D-MD), Reid (D-NV), Kohl (D-WI), Murray (D-WA), Durbin (D-IL), Dorgan (D-ND), Leahy (D-VT), Johnson
(D-SD) and Harkin (D-IA).

ACTION ITEM -- INDIVIDUALS: SEND LETTER TO SENATORS! If you are a constituent of any senator listed above, please make a telephone, e-mail, or fax communication in support of the NHRPC! You can obtain contact information for your senator by going to the following webpage:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm ).

If you have not already done so, please sign the petition that is circulating in support of the NHPRC. Go to
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/589708324 and take action today!

ORGANIZATIONS: PLEASE FAX A LETTER OF SUPPORT addressed to the Chairs of both the Senate Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the NHPRC budget: The Honorable Thad Cochran, Chair, US Senate Appropriations Committee, Room S-128 Capitol Building, Washington D.C.
20510; Fax 202. 228-0248 and to: The Honorable Christopher S. Bond, Chair, Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary and Housing and Urban Development, Room 133 Dirksen SOB, Washington D.C. 20510; FAX 224-4401. Copies of letters should be sent to Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the T-THUD Subcommittee, and to Senator Robert C Byrd
(D-WV) Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee (see address links above).

BACKGROUND:
For over 40 years, the NHPRC has played an essential federal leadership role in preserving and publishing important historical records that document American history. The NHPRC has an outstanding success record of using a small amount of federal funds to leverage other contributions. It is important that the NHPRC be able to continue preserving our nation's historical records, promoting regional and national coordination in archives-related matters, and supporting a wide range of other activities relating to America's documentary heritage.

In the president's FY 2006 budget submission, all funding for the NHPRC is proposed to be eliminated. The House of Representatives Appropriations Committee has adopted a funding level of $5.5 million for grants and $2 million for program support. Funding decisions have yet to be made by the Senate. The archives and history communities are recommending the NHPRC be allotted $8 million (20 percent under its authorized level of $10 million) for grants and $2 million for staffing and administrative support for this small but essential federal program.

For additional background about the NHPRC, including guidelines for writing letters to members of Congress and other relevant information is located at http://www.savearchives.org/ .

PLEASE ACT TO SAVE THE NHPRC TODAY!

***********************************************************
Who We Are
The National Coalition for History (NCH) is a non-profit educational organization that provides leadership in history-related advocacy; it serves as the profession's national voice in the promotion of history and archives, and acts as a clearinghouse of news and information of interest to history-related professionals. Membership in the history coalition is open to organizations that share our concern for history and archives. For information on how your history/archive organization can become a member, visit our website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch/ and click on the "Join the Coalition" web link.

Individuals are invited to help support the NCH by sending a donation directly to the NCH at 400 A Street S.E. Washington D.C. 20003, or, by making an on-line donation at http://www.conservenow.org/detail.asp?ORGID=2032&;memflag=true . All contributions are tax deductible.

Subscribe Today!
To keep on top of the most recent developments in the realm of history and archives, we invite you to subscribe to the history coalition's free weekly new`````sletter! You are also encouraged to redistribute the NCH Washington Updates and Action Alerts 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 NCH's recently updated web page at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch .

To subscribe to the "NCH Washington Update," send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu with the following text in the body of the message (and only this text) SUBSCRIBE H-NCH firstname lastname, institution. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu according to the following model SIGNOFF H-NCH.

You can accomplish the same tasks by tapping into the web interface at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/lists/subscribe.cgi and at the "network" prompt, scroll down and select H-NCH; enter your name and affiliation and "submit".
******************************************************

HNN - 6/19/2005

#1 Peter Dreier: Lynching Lessons
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12514.html

#2 Wilfred M. McClay: Bush's Calling
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12417.html

#3 Paul Johnson: What Europe Really Needs
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12512.html

#4 Daniel Pipes: Saudis Import Slaves to America
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12487.html

#5 Clark G. Reynolds: Time for Reality to Replace "PDB" History
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12491.html

#6 Jim Sleeper: Europe 1, American Right 0
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12515.html

#7 John Q. Barrett: "Deep Throat," Justice Jackson and Suicide Pacts
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12482.html

#8 Alan Block: Europe Interrupted
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12492.html

#9 Timothy Garton Ash: Decadent Europe
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12382.html

#10 Keith Windschuttle: The Journalism of Warfare
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12391.html

HNN - 6/14/2005

HNN asked Bryan Le Beau for a statement regarding allegations that he plagiarized part of a commencement address from Cornell West. This was his response on June 14, 2005:

This is not a case of plagiarism in that there was not intention of deceiving anyone. The controversy focuses on my commencement remarks offered at the December 2003 UMKC ceremony. I had only just begun as dean. I received the assignment quite late and scrambled to get it done. The result was serious error.

The topic I chose was important to me professionally, and it was a topic on which I had gathered some information already for a possible talk to my faculty. Among the materials were several good quotes, almost all of which I used in the brief 8 to 10 minute talk. To a certain extent I was hoping to impress upon the students that there was nothing radically new about what I was saying -- that there was widespread consensus on it.

I don't recall where I got Cornel's quotes. As they were just quotes, I suspect he was quoted somewhere, and I clipped them. They were excellent. When all of this controversy surfaced, I was told that the passages came from a commencement address he gave about 13 years ago. I believe I attributed nearly all of the quotes when I delivered my oral remarks -- I say believe because I no longer have the copy from which I delivered my remarks. That text was marked up with various references, etc. in the margins, and I tossed it when I was done. But it may well be the case that I excluded Cornel's name.

Following the event, I received several requests for some of the quotes that I used in the talk. I decided to add it to my newsletter, which I believed was sent out only a listserv to my faculty. I did not know it was accessible from the internet. It was certainly not written with publication in mind and not prepared for that purpose -- no footnotes, etc. And, it is the case that I did not attribute Cornel's quotes -- or paraphrases -- to him.

That was a serious mistake on my part, and I have apologized to Cornel West for it. But I had no intention of denying Cornel credit; it just fell through the cracks. I am not excusing my mistake. It is a lesson well learned and that I hope others will learn before they too get into difficulty.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to respond.

HNN - 6/10/2005

#1 Keith Windschuttle: The Journalism of Warfare
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12391.html

#2 Gil Troy: Legacy of Ronald Reagan
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12333.html

#3 Max Boot: Who's Really Abusing the Koran?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12364.html

#4 Timothy Garton Ash: Decadent Europe
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12382.html

#5 Sidney Blumenthal: Where Nixon Failed, Bush Has Succeeded in Muzzling the Media
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12359.html

#6 Rodger Citron: After Rehnquist?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12367.html

#7 Fareed Zakaria: What's Wrong With Europe?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12372.html

#8 Daniel Pipes: Is Turkey Going Islamist?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12327.html

#9 Barry Gewen: Forget the Founding Fathers
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12330.html

#10 Norman Solomon: From Watergate to Downing Street -- Lying for War
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12392.html

Assistant Editor - 6/10/2005

Irene Wang, in the South China Morning Post (6-10-05)

Two months after another flare-up in the on-going row over Japanese history textbooks, historians from China, Japan and South Korea yesterday released what they described as a combined "truthful" version of the region's modern past.

The book, entitled The Modern History of Three Countries in East Asia, is the first effort of its kind undertaken by quasi or non-governmental bodies and was simultaneously published in the three countries.

It traces the history of each country from the 19th century until the present and includes sections on Japan's invasion of China and Korea.

The project was launched in 2002 in response to the publication of The New History Textbook by Japanese nationalist historians and scholars accused by China of "whitewashing" their country's militaristic past.

More than 40 historians from the three countries joined forces to produce the tome so that their nations' youth could gain an understanding of "historical truth".

According to Professor Bu Ping , the co-ordinator of the Chinese editorial committee, there were no differences among the parties on essential issues, such as Japan's invasion of China and Korea.

For example, in dealing with the Nanking Massacre, all parties agreed that there had been a massacre but the book listed two estimates of the number of victims - one based on a Nanjing military court's tally of 340,000, and the other based on a Tokyo war crimes trial figure of "more than 200,000".

"Researchers need more time to study the figures but acknowledging the massacre is a matter of attitude," Professor Bu said.

He also said it was inevitable that historians from the different countries would have different opinions on history.

"Communication is key to solving disagreement among different countries, and the basis of that communication is historical fact. Jointly compiling a history book is an effort to promote a historical consensus," Professor Bu said.

Each version had an initial print run of 20,000 copies and the Japanese publisher is running off an additional 15,000 copies.

The South Korean version will be reprinted next month and mainland publisher Social Sciences Academic Press said the 20,000 copies of the Chinese-language text had all been reserved.

Umeda Masaki, president of the publisher, Koubunken, said his staff was working hard to fill orders for the book. But he also said the book was unlikely to become a school text in Japan due to strict government regulations.

South Korean representative Professor Yoon Hwy-tak said his government was very supportive of the book and was arranging for it to be donated to schools.

In early April, Japan approved a new edition of a textbook backed by nationalist historians, prompting strong protests from China and South Korea.

HNN - 6/9/2005

*************************************************************************< NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #26; 9 June 2005)
by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************

1. SENATE COMMITTEE ACTS ON INTERIOR FUNDING -- NEH GETS $5 MILLION
INCREASE!
2. NARA SET TO OPEN MILITARY RECORDS
3. SIGN THE NHPRC PETITION!
4. LEGISLATION INTRODUCED: Revised FOIA bill; Martin Luther King Records
Collection Act; Camp Security Study
5. STOLEN IRAQI ARTIFACTS FOUND
6. BITS AND BYTES: NCPH Launches Executive Director Search; History
Channel "Save Our History" Grant Program; NHPRC Seeks Papers of the War
Department Sponsor
7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: Chinese Museum Looks Back in Candor"
(Washington Post)


1. SENATE COMMITTEE ACTS ON INTERIOR FUNDING -- NEH GETS $5 MILLION INCREASE!
Late in the day of 9 June 2005, the United States Senate Interior
Appropriations Committee issued its recommendations for the FY 2006
Interior Appropriations bill. The committee recommended a $5 million
increase for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and also a $5
million increase for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

It was history champion senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) who advanced the
amendment; he was joined in the effort by Republican senators Pete Domenici
(R-NM) and Larry Craig (R-ID). Byrd dominated the proceedings and spoke
passionately and at length about the importance of history. He stated, "we
don't pay enough attention to history...we ought to appropriate more for
history." Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT), Chair of the Interior Subcommittee
also commented on the need to do a better job in teaching history as well
as geography: if you want help history education, "go to the public
schools and make them teach it in the schools" he stated. Byrd's amendment
that passed on voice vote allots an additional $5 million to the NEH over
what the president had requested which was flat funding for the agency at
the FY 2005 level of $138.1 million.

Recently, the House of Representatives passed a floor amendment also
designed to increase NEH funding by $5 million for a total funding level of
$143.1 million (the same as the Senate recommendation). Assuming the
funding proposal approved by the Interior committee will be agreed to by
the full Senate, because the language of the amendment is not identical
with the House passed $5 million increase (the House earmarked the funds
for the "We the People" initiative while the Senate version did not specify
how the funds are to be spent), the final determination of the funding
levels for both the humanities and arts endowments will be decided by a
conference committee later in the year.

2. NARA SET TO OPEN MILITARY RECORDS
On 11 June 2005, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
National Personnel Records Center in Overland, Missouri will unseal the
first release of what is expected to be a "a mother load" collection of
interest to military historians, biographers, and genealogists. The center
houses the military records of some 56 million individuals, beginning in
the 19th century and extending into the 20th.

A total of three batches of individual records are slotted to be released:
Navy enlisted men from 1885 until 8 September 1939; Marine Corps enlisted
men from 1906 until 1939; and the first 150 of about 3,000 Americans
identified as "persons of exceptional prominence." Included in the last
category are the military records of generals George S. Patton Jr. and Omar
Bradley; African American sports hero Lt. Jackie Robinson; President John
F. Kennedy; author Herman Wouk; actors Clark Gable, Audie Murphy, and Steve
McQueen; and, yes, entertainer Pfc. Elvis Presley.

Until recently, NARA was merely the physical custodian of these records
that were open only to the veteran, the next of kin, or the individual's
service branch. In 1999, however, the Pentagon and NARA reached an
agreement that would begin the process of systematically opening these
records. According to Bill Seibert, chief of the archival operations
branch of the records center, the records now "cease to belong to the
military and instead belong to the American people...They're public documents."

After lengthy discussion with Pentagon officials over several years, NARA
was able to negotiate an agreement that provided for all such military
records to remain sealed 62 years past the date an individual left active
service. That means that most World War II records, for example, will
remain closed for several more years. In addition, because of a fire at
the records center back in 1973, some files of Army and Air Force veterans
will be withheld even longer - until 2023. Coast Guard records will
probably not be available until 2026, and because some individual files
contain fragile or crumbling paper, such files will probably be kept on
hold for some time.

Persons interested in accessing the collection should contact the National
Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Avenue, Overland, Mo. 63132; phone:
314-801-0850.

3. SIGN THE NHPRC PETITION!
The effort to restore funding for the National Historical Publications and
Records Commission (NHPRC) continues. Next week, on 15 June, the House
subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury and Housing and Urban Development,
the Judiciary, District of Columbia will announce their funding
recommendations for the NHPRC. The exact figure the committee will advance
has not been released though inside sources report there will be funding
for both the grants and program administrative support functions. A few
days later, on 21June, the House Appropriations Committee will report out
their recommendations which will then be acted on by the full House shortly
after that.

If you haven't done so already, now is the time for you to weigh in and
help in the effort to restore funding to the NHPRC! A petition by the
archival community has been circulating for several weeks now and you can
add your name as a signatory to that petition. The petition will be sent
the House committees both before the markup on the 15th and also in an
updated form, to the full committee prior to their 21 June mark-up of the
NARA appropriation bill.

Please help out by signing this petition. It only takes a couple of minutes
and it can help. Please follow this link to sign the petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/589708324 . Once you have
signed, help even more, by telling your friends and family to sign as well!

4. LEGISLATION INTRODUCED: REVISED FOIA BILL, MARTIN LUTHER KING RECORDS
COLLECTION ACT; CAMP SECURITY NHS STUDY
FOIA Legislation: On 7 June 2005, Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Patrick
Leahy (D-VT) re-introduced one section of their pending FOIA legislation
(S. 394) as a stand-alone bill. If enacted, the legislation (S. 1181) would
require that any future exemptions that Congress may enact to the FOIA must
be explicitly flagged as such. According to Senator Cornyn, "Congress
should not establish new secrecy provisions through secret means. If
Congress is to establish a new exemption to FOIA, it should do so in the
open and in the light of day." For the introductory statements on the bill
here, go to: http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2005/s1181.html . The
bill has been referred to the Committee on the Judiciary for consideration.

M.L. King Records Collection Act: On 23 May 2005, Representative Cynthia
McKinney (D-GA) introduced legislation (H.R. 2254) to provide for the
"expeditious disclosure of records relevant to the life and assassination
of Martin Luther King." The 21-page bill establishes a records review
board similar to the one established years ago that investigated the John
F. Kennedy assassination records. McKinney believes the legislation is
necessary, "because the Freedom of Information Act, as implemented by the
executive branch, has prevented the timely public disclosure of records
relating to the life and assassination of Reverend D. Martin Luther
King." The bill was referred to the House Committee on Government Reform
for consideration.

Camp Security National Historic Site Study Act: On 26 May 2005,
Representative Todd Russell Platts (R-PA) introduced legislation (H.R.
2722) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability
and feasibility of designation Camp Security -- the only undisturbed
prison-of-war camp from the Revolutionary War era -- as a unit of the
National park Service. The bill was referred to the House Subcommittee on
National Parks for consideration.

5. STOLEN IRAQI ARTIFACTS FOUND
Following up on stories previously posted in this publication about the
effort to restore and reclaim the collections of the National Museum of
Iraq, according to a recent press report, roughly half of the 15,000 items
looted back in 2003 from the museum following the American invasion of Iraq
have now been recovered.

After the fall of Baghdad, which was plunged into chaos after U.S. troops
captured the city on 9 April 2003, artifacts were taken by thieves,
looters, museum insiders, and, to a lesser extent, by U.S. troops as
souvenirs. Some artifacts that have been recovered originally showed up on
e-Bay or otherwise found their way into private collections; to date, about
1,000 items of this nature have been intercepted. Some 2,300 items were
located in Jordan with significantly lower numbers reportedly being
repatriated from Syria, Italy, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and The Netherlands.

The governments of Iran and Turkey, however, have failed to respond to
legal and diplomatic efforts to recover stolen goods. Thousands of missing
pieces are presumed to still be inside Iraq where scores of volunteers have
been scouring flea markets in search of missing antiquities.

6. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 -- NCPH Launches Executive Director Search: In keeping with our
tradition of posting job announcements for key positions in the history and
archives fields, the National Council on Public History (NCPH) has
announced that it is seeking applicants for the position of Executive
Director. The selected individual will provide intellectual, programmatic,
and administrative leadership for a professional organization with
approximately 1600 members. The executive director will communicate with
public historians worldwide; represent their interests in international,
national, regional, and local settings; work closely with the NCPH board of
directors; and coordinate the work of association staff and
committees. The Executive Director also teaches at least one course per
semester for the Department of History at Indiana University-Purdue
University, Indianapolis and participates in department activities.

Applicants should possess: a strong record of scholarly pursuits in public
history; a record of achievement in the field of public history; a record
of success in building professional collaborations; the ability to be an
advocate for NCPH, its membership, and public history at the international,
federal, state, and regional levels. An advanced degree (Ph.D recommended)
is highly suggested.
A detailed job description and information on what documents should be
submitted as part of the application process is available on the NCPH
website at http://www.ncph.org (to access the announcement click on the
"Resources" button, then the "jobs" button and finally, the "permanent
positions" link button; the announcement is the first listing on that
page). An abbreviated posting is located
at: http://www.h-net.org/jobs/display_job.php?jobID=28560 . The deadline
for applications is 15 July 2005.

Item # 2 -- History Channel "Save Our History" Grant Program: Based on
its success among history organizations and schools in 2004-2005, The
History Channel, in collaboration with The American Association for State
and Local History and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, has announced its
2005-2006 "Save Our History Grant Program." Last year, The History Channel
awarded $250,000 in grants to twenty-nine local history organizations in
twenty-seven states across the country. This year, awards totaling $250,000
in grants will once again be distributed to support history education and
historic preservation with an emphasis on local history organizations that
design and execute local history education and preservation projects in
collaboration with local schools or youth groups.

History organizations will be able to apply for grants of up to $10,000 to
help fund unique, hands-on student projects created to teach students about
important aspects of their local history and to actively engage them in the
preservation of significant and potentially endangered pieces of their
local heritage. If you have questions on how to get started, a Save Our
History representative will be happy to provide guidance and support;
please send an email to: info@saveourhistory.com. The grant application
form will be posted at http://www.saveourhistory.com after 8 July 2005;
please visit the site at that time.

Item #3 -- NHPRC Seeks Papers of the War Department Sponsor: The National
Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) invites applications
from institutions interested in sponsoring the Papers of the War Department
project. In November 1800, a conflagration swept through the offices of
the War Department, destroying nearly all its records. The War Department
was responsible for a variety of functions, and it was a major consumer of
agricultural and manufactured goods. So the destruction of its records
impeded research, not only in military and naval matters, but also in many
other areas, including veterans' affairs, American relations with Indian
tribes, and diplomatic relations with Great Britain and Spain.

For the past decade, a project supported by the NHPRC has been attempting
to re-create the War Department files lost in 1800. To date, the project
has captured images of approximately 50,000 documents from more than 3,000
collections in the United States and abroad, intending to publish these
images electronically, making them accessible through a searchable
database. The main task still confronting the editors is the subject matter
data entry. Thus far, the editors have completed subject matter data entry
for only about 6,000 of the documents accessioned. Last year, the
project's long-time editor resigned to accept a position with another
project. Lacking another faculty member who was willing to succeed him, the
project's host institution elected to terminate its affiliation with the
project. Recognizing the valuable work done by this project, the NHPRC
invites applications from institutions interested in seeing this important
project through to completion. Applicants may request grant periods of at
least 18 months, but no more than 31 months. Applications must be
postmarked by 1 August 2005. The Commission plans to consider these
applications at its November meeting. The NHPRC program guidelines are
available on our Web site:
http://www.archives.gov/grants/program_guidelines/program_guidelines.html .
The various required forms required for an application may be printed out
from this Web page:
http://www.archives.gov/grants/forms_reports_and_publications/forms_reports_
and publications.html . In Section 2.B.7 there is a useful checklist of the
things that must accompany each application:
http://www.archives.gov/grants/program_guidelines/grant_section_2b.html
. For questions and further information about the War Department Papers
project, or the Commission's application process, please contact Timothy
Connelly at timothy.connelly@nara.gov .

7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: In "Chinese Museum Looks Back in Candor"
(Washington Post 3 June 2005) reporter Edward Cody examines how a museum in
Shantou, China is addressing a controversial and troubling period of that
country's history -- the Cultural Revolution. The museum has generated
considerable controversy and is forcing China's rulers to confront that
history. For the article tap into:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/02/AR2005060201916.html
.

***********************************************************
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Assistant Editor - 6/9/2005

Steven Knipp, writing in the South China Morning Post

As Americans everywhere celebrated the recent Memorial Day weekend with parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues, members of the US Army's Third Infantry Regiment in Washington, DC, were busy placing tens of thousands of small American flags at the graves at Arlington National Cemetery, as a way to remember those who served the US.

As America's great imperial graveyard, Arlington National Cemetery sees more visitors on that weekend than at any other time of year. But one military grave which probably did not receive a flag, nor see any visitor, is that of Major Liu Nia-chien....

... Liu was neither an American nor famous. In fact, no one at Arlington seems to know anything at all about Liu, except what his grave stone reads: "Nia-chien Liu, Major, Chinese Army. October 19, 1946."

Liu's grave is one of only 55 belonging to foreigners buried at Arlington. More than half of these are British or Canadian. The mysterious major is the sole Chinese among more than 260,000 graves.

A formal request was made to Arlington's superintendent, John Metzler, for Liu's record of internment. But when the papers were pulled from the cemetery's musty files, even Arlington's press office noted that "there are a lot of blanks" on his record.

There was no US residential address, no date of birth, or place of birth beyond "China". And perhaps most strange of all, there was no cause of death entered. The only notation was that he was buried four days after his death, and "Headstone required - Protestant Service".

Liu's 1946 date of death excludes a second world war-related fatality. Yet, since he was buried in peacetime, why did the Department of Defence not return his remains to his family in China?...

Wendell Minnick, Taipei correspondent for the renowned international military journal Jane's Defence Weekly, was contacted. But Minnick, who is also the author of A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Persons Conducting Espionage and Covert Action, 1946-1991, has never heard of Liu.

He suggested contacting Yu Maochun, who is the author of OSS in China: Prelude to Cold War, which profiles the Office of Strategic Services, the group that went on to become the CIA. Professor Yu, who now teaches at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, was intrigued by the major, but had never heard his name before.

Minnick also suggested that historian William Leary be contacted, as he has done an immense amount of research on the CIA's covert operations in China in the early 1950s, taking over from the OSS. Mr Leary, previously a professor of history at the University of Georgia, was also intrigued about the mystery of Major Liu. He was "pretty sure" that the "Chinese Army notation" on Liu's grave referred to the Nationalists.

Could it be that Liu simply had the misfortune of being hit by a bus while working for the Department of Defence? "Hardly likely!" said retired US Army general John Fugh. General Fugh, himself a Chinese-American born in Beijing, who graduated from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, said that it was a high honour to be buried in America's most hallowed national cemetery....

Assistant Editor - 6/8/2005

Leu Siew Ying, in the South China Morning Post (6-8-05)

The recent deterioration of Sino-Japanese ties has shone the spotlight on a little-known chapter of the second world war - the abduction of several thousand Guangdong children by Japanese troops.

The children were sent to Japan in the closing stages of the war, but there is no information on their current whereabouts, although some efforts were made to locate them soon after their disappearance, a Guangzhou historian says.

Guan Lizhen , a historian with the Communist Party History Research Office in Guangdong, said she stumbled on the information in the Guangzhou archives five years ago while conducting research for a book on the Japanese invasion of Guangdong, which started in 1937.

The row between Beijing and Tokyo over Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine and the approval of a history textbook that critics say whitewashes Japan's wartime atrocities has led to revived mainland media interest in Guan's book.

The book states that between May and July 1945 - just before Japan surrendered - troops from the Imperial Army abducted children from areas including Jinghui Street and Xihu Street in Guangzhou's Yuexiu district.

In December 1945, the Guangzhou Bureau of Social Affairs reported the missing children to the Ministry of Social Affairs, and Beijing police were asked to help track them down.

But the police were not able to find the children.

A Japanese diplomat in Guangzhou said he could not comment on the report. Guan said she did not know why the children were abducted as the war drew to a close. There has been speculation that they were taken to help replenish Japan's labour force, which had been depleted by the war.

State media quoted another historian as saying that such a large-scale abduction had gone unnoticed for years because the then Nationalist government was struggling with instability and unable to trace the children.

Assistant Editor - 6/8/2005

Martha Ann Overland, in the Chronicle of Higher Education (6-7-05)

The government of Vietnam has ordered all Vietnamese students attending foreign-owned universities in the country to take courses in communist ideology and Ho Chi Minh political theory.

According to the order, which was issued in April and made public last week, students must pass the following courses: "Marxist-Leninist Philosophy," "Marxist-Leninist Economics," "Scientific Socialism," "History of the Vietnamese Communist Party," and "Ho Chi Minh Thought."

All Vietnamese citizens enrolled in public and private higher-education institutions are required to take such courses. But this is the first time that foreign-owned universities have been instructed to teach the same subjects.

"Students are the main force for our future, and our future is socialism," explained Van Dinh Ung, a senior deputy in the Ministry of Education and Training. "Since the backbone of our development is socialism, Marxism-Leninism theory and philosophy needs to be taught. Even though we are now applying some theories of capitalism ... we still have to rely on socialism theory because our system is based on that rule."

Dozens of foreign universities, such as the University of Hawaii-Manoa, offer joint degrees in conjunction with Vietnamese institutions. But because of the number of regulations only a few universities have actually established their own campuses here. Fifteen years after approaching the Vietnamese government, the first U.S. educational institution in Vietnam, American Pacific University, opened in January....

Vietnam has moved toward a market economy since adopting doi moi, a perestroika-like process of reform, in 1986. Under new rules, foreign investment has surged and the country has recorded a steady 7-percent growth rate, making its economy one of the fastest-growing in the world. But there has never been an attempt to reduce the influence of the Communist Party or its ideology. In Vietnam, socialism and Western-style capitalism exist side by side, albeit sometimes uneasily.

There are moments, however, when the two schools of thought clash openly. And often it is in the classroom...

Assistant Editor - 6/7/2005

Gil Troy, in the Montreal Gazette (6-4-05)

[Gil Troy teaches history at McGill University and is author of Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan invented the 1980s.]

The Ronald Reagan mourning rites last June continue to mystify a year later. In the 1980s, who would have predicted such a send-off for such a controversial president?

In fact, the week-long eulogies showed two competing stereotypes shape public discussion of the 1980s. When politicians and pop-culture impresarios refer to "the '80s," they usually mean the vapid, hedonistic, amoral years of America's new gilded age, when yuppies reigned and greed was good.

Perpetuated today in 1980s parties and in movies such as Adam Sandler's The Wedding Singer, the 1980s stereotype recalls Wall St. excess and political selfishness, an era when junk bonds and trashy values created deficits "as far as the eye could see" and triggered the multi-billion-dollar savings and loan crisis.

Rogues who defined the times include jailed moguls such as Ivan Boesky and Leona Helmsley; disgraced ministers such as Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart. In 1992, Bill Clinton ran for president against this version of the 1980s. "The Reagan-Bush years have exalted private gain over public obligations, special interests over common good, wealth and fame over work and family," Clinton charged when launching his campaign. "The 1980s ushered in a gilded age of greed, selfishness, irresponsibility, excess and neglect."

Yet when Ronald Reagan died one year ago tomorrow, most of the press and public defined the same era as one of renewal and idealism, of national unity and glory. A collective act of U.S. national amnesia ignored how reporters mocked Reagan, how Democrats like Senator Edward Kennedy blasted his "unilateral," militaristic, reckless and divisive foreign policy, how hundreds of thousands of Europeans protested against the president repeatedly.

Instead, two decades later, one letter the New York Times printed recalled "a simpler time... when all things seemed possible and Americans felt good about their country."

In eulogizing Reagan, President George W. Bush endorsed the "great man" theory of history, calling the Reaganized 1980s "one of the decisive decades of the century as the convictions that shaped the president began to shape the times."

Even Bill Clinton, now an ex-president, said Reagan "personified the indomitable optimism of the American people," and kept "America at the forefront of the fight for freedom for people everywhere."

It is time to go beyond the clashing oversimplifications of both the "1980s decadence" and "Reagan renewal" stereotypes. In fact, America would have to wait a decade - and silence the Democratic opposition by electing a Democratic president -- for this 1980s-style cultural revolution to proceed unchecked. In many ways, Clinton's rollicking, hedonistic 1990s became what many social critics feared Ronald Reagan's 1980s would be.

To the extent that Reaganism helped paved the way for Clintonism, Reagan succeeded by being trendy rather than counter-cultural. Despite Reagan's traditionalism, his faith in individualism and his passive nature mostly furthered the various social and cultural revolutions he disliked. Even while believing they were choosing the old-fashioned way, Americans ratified many social changes by incorporating them into their lives. It was often an unhappy fit, sending indices of social pathology and individual misery soaring, yet Americans were acclimating to many of these problems. Increasingly "the underclass," the "teen-suicide epidemic," and "family breakdown," were becoming familiar, static phenomena rather than crises to be solved.

Overall, Reagan's 1980s accelerated the social solvents he blamed on the 1960s and 1970s. Going from the "Me Decade" to the "Mine All Mine Decade," citizens in Reagan's America felt less engaged, less constrained, less interdependent than ever. In the individualism he worshipped, the hypocrisy he embodied and the politicization of moral discourse he facilitated, Reagan further undermined the traditional collective mores he so proudly hailed.

And as more of a compromiser than a revolutionary on social issues, he continued to institutionalize some of the changes. Most liberals were too busy demonizing Reaganite "greed" and blindly defending the 1960s, big government, and anything Reagan opposed to notice, while most conservatives were simply too busy defending their hero just as blindly.

The process of communal fragmentation had been developing throughout the 20th century, from the hedonism of the 1920s' flappers to the atomism of the 1950s' corporate drone. And this process was not limited to the United States. Yet in 1980s' America it seemed to have reached the tipping point. After the social revolutions of the 1960s and 1970s, the process of decitizenization, if you will, seemed more ubiquitous, more blatant, less reversible. That this untrammelled individualism and resulting anomie came wrapped in a red-white-and-blue package, delivered by an old-fashioned gentleman distinguished by his Midwestern courtliness and all-American idealism, accompanied by America's great Cold War victory and the world's turn from flirting with socialism to appreciating capitalism, fed the clashing stereotypes and interpretive confusion.

Looking back, then, the 1980s emerge as a watershed decade, a time when the Great Reconciliation between Reaganite conservatism and 1960s liberalism occurred. For all the talk about repudiating the New Deal, dismantling the Great Society, and undoing the 1960s' social and cultural revolutions, many innovations became routinized and institutionalized.

The tone changed, Americans overall felt less mopey and less gloomy, less idealistic and more materialistic, but the melodies lingered on, from environmentalism to feminism, from the rights revolution to the continuing revolt against authority. Reagan, at heart, was not a revolutionary. He was more a conciliator than a reformer, to the frustration of ideologues like David Stockman and to the relief of many others.

Surprisingly, Reagan's moderate traditionalism provided cover both for the decadence of the age and for the vitality of many 1960s-style revolutions. Progressives mourned the death of the 1960s even as the 1980s consolidated many of the most dramatic lifestyle transformations. Yes, the civil rights movement seemed to falter, but Jesse Jackson ran for president, Michael Jackson dominated the music world, Bill Cosby revived the TV sitcom, Oprah Winfrey became an American icon, and, most important, millions of African-Americans entered the professions, moved into good neighbourhoods, received better educations, and progressed.

The 2004 election - and the prolonged red vs. blue hangover - proved the debates of the 1980s - and about the 1980s' legacy - continue. As with the 1960s, false nostalgia and reductionist stereotypes will help boost records sales and television ratings. True understanding of the decade's historical legacy, and Reagan's, however, will only come from careful consideration of the mixed messages, the complex compote that shaped this decade - like all others.

Assistant Editor - 6/7/2005

Gil Troy, in the Montreal Gazette (6-4-05)

[Gil Troy teaches history at McGill University and is author of Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan invented the 1980s.]

The Ronald Reagan mourning rites last June continue to mystify a year later. In the 1980s, who would have predicted such a send-off for such a controversial president?

In fact, the week-long eulogies showed two competing stereotypes shape public discussion of the 1980s. When politicians and pop-culture impresarios refer to "the '80s," they usually mean the vapid, hedonistic, amoral years of America's new gilded age, when yuppies reigned and greed was good.

Perpetuated today in 1980s parties and in movies such as Adam Sandler's The Wedding Singer, the 1980s stereotype recalls Wall St. excess and political selfishness, an era when junk bonds and trashy values created deficits "as far as the eye could see" and triggered the multi-billion-dollar savings and loan crisis.

Rogues who defined the times include jailed moguls such as Ivan Boesky and Leona Helmsley; disgraced ministers such as Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart. In 1992, Bill Clinton ran for president against this version of the 1980s. "The Reagan-Bush years have exalted private gain over public obligations, special interests over common good, wealth and fame over work and family," Clinton charged when launching his campaign. "The 1980s ushered in a gilded age of greed, selfishness, irresponsibility, excess and neglect."

Yet when Ronald Reagan died one year ago tomorrow, most of the press and public defined the same era as one of renewal and idealism, of national unity and glory. A collective act of U.S. national amnesia ignored how reporters mocked Reagan, how Democrats like Senator Edward Kennedy blasted his "unilateral," militaristic, reckless and divisive foreign policy, how hundreds of thousands of Europeans protested against the president repeatedly.

Instead, two decades later, one letter the New York Times printed recalled "a simpler time... when all things seemed possible and Americans felt good about their country."

In eulogizing Reagan, President George W. Bush endorsed the "great man" theory of history, calling the Reaganized 1980s "one of the decisive decades of the century as the convictions that shaped the president began to shape the times."

Even Bill Clinton, now an ex-president, said Reagan "personified the indomitable optimism of the American people," and kept "America at the forefront of the fight for freedom for people everywhere."

It is time to go beyond the clashing oversimplifications of both the "1980s decadence" and "Reagan renewal" stereotypes. In fact, America would have to wait a decade - and silence the Democratic opposition by electing a Democratic president -- for this 1980s-style cultural revolution to proceed unchecked. In many ways, Clinton's rollicking, hedonistic 1990s became what many social critics feared Ronald Reagan's 1980s would be.

To the extent that Reaganism helped paved the way for Clintonism, Reagan succeeded by being trendy rather than counter-cultural. Despite Reagan's traditionalism, his faith in individualism and his passive nature mostly furthered the various social and cultural revolutions he disliked. Even while believing they were choosing the old-fashioned way, Americans ratified many social changes by incorporating them into their lives. It was often an unhappy fit, sending indices of social pathology and individual misery soaring, yet Americans were acclimating to many of these problems. Increasingly "the underclass," the "teen-suicide epidemic," and "family breakdown," were becoming familiar, static phenomena rather than crises to be solved.

Overall, Reagan's 1980s accelerated the social solvents he blamed on the 1960s and 1970s. Going from the "Me Decade" to the "Mine All Mine Decade," citizens in Reagan's America felt less engaged, less constrained, less interdependent than ever. In the individualism he worshipped, the hypocrisy he embodied and the politicization of moral discourse he facilitated, Reagan further undermined the traditional collective mores he so proudly hailed.

And as more of a compromiser than a revolutionary on social issues, he continued to institutionalize some of the changes. Most liberals were too busy demonizing Reaganite "greed" and blindly defending the 1960s, big government, and anything Reagan opposed to notice, while most conservatives were simply too busy defending their hero just as blindly.

The process of communal fragmentation had been developing throughout the 20th century, from the hedonism of the 1920s' flappers to the atomism of the 1950s' corporate drone. And this process was not limited to the United States. Yet in 1980s' America it seemed to have reached the tipping point. After the social revolutions of the 1960s and 1970s, the process of decitizenization, if you will, seemed more ubiquitous, more blatant, less reversible. That this untrammelled individualism and resulting anomie came wrapped in a red-white-and-blue package, delivered by an old-fashioned gentleman distinguished by his Midwestern courtliness and all-American idealism, accompanied by America's great Cold War victory and the world's turn from flirting with socialism to appreciating capitalism, fed the clashing stereotypes and interpretive confusion.

Looking back, then, the 1980s emerge as a watershed decade, a time when the Great Reconciliation between Reaganite conservatism and 1960s liberalism occurred. For all the talk about repudiating the New Deal, dismantling the Great Society, and undoing the 1960s' social and cultural revolutions, many innovations became routinized and institutionalized.

The tone changed, Americans overall felt less mopey and less gloomy, less idealistic and more materialistic, but the melodies lingered on, from environmentalism to feminism, from the rights revolution to the continuing revolt against authority. Reagan, at heart, was not a revolutionary. He was more a conciliator than a reformer, to the frustration of ideologues like David Stockman and to the relief of many others.

Surprisingly, Reagan's moderate traditionalism provided cover both for the decadence of the age and for the vitality of many 1960s-style revolutions. Progressives mourned the death of the 1960s even as the 1980s consolidated many of the most dramatic lifestyle transformations. Yes, the civil rights movement seemed to falter, but Jesse Jackson ran for president, Michael Jackson dominated the music world, Bill Cosby revived the TV sitcom, Oprah Winfrey became an American icon, and, most important, millions of African-Americans entered the professions, moved into good neighbourhoods, received better educations, and progressed.

The 2004 election - and the prolonged red vs. blue hangover - proved the debates of the 1980s - and about the 1980s' legacy - continue. As with the 1960s, false nostalgia and reductionist stereotypes will help boost records sales and television ratings. True understanding of the decade's historical legacy, and Reagan's, however, will only come from careful consideration of the mixed messages, the complex compote that shaped this decade - like all others.

HNN - 6/3/2005

#1 Michiko Kakutani: On the Difference Between Bill Clinton and George W. Bush
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12234.html

#2 Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.: FDR at Yalta (This is a new piece)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12219.html

#3 Max Boot: Why Europeans Are as Mad as Hell at the New Europe
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12257.html

#4 Edward L. Ayers: What We Can Learn from Our Reconstruction that Will Help in Iraq
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12198.html

#5 David Runciman: How the Right Persuaded Americans to Abolish the Estate Tax
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12256.html

#6 James S. Corum: How the British Defeated Insurgents in Malaya
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12275.html

#7 Ian Buruma: Why he Japanese Are Now Receptive to Patriotic History
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12199.html

#8 Michael McGough: Do Muslims, Christians and Jews Worship the Same God?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12202.html

#9 Howard Kurtz: Would Deep Throat Be a Hero in 2005?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12237.html

#10 Mark Danner: To Major in English Is to Wear a Question Mark
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12242.html

HNN - 6/2/2005

NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #25; 2 June 2005) by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH) Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************

1. NARA CELEBRATES 20th ANNIVERSARY OF "ARCHIVES INDEPENDENCE"
2. HOUSE RAISES NEH FUNDING
3. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ISSUES COMPLIANCE GUIDELINES FOR "CONSTITUTION DAY" REQUIREMENT
4. NATIONAL HISTORY CENTER CONGRESSIONAL SEMINAR FOCUSES ON HISTORY OF SOCIAL SECURITY
5. BITS AND BYTES: Report Shows Increase in Hiring of Part-Time Faculty; ISOO Issues Annual Secrecy Report; Archives Thief Sentenced; Two New FRUS Volumes Released 6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST


1. NARA CELEBRATES 20th ANNIVERSARY OF "ARCHIVES INDEPENDENCE"
On 20 May 2005, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) concluded a multi-day celebration commemorating the 20th anniversary of the
1984 legislation (S. 904) that gave NARA its independence from the General Services Administration (GSA). Following a gala reception on 19 May and special guided tours of the "National Archives Experience" exhibit the morning of the 20th, that afternoon, veterans of the struggle for archives independence reconvened in the William G. McGowan Theater to reminisce about the successful multi-Congress independence effort and to discuss what lay in store for the agency in the next twenty years.

During the evening reception, official portraits of former Archivists of the United States Don Wilson and John Carlin were unveiled. Also, former Archivist of the U.S. Robert Warner was honored when the current Archivist of the United States, Allen Weinstein, announced the designation of the "Robert M. Warner Research Center" in the Main Archives building. Warner was Archivist from 1980 to 1985 and helped lead the fight to make NARA an independent agency.

Just prior to the panel discussions, Archivist Weinstein read a congratulatory letter from President George Bush. Following opening remarks he introduced the two panels that examined NARA's past and future. The first panel titled, "The Road to Independence" was moderated by Robert Warner and featured short presentations by Frank Burke, Richard Jacobs, Page Putnam Miller, David Peterson, and Claudine Weiher. Jacobs's comments focused on the antecedents to the successful independence effort; Burke, Weiher, and Peterson each delivered bold and frank assessments of the personalities and events that catapulted the independence movement forward.
Miller, the former executive director of the National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History (the predecessor organization to the present National Coalition for History), focused her comments on the strategies that were employed over the course of three Congresses to gain archives independence.

After the conclusion of the first panel, Archivist Weinstein recognized NARA employees who had served the agency for over 40 years; one individual present in the audience had 67 years of service. In what had to be the emotional highlight of the event, Robert Warner donated to NARA the beautifully framed pen that President Ronald Reagan used to sign P.L.
98-497 that gave NARA its independence. For the last twenty years, the pen had graced Warner's study.

The second panel, entitled "NARA to the Future" was moderated by long-time House Committee on Government Reform professional staff member David McMillen. McMillen identified three overarching challenges in NARA's future -- political, technological, and social-structural. He asked each of the speakers to reflect on these topics which was aptly accomplished by Richard Barry, Robert Horton, Rand Jimerson, Timothy Naftali, and Ian Wilson.

Librarian and Archivist of Canada Ian Wilson kicked off the presentations by briefly discussing the relatively recent Canadian experience in which the Canadian Archives and Library were merged under one head. Wilson also commented on the possibities created by the Internet, the importance of cooperation with partner organizations, and the need to provide better service to diverse constituencies. Jimerson focused his comments on the importance of professional societies with the other speakers also focusing on the critical role that the states, universities, and other research institutions can and will play in the future if NARA is to be successful in meeting its mission.

NARA has constructed a website that includes documents and first-hand accounts of the campaign for independence and also has posted the 1984 act that established NARA as an independent agency. Also available is a link to a video stream of the webcast of the 20 May celebration. Tap into:
http://www.archives.gov/about_us/anniversary/intro.html .

2. HOUSE RAISES NEH FUNDING
On 19 May 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a floor amendment introduced by Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY), co-chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus, and James Leach (R-IA) and David Price (D-NC), co-chairs of the new Congressional Humanities Caucus, to increase the budget for both the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) above the President's requested "flat funding" proposal for the endowments in FY 2006.

The amendment allots a total of $143.1 million to the NEH and $131 million to the NEA. The $5 million increase from the FY 2005 budget total NEH budget of $138 million seeks to expand the "We the People" Program that focuses on American history and culture.

Advocates were extremely pleased to see the modest increase considering the difficult budget year confronting Congress (for example, the full Interior spending bill (H.R. 2361) that the House passed actually provides for a total decrease of about $800 million from last year's level). The recent restructuring of the House appropriation subcommittee also gave endowment supporters cause for special concern that the increase in funding may not be realized.

While the amendment passed, work remains to ensure the endowments actually receive the money. The Senate still has to mark up its version of the 2006 appropriations bill. On an optimistic note, the emergence of the new Senate Cultural Caucus brings hope for an increase in the funding for the endowments in the Senate.

3. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ISSUES COMPLIANCE GUIDELINES FOR "CONSTITUTION DAY"
REQUIREMENT
In an effort to comply with a statutory provision inserted in the final federal spending bill for FY 2005, on 24 May 2005, the Department of Education (ED) issued guidelines that directs all educational institutions
-- colleges ("institutions of higher education") as well as elementary and secondary schools ("local educational agencies") -- that receive federal dollars, to offer students instruction on the U.S. Constitution every 17 September. The guidelines appeared in the 24 May edition of the Federal Register (see vol. 70, No. 99 p. 29727).

The guidelines stop short of requiring that a specific curriculum be taught; rather, they give educational institutions considerable latitude in compliance. For example, institutions may hold a campus-wide assembly, others may opt to merely distribute information in classes. Compliance will be on the "honor-system" as there are no plans to monitor compliance, and according to department officials, "it is too soon to speculate" what might happen if an institution did not comply with the requirement.

The guidelines state that should 17 September fall on a weekend or holiday, the Constitution Day event is to be held "during the preceding or following week."

Some academics and conservative groups remain concerned the Constitution teaching mandate establishes a dangerous precedent for Congress in setting curriculum requirements. According to Becky Timmons, director of government relations at the American Council on Education, "our members find it [the provision] intrusive". Conservative groups, while they seek to advance patriotism and better American history curriculum, nevertheless, also criticized the provision citing the same concern.

For further information, contact Alex Stein, U.S. Department of Education at (202) 895-9085 or at Alex.Stein@ed.gov .

4. NATIONAL HISTORY CENTER CONGRESSIONAL SEMINAR FOCUSES ON HISTORY OF SOCIAL SECURITY On 23 May 2005, in the second of a series of congressional seminars, the National History Center in association with the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, the Society of American Historians, and the National Coalition for History, conducted an hour-long briefing on the history of social security.

The seminars, which are intended to increase awareness of the historical dimensions of contemporary issues among congressional leaders and their staff, bring top-name historians together with Congressional staff and others. Focusing presentations on the topic of social security were historians Edward Berkowitz and Alice Kessler-Harris.

James M. Banner Jr., the vice-chair of the National History Center's Board of Trustees, welcomed the participants, who included congressional staff members, members of the public, and historians. Bruce Craig, the executive director of the National Coalition for History, moderated the seminar and introduced the speakers.

Both Kessler-Harris and Berkowitz deftly condensed the complex history of the legislation, its implementation, and its consequences, into two lucid presentations that-in spite of their brevity-swept away many of the cobwebs of confusion even while underlining the importance of understanding the historical perspective of the current crisis. Myths and misunderstandings about what social security is, and misperceptions of what the makers of social security policies really intended in the 1930s tend to cloud current debates.

Speaking first, Alice Kessler-Harris, the R. Gordon Hoxie Professor of American History in Honor of Dwight D. Eisenhower at Columbia University, traced the intellectual and political roots of the social security legislation as it was conceived in the 1930s and hammered out in subsequent legislative compromises and amendments. The people who framed the policies had three major aims, Kessler-Harris said. The first was to emphasize that the responsibility for the aging poor was to be shared by all; the second was to get older people out of the labor force to make way for younger workers (and thus laying down, in the process, a labor policy as well); and the third was to ensure the dignity of the family "breadwinners" -- the men in the labor force.

Kessler-Harris stated that from the beginning, the concept of social security proved challenging, necessitating revisions and compromises.
Originally, the idea was that every worker would get what he (and the worker in prewar America tended to be exclusively male) put in, but soon the program was expanded to provide for "survivor benefits." Similarly, the stipulation that social security would be available only to those who left the labor force was also changed. Although in its initial stages the legislation excluded large numbers of women, especially African American women, postwar changes in the demographics of the workforce compelled changes to the law as well. Kessler-Harris pointed out that the social security pension was not viewed as a "dole," but rather as a right, and that though there was a question whether social security should be viewed as an individual return or a social return, the tendency was to move toward the latter.

Speaking next, Edward Berkowitz, professor of history and public policy and public administration and director of the masters program in history and public policy at George Washington University, prefaced his analysis by alluding to the many misunderstandings that tend to characterize popular perceptions about social security. He cited as an example the widely prevalent notion that social security was antithetical to private accounts.
On the contrary, Berkowitz said, all evidence showed that investments in private accounts increased after social security programs were implemented, perhaps because the availability of additional funds made it possible to make such investments. Neither surpluses nor crises were new to social security, Berkowitz argued, pointing out that when there were surpluses, Congress found ways to spend them, either by expanding the program or by reducing the social security tax; when crises occurred, they were met and overcome, and the program survived.

By stressing the bipartisan nature of the solutions that Congress and presidential commissions came up with in the past, Berkowitz appeared to be contrasting historical experience with the contemporary, seemingly intractable dilemmas. He went on to say that just as President Nixon's attempts to reform social welfare programs and President Clinton's efforts to change health care systems "failed," but, nevertheless, produced far-reaching, if unintended, changes, so might the attempts by President George W. Bush to take on the "fortress of the welfare state." The president may not necessarily get what he wants, but many changes may occur in the system of social security as a result of the current debates, Berkowitz declared.

6. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 -- Report Shows Increase in Hiring of Part-Time Faculty: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released a new report documenting that new faculty jobs in higher education went proportionately to adjuncts. "Staff in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2003, and Salaries of Full-Time Instructional Faculty, 2003-04" also documents that the for-profit sector also holds a disproportionate share of the hiring. Based on information gathered during an annual survey of more than 6,500 colleges and universities that participate in the federal student-aid programs, the statistics show an increase in full-time faculty went up two percent while the increase for part-time faculty went up ten percent. The overall ratio of full-time to part-time faculty now nears 50 percent. For the report, tap into the NCES webpage
at: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfor.asp?pubid=2005172 .

Item #2 -- ISOO Issues Annual Secrecy Report: According to a report issued by the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) executive branch agencies spent an unprecedented $7.2 billion to secure classified information last year. This represents an 11 percent increase over the preceding year and as a result, an additional $823 million was spent to protect classified information held in industry for a total of more than $8 billion. The $7.2 billion figure represented the costs incurred by 41 executive branch agencies, including intelligence agencies other than the CIA, which considers its costs classified.
For the report, tap into the ISOO webpage
at: http://www.archives.gov/isoo/reports/2004_cost_report.html .

Item #3 -- Archives Thief Sentenced: A Virgina man who took more than 100 Civil War era documents from the National Archives and sold them on eBay and elsewhere over the Internet has been sentenced to two years in jail and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. Howard Harner reportedly grossed over $47,000 for the items that were sold to history buffs; over 60 documents are still missing. Authorities caught Harner after a Civil War researcher noticed the sale of a letter written by Confederate Brig. General Lewis A.
Armistead on eBay that he recalled seeing when he was conducting research at a NARA facility. According to Archivist of the U.S. Allen Weinstein, "This sentence sends a very clear signal that theft of cultural property belonging to the American people will not be tolerated."

Item #4 -- Two New FRUS Volumes Released: The Department of State has released "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969-1976," Volume XI, South Asia Crisis, 1971. This volume, part of the ongoing official record of U.S. foreign policy, presents key documentation on the Nixon Administration's policy immediately prior to and during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. Included in this volume is full coverage of the "tilt" toward Pakistan by President Richard Nixon and his Assistant for National Security Affairs, Henry Kissinger. The text of the volume, the summary, and this press release are available at the Office of the Historian website at:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/nixon/xi .

The history office also has released "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, volume XXXII, Dominican Republic; Cuba: Haiti; Guyana", the second volume in the 1964-1968 sub-series covering the foreign policy of the Lyndon Johnson Administration towards Latin America. The first, volume XXXI, South and Central America; Mexico, was released in September 2004. Together, these two volumes contain 989 documents and over 2,000 pages of key documentation of the Johnson White House, the National Security Council Staff, the Department of State, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Department of Defense. Volume XXXII concentrates on the Caribbean. The text of the volume, the summary, and this press release are available on the Office of the Historian website:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/johnsonlb/xxxii .

Copies of both volumes can be purchased from the U.S. Government Printing Office at http://bookstore.gpo.gov/index.html. For further information contact Edward Keefer, General Editor of the Foreign Relations series at
(202) 663-1131; fax (202) 663-1289; e-mail: history@state.gov.

7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
No posting this week.

***********************************************************
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HNN - 5/27/2005

#1 James Pinkerton: President Bush's Historical Revisionism (The Shame of Memorial Day)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12166.html

#2 David Domke and Kevin Coe: President Bush's God-Talk
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12139.html

#3 Mark Lilla: Why Americans Are Turning to Religion
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12164.html

#4 Larry Schweikart: My Advice to Conservative Graduate Students
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12102.html

#5 Jonathan Schell: A Revolution in American Nuclear Policy
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12144.html

#6 Weekly Standard: Talk About Dissing the Koran!
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12161.html

#7 Tom Engelhardt: The Return of Body counting
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12112.html

#8 Niall Ferguson: Failure in Iraq Would Be Ghastly
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12113.html

#9 Howard Zinn: Graduation Address, Spelman College
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12126.html

#10 Max Boot: Gay or Female, Uncle Sam Should Want You
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12137.html

HNN - 5/26/2005

IU Labor Studies Under Attack
May 21, 2005
Dear Union Sisters & Brothers, Colleagues & Friends,

Just this week, six employees of the Indiana University Division of Labor Studies were terminated: three faculty among them. The reason given was a budgetary crunch resulting from legislative cuts in our funding and university demands for increasing income annually. As you may know, a Republican governor and Republican control of both houses of the state legislature have made Indiana a very union unfriendly state. Public sector unions were thrown out of government agencies, a right to work law threatens on the horizon, and now the labor studies program has come under the knife.

A Democratic Governor and legislature had managed to take a line item in the state budget for a labor-management council and redirect the funds to labor studies. It was temporary—we did not know for how long—and we had over $350,000 for four years. The Director started adding staff and launched on-line classes which took off. He hired too many on what was only soft money, and also money was running out the door. Then came the cut by the Republicans, and op top of that, another cut in the IU budget, requiring a 10% reduction in spending in all departments. Suddenly we had a budget crisis, aggravated by the addition of the soft money allocation to our base budget, which drove up the “budgeted income” we would have to make.

Without consultation or discussion, the Director put together a new budget, his “RIF (reduction-in-force”) budget,” which called for the lay-off of six employees, three of whom are faculty—two, tenured track faculty.

He met with Budgetary Affairs Committee—appointed by the director—but they opposed his plan, and assembled an alternative budget proposal that included no faculty layoffs. The Director was shutting down the South Bend office and cutting the faculty staffing at Fort Wayne in half. The Director also began implementing his new plan before the IUPUI Faculty Budgetary Committee and the Vice Chancellor had accepted any DLS budget. He left messages for the secretaries and terminated Paul Mishler and Rae Sovereign at South Bend and Cathy Mulder at Fort Wayne. He has had to rescind the clerical lay-offs because he failed to notify the CWA representing the clerical at the NW campus, and in all instances, he failed to contact the Human Resource Departments on each campus.

Indiana University is a public university with a clear mission to serve constituencies in the state, especially under-served constituencies like adult working people. Increasingly public universities are functioning like private ones, forcing every unit to generate income above expenses, and setting budgets every year higher than the previous year’s income. It works like gain-sharing has worked in many workplaces—forcing workers to become ever more productive every year in order to surpass the rising standard.

And why wouldn’t universities feel the same pressure of corporate competitiveness and privatization? Not only were tenure-track faculty terminated, but part-time, temporary and less credentialed employees were kept. The decision on whom the ax would fall did not follow IU policy; it ignored seniority, credentials and faculty governance. Welcome to Wal Mart University!

We are asking you for letters of support for maintaining our regional offices that serve working people where they live and work, in this case, the South Bend and Fort Wayne offices. We are asking for support to reverse the arbitrary and discriminatory termination of Rae Sovereign, Paul Mishler and Cathy Mulder, three of our top faculty. Finally we ask for your support in opposing hiring and firing procedures that violate university academic policy, and that promote contingent, part-time jobs over fully-funded, skilled jobs. We cannot let WalMart become the model for universities as well.

Please send your letters in support of the Division of Labor Studies at Indiana University, to Executive Vice Chancellor & Dean of Faculties William M. Plater, IUPUI, Administration Building 108, 355 North Lansing Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-2896. You may also e-mail him at wplater@iupui.edu. Please send me a copy, and also William Schneider, IUPUI AAUP, whschnei@iupui.edu. Feel free to “cc” the chancellor as well, Chancellor Charles R. Bantz, in the same Administration Building.

In Solidarity, Ruth Needleman, professor of labor studies, rneedle@iun.edu.

HNN - 5/20/2005

#1 Bill Moyers: The Rightwing Attack on PBS
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11969.html

#2 Jacob Heilbrunn: The Left's Flawed View of the American Empire
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12015.html

#3 Juan Cole: The Memo that Proves Bush Lied Us into War
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12041.html

#4 Daniel Pipes: Amazon.com's Koran Desecration Problem
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12031.html

#5 Donald Kagan: In Defense of History
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12019.html

#6 WSJ: Newsweek's Mistake Reflects the Media's Vietnam Obsession
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11971.html

#7 Christopher Hitchens: It's No Mystery What the Jihadists Want in Iraq,
Contrary to What the NYT says
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11970.html

#8 Face-Off on History Education: Jon Weiner Vs. Diane Ravitch
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11973.html

#9Jon Wiener: Israeli Boycott ... A Mistake
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12018.html

#10 Tony de Brum: History Happens Again (Unfortunately) on the Marshall
Islands
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/12021.html

HNN - 5/19/2005

The Irish Times
May 19, 2005
SECTION: World; Other World Stories; Pg. 11
HEADLINE: Romania's recently-opened communist era files ruin another prominent figure
BODY:
ROMANIA: Eugen Uricaru does not deny he was an informer, but the files contain the names of innocent people too, writes Daniel McLaughlin in Budapest

The head of Romania's prestigious Writers' Union has become the latest prominent Central European figure to be ruined by evidence from recently opened files that suggests he collaborated with the hated communist-era secret police.

Eugen Uricaru (58) said he would give up the leadership of Romania's leading literary organisation after former dissident Doinea Cornea accused him of informing on both her and Nicolae Steinhardt, a writer who was jailed by the communists.

Ms Cornea (75), an outspoken critic of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, was put under house arrest by his regime, which collapsed in 1989. Fr Steinhardt, a Jew who became a Christian Orthodox monk, was seen as one of Romania's holiest men and best writers, and his books were censored by the communists. He died in 1989.

Ms Cornea says she received documents in March about Mr Uricaru from the council that publishes the files of the dreaded Securitate, the Romanian secret police believed to have had about 700,000 informers on its books, and former members of which are thought to still hold powerful posts in the country's establishment.

According to Ms Cornea, she urged Mr Uricaru to step down and admit his past and only went public when he failed to respond.

Mr Uricaru has softened his vehement initial rejection of the accusations, saying over the weekend that he had never signed a formal pledge to collaborate with the Securitate; he did not appear to directly deny claims he had been an informer.

President Traian Basescu, who hopes to lead Romania into the European Union in 2007, has insisted on far greater transparency in dealing with the Securitate files than was shown by his predecessor, a former communist who helped topple Ceausescu.

Mr Basescu wants judges and top magistrates to be checked for collaboration with the Securitate and for all its files to be opened, a task that should prove easier now the intelligence service is being forced to hand over the dossiers to civilian control.

The old Eastern Bloc has long debated how best to deal with its murky past.

The Czech Republic threw open most of its files without investigating their veracity, with the result that perhaps thousands of people lost their jobs simply because their names appeared somewhere in the archive.

The files of East Germany's secret police, the Stasi, were also opened to victims, historians and journalists, and a number of politicians and public figures were ruined.

In Hungary, all public officials are screened for a security service past and parliament has pledged to grant the public wider access to files which, in 2002, revealed that former prime minister Peter Medgyessy had been an agent in the 1970s and 1980s.

Slovakia opened the last batch of its files earlier this year, and its three most senior prelates were accused of collaboration. One, Archbishop Jan Sokol, a prominent critic of communism, is now planning to sue to clear his name.

Lithuania has been rapt by an inquiry into how the foreign minister, intelligence chief and deputy speaker of parliament all allegedly became KGB reservists.

It is in Poland, however, that the dossiers have caused the greatest convulsion.

Earlier this year, journalist Bronislaw Wildstein tapped into Poland's fascination with its secret police files - and impatience at the speed at which they are being opened - by copying some 240,000 names from documents kept at the national archive and posting them on the internet....

HNN - 5/19/2005

NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #23; 19 May 2005)
by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org; and Giny Cheong
(contributor)
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************

1. KAGAN DELIVERS JEFFERSON LECTURE
2. HOUSE COMMITTEE GETS AN EAR FULL -- FOIA NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
3. CASINO PROPOSED NEAR GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD
4. BILLS INTRODUCED
5. BITS AND BYTES: Congressional Breakfast to Focus on Social Security
6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: "Collateral Damage to Historical Research From
the "War on Terrorism" (History News Network)


1. KAGAN DELIVERS JEFFERSON LECTURE
On 12 May 2005, Yale professor of classics and history Donald Kagan
delivered the 34th Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, aptly titled "In
Defense of History," to an audience of several hundred who gathered in a
cavernous hall at the Washington Convention Center. Kagan took issue with
the remarks of last year's lecturer - poet Helen Vendler who in her
thoughtful address, "The Ocean, the Bird and the Scholar," declared poetry
"first" among the disciplines of the humanities. Instead, Kagan asserted
that history is the "Queen of Humanities." Kagan's goal was to make the
case for "the value of history" within the broader realm of the humanities.
To this end, he called on professional historians to do a better job in
making history and the humanities more central in public life.

Jefferson lecturers receive a $10,000 honorarium and are free to select a
topic of their choice. Kagan played it pretty safe with his sponsors by
returning to themes and points of view that he has long written on and
advocated. Kagan's many influential scholarly books largely focus on the
classical world but recently -- perhaps under the influence of his recent
American University history Ph.D graduate/son Frederick W. Kagan (with whom
he co-authored "While America Sleeps: Self-Delusion, Military Weakness, and
Threat to Peace Today"), the elder Kagan has been reaching a larger
audience by becoming a more frequent commentator on the challenges facing
contemporary America.

By juxtaposing the role of the historian to that of other humanists
(philosophers and poets, for example) Kagan spoke of the importance of
crafting strong compelling narratives in order to appeal to contemporary
audiences. Undoubtedly, to the delight of the conservative and
neo-conservative scholars in the audience (and their numbers were
substantial), he argued for the need to restore value judgements in
historical writing in order to protect history's usefulness and centrality
within the broader realm of the humanities. He also took a swipe at "the
current fad of skepticism and relativism" and declared that it more
properly belonged in the sphere of poets and artists. Historians, he said,
needed to return to the classical roots of their profession in an effort to
make history relevant to modern audiences. He argued that modernists too
often get diverted from the paths of wisdom and find themselves mired down
in the swamps of metaphysical thinking, skepticism, and
cynicism. Historians, he said, need to yield to "common sense and the
massive evidence...that makes some things truer than others, however
illusive perfect objectivity and truth may be."

For additional information about Kagan, the annual NEH sponsored Jefferson
Lecture and for the full text of Kagan's talk, visit:
http://www.neh.gov/whoweare/kagan/index.html .

2. HOUSE COMMITTEE GETS AN EAR FULL -- FOIA NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
On 11 May 2005, the House of Representatives Government Reform Committee's
Government Management, Finance and Accountability Subcommittee conducted a
hearing on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). A parade of witnesses
argued that FOIA was in trouble and needed reform if it was to meet the
Congressional intent of some 39 years of providing for open government and
government transparency. After the hearing, Congressman Henry Waxman
(D-CA) introduced legislation (H.R. 2331) in an effort to try to reverse
some of restrictions on public disclosure.

Witnesses focused comments on the long-standing complaint voiced by
historians, journalists, and others that the time that agencies take in
order to respond to a FOIA request was problematic. Several witnesses
suggested the need to "expand incentives for federal agencies" to respond
quicker and also called on Congress to impose penalties for delay and
non-compliance.

Linda Koontz, Government Accounting Office (GAO) Director of Information
responded to some of the criticism by citing statistics that demonstrated
the challenges that agencies confront in their efforts to be
responsive. She stated there was a 71 percent increase in FOIA requests (a
total of some 4 million in 2004) and said that while agencies are
attempting to process the requests in a timely fashion, the backlog
continues to grow. Witnesses elaborated on the problem by stating that
departmental budgets and resources devoted to processing FOIA requests were
too small and several (Department of Homeland Security, for example) have
too stringent requirements.

On the heels of the hearing, Representative Waxman introduced legislation
(H.R. 2331) that seeks to reverse some of the restrictions on public
disclosure of government information that have been imposed in recent
years. According to Secrecy News, the Waxman bill, "would restore the
pre-Ashcroft Freedom of Information Act policy directing agencies to
release requested information unless there is some finding of harm; repeal
the executive order that limited public access to past presidential
records; prohibit secret advisory committees such as the Vice President's
energy task force that meet with industry groups behind closed doors; and
more."

While Hill watchers report that it is unlikely that Waxman's bill will
become law in the near term, nevertheless, it serves as a useful reminder
that there are problems with FOIA that need to be addressed.

Thanks to the Federation of American Scientists website, a news release and
summary of the bill's provisions may be found at:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2005/05/waxman051105.pdf .

3. CASINO PROPOSED NEAR GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD
A consortium of investors have announced plans to build the Gettysburg
Gaming Resort and Spa near the Gettysburg National Military Park. The
investors are seeking a casino license in an effort to capitalize on
Pennsylvania's 10-month-old law legalizing slot machines. The proposed
site lies only a mile and a half away from a core area of the historic
park. James M. McPherson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of the Civil
War, denounced the plan, "It would be a desecration of their memory and
sacrifice to establish such a tawdry, tasteless enterprise next to their
fields of honor."

Lead investor David LeVan promises respect for the area's history and
points out the current developed areas. Other businesses around the site
include a golf range, two busy commercial strips, and a hotel/entertainment
complex under construction across from the three-lane U.S. Route 30. The
investors hope to draw gamblers from Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Many challenges remain for the preservationists if they are to stop the
development. The park weaves around Victorian storefronts and mansions, and
70 privately owned parcels remain within the park.

4. BILLS INTRODUCED
Here is a brief update of relatively new history-related legislation
introduced in the House and Senate.

French Colonial Heritage and Crossroads of the American Revolution: On 20
April 2005, Representatives Russ Carnahan (D-MO) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)
introduced French Colonial Heritage National Historic Site Study Act of
2005, legislation (H.R. 1728) that directs the Secretary of the Interior to
study the suitability and feasibility of designating the French Colonial
Heritage Area in the State of Missouri as a unit of the National Park
System. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Resources,
Subcommittee on National Parks.

Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area: On 18 April
2005, Senators Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced
the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area Act of
2005, legislation (S. 825) that seeks to create a new heritage area in the
state of New Jersey and to preserve the special historic identity of the
state and with an emphasis on the historic resources associated with
Morristown National Historic Park. The bill was referred to the Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for consideration.

National Museum of the American Latino Community Study Act: On 5 May 2005,
Representative Xavier Becerra (D-CA) together with over 70 co-sponsors,
introduced legislation (H.R. 2134) that seeks to establish a commission to
study the potential of creating a National Museum of the American Latino
Community in Washington, D.C. If enacted, the legislation establishes a
twenty-three member commission charged to create an action plan for the
establishment of the museum. As part of that action plan the commission
would convene a national conference on the proposed museum within 9 months
of the date of enactment of the Act. The bill was referred to the House
Committee on Resources and the House Committee on House Administration for
joint consideration.

5. BITS AND BYTES
Item # 1 -- Congressional Breakfast to Focus on Social Security: On 23 May
2005, the National History Center (NHC) will host its second Congressional
breakfast seminar on the topic of the history of Social Security. Edward
Berkowitz, professor of history, public policy, and public administration
at George Washington University and Alice Kessler-Harris, the R. Gordon
Hoxie professor of American history at Columbia University will both make
presentations. National Coalition for History Executive Director, Bruce
Craig will moderate. C-SPAN has been invited to cover the event. The
Congressional Breakfast Seminar Series is sponsored by the National History
Center in cooperation with the American Historical Association, the
National Coalition for History, the Organization of American Historians,
and the Society for American Historians, along with the Congressional
Humanities Caucus. It is designed to provide historical context of policy
issues currently pending before Congress. Because of Capitol security
procedures and space concerns, individuals who wish to attend must call in
advance to reserve a seat. Please call 202-544-2422 extension 103 or
e-mail info@nationalhistorycenter.org to reserve a space.

6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One article this week: In "Collateral Damage to Historical Research From
the "War on Terrorism" (9 May 2005: History News Network) American
University historian Anna Nelson argues that the Bush Administration's
penchant for secrecy when combined with the "war on terrorism" has created
a new category of records that today are removed from public perusal -- so
called "records of concern." For the article tap into:
http:hnn.us/articles/11541.html .


***********************************************************
The National Coalition for History invites you to subscribe to this FREE
weekly newsletter! You are also encouraged to redistribute the NCH
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 NCH's recently updated web page
at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch .

To subscribe to the "NCH Washington Update," send an e-mail message to
listserv@h-net.msu.edu with the following text in the body of the message
(and only this text) SUBSCRIBE H-NCH firstname lastname, institution. To
unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu according to
the following model SIGNOFF H-NCH.

You can accomplish the same tasks by tapping into the web interface at
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/lists/subscribe.cgi and at the "network" prompt,
scroll down and select H-NCH; enter your name and affiliation and "submit".
******************************************************

HNN - 5/17/2005

Financial Times (London, England)
May 14, 2005 Saturday
SECTION: FT WEEKEND MAGAZINE - Arts; Pg. 34
HEADLINE: Creation of a nation How far does Israel's troubled history define its art? An ambitious Berlin exhibition explores how politics, religion and aesthetics mesh in the turbulent young state
BYLINE: By JAMES WOODALL

When you think of Israel, you don't think of art. You think, perhaps, of Jerusalem, of war, terror, intifada, religion, and a dry, dry land. The country's turbulent past and present ensures that international attention rarely focuses on culture at all, certainly not the fine arts. So an exhibition entitled The New Hebrews: A Century of Art in Israel is bound to raise questions. When it comes to art in Israel, what dominates: pure aesthetics, religion or politics? And how can the curator of such an exhibition convince the world that there is serious art in the country?

The New Hebrews opens on Friday at the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel. A huge show, it assembles some 700 items, all from or made in Israel, by more than 100 artists.

Its location in Germany has piquancy, with the 60th anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe this month, as well as the inauguration of the Holocaust Memorial next to Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. In Germany, can The New Hebrews be about anything other than painful history? More broadly, can it prove that Israel has art - portraiture, photography, sculpture, installations, a playfulness of spirit, even - like any other country?

Curated by Israeli-born art historian Doreet LeVitte Harten, the exhibition was controversial even before opening, because no Palestinians were included. "This was not because I didn't want any," says LeVitte Harten, "but because not one I asked wanted to be included." She considered displaying the work of Israeli-Arab Assam Abu Shakra, who died recently, but, given the vehemence of Palestinians' refusal to join in, dropped the idea.

LeVitte Harten moved from Jerusalem to Dusseldorf in 1980, married a German and has lived in Germany ever since. My next question to her is perhaps the most obvious: how can there be 100 years of art in a country that is only 57 years old?

"We have to show how Israel actually started, which was with Zionism," she says. "Many of the artists on display were diaspora Jews who emigrated to Palestine long before the founding of the state, but, like Jews everywhere at the time... they had an idea of what kind of country they wanted to build. That's what we see in much of the pre-war, pre-state work."

The New Hebrews does avoid two words: Jew and Israeli. The word Israel in the subtitle, however, anchors us firmly to a geographical entity. LeVitte Harten says she gets the best of both worlds: "This is not an exhibition of Jewish art. It's not about Jewishness. It shows new work from a new country, a secular country, whose roots were in a European movement that goes back a century.

HNN - 5/17/2005

UPDATE 5-20-05: The executive board of the Organization of American Historians will take up the question of the Israeli boycott in a conference call meeting on June 7, according to Lee Formwalt, executive director of the OAH.

In response to queries from its members, the American Historical Association will formally consider ways to respond to the boycott of two of Israel's universities staged by the British Association of University Professors (AUT) . The matter will be considered by the AHA's Council at its regular June Meeting, according to AHA President James Sheehan.

Jon Wiener and Ralph Luker, among others, asked the AHA to issue a statement. Both the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) and the American Political Science Association (APSA) have condemned the boycott.

The AUT boycott was approved at a meeting held on April 22. Under public pressure, the AUT is planning to take up the issue again at a meeting on May 26. Sheehan told HNN in an email that even if the boycott is lifted he wants the AHA Council to "discuss the issue."

Morre than 4,500 academics and journalists have signed a petition protesting the boycott. The signers include: Eric Alterman, Juan Cole, David Brion Davis, John Lewis Gaddis, Michael Kazin, Charles Maier.

HNN - 5/13/2005

#1 Carlin Romano: What the Media Have Left Out About the Pope's WW II Past
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11864.html

#2 Jess Bravin: Officials at Guantanamo May Be Lucky They Won't Be Held to the Same Standards America Held the Japanese to
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11880.html

#3 Bernard Lewis: The Two Changes that Sabotaged Democracy in the Middle East
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11863.html

#4 Thomas Friedman: Humiliation ... a Terribly Underestimated Force in History
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11875.html

#5 YALTA AND BUSH: Excerpts from Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Anne Applebaum, John Radzilowski
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11798.html

#6 Mark Ames: The Latvia President Bush Didn't Talk About
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11898.html

#7 George Will: Why Paul Wolfowitz Insists He's Not a Wilsonian
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11872.html

#8 Sidney Blumenthal: Why Tony Blair Could Be the Last Prime Minister to Embrace a U.S. President's Mendacity
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11890.html

#9 Ralph Luker: A Brief History of History Blogs
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11906.html

#10 Mark Selden: Now How Do American Textbooks Treat the Japanese?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11881.html

HNN - 5/12/2005

NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #20; 12 May 2005)
by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org; and Giny Cheong
(contributor)
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************

1. CONCERNS MOUNT OVER NPS REORGANIZATION
2. COLE/LERNER ADDRESS ACLS IN PHILADELPHIA
3. CONGRESSIONAL BREAKFAST SEMINAR TO FOCUS ON SOCIAL SECURITY
4. DECLASSIFICATION BOARD STILL ON A BACK BURNER
5. BITS AND BYTES: Bush Library Releases Third Batch of Presidential
Records; Comment Sought on Disposal of Clinton Presidential Records;
ABC-CLIO Encyclopedia; SHA Application Deadline Approaches; Chernow Awarded
$50,000 Book Prize; History Student of the Year Award
6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: "D.C. Circuit Narrows Advisory Committee
Openness" (National Security Archives)

1. CONCERNS MOUNT OVER NPS REORGANIZATION
Following up on last week's posting on the reorganization of the National
Park Service (NPS) Cultural Resources division (see "NPS Restructures
Cultural Resources Function" in NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol 11, #19; 5 May
2005) on 10 May 2005, the chair of the Society for American Archeology
(SAA) National Historic Landmarks (NHL) Committee resigned in protest over
the removal of Carol Shull as Keeper of the National Register. According
to NPS insiders, the resignation of Ian W. Brown has the effect of shutting
down the activities of the SAA landmarks committee until a replacement can
be found. The resignation may also impact pending renewal efforts of a
recently expired cooperative agreement between the NPS and the SAA. Rumors
abound about other possible NHL committee resignations.

Dr. Ian W. Brown, a highly respected University of Alabama Professor of
Anthropology had been involved in the NHL program since 1993 and was one
year into his second four-year term on the National Historical Landmarks
Committee of the National Park System Advisory Board when he announced his
protest resignation. In a letter to officials, Brown wrote, "Over the
years I have had the pleasure of working with many professional staff
members of the NHL program...The person who has had the greatest impact on
me, who always inspired me to press on when crises developed, is Carol
Shull, former Chief of the NHP program and former Keeper of the National
Register." Brown continued, "...when I learned last week that Ms. Shull
was publicly chastised, humiliated, and demoted to what is clearly a bogus
job in a made-up office, I must offer my own protest small though it
is...this extremely talented person, a public servant of the highest order,
does not deserve the treatment that she has received and because of this I
cannot in good conscience continue to serve an organization that condones
such behavior. It is unworthy of the National Park Service."

Brown's resignation is the first in recent memory -- the last resignation
being in the early 1990s when one NHL committee member abruptly resigned to
protest the NPS's handling of the Labor History NHL Theme Study project
that was to recommend possible NHL designations relating to labor activism.

In addition to protesting the treatment Shull has received, Brown stated in
a separate letter that he personally felt "what was happening in the
Cultural Resources Department of the NPS is an absolute disgrace." Though
Brown's widely circulated letters are resonating in some quarters, other
NPS-watchers view the controversial reorganization (a shake-up that in some
circles is now described as "the May 3 Massacre") is merely as an outward
manifestation of long-standing rivalries between various cultural resource
factions within the NPS.

It is clear that the full impact of the reorganization has yet to be fully
recognized by outside cultural resource constituencies. NPS insiders
report that one of the ongoing principal concerns of NPS professional staff
is that under Associate Director Janet Matthews, key CRM positions have not
been filled and responsibilities have been re-shuffled between staff with
some "acting chiefs" being placed in positions that they have no interest
in filling, and, in some cases, are not qualified to fill. Reportedly,
work is "grinding to a halt" and morale is nearly "at an all-time low."

Having heard these and other concerns from NPS insiders even prior to the
announced reorganization, under the umbrella of the National Coalition for
History (NCH), several weeks back representatives of the historical
profession requested a meeting with NPS Director Fran Mainella,
specifically to discuss the filling of the position of key concern to the
historical community -- Chief Historian of the National Park Service which
will soon be vacated by retiring long-time NPS chief historian, Dwight
Pitcaithley.

Last week the request for a meeting with the Director was delegated down to
Matthews. In a letter responding to the history coalition's request for a
meeting, Matthews indicated that she would not be available to meet until
July. In response, this week the NCH sent another letter to NPS officials
requesting that a meeting go forward in June; that if Matthews is unable to
attend, Deputy Director Steve Martin or, as indicated in the NCH's first
letter, the Director should meet with historians directly.

2. COLE/LERNER ADDRESS ACLS IN PHILADELPHIA
The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) -- an organization founded
in 1919 to advance humanistic studies in all fields of learning in the
humanities and the social sciences -- met in Philadelphia on 5-7 May
2005. The key panel discussion -- "The Humanities and Its Publics" -- was
preceded on Friday by a talk from National Endowment for the Humanities
(NEH) Chair Bruce Cole. Later that evening, historian Gerda Lerner was
honored when she delivered the annual Charles Homer Haskins Lecture.

During the traditional Friday luncheon, NEH Chair Bruce Cole was warmly
received by the attendees. Cole delivered a speech that surveyed the
programs and activities of the NEH and then answered critics who have
expressed concern about the "over emphasis" that the NEH appears to have
placed on American history at the expense of traditional NEH support for
world or comparative history programs.

In his speech Cole announced that the "We the People" program is funded at
over $11 million (the equivalent of a new NEH division) and that it is
expected to "be an ongoing program [that] will strengthen public
understanding of American history in particular and the humanities in
general for a long time to come." Cole then explained that "the very
success of the "We the People" initiative has "led to some concerns that
the NEH is focused only on pursuing the national story." Cole discussed a
revived effort by NEH to concentrate on world and comparative history. He
pledged that the NEH will "seek to discover the full human story -- a story
whose setting stretches far beyond our coasts, and indeed, far beyond the
reach of our experience or intuition. After all, it is impossible to
understand our history or culture without reference to other cultures,
lands and times. Nations do not emerge from a vacuum; many streams have
flowed into the current of our heritage," said Cole. The speech is
significant as it represents new overt emphasis within the NEH on education
and public programs about the histories and cultures of other nations.

Following Cole's speech, the afternoon panel entitled "Humanities and It's
Publics" concentrated on what presenter David Marshall, a professor of
English and dean of the humanities and fine arts at the University of
California at Santa Barbara, described as the "misalignment" between the
humanities and the public. Following the formal panel presentations,
concerns were voiced by the audience about the public's perceptions of the
academic tenure system and of the so-called "Academic Bill of Rights."

Legislation embodying the "Academic Bill of Rights" -- an effort initiated
by former leftist now conservative convert David Horowitz to make
universities "more intellectually diverse and tolerant of
conservatives" has been introduced in 15 states and the U.S. House of
Representatives (Section 103 of H.R. 609). Critics, including both the
American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and several
fundamentalist Christian institutions see dangers in these legislative
initiatives. The AAUP believes that such legislation "invites diversity to
be measured by political standards that diverge from the academic criteria
of the scholarly profession." Some fundamentalist Christian groups express
a different concern: they fear the establishment of a state requirement
that diverse views must be presented at all educational institutions would
require them to hire "liberal" teachers who do not reflect their
institutions' beliefs.

In the evening, Gerda Lerner, the Robinson-Edwards Professor of History
Emerita at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, delivered the annual
Charles Homer Haskins lecture. Lerner's talk, "A Lifetime of Learning"
reflected on her "leftist life in a rightist era." She discussed the irony
of her escape from fascism in Austria only to experience a blacklisted
America. Lerner wrapped up her talk by tracing her development as a
scholar that enabled her to help give birth to the field of women's
history. Leaner received a prolonged standing ovation.

3. CONGRESSIONAL BREAKFAST SEMINAR TO FOCUS ON SOCIAL SECURITY
On 23 May 2005, the National History Center (NHC) will host its second
Congressional breakfast seminar on the topic of the history of Social
Security. Edward Berkowitz, professor of history, public policy, and
public administration at George Washington University and Alice
Kessler-Harris, the R. Gordon Hoxie professor of American history at
Columbia University will both make presentations with National Coalition
for History Executive Director, Bruce Craig moderating. C-SPAN has been
invited to cover the event.

The session entitled, "Social Security: Historical Perspectives on the
Current 'Crisis'" will be held on Monday, May 23rd, 2005 from 9:30 a.m. to
10:30 a.m. in the Capitol Building House Terrace Room 6, 444 North Capitol
Street, NW Washington, D.C.

Berkowitz, author of "Robert Ball and the Politics of Social Security"
(2003), is Professor of History, and Public Policy and Public
Administration and Director of the Masters program in History and Public
Policy at The George Washington University. On four occasions, he has also
given invited testimony before Congressional committees concerned with
social welfare policy, in particular Social Security, disability, and
health care. Kessler-Harris is the author of "In Pursuit of Equity: Women,
Men and the Quest for Economic Citizenship in Twentieth Century America"
(2001), a book that explores the development of such social policies as old
age and unemployment insurance, and equal employment opportunity. Among
the honors she has won, Kessler-Harris counts fellowships from the John
Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the National
Endowment for the Humanities.

The Congressional Breakfast Seminar Series is sponsored by the National
History Center in cooperation with the American Historical Association, the
National Coalition for History, the Organization of American Historians,
and the Society for American Historians, along with the Congressional
Humanities Caucus. It is designed to provide historical context of policy
issues currently pending before Congress. Because of Capitol security
procedures and space concerns, individuals who wish to attend must call in
advance to reserve a seat. Please call 202-544-2422 extension 103 or
e-mail info@nationalhistorycenter.org to reserve a space.

4. DECLASSIFICATION BOARD STILL ON A BACK BURNER
Recently, a letter by a consortium of 19 government watchdog and advocacy
groups to President George W. Bush and Congress urged immediate approval of
funding for the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB). The
nine-member panel was created by Congress in late 2000 to provide advice
and to make recommendations about declassifying government documents.

The White House appointed five members to the board in September 2004 and
Congress chose two of its four members earlier this year. But neither the
White House nor Congress has yet to provide operating funds for the
board. William Leonard, the Director of the National Archives and Records
Administration's (NARA) Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO),
estimates that the board needs less than $100,000 -- what he characterized
as "decimal dust" for the Defense Department -- to meet the PIDB's goals
for this year.

Although the PIDB's mandate only allows non-binding recommendations,
watchdog and advocacy groups are generally supportive of the effort to
create the panel that would at least have some say on the expansion of
government secrecy. The letter states, "The board is important because it
would help identify documents that truly should or should not be
classified. Too much secrecy hinders the operation of the government and
hides problems that often need public disclosure to be remedied."

5. BITS AND BYTES
Item # 1 -- Bush Library Releases Third Batch of Presidential Records: On
11 May 2005, the George Bush Presidential Library announced the release of
the third batch of Bush Presidential records, formerly withheld under
provisions of the Presidential Records Act restrictions P-2/P-5. A complete
list of documents can be found at:
http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/releaseddocuments.html

Item # 2 -- Public Comment Sought on Disposal of Clinton Presidential
Records: On 3 May 2005, the National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA) announced through a Federal Register posting the proposed disposal
of select Clinton Administration backup tapes containing what is
characterized as "redundant' information. NARA's Office of Presidential
Libraries seeks comments on whether the backup tapes created by the White
House Communications Agency staff indeed do lack continuing administrative,
historical, informational, or evidentiary value. Comments are due 17 June
2005. For additional information, please refer to the Federal Register
online notice
at:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-8765.htm
.

Item # 3 -- ABC-CLIO Encyclopedia: The firm ABC-CLIO has announced the
development of a comprehensive 21-volume Encyclopedia of World
History. A.J. Andrea from the University of Vermont will serve as general
editor. The publisher seeks interested scholars writing from a world
perspective on major themes to bring a balanced and engaging view of the
human experience. If interested in contributing, email a brief curriculum
vita with preferred regions, topics, and times periods to the project
editor, Carolyn Neel, at cneel@abc-clio.com .

Item # 4 -- SHA Application Deadline Approaches: The 2005 Seminar for
Historical Administration (SHA) deadline for applications is 20 May 2005.
The three-week professional development seminar will be hosted by the
Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis and held from 29 October to 19
November. The AASLH, AAM, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Indiana
Historical Society, the National Park Service, and National Trust for
Historic Preservation sponsor the event. For more information, visit the
AASLH online at http://www.aaslh.org/histadmin.htm .

Item # 5 -- Chernow Awarded $50,000 Book Prize: Historian Ron Chernow has
received the inaugural $50,000 George Washington Book Prize that was
presented to him by officials of Washington's Mount Vernon estate for his
best-selling biography "Alexander Hamilton." The prize is the nation's
largest literary prize for Early American history seeks to recognize books
about the nation's first president or founding era.

Item # 6 -- History Student of the Year Award: On 3 May 2005, the National
History Club and George Washington's Mount Vernon announced the first
annual "History Student of the Year" awards given to one student in each of
the 160 chapters of the National History Club. Each recipient received a
signed copy of "Washington's Crossing" by David Hackett Fischer with a
bookplate of recognition. The National History Club promotes the reading,
writing, discussion, and enjoyment of history in secondary students and
their teachers. It now has chapters in thirty-six states and over 4,600
students. For more information, visit http://www.tcr.org.

6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: On 10 May 2005, a federal appeals court in
Washington dismissed a lawsuit brought to force Vice-President Cheney to
turn over records of private meetings held in his office in 2001 by the
National Energy Development Group (NEPDG) -- an advisory group composed
largely of business interests that ultimately shaped the administration's
energy policy. The ruling is a victory for the Bush White House, and,
according to the Federation of American Scientist's Steven Aftergood, "a
new constraint on open government." For an analysis of the ruling by the
National Security Archives, tap into the report "D.C. Circuit Narrows
Advisory Committee Openness" at:
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20050510/index.htm .


***********************************************************
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******************************************************

HNN - 5/12/2005

NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #20; 12 May 2005) by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org; and Giny Cheong
(contributor)
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************

1. CONCERNS MOUNT OVER NPS REORGANIZATION 2. COLE/LERNER ADDRESS ACLS IN PHILADELPHIA 3. CONGRESSIONAL BREAKFAST SEMINAR TO FOCUS ON SOCIAL SECURITY 4. DECLASSIFICATION BOARD STILL ON A BACK BURNER 5. BITS AND BYTES: Bush Library Releases Third Batch of Presidential Records; Comment Sought on Disposal of Clinton Presidential Records; ABC-CLIO Encyclopedia; SHA Application Deadline Approaches; Chernow Awarded $50,000 Book Prize; History Student of the Year Award 6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: "D.C. Circuit Narrows Advisory Committee Openness" (National Security Archives)

1. CONCERNS MOUNT OVER NPS REORGANIZATION Following up on last week's posting on the reorganization of the National Park Service (NPS) Cultural Resources division (see "NPS Restructures Cultural Resources Function" in NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol 11, #19; 5 May
2005) on 10 May 2005, the chair of the Society for American Archeology
(SAA) National Historic Landmarks (NHL) Committee resigned in protest over the removal of Carol Shull as Keeper of the National Register. According to NPS insiders, the resignation of Ian W. Brown has the effect of shutting down the activities of the SAA landmarks committee until a replacement can be found. The resignation may also impact pending renewal efforts of a recently expired cooperative agreement between the NPS and the SAA. Rumors abound about other possible NHL committee resignations.

Dr. Ian W. Brown, a highly respected University of Alabama Professor of Anthropology had been involved in the NHL program since 1993 and was one year into his second four-year term on the National Historical Landmarks Committee of the National Park System Advisory Board when he announced his protest resignation. In a letter to officials, Brown wrote, "Over the years I have had the pleasure of working with many professional staff members of the NHL program...The person who has had the greatest impact on me, who always inspired me to press on when crises developed, is Carol Shull, former Chief of the NHP program and former Keeper of the National Register." Brown continued, "...when I learned last week that Ms. Shull was publicly chastised, humiliated, and demoted to what is clearly a bogus job in a made-up office, I must offer my own protest small though it is...this extremely talented person, a public servant of the highest order, does not deserve the treatment that she has received and because of this I cannot in good conscience continue to serve an organization that condones such behavior. It is unworthy of the National Park Service."

Brown's resignation is the first in recent memory -- the last resignation being in the early 1990s when one NHL committee member abruptly resigned to protest the NPS's handling of the Labor History NHL Theme Study project that was to recommend possible NHL designations relating to labor activism.

In addition to protesting the treatment Shull has received, Brown stated in a separate letter that he personally felt "what was happening in the Cultural Resources Department of the NPS is an absolute disgrace." Though Brown's widely circulated letters are resonating in some quarters, other NPS-watchers view the controversial reorganization (a shake-up that in some circles is now described as "the May 3 Massacre") is merely as an outward manifestation of long-standing rivalries between various cultural resource factions within the NPS.

It is clear that the full impact of the reorganization has yet to be fully recognized by outside cultural resource constituencies. NPS insiders report that one of the ongoing principal concerns of NPS professional staff is that under Associate Director Janet Matthews, key CRM positions have not been filled and responsibilities have been re-shuffled between staff with some "acting chiefs" being placed in positions that they have no interest in filling, and, in some cases, are not qualified to fill. Reportedly, work is "grinding to a halt" and morale is nearly "at an all-time low."

Having heard these and other concerns from NPS insiders even prior to the announced reorganization, under the umbrella of the National Coalition for History (NCH), several weeks back representatives of the historical profession requested a meeting with NPS Director Fran Mainella, specifically to discuss the filling of the position of key concern to the historical community -- Chief Historian of the National Park Service which will soon be vacated by retiring long-time NPS chief historian, Dwight Pitcaithley.

Last week the request for a meeting with the Director was delegated down to Matthews. In a letter responding to the history coalition's request for a meeting, Matthews indicated that she would not be available to meet until July. In response, this week the NCH sent another letter to NPS officials requesting that a meeting go forward in June; that if Matthews is unable to attend, Deputy Director Steve Martin or, as indicated in the NCH's first letter, the Director should meet with historians directly.

2. COLE/LERNER ADDRESS ACLS IN PHILADELPHIA The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) -- an organization founded in 1919 to advance humanistic studies in all fields of learning in the humanities and the social sciences -- met in Philadelphia on 5-7 May 2005. The key panel discussion -- "The Humanities and Its Publics" -- was preceded on Friday by a talk from National Endowment for the Humanities
(NEH) Chair Bruce Cole. Later that evening, historian Gerda Lerner was honored when she delivered the annual Charles Homer Haskins Lecture.

During the traditional Friday luncheon, NEH Chair Bruce Cole was warmly received by the attendees. Cole delivered a speech that surveyed the programs and activities of the NEH and then answered critics who have expressed concern about the "over emphasis" that the NEH appears to have placed on American history at the expense of traditional NEH support for world or comparative history programs.

In his speech Cole announced that the "We the People" program is funded at over $11 million (the equivalent of a new NEH division) and that it is expected to "be an ongoing program [that] will strengthen public understanding of American history in particular and the humanities in general for a long time to come." Cole then explained that "the very success of the "We the People" initiative has "led to some concerns that the NEH is focused only on pursuing the national story." Cole discussed a revived effort by NEH to concentrate on world and comparative history. He pledged that the NEH will "seek to discover the full human story -- a story whose setting stretches far beyond our coasts, and indeed, far beyond the reach of our experience or intuition. After all, it is impossible to understand our history or culture without reference to other cultures, lands and times. Nations do not emerge from a vacuum; many streams have flowed into the current of our heritage," said Cole. The speech is significant as it represents new overt emphasis within the NEH on education and public programs about the histories and cultures of other nations.

Following Cole's speech, the afternoon panel entitled "Humanities and It's Publics" concentrated on what presenter David Marshall, a professor of English and dean of the humanities and fine arts at the University of California at Santa Barbara, described as the "misalignment" between the humanities and the public. Following the formal panel presentations, concerns were voiced by the audience about the public's perceptions of the academic tenure system and of the so-called "Academic Bill of Rights."

Legislation embodying the "Academic Bill of Rights" -- an effort initiated by former leftist now conservative convert David Horowitz to make universities "more intellectually diverse and tolerant of conservatives" has been introduced in 15 states and the U.S. House of Representatives (Section 103 of H.R. 609). Critics, including both the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and several fundamentalist Christian institutions see dangers in these legislative initiatives. The AAUP believes that such legislation "invites diversity to be measured by political standards that diverge from the academic criteria of the scholarly profession." Some fundamentalist Christian groups express a different concern: they fear the establishment of a state requirement that diverse views must be presented at all educational institutions would require them to hire "liberal" teachers who do not reflect their institutions' beliefs.

In the evening, Gerda Lerner, the Robinson-Edwards Professor of History Emerita at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, delivered the annual Charles Homer Haskins lecture. Lerner's talk, "A Lifetime of Learning"
reflected on her "leftist life in a rightist era." She discussed the irony of her escape from fascism in Austria only to experience a blacklisted America. Lerner wrapped up her talk by tracing her development as a scholar that enabled her to help give birth to the field of women's history. Leaner received a prolonged standing ovation.

3. CONGRESSIONAL BREAKFAST SEMINAR TO FOCUS ON SOCIAL SECURITY On 23 May 2005, the National History Center (NHC) will host its second Congressional breakfast seminar on the topic of the history of Social Security. Edward Berkowitz, professor of history, public policy, and public administration at George Washington University and Alice Kessler-Harris, the R. Gordon Hoxie professor of American history at Columbia University will both make presentations with National Coalition for History Executive Director, Bruce Craig moderating. C-SPAN has been invited to cover the event.

The session entitled, "Social Security: Historical Perspectives on the Current 'Crisis'" will be held on Monday, May 23rd, 2005 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Capitol Building House Terrace Room 6, 444 North Capitol Street, NW Washington, D.C.

Berkowitz, author of "Robert Ball and the Politics of Social Security"
(2003), is Professor of History, and Public Policy and Public Administration and Director of the Masters program in History and Public Policy at The George Washington University. On four occasions, he has also given invited testimony before Congressional committees concerned with social welfare policy, in particular Social Security, disability, and health care. Kessler-Harris is the author of "In Pursuit of Equity: Women, Men and the Quest for Economic Citizenship in Twentieth Century America"
(2001), a book that explores the development of such social policies as old age and unemployment insurance, and equal employment opportunity. Among the honors she has won, Kessler-Harris counts fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Congressional Breakfast Seminar Series is sponsored by the National History Center in cooperation with the American Historical Association, the National Coalition for History, the Organization of American Historians, and the Society for American Historians, along with the Congressional Humanities Caucus. It is designed to provide historical context of policy issues currently pending before Congress. Because of Capitol security procedures and space concerns, individuals who wish to attend must call in advance to reserve a seat. Please call 202-544-2422 extension 103 or e-mail info@nationalhistorycenter.org to reserve a space.

4. DECLASSIFICATION BOARD STILL ON A BACK BURNER Recently, a letter by a consortium of 19 government watchdog and advocacy groups to President George W. Bush and Congress urged immediate approval of funding for the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB). The nine-member panel was created by Congress in late 2000 to provide advice and to make recommendations about declassifying government documents.

The White House appointed five members to the board in September 2004 and Congress chose two of its four members earlier this year. But neither the White House nor Congress has yet to provide operating funds for the board. William Leonard, the Director of the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), estimates that the board needs less than $100,000 -- what he characterized as "decimal dust" for the Defense Department -- to meet the PIDB's goals for this year.

Although the PIDB's mandate only allows non-binding recommendations, watchdog and advocacy groups are generally supportive of the effort to create the panel that would at least have some say on the expansion of government secrecy. The letter states, "The board is important because it would help identify documents that truly should or should not be classified. Too much secrecy hinders the operation of the government and hides problems that often need public disclosure to be remedied."

5. BITS AND BYTES
Item # 1 -- Bush Library Releases Third Batch of Presidential Records: On
11 May 2005, the George Bush Presidential Library announced the release of the third batch of Bush Presidential records, formerly withheld under provisions of the Presidential Records Act restrictions P-2/P-5. A complete list of documents can be found at:
http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/releaseddocuments.html

Item # 2 -- Public Comment Sought on Disposal of Clinton Presidential
Records: On 3 May 2005, the National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA) announced through a Federal Register posting the proposed disposal of select Clinton Administration backup tapes containing what is characterized as "redundant' information. NARA's Office of Presidential Libraries seeks comments on whether the backup tapes created by the White House Communications Agency staff indeed do lack continuing administrative, historical, informational, or evidentiary value. Comments are due 17 June 2005. For additional information, please refer to the Federal Register online notice
at:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-8765.htm
.

Item # 3 -- ABC-CLIO Encyclopedia: The firm ABC-CLIO has announced the development of a comprehensive 21-volume Encyclopedia of World History. A.J. Andrea from the University of Vermont will serve as general editor. The publisher seeks interested scholars writing from a world perspective on major themes to bring a balanced and engaging view of the human experience. If interested in contributing, email a brief curriculum vita with preferred regions, topics, and times periods to the project editor, Carolyn Neel, at cneel@abc-clio.com .

Item # 4 -- SHA Application Deadline Approaches: The 2005 Seminar for Historical Administration (SHA) deadline for applications is 20 May 2005.
The three-week professional development seminar will be hosted by the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis and held from 29 October to 19 November. The AASLH, AAM, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Indiana Historical Society, the National Park Service, and National Trust for Historic Preservation sponsor the event. For more information, visit the AASLH online at http://www.aaslh.org/histadmin.htm .

Item # 5 -- Chernow Awarded $50,000 Book Prize: Historian Ron Chernow has received the inaugural $50,000 George Washington Book Prize that was presented to him by officials of Washington's Mount Vernon estate for his best-selling biography "Alexander Hamilton." The prize is the nation's largest literary prize for Early American history seeks to recognize books about the nation's first president or founding era.

Item # 6 -- History Student of the Year Award: On 3 May 2005, the National History Club and George Washington's Mount Vernon announced the first annual "History Student of the Year" awards given to one student in each of the 160 chapters of the National History Club. Each recipient received a signed copy of "Washington's Crossing" by David Hackett Fischer with a bookplate of recognition. The National History Club promotes the reading, writing, discussion, and enjoyment of history in secondary students and their teachers. It now has chapters in thirty-six states and over 4,600 students. For more information, visit http://www.tcr.org.

6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: On 10 May 2005, a federal appeals court in Washington dismissed a lawsuit brought to force Vice-President Cheney to turn over records of private meetings held in his office in 2001 by the National Energy Development Group (NEPDG) -- an advisory group composed largely of business interests that ultimately shaped the administration's energy policy. The ruling is a victory for the Bush White House, and, according to the Federation of American Scientist's Steven Aftergood, "a new constraint on open government." For an analysis of the ruling by the National Security Archives, tap into the report "D.C. Circuit Narrows Advisory Committee Openness" at:
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20050510/index.htm .


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Vernon Clayson - 5/11/2005

But they did enlist rather than not step forward like Cassius Clay (M. Ali)or visit Hitler like Sean Penn did Saddam Hussein in the days before a war. Yogi Berra of the fractured syntax was at Omaha Beach as was Ralph Houk. Barney Ross, a professional boxer and rodeo's Fritz Truan were Marines in those terrible island battles (Truan was killed) and numerous others served in combat areas, is the editor trying to say that only those killed were noteworthy? Perhaps many athletes got favored treatment but they nevertheless served, for example, Hank Greenberg lost 4 seasons, Joe DiMaggio lost 3 seasons, Bob Feller lost 4 years and got 8 battle stars. Nuts to this editor and his puckish English scorn.

HNN - 5/10/2005

Financial Times (London, England)
May 7, 2005 Saturday
London Edition 1
SECTION: SPORT; Pg. 20
HEADLINE: Stars saved from ultimate pitched battle SIMON KUPER
BYLINE: By SIMON KUPER On April 20 1944, an American bomber flying over France was hit by German flak. Five of the six men aboard were killed, including the pilot, Elmer Gedeon.

Nobody would remember this except that Gedeon had played major league baseball for the Washington Senators. "I'll be back in baseball after the war," he had said on his last leave before going overseas.

The many histories of baseball at war invariably mention him and Harry O'Neill of the Philadelphia Athletics, killed at Iwo Jima. These men have become symbols of "baseball's sacrifice", the story of the national pastime rallying round when the US went to war - a story being retold for tomorrow's 60th anniversary of VE Day. As baseball's hall of fame proclaims: "Ballplayers, like every other American citizen, understand the importance of giving one's self for their country."

In fact, ballplayers in the second world war didn't give themselves nearly as much as did other Americans. Nor did football players in Europe. Even then, celebrity athletes were protected. The less popular sports made the biggest sacrifices.

The reason Gedeon and O'Neill are always cited is that they were the only sometime major leaguers to die in the war. The statistics show that big-league baseball players had a relatively easy ride. In 1941 about 400 men were playing in the major leagues. Perhaps the same number of men of fighting age had recently done so. Let's say that there were therefore 800 current or recent major league players eligible to serve. If two of this group were killed, that makes 0.25 per cent.

In total about 405,000 Americans died in the war, the vast majority of them men aged 18 to 35. That means that about 1.8 per cent of the 22m American males in that age range were killed in the war. In short, a major league player had much less chance of "giving himself" than did "every other American citizen".

This is not because baseball players were cowards, or dodged service. More than 90 per cent of professional players in 1941 entered the army. Some asked for combat duty, but were denied it. In general, they survived because the army gave them protected posts. Baseball-mad officers recruited star players for their base teams, and weren't about to risk them being shot. For some time during the war the Great Lakes naval training centre outside Chicago had the world's best baseball team, regularly "whupping" major league teams....

HNN - 5/10/2005

The New York Times
May 8, 2005 Sunday
Late Edition - Final
SECTION: Section 14LI; Column 1; Long Island Weekly Desk; Pg. 7
HEADLINE: A National Landmark Nobody Knows About
BYLINE: By JOHN RATHER
DATELINE: MASSAPEQUA
FORT MASSAPEAG, the only Indian fort ever found on western Long Island and a National Historic Landmark since 1993, does not appear on most maps of Massapequa.

And many archaeologists say that is just as well.

The National Park Service bestows the historic-landmark designation only on what it deems the most important links to the nation's past. In Fort Massapeag's case, the listing commemorates a 100-foot-square log stockade, now long vanished.

Archaeologists are not sure who built it -- whether the Massapeag Indians, the Dutch, the two together or perhaps even the English -- but they believe it was used intensively in the mid-1600's during the turbulent period when the native Indians first encountered Europeans.

The site of the fort, a lightly contoured grassy swale on an unprotected three-eighths of an acre in the Harbor Green neighborhood on Fort Neck, is almost entirely unknown to the public and is hard to find. And it is unclear what artifacts may remain buried there.

''Most people are totally unaware it is a national historic site,'' said Kathryne Natale, the curator and supervisor of the Nassau County Garvies Point Museum and Preserve in Glen Cove. ''People think everything national is out west.''

In Massapequa, residents living only blocks from the landmark stared blankly when asked how to get to the fort. At the local public library, the reference librarian had never heard of the place.

The National Park Service intentionally withholds directions. ''Because of its archaeological sensitivity, it is 'location protected,''' said Beth Savage, a historian for the National Register of Historic Places.

Some archaeologists said this was for good reason. ''It's nice to educate people about the past, but once they find out where the past is, they want to go out and dig it up,'' said Jo-Ann McLean, an archaeologist for the Garvies Point Museum. Its collection includes a wooden mortar and other artifacts from the fort and surrounding area.

HNN - 5/10/2005

The Gazette (Montreal)
May 8, 2005 Sunday
Final Edition
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A11
HEADLINE: Chinese discovered America, author says: Proof to be revealed May 16. Historian says remains of city on East Coast prove China's Zheng He hit continent in 1421
BYLINE: RANDY BOSWELL, CanWest News Service
The British author of a long-shot theory that Chinese sailors reached the New World 70 years before Columbus now says there is tangible proof - the remains of a "huge" medieval naval base on the East Coast of Canada.

Though still shrouded in secrecy, details of the supposed discovery by a "distinguished Canadian architect" are to be revealed during a May 16 academic conference at the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington.

If it's true, the find would rank among the greatest archeological discoveries of all time, turn much of modern history upside down and make some remote Atlantic Canadian outpost - yet to be identified - a global tourism mecca.

If the claim is bogus, as most experts will surely assume, it could represent a fatal blow to the credibility of author Gavin Menzies' campaign to convince the world that a fleet led by Chinese naval commander Zheng He reached the Americas in 1421.

His startling hypothesis has produced a bestselling book - 1421: The Year China Discovered the World - and sparked worldwide interest, even among some serious scholars, in the achievements of the 15th-century Chinese explorer.

The 600th anniversary of Zheng He's maiden voyage is the focus of the Library of Congress event, an upcoming museum exhibition and international symposium in Singapore, and year-long celebrations in China dedicated to the legendary Ming Dynasty admiral.

But most historians and archeologists have dismissed Menzies' theory about Zheng He's North American landfall as a tower of "pseudo-science" built on amateurish research, phantom evidence and wild conjecture.

That's why the unearthing of physical proof of an ancient Chinese presence in Canada would be stunning beyond words. And Menzies, who let slip some details of the alleged discovery in a recent interview with a Malaysian newspaper, insists the proof is there.

"It's huge," Menzies told the Malaysian Star. "It has massive walls, and has remained undiscovered for 600 years. And it's two-thirds the size of the Forbidden City. Walls, roads, the remains of foundations, graves, God knows what. It would cost a vast amount of money to excavate this site. It's in a very difficult position to reach. We definitely do need a lot of money to carry on the research."

Organizers of Singapore's 1421 exhibition, which opens next month, are also trumpeting the "discovery of a geographical site called Nova Cataia (New Cathay), which is said to be Zheng He's base in Canada."

Menzies, 66, a retired Royal Navy submarine commander who lives in London, did not respond Friday to an interview request. But he told the Malaysian newspaper of plans to seek support from the Canadian government for scientific research at the purported naval base and to petition UNESCO, the UN cultural agency, for a special designation making Nova Cataia a World Heritage Site.

As outlandish as Menzies' theory appears to be, a similarly astonishing claim in the 1960s turned out to be true. Norwegian author and adventurer Helge Ingstad, driven by scanty historical evidence of a Viking settlement in North America, scoured the shoreline of Newfoundland and - to the surprise of scholars around the world - discovered remnants of a genuine, 1,000-year-old Norse encampment at the northernmost tip of the island.

Today, L'Anse aux Meadows is a showcase UNESCO site and one of the province's prime tourist attractions.

Despite the commercial success of Menzies' book, a profusion of media coverage and the airing of several TV documentaries exploring his theories, the author has struggled for validation in the academic world.

Menzies contends that during a two-year expedition beginning in 1421, Zheng He - at the head of a 300-vessel fleet with 28,000 men - exploring both coasts of the Americas to the Arctic.

HNN - 5/6/2005

#1 David Ignatius: What the Civil War Can Teach UIs About Iraq and
Successful Occupations (As Taught by James McPherson)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11716.html

#2 David Brooks: Militant Secularists Should Remember Lincoln's Use of
Religion
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11734.html

#3 David Ekbladh: We Should Remember that Nation-Building in Korea Took 52
Years
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11755.html

#4 Ken A. Grant: The Danger in the New Pope's Marriage of Religion and
Politics
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11733.html

#5 Matthew Dennis: The Danger of Prayer Breakfasts
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11689.html

#6 Ron Chernow: Why the Attempt by Some Republicans to Eviscerate the Courts
Is Unwise
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11745.html

#7 Peter Carlson: Is Bob Jones University Changing?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11764.html

#8 Martin E. Marty: Is the U.S. in Danger of Becoming a Theocracy?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11651.html

#9 Daniel Pipes: Why We Shouldn't Be Buddy-Buddy with Hamas
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11682.html

#10 Jonathan Zimmerman: Americans Should Think Twice Before Criticizing
Japan's Textbooks
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11758.html

HNN - 5/6/2005

Ottawa Citizen
May 5, 2005 Thursday
Final Edition
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A12
HEADLINE: Dutch liberation brought gay emancipation: Canada's wartime heroes could not have imagined that their sacrifices would help free Holland's viciously persecuted homosexual community, writes Tony Atherton in Amsterdam.
SERIES: The Canadian War Museum
BYLINE: Tony Atherton, The Ottawa Citizen
Today, three days before most of the rest of the world marks the 60th anniversary of VE-Day, the Dutch celebrate what, for them, is a far more significant event.

May 5, the day the German occupiers left or surrendered in 1945, is a national holiday every five years, including today's 60th anniversary. Parades and liberation festivals will fill the country with gaiety and music.

On the eve of Liberation Day each year, sombre ceremonies of commemoration are held at war memorials, including many dedicated to the 5,700 Canadian soldiers who gave their lives in the struggle that made today's festivities possible.

For the Dutch, remembering the hardships of war and the sacrifices of the liberators is a solemn obligation; those who didn't attend services last night watched on TV as Queen Beatrix participated in the ceremony at Holland's National War Monument at the heart of old Amsterdam.

All Holland fell silent yesterday at 8 p.m. for two emotion-choked minutes. Four blocks from the TV lights and the regal pomp, under the eaves of the Westekerk (West Church) in the former working-class neighbourhood of Gordaan, another war memorial drew its own crowd, as it has every May 4 since 1987.

Speeches were read, anthems sung, flags flew at half-staff and wreaths were laid by the Dutch military, the police, the firefighters, the city of Amsterdam and area organizations.

Those in attendance were reminded never to forget, that forgetting leads to complacency and that complacency can imperil freedom. The particular freedom for which celebration was implicit in last night's canal-side ceremony was one that most Canadian liberators pushing through Holland in the spring of 1945 could not have imagined they were fighting for.

The familiar rites of remembrance were attended by cross-dressers and men holding hands. They were performed at the Homomonument, the world's first, and still best-known, memorial for gay victims of the war.

In a square beside the church, three triangles of pink granite, representing the past, present and future in the struggle for gay emancipation, are joined into one large triangle by a vein of granite through the pavement.

The shape recalls the pink triangles used to identify homosexual prisoners in Nazi concentration camps. One of the triangles steps down from the street and juts out into the Keizersgracht, one of the narrow canals encircling the old city. It points toward the monument at The Dam, and it was here, above the dark, chill water that the wreaths were laid. Behind this, another triangle laid in the ground like a tombstone points to the nearby Anne Frank House, Holland's national symbol of Nazi persecution.

The third triangle, raised like a platform, points toward the offices of the COC, acronym for a Dutch phrase meaning Centre for Culture and Leisure, which organizes the ceremony each year.

Formed in Amsterdam the year after liberation, the COC is the oldest, and one of the largest, gay organizations in the world. The need for a gay war memorial was voiced by its founders in 1947.

Harsh penalties for male homosexuality were among the first measures introduced by the Nazi occupiers in 1940, even before restrictions were placed on Dutch Jews, says Judith Schuijf, a historian with the state-funded advisory centre on gay and lesbian emancipation policy.

The measures were an extension of laws imposed in Germany by the Nazis, who saw homosexuality as not only degenerate, but a waste of precious Aryan genetic material. Female homosexuality was of no concern to the Nazis, who figured women could be compelled to be vessels of Aryan seed. Before the end of the war, homosexuality would be punishable by death in some circumstances.

More than 100,000 homosexuals were imprisoned or sent to concentration camps in Germany between 1935 and 1938. As many as 15,000 died in the camps. While only about 200 men were arrested in Holland during the occupation on charges of homosexuality (for much of the occupation, administration of laws was left to Dutch officials), research suggests that many more were arrested on various other charges and given harsher sentences when found to be gay, say Ms. Schuijf.

The gay community was forced to retreat deeper into the shadows.

Holland is famed -- some might say notorious -- for its liberal attitude on abortion, euthanasia, prostitution, drug use and homosexuality.

Except for the five years of German occupation, homosexuality hasn't been outlawed here since 1811. Gays have been welcome in the Dutch army since 1974.

In 1998, Holland was the first country in the world to legalize gay marriages, and public signs of affection between same-sex couples have long since stopped turning Dutch heads.

Tolerance toward groups that others shun has a long history in Holland, says James Kennedy, an American-born professor of Dutch history at the Free University of Amsterdam, founded more than a century ago.

"Even now you can see that asylum seekers in the Netherlands still carry with them a kind of moral weight that other immigrants do not," he says.

Now, however, the limits of Dutch tolerance are being tested, even redefined, and Holland's gay community has become embroiled in the controversy.

A court case in which a Muslim imam in Rotterdam was charged with slandering gays on television; the assassination of an openly gay politician whose outspoken criticism of fundamentalist Islam touched a national chord; and a rash of sectarian attacks on mosques and churches since the murder last fall of a Dutch filmmaker whose film condemning the place of women in Islam had outraged some Muslims -- flashpoints in a storm the roots of which go back a generation.

The wave of immigration that washed over Holland in the 1980s began the decade before when "guestworkers" from places like Turkey and Morocco, brought here on what the Dutch presumed was a temporary basis, decided not to return home. The Dutch did not have the heart to stop renewing visas, says Mr. Kennedy.

The guestworkers stayed and began to bring in family members. That, combined with higher than normal refugee rates in the '80 and '90s, created a country with the highest rate of non-European-born citizens in western Europe; about 10 per cent of the 16 million Dutch. In cities such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the percentage is more than 40 per cent.

Some began to suggest that the socially conservative cultural values of the mainly Muslim immigrants flew in the face of Dutch traditions. But in the early 1990s, when one politician tried to make this concern a political issue, calling for cuts to immigration, he was dismissed as being intolerant. Before the end of the decade however, the Dutch mood began to shift, thanks in part to an openly gay former Marxist sociology professor.

Pim Fortuyn was a populist politician who had a way of expressing his objections to immigration that didn't rankle Dutch sensitivities.

"He was somebody who believed that all of human history was the history of emancipation, of humans becoming freer and freer," says Mr. Kennedy. "By the 1990s, he had become concerned that the 'Islamization,' as he called it, of the Netherlands was a threat to that story of emancipation and certainly to the uniqueness of the Netherlands."

Starting his own party under his own name, he caused such a stir in Holland's 2002 election he was on the way to forming a government when he was shot dead with little more than a week to go in the campaign.

Mr. Fortuyn was the personification of the ironies surrounding Holland's multiculturalism debate. In no other country but Holland, perhaps, could an openly, even provocatively, gay politician have enjoyed such success.

When Rotterdam imam El Moumi said on Dutch television that homosexuality was a society-destroying "disease," the controversy burned even brighter. The imam was eventually tried under the Dutch constitution, but found not guilty.

Sectarian violence has flared here since the savage daytime murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh last fall, and the arrest of suspected Islamist extremist Muhammad Bouyeri has brought the issue to a new level.

Recently Dutch immigration minister Rita Verdonk moved toward forcing all non-Europeans to take acculturation courses, which might include anything from lessons on Dutch folk traditions, and facts about Dutch cities, to "some kind of reference to Dutch values like tolerance and freedom," says Mr. Kennedy.

Including, presumably, the freedom that those at the Homomonument last night have learned not to take for granted.

HNN - 5/6/2005

Press Advisory: For Immediate Release
Columbia University Refuses to Send Middle East Forum Announcement
Philadelphia, May 6, 2005 – Columbia University’s Middle East Institute has rejected an announcement for the Middle East Forum’s summer internship program.

The Middle East Forum requested that it be sent out on April 22, 2005. Noting the announcement had not gone out, the Forum sent a follow-up inquiry on May 5. In reply, Astrid Benedek, MEI’s associate administrator, explained that she would not do so until the Forum made changes on its Campus Watch website. She also indicated she would not reply again to the MEF (“I think we best end our communication right here”).

This refusal contradicts an earlier statement by Benedek about the institute’s policy of semi-automatically forwarding information for “countless other … outside organizations.”

The Middle East Institute is directed by former PLO advisor Rashid Khalidi.

Although Columbia’s Middle East Institute receives taxpayer funding via the federal government’s International Studies in Higher Education Act, Title VI, it demonstrably shows a lack of impartiality. For example, while it turned down the MEF intern announcement, it on May 2, 2005 circulated an invitation for a study trip to Gaza sponsored by the Faculty For Israeli - Palestinian Peace, a group that blames “the occupation” for all the region’s problems.

This latest development again confirms the depth of the problems in Middle East studies at Columbia University (on which see http://www.campus-watch.org/survey.php/id/16). It also reconfirms that stakeholders in the university need to scrutinize its actions carefully.

Campus Watch, www.CampusWatch.org, founded in 2002 by the Middle East Forum, critiques Middle East Studies at North American colleges and universities with an intent to improve them.

Media contact: Alex Joffe
Campus Watch
914 629-3316
joffe@meforum.org

To subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list, go to http://www.campus-watch.org/subscribe.php
Campus Watch sends out a mailing approximately once per week.
Most articles are available online at http://www.campus-watch.org

HNN - 5/5/2005

NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #20; 5 May 2005) by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org; and Giny Cheong
(contributor)
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
************************************************************************

1. SPEAKER NAMES REMINI HOUSE HISTORIAN
2. NPS RESTRUCTURES CULTURAL RESOURCES FUNCTIONS
3. HUMANITIES ALLIANCE GETS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
4. BITS AND BYTES: Tickets Available for Jefferson Lecture; CPB American History and Civics Initiative; NEH Grant Opportunity
5. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: Mike Petrilli's Speech, "In Criticizing Japan's History Textbooks, Americans Should Think Twice," (Christian Science Monitor; 4 May 2004)


1. SPEAKER NAMES REMINI HOUSE HISTORIAN
On 28 April 2005, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) filled the decade vacant post of "Historian of the House of Representatives" and announced the appointment of University of Illinois at Chicago historian Robert V.
Remini to serve in that position. In making the announcement, Hastert stated that Professor Remini's "commitment to documenting the American experience will serve our great institution and the American people well."

Remini holds positions as Professor of History Emeritus and a Professor of Research Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago and serves as University Historian. He is also the Distinguished Visiting Scholar in American History at the John W. Kluge Center of the Library of Congress, where, since 1999, he has been working on his Congressionally ordered (P.L.
106-99) tome -- a history of the House of Representatives. Remini is currently revising and polishing his 600-page draft that is expected to be published in the spring of 2006.

The appointment did not come as a surprise to many Hill insiders. As reported in the NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE some months back (see "After Nearly a Decade, House to Fill Historian Position" in NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol 10, #6; 13 February 2004), for years the Clerk of the House, Jeff Trandahl, has been building a professionally staffed History and Preservation Office to meet the needs of House members. He wanted to fill the vacant position through a nationwide search.

Likewise, historians had been quietly working to see that the position was modeled after the Senate Historian Richard Baker's in terms of duties, responsibilities, and term of office (Baker, as a career historian has been in his position since 1975 and has served twelve different Majority Leaders). However, it did not turn out that way -- Remini's position is a "term" appointment, made by the Speaker, and therefore, in theory, is a partisan appointment. Unlike Baker, Remini, for example, could be replaced should the Republicans lose control of the House. At that time, a new Majority Leader could either re-appoint the current historian or select another individual. Remini, however, is devoted to keeping the position strictly non-partisan; he plans a courtesy visit to Democratic leaders in the near future. He told the NCH, "As long as I am historian, it will be non-partisan, just like Richard Baker's Senate office."

Inside sources report that Speaker Hastert originally wanted the historian position to be merely "honorific" -- modeled roughly after the Library of Congress Poet Laureate position. Hastert also apparently was not impressed with the candidates advanced by the Clerk's office. He wanted the first House historian in over a decade to be a person of stature within the historical community and Remini clearly filled the bill. According to Remini, "I was never a candidate...all of a sudden, out of the blue they asked me to do it."

Exactly what the relationship will be between the House Clerk's Office of History and Preservation and Remini's has yet to be entirely ironed out. After his appointment was announced, Remini immediately laid out an ambitious agenda for his new office that complements (not duplicates) the services that the Clerk's Office of History and Preservation provides. His office will gather oral histories from current and former members, start a lecture series for freshman members, and, somewhat like the Clerk's operation, provide reference services for members. With upcoming opening of the Capitol Visitor Center, his office will play an important role in developing exhibits and telling the story of the capitol to the visiting public. The new House historian's goal is to see that history is not only recorded "but that it serves as a tool for the lower chamber." Remini already has one assistant in place and expects to hire additional staff in the future.

Remini received his doctorate from Columbia University in 1951 and taught at a variety of distinguished schools. His extensive experiences include Columbia University, Fordham University, the University of Notre Dame, and Jilin University of Technology in the People's Republic of China. Remini published over twenty books that include topics such as Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, and John Quincy Adams. He recently won the Freedom Award from the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.

2. NPS RESTRUCTURES CULTURAL RESOURCES FUNCTIONS Following several months of conjecture, on 3 May 2005, Jan Matthews, Associate Director Cultural Resources for the National Park Service (NPS) announced a restructuring of her 14 divisions. According to the memo -- a copy of which is widely circulating in the historic preservation community
-- the restructuring is designed "to promote more efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability."

What is characterized as merely an "adjustment" consolidates all the divisions' offices under three assistant associate directors who, such as the Deputy Associate Director and a Budget Officer, who will report to directly to Matthews. Among other changes, the action creates a separate Historic Preservation Grants Division "because of the high visibility and critical nature of our many preservation grant programs."

The most visible change is that Matthews is assuming the position of "Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places" just as former Associate Director Jerry Rogers had when he occupied the position (Rogers claims he assumed these duties only "because political level directed it"). The now former Keeper of the National Register, Carol Schull (whose 30 years experience makes her the single best informed person in the country on the National Register program), has been asked to head a new "Heritage Education Resources Services" office. She will be "responsible for promoting support through lesson plans, web sites and travel itineraries for all historic preservation programs."

According to NPS insiders, the reorganization was crafted with little if any input from line management. It places the National Historic Landmarks staff two levels removed from senior management. The Chief Curator position is now unconnected with the Museum Management division. And the Chief Historian position, occupied by the soon to retire historian Dwight Pitcaithley, now reports to the Assistant Associate Director for Park Cultural Resource Programs office that has been placed under former NPS Chief Historic Architect Randy Biallis, who is filling the position under a directed reassignment.

As in all reorganizations, a round-robin of offices and work stations now begins. Staff in Grade 14 and Grade 15 positions also can no longer work "flex time" schedules. According to Matthews, "adherence to this regular schedule and to core hours will increase productivity and improve our level of service to the public."

While the historic preservation community still is assessing the impact of the reorganization, here is what is generally believed. First, key personnel appear to have been placed in charge of operations they know little about. Second, by taking the title "Keeper of the National Register"
for herself, Matthews is now two levels removed from the professional staff division that actually does the day-to-day work. While the intent is probably to raise the title to the senior executive level thereby making it more visible and hence more effective, the action also has potential political ramifications. According to one informed source, "this lays open an appearance of intent to control or squelch from above the Federal, State, Local, Tribal, and private sector grassroots partnership the National Register has always been...the proof will be in [her] performance."

3. HUMANITIES ALLIANCE GETS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The National Humanities Alliance, a coalition of more than eighty nonprofit organizations, has named Jessica Jones Irons as its new Executive Director. She succeeds John Hammer, who retired in December, 2004, after seventeen years in the position.

Irons has served in a variety of capacities at the alliance, including Assistant Director and most recently Interim Executive Director. The appointment was made by the NHA Board of Directors and will be announced formally at the 2005 NHA Annual Meeting, which takes place on May 7 in Philadelphia, PA.

Robert Vaughan, President of the National Humanities Alliance and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, praised Irons for her dedication, leadership, and advocacy as Interim Director during the past four months.
"I am personally delighted, as is every member of the Board, that NHA has attracted such a gifted and committed professional to challenge the Alliance and its diverse constituencies as we consider together the future of the humanities nationally and internationally."

"The humanities are at the center of our understanding of ourselves as individuals and as a society. I am delighted to work with so many dedicated professionals and organizations, here in Washington and nationally, to carry the work of the Alliance forward," Irons said.

Irons earned a B.A. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University in 1994, where she also worked in the Harvard University Library Office of Information Technology. Since joining the Alliance in 1999, Irons has worked to strengthen the infrastructure for communications and advocacy on behalf of the humanities through development of the alliance's grassroots network and on-line advocacy tools. She has advocated on national and federal issues on behalf of the alliance membership, represented the organization to Congress and the Executive Branch, and coordinated with other associations and task forces to advance the organization's objectives in areas of common concern. Irons is responsible for launching Humanities Advocacy Day in 2000, an annual event bringing faculty, students, administrators and others to Washington to communicate the importance of the humanities to lawmakers.

The National Coalition for History enjoys a close working partnership with Jessica and the NHA. We all wish her the very best in her new position!

4. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 ­ Tickets Available for Jefferson Lecture: On 12 May 2005, Donald Kagan will deliver the 2005 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, "In Defense of History," sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). A prolific author of Greek history and international relations, Kagan currently serves at Yale University as the Sterling Professor of Classics and History. For more information and to request tickets, visit the NEH Web site at: http://www.neh.gov/news/archive/20050222.html .

Item #2 - CPB American History and Civics Initiative: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has announced a request for proposals and plans to award $20 million in grants through its American History and Civics Initiative. The CPB wants to encourage partnerships between producers, broadcasters, educators, the technology industry, and other groups in order to design, test, and create integrated interactive multimedia platforms.
The results should improve middle and high school students' knowledge of American history, the political system, and their roles as citizens. For more information, visit the CPB Web site at http://www.cpb.org/grants/historyandcivics or e-mail History.Civics@cpb.org .

Item #3 ­ NEH Grant Opportunity: The National Endowment for the Humanities
(NEH) invites proposals for a national competition as a part of the "We the People" initiative. The project requires a strategy for creating and administering a comprehensive national competition in U.S. history for elementary and middle school age students through the eighth grade. The competition will encourage students to learn facts and gain historical understanding. The questions must balance coverage of political, intellectual, social, military, economic, religious and cultural history over the entire length of our nation's history. The NEH desires an exciting and stimulating competition with high-quality questions. Applicants should describe a balanced plan with rules, develop a recruitment plan, and include a mechanism for testing. NEH offers three awards for a maximum of $200,000 for two years. The deadline for applications is 15 June 2005. For more information, visit the NEH Web site at:
http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/nationalhistoryrfp.html .

5. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Two postings this week: First, during the recent Teaching American History project directors meeting, Mike Petrilli of the U.S. Department of Education delivered a speech in which the administration official addressed the concern that No Child Left Behind, with its focus on reading and math, is pushing history out of the curriculum. Petrilli's speech was meant to "be provocative, and to start a conversation." For the talk, tap into:
http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&;list=H-TAH&month=0505&week=a&msg=6koWFgSRT3G7a9mNvbElKA&user=&pw=
.

Second, in "In Criticizing Japan's History Textbooks, Americans Should Think Twice," New York University's Jonathan Zimmerman writes in the Christian Science Monitor (4 May 2004) that American textbooks also contain omissions. For the article, tap into:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0504/p09s01-coop.html?s=hns .

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The National Coalition for History invites you to subscribe to this FREE weekly newsletter! You are also encouraged to redistribute the NCH 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 NCH's recently updated web page at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch .

To subscribe to the "NCH Washington Update," send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu with the following text in the body of the message (and only this text) SUBSCRIBE H-NCH firstname lastname, institution. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu according to the following model SIGNOFF H-NCH.

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******************************************************

Jim Williams - 5/4/2005

Certainly, the Soviet Union took the brunt of land combat and played a critical role in the defeat of the Nazis. No nation suffered more in the war or inflicted more German casualties. The battle of Kursk, little known in the West, was the greatest tank battle of the war, while Stalingrad and the failure of the siege of Leningrad were crucial defeats for the Nazis.

However, the assertion that the USSR could have beaten the Nazis on its own is probably invalid. First, had not the Greeks so humiliated Mussolini's forces that Hitler felt forced to invade Greece in the spring of 1941, Hitler's invasion of Russia could have come at least a month earlier. One more month in which to campaign before winter hit might well have left the Nazis in control of both Moscow and Leningrad. At that point, the chances of the USSR to revive would have been drastically impaired.

Furthermore, the forces retained in Western Europe, Africa, and Scandinavia otherwise could have been used against the USSR. Again, in the critical days of 1941 and 1942, the distractions that Great Britain's survival provided helped to overextend Nazi resources.

The provision of supplies through the Murmansk shipping route also played a role in the survival and later victory of the USSR. The British and Americans accepted hideous losses of ships, supplies, and lives on this route because they knew the USSR was on a knife's edge.

The effectiveness of British and U.S. fighter combat and western airstrikes against German munitions and petrochemical industries as well as against German rail lines gave the allies (including Russia) air superiority by the end of 1943 and superior resources for ground victory as well.

Finally, even in 1943 and 1944, the western allies continued to distract large numbers of German forces thru the attacks on Italy and France. The speed of Russian advance in the winter of 1944-45 was much faster because Hitler chose to go for broke in the Ardennes and gave it priority for troops and supplies. If the German troops and resources which were tied in France and Italy (not to mention Belgium, Holland, Norway, etc.) had been used to fight the USSR, the USSR, even after Kursk, might not have prevailed.

HNN - 5/4/2005

The Australian
May 3, 2005 Tuesday All-round Country Edition
SECTION: WORLD; Pg. 10
HEADLINE: WWII victory was ours alone: Soviet veterans
SOURCE: The Sunday Times
BYLINE: Mark Franchetti
Moscow

WITH dozens of international leaders expected to attend, Moscow's celebrations to mark the end of World War II are being billed as a show of unity as well as remembrance.

But 60 years on, Soviet army veterans are accusing wartime British leader Winston Churchill of denying Russia credit for defeating the Nazis and are vowing to use the event to claim that they -- not the allies -- won the war.

"The role the Soviet army played in liberating Europe from the Nazis was deliberately played down in the post-war period," said Filipp Bobkov, a former top KGB general who fought in the war.

"Our allies, especially Great Britain and Churchill personally, sought to show that the main role in the victory belonged to them. We showed the world we could liberate half of Europe without the allies."

The critics also accuse the allies and Churchill of delaying the opening of a second front with the Normandy landings while the Russians fought the Nazis in the east.

More than 25million Soviet soldiers and civilians died in the war and Russia saw some of the fiercest battles. Britain and the US lost fewer than 1million people.

Many veterans argue that Westerners believe Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the allies, when in fact it was stormed by the advancing Soviet army.

"The Soviets beat 607 German divisions. The allies destroyed 176," said Georgy Kumanyov, a leading Russian historian. "There was no force other than the Soviets that could have defeated the Nazis.

"When the allies joined we could have won on our own."

No other event in Russian history inspires as much patriotism. Barely a day goes by without television airing World War II films.

There are even moves to rehabilitate Stalin, the Soviet dictator accused of sending 20million people to their deaths. At least three cities plan to erect a monument to mark his defeat of Hitler.

HNN - 5/3/2005

Two Jobs at the Center for History and New Media

1.Webmaster and Technical Coordinator

The Center for History and New Media (CHNM) at George Mason University (GMU) is seeking a Webmaster/Systems Administrator/Technical Coordinator to maintain CHNM server and oversee CHNM computer lab. This is a permanent classified staff position that is particularly appropriate for someone with combined interest in technology and history.In addition to administrating a Red Hat Linux server, the Webmaster will develop web database applications, construct websites, purchase and maintain software and hardware for the lab, and supervise part-time staff. Essential qualifications: BA or BS by August 2005, experience with Linux server administration and associated open source software, knowledge of web-database applications (MySQL and PHP), web design skills (CSS, Dreamweaver, Photoshop), and basic technical support skills for Mac and Windows operating systems. We are seeking an energetic, well-organized person who is equally able to work independently, as part of a team, and as a supervisor. Salary: $35-39K plus excellent benefits, including medical and dental coverage, a retirement plan and tuition benefits. Starting on or about July 1, 2005. Please email resume, three references, links to prior web-based work, and cover letter about technology background and interest in history to Dan Cohen, Director of Research Projects, dcohen@gmu.edu. We will begin considering applications on 05/15/2005 and continue until the position is filled.

2.Administrative Assistant

The Center for History & New Media (CHNM) at George Mason University (GMU) anticipates an opening for an administrative assistant to work closely with its directors in assisting general operations. The successful candidate will be an energetic, well-organized person who takes initiative, can work in a team, and is comfortable performing a variety of office and administrative tasks. Responsibilities include tracking grant proposals, maintaining accounts, managing reimbursements, serving as liaison to other university offices, and publicizing and promoting CHNM’s work. BA or BS by June 1, 2005, and demonstrated experience in an office environment. This is an exciting opportunity that is particularly appropriate for someone with a combined interest in history and technology, and familiarity with history and new media is preferred. Salary: $25K and excellent benefits, including tuition remission. We will begin considering applications on 05/31/2005 and continue until the position is filled. Starting on or about July 1, 2005. Please send three references, resume, cover letter, and short writing sample to oryan@gmu.edu.

About CHNM

Since 1994, the Center for History and New Media (http://chnm.gmu.edu/) has used digital media and computer technology to change the ways that people—scholars, students, and the general public—learn about and use the past. We do that by bringing together the most exciting and innovative digital media with the latest and best historical scholarship. We believe that serious scholarship and cutting edge multimedia can be combined to promote an inclusive and democratic understanding of the past as well as a broad historical literacy that fosters deep understanding of the most complex issues about the past and present. CHNM's work has been internationally recognized for cutting-edge work in history and new media. Located at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, CHNM is only 15 miles from Washington, DC and accessible by public transportation.

HNN - 5/3/2005

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NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE -- ACTION ALERT!!! (Vol. 11, #19; 3 May 2005) by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org; and Giny Cheong
(contributor)
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
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NCH ACTION ALERT!!!

This is our second alert on this issue, but we really need your help TODAY! As you know, this year the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) has been zeroed out of the President's budget.
The National Coalition for History as well as other history and archives organizations are working to restore funding for the NHPRC.

Last week the following "Dear Colleague" letter was sent to the Legislative Director of every member of the House of Representatives. The letter is designed to garner support for the Commission by letting the appropriations committee of jurisdiction know that there is wide support for funding the NHPRC by members of Congress. At this writing twenty-five members have "signed-on" in addition to the "Dear Colleague" letter's sponsors, Congressmen Leach and Price. Those who have signed-on include: Tammy Baldwin; Tom Lantos; Carolyn Maloney; Edolphus Towns; James Oberstar; Jim Moran; Jerrold Nadler; Timothy Bishop; Lois Capps; Robert Wexler; Doris Matsui; Jim McDermott; Rush Holt; Mark Udall; Elliott Engel; Ed Case; Collin Peterson; Jim McGovern; Gary Ackerman; John Barrow; Jan Schakowsky; Sherrod Brown; John Larsen; Steve Israel; and Michael Capuano.

Please call your Representative TODAY and ask them also to "sign-on" to the letter (reproduced below) that is circulating this week on behalf of the NHPRC. The phone number for the Capitol switchboard is (202) 224-3121.
PLEASE ACT TODAY! It won't take you but a couple of minutes.

It is particularly important for those of you who have already contacted your Congressional office prior to now on behalf of the NHPRC to act, as the sign-on letter is one way a member can show his/her support for the NHPRC. As you can see by the text of the letter, the deadline has been extended to the end of the week, so there is very little time. Our goal is to have over 100 signers by the deadline -- this Friday, 6 May 2005.

Please drop me an e-mail message at rbcraig@historycoalition.org when you learn whether your member has "signed-on."

Here is the letter that is circulating....
**************
April 25, 2005

SUPPORT PRESERVATION OF OUR NATION'S HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS AND RECORDS

Dear Colleague,

The federal program that supports publication of the papers of our nation's Founding Fathers is in jeopardy. We are writing to ask you to join with us in sending the attached letter to Chairman Joe Knollenberg and Ranking Member John Olver of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, and the District of Columbia in support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

NHPRC has been targeted for zero funding in the President's budget. At a time when the United States is espousing the spread of democracy throughout the world, we believe that this small federal program - a program that has proved essential in documenting our national story and the development of democracy - deserves our continued support. We are requesting $10 million for NHPRC for FY 2006. Of this amount, $8 million will be for grants and
$2 million will go toward staffing and other program-related costs.

Established in 1934 within the National Archives and Records Administration, the NHPRC is the only grant-making organization, public or private, whose mission it is to publish the papers of significant figures and themes in American history. Its Founding Fathers program supports publication of the papers of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington, and the Ratification of the United States Constitution, the First Federal Congress, and the early Supreme Court. Without NHPRC grants, the progress of documentary publication projects of national significance will be slowed, or even halted altogether.

The NHPRC has never been funded at a level higher than $10 million and yet has accomplished a great deal over the years. In just over four decades, it has awarded some 4,000 grants for a total of just over $153 million to state and local governments, colleges and universities, and other institutions. NHPRC's activities and grants have reached almost every Congressional district in the nation. It has stimulated statewide, regional and national cooperation among archivists in all the states and territories, and it has also begun to address the problems relating to the preservation of electronic records.

Dr. Allen Weinstein, recently sworn in as the new Archivist of the United States, has called the zeroing out of the NHPRC an "unfortunate mistake." It is up to us in Congress to remedy this mistake.

For more information or to sign onto the letter, please contact Susan Howard with Rep. David Price at 5-1784 or Naomi Zeff with Rep. James Leach at 5-6576.

Sincerely,


David E.
Price James A. Leach
Co-Chair
Congressional Humanities Caucus
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May X, 2005


The Honorable Joseph Knollenberg
The Honorable John Olver
Chairman and Ranking Member
House Appropriations Subcommittee
on Transportation, Treasury,
Housing and Urban Development,
The Judiciary, and the District of Columbia


Dear Chairman Knollenberg and Ranking Member Olver,

With an understanding that the constraints on the budget this year have never been greater, and that your Subcommittee faces unusually difficult choices in crafting its FY 2006 appropriations bill, we respectfully request that the Subcommittee reject the Administration's request to zero out funding for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). We request that the Subcommittee provide $8 million (20 percent under its authorized level) for grants and $2 million for staffing and administrative support for this small but essential federal program.

For over 40 years, the NHPRC has played an essential federal leadership role in preserving and publishing important historical records that document American history. The NHPRC has an outstanding success record of using a small amount of federal funds to leverage other contributions. It is important that the NHPRC be able to continue preserving our nation's historical records, promoting regional and national coordination in archives-related matters, and supporting a wide range of other activities relating to America's documentary heritage.

We applaud the work you have done in the past in support of this program, and we urge you to support $8 million in grants plus $2 million in administrative support for the NHPRC.

Sincerely,


***********************************************************
The National Coalition for History invites you to subscribe to this FREE weekly newsletter! You are also encouraged to redistribute the NCH 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 NCH's recently updated web page at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch .

To subscribe to the "NCH Washington Update," send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu with the following text in the body of the message (and only this text) SUBSCRIBE H-NCH firstname lastname, institution. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu according to the following model SIGNOFF H-NCH.

You can accomplish the same tasks by tapping into the web interface at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/lists/subscribe.cgi and at the "network" prompt, scroll down and select H-NCH; enter your name and affiliation and "submit".
***********************************************************

HNN - 4/30/2005

#1 Ian Buruma: Denuding the Holocaust of Meaning by Applying It to Political Enemies
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11598.html

#2 Max Boot: So What If Bolton's a Tough Guy
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11567.html

#3 David Starkey: Gunpowder Plot was England's 9/11
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11601.html

#4 Sean Wilentz: Repubs Blocked Far More of Clinton's Judicial Nominations
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11591.html

#5 Tom Engelhardt: Those Persistent Vietnam Echoes
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11610.html

#6 Martin Kramer: Columbia's Misguided Search for a Israel Studies Scholar
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11592.html

#7 Gwynne Dyer: Why Hitler's Evil Is Unlikely to Be Forgotten as Napoleon's Was
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11606.html

#8 FDR's Disability: New Recognition by the Media
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11599.html

#9 So When Did the Gay Rights Movement Begin?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11593.html

#10 Dana Milbank: Bush's Challenge and FDR's Were Far Different in Promoting Social Security Reform
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/11605.html

HNN - 4/29/2005

NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #18; 29 April 2005) by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@historycoalition.org; and Giny Cheong
(contributor)
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
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1. HOUSE COMMITTEE HOLDS FIRST PUBLIC NARA APPROPRIATIONS HEARING IN YEARS
2. ALEXANDER AND KENNEDY INTRODUCE AMERICAN HISTORY ACHIEVEMENT ACT
3. CONVERSION OF MILITARY HISTORIAN POSITIONS TO CIVILIAN RANKS CONTINUES
4. NCHE ANNUAL MEETING FOCUSES ON CHALLENGES IN HISTORY
5. BUSH DEDICATES LINCOLN MUSEUM
6. BITS AND BYTES: Publication of Reagan Personal Diaries Announced; Secrecy News Reports Still No Funds for PIDB; Wilson Center Fellowships
7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: "Ancient Treasures for Sale: Do Antique Dealers Preserve the Past or Steal it?" (Reason Online)


1. HOUSE COMMITTEE HOLDS FIRST PUBLIC NARA APPROPRIATIONS HEARING IN YEARS On 26 April 2005, Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein appeared before the House Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, The Judiciary, District of Columbia to deliver testimony on behalf of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in support of the Bush Administration's budget request of $313.846 million for FY 2006. This was the first hearing in some five years in which the NARA budget was addressed in a public forum. Weinstein briefly summarized the administration's position and then responded to questions from members of the subcommittee. Topics addressed ranged from the funding needs for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) and the Electronic Records Archives, to the proposed transfer of the Nixon Library from a private foundation's control to NARA's oversight and management.

While Representative John Olver (D-MA), the Ranking Minority member, was the only Democrat present, a half-dozen Republican members attended, including Representative Joseph Knollenberg (R-MI), the subcommittee Chair; Representative John Culberson (R-TX)), Vice-Chair; and members Todd Tiahrt
(R-KS) and Robert Anderholt (R-AL). More importantly, full Appropriations Chair Ralph Regula (R-OH) made an appearance in which he delivered a lengthy and strong pitch in favor of providing funding for the NHPRC -- funding that was zeroed out of the President's budget proposal for NARA.

After opening comments by Subcommittee Chair Knollenberg and the members present, Archivist Weinstein testified. In his brief verbal remarks that summarized his 15-page written statement, Weinstein highlighted the needs for base-funding increases to cover the increased costs of routine operating expenses. He then highlighted several issues of special concern:
funding needs for the Electronic Records Archives, public outreach programs, security and access issues, and the Nixon Library Transfer. Quite by design, only one line in his verbal remarks as well as in the entire 15-page written statement addressed the NHPRC issue -- "As you are aware, we have included no funding in the 2006 request for the National Historical and Records Commission."

Weinstein concluded his statement on a personal note: "My job description is transparent. The Archivist of the United States works for the American people, indifferent to partisanship regardless of which political party dominates the Congress or the Executive branch of government. Therefore, the Archivist must display at all times a devotion to the laws and principles governing the responsibilities of his office. At all times, he serves as the designated custodian of America's essential 'records that defy the tooth of time'....[providing access to] the entire American governmental documentary heritage (literally) at our finger tips....remains an awesome privilege."

Each individual member spoke and posed several questions to Weinstein. Without exception every member present expressed strong support for the restoration of funding for the NHPRC, and several also expressed their ongoing support for the goals and funding for the Electronic Records Archive program. When asked specifically about the NHPRC, Weinstein answered by stating that from the moment he was sworn in to office, he had gone on record "most respectfully" disagreeing with the decision of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to zero out the NHPRC. Representative Regula reinforced Weinstein's position by stating, "then I take it you wouldn't object if we restored funding?" to which Weinstein offered no objection.

Most of the questions posed by Ranking Minority member Olver dealt with the proposed February 2006 transfer of the Nixon presidential library from the private Nixon Library Foundation to NARA. In two separate rounds of questions, Olver expressed concern about certain aspects of the proposed transfer. He raised questions both relating to the transfer of papers and the funding mechanism for the library retrofit and the archives addition.

Chairman Knollenberg concluded the hour-long hearing by thanking Weinstein for "bringing a kind and gentle budget request" to the subcommittee for their consideration. Knollenberg stated that while the committee still did not have an allocation from the House Budget Committee, he and his staff would "try their best to help" address the needs of NARA.

In terms of Weinstein's first appearance before the House committee that has jurisdiction over his agency's budget, the new Archivist has reason to be pleased. He demonstrated his political savvy in both properly defending and at times appropriately disagreeing with provisions in the president's budget proposal. In terms of the impact of the hearing on potential funding for the NHPRC, the hearing also could not have gone much better.
The fact that full House Appropriations Committee Chair Ralph Regula appeared and spoke in no uncertain terms in support of funding the NHPRC, nearly guarantees that the House will include some money for the NHPRC. What exactly that level will be has yet to be determined.

2. ALEXANDER AND KENNEDY INTRODUCE AMERICAN HISTORY ACHIEVEMENT ACT On 20 April 2005, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) introduced the "American History Achievement Act," legislation (S. 860) that seeks to amend the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization (NAEP) Act and require state academic assessments of student achievement in United States history and civics. The legislation is part of Senator Alexander's continuing efforts, "to put the teaching of American history and civics back in its rightful place in our schools so our children can grow up learning what it means to be an American."

As introduced, the bill seeks to revise clauses in the NAEP act to require academic assessments of history in at least ten states in geographically diverse regions beginning in 2006. This bill's bipartisan sponsors hope that the results of the pilot study will tell legislators "where history is being taught well and where it is being taught poorly so that improvements can be made."

If enacted, the bill will authorize up to $7 million for each of fiscal years 2006 and 2007 to carry out provisions of this act. The legislation was referred to Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for consideration.

3. CONVERSION OF MILITARY HISTORIAN POSITIONS TO CIVILIAN RANKS CONTINUES In keeping with the federal government's A-76 initiative and the Bush administration's general desire to privatize federal positions, the Air Force, and very soon the Marine Corps as well, will be hiring civilians to replace active-duty military historians.

In January, the Air Force began advertising for civilian historians to replace military personnel. The Air Force now now boasts 161 civilians with only 81 active-duty historians remaining. Similarly, there are reports that the United States Marine Corps Historical Center at the Washington Navy Yard has plans pending to dismember their office and relocate and reorganize in a streamlined fashion at Quantico, Virginia. Word also is that the U.S. Marine Corps Museum already has closed. All reference service officially ends on 1 July 2005, though early retirements and layoffs over the last few weeks have effectively terminated archival research.

4. NCHE ANNUAL MEETING FOCUSES ON CHALLENGES IN HISTORY On 21-23 April 2005, the National Council for History Education (NCHE) held its annual meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. More then 700 delegates from 44 states discussed various challenges to the teaching of history in elementary and secondary schools.

Keynote speaker author/historian David McCullough warned, "We are raising a generation of Americans who are, by and large, historically illiterate." In his presentation McCullough urged history teachers to explore strategies that would combat the de-emphasis of their subject in schools, and to explore new ways to teach less-familiar subjects.

Other speakers also expressed the familiar concern held by many that the "No Child Left Behind Act" -- with its mandated emphasis on the teaching of math and English -- is having a detrimental impact on history teaching in the primary and secondary schools. Also, because of mandatory testing requirements, in grades where history still is taught, all too often teachers find themselves forced to merely "teach to the exam." Several speakers also emphasized the need to "protect democracy by doing a better job of teaching history to young people."

5. BUSH DEDICATES LINCOLN MUSEUM
On 19 April 2005, President George W. Bush visited the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Illinois. In his dedication speech he stated his admiration of President Lincoln as the "the savior of the nation" and glowingly stated that "to understand the life and the sacrifice of Abraham Lincoln is to understand the meaning and promise of America."

During the ceremony, Bush attempted to connect the abolition of slavery to the present war on terrorism. "Citizens enlisted Lincoln's principles in the fight to bring the vote to women and to end Jim Crow laws. When Martin Luther King Jr. called the nation to redeem the promissory note of the Declaration [of Independence], he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial -- and Lincoln was behind him in more ways than one," Bush said.
Continuing, the president stated, "From the lunch counter to the schoolhouse door to the Army barracks, President Lincoln has continued to hold this nation to its promises....Every generation has looked up to him as the Great Emancipator, the hero of unity and the martyr of freedom. . .
. In all of this, Lincoln has taken on the elements of myth. And in this case, the myth is true" stated Bush.

The president also argued that he believes that his administration's efforts to spread democracy around the world parallels Lincoln’s motivation to abolish slavery. "Our deepest values," he stated, "are also served when we take our part in freedom's advance -- when the chains of millions are broken and the captives are set free, because we are honored to serve the cause that gave us birth."

The new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum contains the largest collection of Lincoln artifacts assembled in one location and includes original copies of the Gettysburg Address and the 13th Amendment. The exhibits seek to make innovative use of technology to make Lincoln's story more accessible to today's youth.

6. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 -- Publication of Reagan Personal Diaries Announced: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation and publisher HarperCollins announced their plans to print Ronald Reagan's personal diaries that were written during his presidential years. Few scholars have seen the complete set of diaries. Reagan wrote diligently every day and only one significant gap occurs after the attempted assassination by John Hinckley Jr. According to historian Edmund Morris, author of "Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan," "the diaries are amazingly dispassionate, clear, and sequential. They show a man, a chief executive, with an extraordinary degree of objectivity." HarperCollins will publish the contents (most likely only excerpts rather than a definitive edition) of Reagan's five leather-bound diaries next year, but the company has not decided on a precise format. Reportedly, none of the content will be withheld from the editors, but the resulting book will pass through a national security review for inadvertent mention of classified information.

Item #2 -- Secrecy News Reports Still No Funds for PIDB: According to a recent article appearing in the Federation of American Scientist's publication "Secrecy News" the Public Interest Declassification Board
(PIDB) -- a body authorized by Congress to advise the White House on declassification and mediate disputes with Congressional committees -- remains unfunded. As regular readers of the NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE may recall, last September, the White House named five members to the board and Congress recently named two others. Although the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identified funds for reprogramming, the transfer failed to take place and Congress blocked funding for the PIDB in the recent Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act. For more information online, visit http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2005/pida.html .

Item #3 ­ Wilson Center Fellowships: The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has announced their 2006-2007 fellowship competition.
The Center offers residential postdoctoral fellowships that are chosen by a multi-level peer review process and accepts proposals considering key public policy challenges or a historical/cultural framework for issues of contemporary significance. The deadline is 1 October 2005 and application materials are available online at: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/fellowships .

7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: In "Ancient Treasures for Sale: Do Antique Dealers Preserve the Past or Steal it?" (Reason Online), author Steven Vincent argues that since the 1970s problems associated with the looting of antiquities have "spawned global treaties, inflamed Third World nationalism, created a secretive Washington bureaucracy, and triggered federal prosecutions." For some, this international cooperation "reflects the ability of the world's nations to unite to protect an endangered world resource. To others, it demonstrates the hazards resulting when 'feel-good'
multi-nationalism collides not only with the sovereignty of the United States but with the basic human desire to surround oneself with objects of beauty." For the article tap into:
http://www.reason.com/0504/fe.sv.ancient.shtml .

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