Several articles appeared in my Inbox over the weekend regarding the new George W. Bush Presidential Library and Presidential Records in general. I thought there were enough of these stories to post a special edition of the "Weekly Roundup" devoted to the subject. The regular edition of the "Weekly Roundup" will publish on Tuesday...NARA Cannot Assure Complete Transfer of Bush Records
Secrecy News - Jan 5, 2009
The impending transfer of Bush Administration records to the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will challenge the capacity of the Archives to absorb them because of their enormous volume and the diverse formats of various electronic records.
But there is also a fundamental question concerning the integrity of the transfer process, which relies on the good faith of executive branch officials and which can be subverted by design or neglect.
"There really is no practical way we know of for NARA to be assured that every document in paper or electronic form has been received from an agency," Dr. Allen Weinstein, the former Archivist of the United States, told Congress last year (pdf, at p. 136). "Nor can NARA police the records management practices of over 300 federal agencies to ensure that permanent records are not purposefully or unintentionally withheld from the National Archives. Federal agencies are expected to fulfill their statutory responsibilities."
"NARA must rely on the agency records officers, other agency officials, and a vigilant public and press to inform us of any such failure to act," he said...
For Bush's library, donors can remain anonymous
Dallas Morning News - Dallas, TX - Jan 4, 2009
The nonprofit foundation that aims to raise $300 million for President George W. Bush's library in Dallas won't disclose the names of past or future donors, organizers say.
The George W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation, which will oversee construction of the facility at Southern Methodist University, had raised less than $3 million when the latest tax reports were filed in August.
Foundation officials say the fundraising will pick up significantly after Bush leaves office Jan. 20. But who donates the money is likely to remain a mystery...
The Bush retirement plan: Build library, enjoy perks
Miami Herald - Jan 4, 2009
President George W. Bush's "after-life," as Laura Bush calls the post-presidency, is shaping up to be pretty comfortable, with a Dallas office, staffers, Secret Service protection, a travel budget, medical coverage and a $196,700 annual pension, all at taxpayers' expense.
The Bushes will move to their new $2 million, 8,500-square-foot Dallas home - not paid for by taxpayers - on Jan. 20, where Bush will be close to his future presidential library at Southern Methodist University.
"We're working on a conceptual design for the building," said Mark Langdale, president of the George W. Bush Foundation. The president will help develop the $300 million structure, which will include a library, museum and policy institute.
Fundraising is just beginning, Langdale said. Once the project is finished in 2013, the National Archives and Records Administration will take over the operation of the library and museum, at federal expense. Construction will be paid for with private funds, and Bush is expected to be involved in organizing the fundraising drive...
Editorial: Exit, Stonewalling
New York Times - Jan 3, 2009
True to its mania for secrecy, the Bush administration is leaving behind vast gaps in the most sensitive White House e-mail records, and with lawyers and public interest groups in hot pursuit of information that deserves to be part of the permanent historical record...
...Modern administrations from Ronald Reagan’s to Bill Clinton’s typically tried to evade at least some disclosure obligations under the public archives law. But the Bush team, from day one, has flouted the requirement to preserve a truthful record, ignoring repeated warnings from the National Archives. In government agencies, the public’s freedom-of-information rights have been maliciously hobbled.
The National Archives is further burdened by the steady and inevitable growth in digital records — a mass 50 times larger than that left eight years ago by the Clinton administration. It will take years to ingest before historians can truly get a handle on what is missing...
CRS: Presidential Libraries: The Federal System and Related Legislation
beSpacific - Jan 3, 2009
"Through the National Archives and Records Administration, the federal government currently manages and maintains 12 presidential libraries. Inaugurated with the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955, these entities are privately constructed on behalf of former Presidents and, upon completion, are deeded to the federal government. Deposited within these edifices are the official records and papers of the former President, as well as documentary materials of his family and, often, his political associates. These holdings are made available for public examination in accordance with prevailing law concerning custody, official secrecy, personal privacy, and other similar restrictions. This report provides a brief overview of the federal presidential libraries system and tracks the progress of related legislation (H.R. 1254, H.R. 1255, H.R. 5811, S. 886)."
Bush e-records: an update
L'Archivista - Jan 2, 2009
A few days ago, I noted that the New York Times had, in my view, done less than a stellar job of explaining the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)'s implementation of a "contingency plan" for the transfer of electronic records created by the Bush White House. I'm happy to report that Julian Sanchez, who wrote a follow up piece on the Times story for Ars Technica earlier this week, is much more astute...
NARA Delays: Reasonable vs Purposeful
prezlibs by Anthony Clark - Jan 2, 2009
This story begins with me first asking about the records of the Office of Presidential Libraries (why they were not available, and how I could locate them) more than two years ago. The story should have ended soon after - when NARA - especially NL - should have informed me that the records I sought were "operational" and unavailable except through FOIA. I would have submitted the FOIA request immediately, NARA could have worked out the arrangement they eventually came to, and all of this would have been over by now. But it didn’t work out that way...
OPINION: The Anti-Library of George W. Bush
Philadelphia City Paper - Dec 30, 2008
The architects of George W. Bush's legacy face a daunting challenge in the years ahead: How to build a presidential library for a man who — Karl Rove's absurd claims of Bush's bookishness notwithstanding — doesn't seem to read?
The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of articles about archives, history and public records gathered from various online sources and published each Tuesday and Friday on the Posterity Project.
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