NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #21; 12 May 2005)

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NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #20; 12 May 2005)
by Bruce Craig (editor) rbcraig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; 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@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 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@xxxxxxxxxxxx .

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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