NCC Washington Update, May 23, 1995, Vol. 1, #27
By Page Putnam Miller, Director of the National Coordinating
Committee for the Promotion of History <pagem@CapAccess.org>
1. Senate Holds Confirmation Hearing for Carlin as U.S. Archivist
Senator William Roth (R-DE), Chair of the Governmental Affairs
Committee, held a confirmation hearing at 2:30 pm on May 23 to
consider the nomination of John Carlin for U.S. Archivist. In
addition to Roth, three other Senators attended the hearing -- John
Glenn (D-OH) and Ranking Minority member of the committee, Carl Levin
(D-MI), and Byron Dorgan (D-ND). The hearing was cordial and Glenn
and Levin indicated their support for Carlin. However, the Senators
were clearly aware that Carlin's background was long on political and
managerial experience and short on the kind of professional
qualifications possessed by all of the former archivists. During the
three hour hearing, which included a forty minute recess for the
Senators to vote, the Senators asked a number of very thoughtful
questions that put Carlin on record regarding the need to be insulated
from President Clinton, a friend whose Presidential campaign he had
headed in Kansas, and on Carlin's need to work with his critics.
Following Senator Bob Dole's (R-KS) laudatory and gracious
introduction of Carlin in which Dole quipped about wanting to double
the number of Presidential Libraries in Kansas (the Eisenhower Library
is in Kansas), Senator Glenn offered some very sobering words about
the role of the National Archives. He noted that the essence of
democratic government is openness and that leaders can not be held
accountable unless records are preserved. He then referred, as he did
several other times in the hearing, to the 1992 Senate report on
mismanagement at the National Archives. Stressing that the National
Archives has a "glorious mission" but a "managerial mess," Glenn
discussed the agreement that former U.S. Archivist Don Wilson signed
with former President Bush that gave Bush "veto power" over
preservation of such sensitive records as Iran Contra records.
In his opening statement Roth recalled the history of the 1984
independence legislation and emphasized that there were different
interpretations about how to interpret the law. Roth also noted that
Carlin did not enjoy unanimous support. There are 16 professional
historical, archival, and library associations opposing the nomination
and two supporting.
John Carlin's statement focused on three issues -- his qualifications,
the concerns of those who seek a traditional nominee, and his vision
for the National Archives. In both his statement and in the question
and answer period, he asserted that his leadership would be
independent from the President, that he would work with those who had
opposed his nomination, and that he was an advocate of openness.
Senator Levin emphasized that the main question for him was Carlin's
independence. Stating that both Clinton and Dole have claims to his
loyalty, Levin asked could he look that President in the eye and
disagree. Carlin's answer was a strong "absolutely." Levin then
pressed on the issue of the Bush/Wilson agreement and asked if Judge
Richey had decided that case correctly in ruling that the agreement
violated the Presidential Records Act. Carlin responded "Yes." There
were also questions about the handling of electronic records. The one
point in which Carlin fumbled was in answer to Glenn's question of
"Who asked him to consider the position of U.S. Archivist?" In his
opening statement, Carlin had said that no political leaders had asked
him to consider this position but that he "was sought out ... by
members of the archival community." Asked by Glenn who these people
were, he said that he couldn't give a list, but he did offer one name,
that of Dr. Robert Richmond of the Kansas State Historical Society.
When Glenn pressed as to whether any of the employees of the National
Archives had asked him to consider this position, he answered yes,
then no. Levin then picked up on this questioning asking if the
initial suggestion had not come from inside the Archives. Carlin then
stated that a person outside of the National Archives in Washington
but a person at the National Archives' Regional Archives in Kansas
and a former student of Dr. Richmond, had approached him about
considering this position. Although the Senators did not press for
the name of this person, several people in the audience during the
break identified the person as Reed Whitaker, a college roommate of
former Archivist Don Wilson.
There were four outside witnesses. Professor Gaddis Smith of Yale
University, representing the American Historical Association and the
Organization of American Historians, and Susan Davis of the State
Historical Society of Wisconsin representing the Society of American
Archivists, opposed the nomination of Carlin. Howard Lowell, the
State Archivist of Delaware, representing the National Association of
State Archives and Records Administrators, and Dr. Martha Kumar of
Towson State University representing the Presidency Research Group
supported him. Those opposing him emphasized the requirements of the
law for the Archivist to be outside the political arena and to be
selected "solely" on professional qualifications in order to preserve
the integrity of the National Archives and to avoid even the
appearances of impropriety in making sensitive decisions about the
preservation of and access to government records. Those supporting
him focused on his management abilities and the appropriateness of his
skills for dealing with various problems at the National Archives.
Since the hour was late, there were few questions of the panelists,
but Senator Glenn again harkened back to the 1992 Senate report on
mismanagement at the National Archives under Archivist Wilson's
leadership and stated that "things were going on that one would never
believed possible." Glenn concluded that the National Archives "needs
to move into a whole new day."
The Governmental Affairs Committee has scheduled a mark-up on May 25
at 9:30 to vote on a number of nominees, including Carlin. The Senate
will be in recess from May 26 to June 5. It is unclear if there will
be a floor vote on the Carlin nomination prior to the recess. Members
of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee are: William Roth (R-
DE), Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), William Cohen (R-ME), Fred Thompson (R-
TN), Charles Grassley (R-IA), John McCain (R- AZ), Bob Smith (R-NH),
John Glenn, Ranking Minority (D-OH), Sam Nunn (D-GA), Carl Levin (D-
MI), David Pryor (D-AR), Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Daniel Akaka (D-HI),
Byron Dorgan (D-ND). The Capitol Switchboard which can transfer your
call to any Senator's office is (202) 224-3121.
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