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PRESS RELEASE:
Archivists Comment on Nomination of Allen Weinstein to Lead National Archives
and Records Administration
WASHINGTON, DC, July 22, 2004—Citing its concern that the process of
nominating a new Archivist of the United States “was undertaken outside
both the letter and the spirit of the law,” the Society of American Archivists
(SAA) today provided written testimony for the record in the Senate Governmental
Affairs Committee hearings on the appointment of Allen Weinstein to that position.
Weinstein was nominated on April 8 to succeed John Carlin as head of the National
Archives and Records Administration.
“Congress intended that filling the position of Archivist of the United
States should involve an open process, with consultation with appropriate professional
organizations that could speak from knowledge and experience concerning the
qualifications of nominees,” the testimony says. “We believe … that
the White House effectively removed John Carlin when it asked him for a letter
of resignation in December 2003 after having already identified a replacement
in the fall of that year. It is within the power of the President to remove
the Archivist, but if he takes this action, the law calls for him to provide
Congress with an explanation of his reasons for doing so. To date, no explanation
has been provided,” the testimony continues.
“We don’t understand why this nomination needed to move so quickly
that interested professional associations were unable to add their knowledgeable
perspectives during the search. We would have strongly preferred that the nomination
be postponed to allow the process to be followed as prescribed by law,” said
SAA President Tim Ericson. “At a minimum we hope that the Senate Committee
will begin working with interested professional associations to establish a
more formal—and more accountable—procedure that can be used for
future nominations.”
Although the SAA statement indicates an intent to “cooperate with Professor
Weinstein and to work with him if he is appointed Archivist of the United States,” given
the absence of due process the Society can neither support nor oppose his appointment.
The Society of American Archivists is a national professional organization
representing more than 3,900 individual and institutional members. Its mission
is to serve the educational and informational needs of its members and to provide
leadership to ensure the identification, preservation, and use of the nation’s
historic record.
For information, contact:
Nancy Beaumont
Society of American Archivists
312/922-0140
nbeaumont@archivists.org
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