Secret Discussions
US News & World Report Publishes Letter from SAA Vice President
Rand Jimerson
US News & World Report
January 26, 2004
Letters
SECRET DISCUSSIONS
On behalf of the Society of American Archivists, I congratulate you on publishing “Keeping
Secrets” [December 22], revealing the administration’s efforts
to hide records from the public. Open access to government records is the hallmark
of democratic government. It is vital to protect the rights and privileges
of each citizen. As professionals charged with ensuring adequate documentation
of actions by government and other organizations, archivists recognize the
necessity of holding leaders accountable. Our democratic institutions depend
on accurate records and public access to such information. The rationales presented
by Bush administration officials to withhold records from public scrutiny eerily
echo the Nixon administration’s arguments during the Watergate scandals.
Such policies threaten the public interest. The freedom that we claim to represent
depends on an informed citizenry. As such, we must demand the overturn of recent
administration policies that cloak our public servants’ actions in secrecy.
Randall C. Jimerson
Vice President
Society of American Archivists
Chicago
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