03/07/06

Intelligence agencies, National Archives to meet over reclassified documents


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Intelligence officials will meet with the county's top archivist soon to discuss the withdrawal of historical documents from the National Archives' public shelves, the archivist of the United States said.

Allen Weinstein said March 3 he requested the meeting following disclosure last month of a program in which thousands of documents, previously declassified, were being removed from public access. Historians protested the practice, saying they had access to many of the documents in past years.

"The key here is not whether records are being classified or reclassified," Weinstein said. "It is whether or not it is appropriate to do so."

On March 2, Weinstein called for the meeting "to ensure the proper balance of agency authority to restore classification controls where appropriate and the archivist's obligation to ensure maximum access to archival records consistent with law, regulation and common sense."

He also called for the intelligence community to stop removing documents and to restore papers previously taken.

Citing the confidentiality of the matter, Weinstein could not confirm which agencies would participate.

The New York Times, which disclosed the reclassification program, reported that archivists have said the agencies involved include the Central Intelligence Agency, the Air Force and the Defense Intelligence Agency.

"The CIA has a close long-standing relationship with the National Archives and looks forward to discussing this initiative with our colleagues there," said CIA spokesman Tom Crispell.