Bush Administration Secretly Removing Documents From Public Access

[Clara T]

US removing documents from public access: report
Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:03 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence agencies have been secretly removing from public access at the National Archives thousands of historical documents that were available for years, The New York Times reported on Monday.

The restoration of classified status to more than 55,000 previously declassified pages began in 1999, when the CIA and five other agencies objected to what they saw as a hasty release of sensitive information after a 1995 declassification order signed by President Bill Clinton, the Times said on its Web site.

The secret program accelerated after the Bush administration took office and especially after the September 11 attacks, according to archives records, the paper said. It came to light after intelligence historian Matthew Aid noticed dozens of documents he had copied years ago had been withdrawn from the archives' open shelves, the Times said. Under existing guidelines, government documents are supposed to be declassified after 25 years unless there is a particular reason to keep them secret.

Some historians say the program is removing material that can do no conceivable harm to national security and note that some of the documents have been published by the government, the Times said.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-02-21T040343Z_01_N20352692_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-ARCHIVES.xml

It is not a precise headline but it accurately reflects how the program has changed dramatically under Dick Cheney's reign of terror and secrecy.

[Wilms]

1. Secrets are a hallmark of the dysfunctional. n/t

[babylonsister]

2. Another traitorous act that will get lost in all the

other scandalous actions of this admin. :grr:

[Clara T]

3. This particular scandal

will be used to hide so many other scandals past and present, including the handiwork of Pappy Bush, Baker, G. Schultz and that entire syndicate.

Recently on Dem Now one of the founders of National Security Archives was being interviewed and was talking about the sea change in obtaining FOIA requests. The added hoops, the delays, the increase in refusals.

He was saying some documents that they expecting to get in 5 or so months hadn't been approved for release five years later.

Can anyone prove to me this isn't a hallmark of a totalitarian state?

[babylonsister]

4. I know Dems have to pick their fights carefully as there's so

much potential ammo out there, but it should make everyone wonder what they're removing, and why.

[petepillow]

5. i've said it before and i'll say it again...

secrets secrets
they're no fun
all they do
is hurt someone

sorry, i been drinkin.