The president should work with Congress to accelerate declassification of historical records through passage of an omnibus Historical Records Act.
To facilitate sound decisions, it is critical that secrecy in decision making be applied only when necessary for national security purposes and that unnecessary constraints on coordination and consultation not be imposed for bureaucratic or political reasons. Furthermore, it is essential for accountability that government officials know that decision making that may be secret for a period will eventually be subject to analysis and review. Government activities in the national security and foreign relations areas are of tremendous interest to the public, both in terms of ensuring our actual security and because the records that chronicle the actions of government officials and document our national experience provide the transparency necessary for a healthy and vital democracy. The culture of information control at agencies will not change without a commitment from the president and support from Congress for a new approach, such as that generally embodied in the recent recommendations of the Public Interest Declassification Board. An omnibus Historical Records Act should be enacted in order to facilitate the declassification of historically significant information in a timely manner, bring greater consistency and efficiency to the declassification process, consider the significant public interest in the declassification of historical records, and reduce the burden and delay inherent in the current declassification process.
- From the 21st Century RTK Agenda
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