22-01-2012, 08:01 PM
JFKcountercoup
Rex Bradford notes: The Assassination Archives and Research Center (AARC), in a letterdated January 20, 2012, requested that the National Archives and the CIArelease some 50,000 pages relating to the JFK assassination that remainwithheld in full from the public, as well as an undisclosed number of partiallydeleted records. The letter maintains that release of such records well beforethe 50th anniversary of the assassination on November 22, 2013, is essential to having a full androbust national discussion of this event and its significance. The workinggroup that produced the AARC's letter consisted of three AARC Board Members andtwo leading attorneys who have a profound interest in the subject. The letterwas also signed by Professor G. Robert Blakey, the former Chief Counsel of theHouse Select Committee on Assassinations.
In short, the AARC has advised NARAand the CIA that fifty years of secrecy isenough.
The working group is currently discussing how best todevelop a plan of action to get NARAand CIA to expedite disclosure of thewithheld records. Stay tuned.
Note: The majority of the over 1 million pages of records inthe MFF's Document Archive come from the files of the AARC,whose President Jim Lesar along with other members have worked tirelessly andsuccessfully for release of JFK assassination records over the decades.
AARC
Assassination Archives and Research Center
Jim Lesar, President
January 20, 2012
United StatesArchivist David S. Ferreiro
National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington D.C. 20081-0001
Dear Mr. Ferreiro:
In 1992, Congress passed the "President John F. KennedyAssassination Records Collection Act of 1992" ("JFK Act") which requires "theexpeditious public transmission to the Archivist and public disclosure of" allrecords designated as assassination relate. The clear design of the legislationwas to declassify and release to the public as many of the records as possible,holding back only a few of the most highly-classified documents until 2017. Atthat time the only way in which a record could continue to be withheld would beif the President of the United Statespersonally approved the continued withholding of specific records undermandated strict standards. The legislative motivation behind the JFK Act was toenable the American public to review as many as possible of the entire originalbody of more than 5 million government pages pertaining to the assassination toallow full scholarly and historical analysis of it, and to assess its impact byand on the historical events surrounding it.
Yet despite the passage of nearly 20 years since the Act waspassed, it was only recently that scholars learned that there are not just afew CIA records missing from the publicrecords, but approximately 50,000 pages which remain classified. (The volume ofpartially withheld pages is unknown but is also quite substantial.) Thiscontravenes both the letter and spirit of the JFK Act and is unacceptable as amatter of law.
Enforcement of the JFK Act's disclosure mandateoriginally repose in a five-member panel of citizens, the AssassinationsRecords Review Board ("ARRB"). Upon demise of the ARRB, the Act delegated [/FONT]NARA[/FONT] to carry out its provisions "until such at time asthe Archivist certifies to the President and to Congress that all assassinationrecords have been made available to the public…" 1. The Act further providesthat "all postponed or redacted records shall be reviewed periodically by theoriginating agency and the Archivist consistent with the recommendations of theReview Board…."
.........Letter [/FONT]Continued at:
[URL="http://www.aarclibrary.org/notices/AARC_Letter_to_National_Archives_12-01-20.pdf"]www.aarclibrary.org/notices/AARC_Letter_to_National_Archives_12-01-20.pdf
[/URL]
Featured AARC Letter to US Archivist on CIA Records[URL="http://jfkcountercoup.blogspot.com/2012/01/aarc-letter-to-us-archivist.html"]
JFKcountercoup: AARC Letter to US Archivist
Featured AARC Letter to US Archivist on CIA Records
AARC - Assassination Archives and Research Center
Bill Kelly
[/URL]JFKcountercoup
Rex Bradford notes: The Assassination Archives and Research Center (AARC), in a letterdated January 20, 2012, requested that the National Archives and the CIArelease some 50,000 pages relating to the JFK assassination that remainwithheld in full from the public, as well as an undisclosed number of partiallydeleted records. The letter maintains that release of such records well beforethe 50th anniversary of the assassination on November 22, 2013, is essential to having a full androbust national discussion of this event and its significance. The workinggroup that produced the AARC's letter consisted of three AARC Board Members andtwo leading attorneys who have a profound interest in the subject. The letterwas also signed by Professor G. Robert Blakey, the former Chief Counsel of theHouse Select Committee on Assassinations.
In short, the AARC has advised NARAand the CIA that fifty years of secrecy isenough.
The working group is currently discussing how best todevelop a plan of action to get NARAand CIA to expedite disclosure of thewithheld records. Stay tuned.
Note: The majority of the over 1 million pages of records inthe MFF's Document Archive come from the files of the AARC,whose President Jim Lesar along with other members have worked tirelessly andsuccessfully for release of JFK assassination records over the decades.
AARC
Assassination Archives and Research Center
Jim Lesar, President
January 20, 2012
United StatesArchivist David S. Ferreiro
National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington D.C. 20081-0001
Dear Mr. Ferreiro:
In 1992, Congress passed the "President John F. KennedyAssassination Records Collection Act of 1992" ("JFK Act") which requires "theexpeditious public transmission to the Archivist and public disclosure of" allrecords designated as assassination relate. The clear design of the legislationwas to declassify and release to the public as many of the records as possible,holding back only a few of the most highly-classified documents until 2017. Atthat time the only way in which a record could continue to be withheld would beif the President of the United Statespersonally approved the continued withholding of specific records undermandated strict standards. The legislative motivation behind the JFK Act was toenable the American public to review as many as possible of the entire originalbody of more than 5 million government pages pertaining to the assassination toallow full scholarly and historical analysis of it, and to assess its impact byand on the historical events surrounding it.
Yet despite the passage of nearly 20 years since the Act waspassed, it was only recently that scholars learned that there are not just afew CIA records missing from the publicrecords, but approximately 50,000 pages which remain classified. (The volume ofpartially withheld pages is unknown but is also quite substantial.) Thiscontravenes both the letter and spirit of the JFK Act and is unacceptable as amatter of law.
Enforcement of the JFK Act's disclosure mandateoriginally repose in a five-member panel of citizens, the AssassinationsRecords Review Board ("ARRB"). Upon demise of the ARRB, the Act delegated [/FONT]NARA[/FONT] to carry out its provisions "until such at time asthe Archivist certifies to the President and to Congress that all assassinationrecords have been made available to the public…" 1. The Act further providesthat "all postponed or redacted records shall be reviewed periodically by theoriginating agency and the Archivist consistent with the recommendations of theReview Board…."
.........Letter [/FONT]Continued at:
[URL="http://www.aarclibrary.org/notices/AARC_Letter_to_National_Archives_12-01-20.pdf"]www.aarclibrary.org/notices/AARC_Letter_to_National_Archives_12-01-20.pdf
[/URL]
Featured AARC Letter to US Archivist on CIA Records[URL="http://jfkcountercoup.blogspot.com/2012/01/aarc-letter-to-us-archivist.html"]
JFKcountercoup: AARC Letter to US Archivist
Featured AARC Letter to US Archivist on CIA Records
AARC - Assassination Archives and Research Center
Bill Kelly
[/URL]JFKcountercoup