29-09-2013, 02:09 PM
Congressman John Moss (D-Calif.) was the main force behind pushing the FOIA through Congress. Bill Moyers recalled: "…what few people knew at the time is that LBJ had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the signing ceremony. He hated the very idea of the Freedom of Information Act; hated the thought of journalists rummaging in government closets; hated them challenging the official view of reality. He dug in his heels and even threatened to pocket veto the bill after it reached the White House. Only the courage and political skill of a Congressman named John Moss got the bill passed at all, and that was after a twelve-year battle against his elders in Congress who blinked every time the sun shined in the dark corridors of power." (PBS, 4/5/2002)
The bill contained numerous exemptions, and did not work well at all until after Watergate, in 1974, when Congress strengthened the power of the FOIA considerably. Then it was weakened again in the Reagan years.
The bill contained numerous exemptions, and did not work well at all until after Watergate, in 1974, when Congress strengthened the power of the FOIA considerably. Then it was weakened again in the Reagan years.