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Preserving the Integrity of the Narrative and Protecting the Nation’s Memory Is Critical, Declares AHA President
In an article published in the May 19, 2006, issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, AHA President Linda K. Kerber points to the common (and minatory) thread running between seemingly disparate administrative measures—the reclassification of government documents, the Smithsonian Institution’s deal with Showtime Television, and the FBI’s attempts to search the papers of columnist Jack Anderson—that together “threaten our understanding of the past, and the present” if allowed to continue.
Referring to the various ways in which the recent controversial—and secret—administrative measures will constrain historical research by restricting access to the historical record, Kerber states, “The more the integrity of the national records is compromised, the more flawed will be the history we write and the history we read. ”
- PS
© American Historical Association
Last Updated: February 26, 2008 11:08 AM