History Coalition Warns of Critical Needs at National Archives

Washington, D.C., July 23, 2024 - A major report on the current state of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) recently released by the National Coalition for History (NCH) includes a critical assessment of the state of declassification: “For the sake of accountability and a fuller historical record, NARA needs more funding so it can make steady progress in reviewing and declassifying classified historical records and fulfilling Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) requests.”

Prepared by a working group whose members included representatives from the National Security Archive, the History Coalition report sets an agenda for supporting and strengthening the National Archives. It identifies acute institutional needs and proposes steps that Congress, the White House, federal agencies, and NARA’s leadership can take to ensure the agency is properly funded and supported so that it can fulfill its critical mission for the American people.

The History Coalition’s findings dovetail with recommendations made over the years by the National Security Archive and other groups warning of the decades-long virtual flat line in NARA’s budget. The budget shortfall leaves this vital agency significantly behind in technology, staffing, and organizational capacity at a time when a tsunami of electronic records has descended on the Archives, which is already overwhelmed by paper records. Just a few months ago, in March 2024, a National Security Archive posting called out the inadequacy of NARA’s most recent budget request when observers were warning of “mission failure.”

The National Security Archive also contributed to the working group’s assessment of the state of declassification work at NARA and the identification of its most critical needs. Pointing to a huge backlog consisting of thousands of pending FOIA and MDR requests—some of which sit in 12-year queues—the report treats staffing levels at the beleaguered National Declassification Center (NDC) as a major problem. The NDC has added more staff, but it needs higher levels of staffing if it is ever to catch up with the ever-growing backlog of requests and accumulated classified agency and presidential records.

Compounding the NDC’s problem is its lack of authority over the agencies that created classified documents and that now have the power of decision over their declassification, which tends to be a low priority in agency budgets, contributing to long delays. Even highly skilled and experienced NDC staffers lack the authority to reverse agency decisions that they disagree with, a dynamic that perpetuates the over-classification problem. The report does not address the problem of reforming the out-of-date Executive Order 13526 on national security information policy because the History Coalition is already on record supporting executive order reform, including vesting the NDC “with the authority to declassify information subject to automatic declassification without having to refer the records back to the originating agency.”

The report also calls attention to NARA’s technology deficits. For example, the National Declassification Center lacks the secure electronic transmittal systems needed to send classified records for agency referrals and relies instead on sending classified digitized diskettes in the regular U.S. mail. Adequate funding is essential so that NARA can participate fully in the digital age.

The History Coalition also recommends that NARA expand its effort to declassify the huge backlog—over 75 million pages (not counting digital files)—of classified presidential records that have been centralized at its headquarters in recent years. The systematic declassification of these records should be a priority, from the records of President Harry S. Truman forward.

Also recommended is full agency support for the NDC. The federal agencies that produce classified records held at NARA should advocate for the declassification of those records. All agencies with classified documents under review should contribute dedicated funding or detailees/annuitants to support the NDC. When this is already happening, it should continue. Agency detailees could be of great value to reviewing presidential records for declassification.

Other topics addressed in the report include:

• Funding/Appropriations
• Presidential Libraries
• Subject Matter Expertise
• Infrastructure
• National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)
• Reforming the Presidential Records Act
• Management of Permanent Federal Records by Executive Branch Entities

In 2023, the National Coalition for History’s Board of Directors appointed a working group to prepare a report assessing the current state of NARA and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). The panel that prepared the report consisted of representatives from a broad cross-section of History Coalition member organizations, all with experience in working with NARA records at its many facilities across the country. The group also included archival professionals and records managers with expertise in the field. Seven member organizations comprised the working group: the American Historical Association (AHA), the Association for Documentary Editing (ADE), the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators (NAGARA), the National Security Archive (NSA), the Society of American Archivists (SAA), the Society for History in the Federal Government (SHFG), and the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR).

On July 8, 2024, the History Coalition’s Board of Directors approved the report. The NHC and its members hope that these findings will stimulate discussion both inside and outside the Coalition, including in the halls of Congress, resulting in a more robust and adequately funded National Archives.

The History Coalition and its members hope that the report, which was approved by the NCH Board of Directors on July 8, 2024, will stimulate discussion both inside and outside the Coalition, including the halls of Congress and executive branch agencies and offices, and result in a more robust and adequately funded National Archives.