Archives Declares Moratorium on Reclassification
In response to the controversy over the withdrawal of thousands of declassified historical records from the National Archives on purported national security grounds, the Archivist of the United States announced that such withdrawals would be halted, at least temporarily, while an audit and investigation of the matter is conducted.
Archivist Allen Weinstein declared a “moratorium” on the removal or reclassification of “any declassified records currently on the public shelves at the National Archives until the audit, conducted by the National Archives Information Security Oversight Office, is complete.”
See “Archivist of the United States Announces New Steps in Response to Withdrawal of Declassified Records from Open Shelves at the National Archives,” news release, March 2.
See also “Archivist Urges U.S. to Reopen Classified Files” by Scott Shane, New York Times, March 3.
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