Weinstein says the papers will be shifted to California if the Nixon Library adheres to the same principles as other presidential libraries. And only if National Archives archivists are handling the material.
Wisconsin's Kutler hopes that Weinstein will "insist that the Nixon papers be opened."
Allen Weinstein, whose appointment has some historians concerned about access, says "the archivist works for the American people."
(Bill O'leary -- The Washington Post)
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He adds: "I hope that Allen will do the right thing. It's fair to give him a start with a clean slate."
At least Weinstein has a clean office, for now. He is still moving in and making initial decisions, large and small. He rejects one official photograph because "it makes me look like Alfred E. Neuman," the goofy-looking mascot of Mad magazine.
He wants to look good. After all, people are watching him to see what he will do.
The archivist, says former archivist Carlin, can set the tone for the whole organization. He can encourage openness and easy access, or he can promote secrecy and obstruction.
Carlin says that he surrounded himself with staffers and advisers who were pro-access. He believes that the archivist should constantly test the limits of openness. "In the practical sense," Carlin says, "our role is to push that envelope."
Whether Weinstein turns out to be an envelope pusher or just another paper pusher remains to be seen. In his inaugural address he quotes from the Archives mission statement. The National Archives, he says, is a public trust on which democracy depends. It enables people to keep an eye on elected officials and hold them accountable.
"We ensure continuing access," he says, "to essential evidence that documents the rights of American citizens, the actions of federal -- and other -- officials and the national experience."
His ultra-quiet voice, mild presence and contentious past do not detract from the power of the words.
