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Show Hingkley Journal of Politics 2005 Recent Controversies The NARA-administered presidential libraries have not been immune from controversies of their own. In 1993, Don W. Wilson, then the Archivist of the United States, signed an agreement giving former President George H.W. Bush exclusive control over thousands of White House tapes from the Reagan and Bush Administrations ("Archivist resigns" 1993). The deal was reminiscent of the infamous Nixon-Sampson agreement. Wilson then resigned as Archivist and was hired by the private George Bush Presidential Library Foundation, an institution devoted to promoting the legacy of President George H.W. Bush. This controversial move prompted denunciations by media commentators, including the editorial writers of the New York Times ("Losing the Paper Chase" 1993). The donations that outgoing presidents solicit to build their presidential libraries have also generated controversy. Foreign powers such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the People's Republic of China made significant contributions to the Bush Library (Thurman 1997). By far the largest controversy involving presidential library donations concerned President Bill Clinton's pardon of fugitive tax evader Marc Rich. Rich's associates contributed approximately $1.45 million to the Clinton Presidential Library foundation (Bennett 2003, 23-24). Critics argue Rich may have bought his pardon by securing those contributions (Mazzetti et al. 2001). As the actions of Don Wilson demonstrate, the Archivist of the United States holds notable power over the fate of presidential records. President Clinton's 1995 appointment of former Kansas governor John W. Carlin as Archivist was mildly controversial. Unlike most of his predecessors, Carlin lacked professional background in history and archiving. He had been a strong supporter of Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign (Stolberg and Lee, 2004). Carlin recently announced his impending retirement. This development generated controversy, because the George W. Bush White House was informed of it months before it was made public (Brune 2004). The Bush Administration nominated Allen Weinstein to the Senate as the appointee to replace Carlin. Weinstein is a controversial figure among historians, some of whom claim he is "prone to secrecy" (Stolberg and Lee 2004). Still, the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee confirmed him as Archivist in February 2005 ("Washington Briefs" 2005). An Examination of Bias at Presidential Libraries Touring the Reagan Library To obtain a greater understanding of these controversial institutions, this author visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. in Simi Valley, California, on May 11, 2004. Architecturally, the library was built to resemble a Spanish- style ranch house, reflecting Reagan's image of Western rugged individualism. It contains a museum about the Reagan Admistration, an exhibit created and maintained by federal funds. The museum tour begins with the presentation of a brief film, as is the case in many presidential libraries (Bennett 2003, 28). The film's narration consists of Reagan's own spoken words, taken from both interviews and speeches, interspersed with sentimental images from American life: brave soldiers marching, factory workers in hardhats, businessmen catching the carpool to work. Reagan's words present an ideological view of his presidency-he explains how he helped the economy by cutting taxes and fighting inflation, and he warns that a Soviet nuclear buildup during his administration was moving the world closer to war. The film is clearly biased; it shows Reagan only in a favorable light. However, it cleverly presents the man through his own words, which helps sidestep charges of partisan intervention promoting a political agenda. The museum exhibits feature various artifacts Reagan acquired during his Presidency, plus video and photographic materials memorializing specific events during his administration. Unfortunately, the picture presented is not a balanced one. One video presentation within the museum exhibit features a narrator asserting that Reagan "remained steadfast in support of freedom fighters everywhere." Visitors can find only one reference to the Iran-Contra scandal in the museum; an exhibit video mentions the controversy in passing, but gives no specific details. That video ends with Reagan saying, "The judgment of history is up to you." It is a welcome sentiment, but the presentation of history at the Reagan Library steers the visitor towards a particular judgment. Other examples of partisanship at the library appear outside of the museum. The tax-dollar maintained grounds around the building feature a hedge cut into the shape of an elephant, but no corresponding donkey hedge is present to provide partisan balance. Next to the building's enterance is a golden statue of Reagan dressed in cowboy garb. It is hardly surprising that the Reagan Library features a statue of its subject, but this particular statue presents the man in an unmistakably heroic and glamorized fashion. The private Ronald Reagan Foundation operates the library gift shop. Because it is located right next to the museum entrances and exits, it is a likely destination for many library visitors. This gift shop sells conservative polemics such as Mona Charen's Useful Idiots: How Liberals Got it Wrong in the Cold War and Still Blame America First. There are also action figures of Donald Rumsfeld and Anne Coulter for sale. It does not sell products that represent the other end of the American ideological spectrum. The gift shop is an epicenter of partisan ideology inside a facility meant to present history in a balanced, non-partisan manner. Surprisingly, the docents who aid visitors through the museum exhibits are not NARA employees or trained historians. They are volunteers, mostly retirees, who are given a 69 |