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56 lines
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<p>THE GOVERNMENT'S MANIA FOR SECRECY</p>
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<p>President Ronald Reagan nicknamed 1987 "The Year of the
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Reader," but throughout 1987 the Reagan administration outdid
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itself in its efforts to control, interpret, manipulate,
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disinform, and censor all forms of information.
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Typical of the Reagan administration's effort to control its
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own destiny and the nation's history was the Justice Department
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memorandum that could enable Reagan to control the history of his
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involvement in the Iran-contra scandal. The administration is
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seeking to overturn a 1986 federal court ruling that limited
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Nixon's right to block the release of his White House papers. The
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Justice Department memorandum, filed in a lawsuit, would allow
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Nixon to withdraw any documentation he though should be
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suppressed. In effect, this would put Nixon in control of U.S.
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history between 1968 and 1974. If Nixon wins, it will pave the way
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for Reagan to determine official U.S. history from 1980 to 1988.
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While alarming, this is only one small example of Reagan's
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mania for secrecy. Following are the reports of three groups that
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tried to warn us about what was happening.</p>
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<p>PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY. This group's report provides more
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than 100 pages of well-documented charges concerning the growing
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trend toward secrecy in government and its threat to American
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democracy. It "tells the story of the institutionalization of
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secrecy throughout the federal government...the story of
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unprecedented controls on information, not only on defense and
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foreign policy issues where legitimate secrets do need to be
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protected, but on a host of topics vital to our daily lives, from
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toxic wastes to occupational hazards, from new technology to the
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health of our children."</p>
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<p>THE REPORTERS COMMITTEE FOR FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. This group
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issued an alert about how the Reagan administration and its
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supporters restrict public access to government information. The
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50-page report lists 135 specific actions that have occurred since
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1981, including threatened prosecution of the press publishing
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classified information; expulsion of foreign journalists; proposed
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amendments to weaken the Freedom of Information Act; and the use
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of lie detectors.</p>
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<p>THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. The latest edition of the
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association's annual report on censorship provides a damning
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indictment of Reagan administration efforts to "restrict and
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privatize government information" such as public documents and
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statistics. The 1987 report adds 78 items to the case for Reagan's
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secrecy mania.</p>
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<p>Sources: THE NATION, May 23, 1987, "History Deleted"; GOVERNMENT
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DECISIONS WITHOUT DEMOCRACY, December 1987, by People for the
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American Way; FYI MEDIA ALERT 1987, March 1987, "The Reagan
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Administration and the News Media," by the Reporters Committee for
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Freedom of the Press; THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Washington
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Office, "Less Access to Less Information By and About the U.S.
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Government: IX," December 1987, by Anne A. Heanue.</p>
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