I remember in 1978, starting literally the day after my election, meeting with Budget Office Director Jim Bibb and his talented staff who, for the most part, stayed with me for all eight years and did a tremendous job. They were representative of the many unheralded folks in all areas of government who got the job done on a daily basis. When I began my term, I and my new cabinet had most of the civil service talent basically in place to move forward with my agenda.

In contrast, President Biden will be hindered by the many vacancies created by folks who could not tolerate the unprofessional Trump approach and the totally incompetent political hacks that were hired. The public will need to understand this challenge and accept the fact that it will take significant time to not just set aside incompetent staff but hire quality replacements the federal government needs for expected delivery of quality services. But the experienced Biden-Harris leadership team will get started on this task right away at the various agencies and departments of the federal government.

I think back to my ten years with the National Archives and Records Administration, when I had some 3,000 classified civil service employees who dedicated their careers to public service. Their professionalism and commitment to public service allowed me and my leadership team to focus on securing the resources needed and to work on program changes important to address the changing ways of record creation, preservation, and public access. 

If this Trump disaster has a familiar ring for Kansans, it is the memories of our eight years of the Brownback Administration and all the pain that came from their total disrespect for career public servants. With the support of the Republican led Legislature, the law was changed so that when a career employee retired or moved to another job, they could replace that employee with an unqualified political friend who would survive in that position when there is a change of administration. As one can imagine, such action has made many problems for the Kelly administration.

In contrast, President Obama, after a trip to Alabama following a devastating tornado to inspect and, most importantly, check to see how his FEMA director Craig Fugate and team were doing, was pleased to get very positive local feedback. Writing in his book “A Promised Land,” Obama said this:

“I wasn’t surprised, for Fugate had been one of my best hires, a no nonsense, no-ego, no-excuses public servant with decades of experience dealing with natural disasters. Still it gave me satisfaction to see his efforts recognized, and I was once again reminded that so much of what really mattered in government came down to the daily, unheralded acts of people who weren’t seeking attention but simply knew what they were doing and did it with pride.”

And as I shared earlier, the Biden-Harris Administration will initially need some patience from we the people as they work to fill the voids and vacancies in the civil service system left to them by the Trump Administration. I am very confident they will, but just maybe not as fast as we’d like or need—​following Trump has its special handicaps. And let us all respect the importance of a quality civil service that makes so much difference in how the job of serving citizens actually gets done.

As I watch President Elect Joe Biden put together the team he and Vice President Elect Harris will have come January 20th, confirmations pending, almost without exception I am very pleased. What is obvious is that experience, competence, and diversity are back, and the Federal Government will once again be on track. 

Starting with Biden’s White House staff, what a change from what we have witnessed in the last four years! These folks, in many cases, have been there before with success and will be operating smoothly right at the start. As the Biden-Harris team continues to announce cabinet and top leadership posts, the high quality continues, and although some Republican Senators are already targeting some for serious scrutiny, as is normal, there is hope that this process moves quickly given the existing voids of leadership and the incredible problems we have. 

As this transition goes by day-by-day, I can’t help but reflect on the two new Presidential Administrations that I had some experience with and how those transfers of power worked out. 

Jimmy Carter campaigned early in Kansas, and I had a chance to get acquainted with him. Over time, as Governor, I connected with his staff when I was very active with the National Governors Association. Carter brought with him to Washington many key staff he had as Governor. The group, often referred to as his "Georgia Mafia," had very limited Washington experience, so problems were common.

Six of the eight years I was Governor, Clinton was Governor of Arkansas. Because of our close proximity and the Governors Association, we got very well acquainted. As it became evident that sometime soon he would run for President, I remember telling him more than once to please remember the lesson we both learned from Carter about having experienced folks on your White House staff. Clinton’s first Chief of Staff was a wonderful person with talent that shined in Arkansas but knew nothing about running the White House.

In sharp contrast to these two administrations, Biden has huge advantages. First, there is no Delaware Mafia for Biden, because almost all his experience has been centered in the Nation's Capital. From decades of time in the United States Senate and the eight years as Vice President, he had time to observe and get acquainted with much of the talent his team would need. Biden’s national experience also gave him a clear understanding of the skills needed to successfully lead in this time of huge challenges and pressure.

I think of my own experience setting up an administration and how I ended up with such a great team: Pat Hurley, John Kemp, Barbara Sabol, Joe Harkins, Mike Lennen, Bob Harder, Harley Duncan, and many others including a fantastic staff who were exceptionally talented, hard working, and went on to huge success in government and private business. How did this happen? All I know for sure is I always knew I wasn’t the smartest person in the room, so to succeed, I had to go for the very best. And it is clear now that President Elect Joe Biden is going with folks he knows have the competence and experience to deliver.

He continues to pick knowledgeable public servants that he knows he can listen to and trust when important decisions come to his desk. I know from experience that this style of leadership can lead to fantastic results that serve the people well.

I know my audience has a fairly limited number of Republicans, so once again I am sharing a message with the hope there will be opportunities for you to pass the good word along. This election, both for our state and nationally, is not just about who is going to be primarily in charge come January but also could have significant influence on how our democracy moves forward in the coming years.

It is truly my hope and prayer that at some time soon the Republican Party can return to a saner version of conservatism, where the two Parties, particularly on really important issues, work across Party lines for the best interest of the American people and the future of our democracy. President Eisenhower worked closely with Majority Leader Senator Lyndon Johnson and Speaker Sam Rayburn, both Democrats and as a result the Interstate Highway System was passed.

My message to Republicans, especially to those of you who have concerns but do not want to abandon the Party, I say this: vote for Democrats in key races, which does not require a change of registration (although you would be welcome) and send a strong message that until the Republican Party returns to sanity, you will continue to vote for Democrats. If you stick with the Brownback Republicans, how can you expect change? Losing can send a powerful message. In fact, it may be the only way to bring real reforms into serious consideration within the party.

Many quality, moderate Republicans were defeated in the August Primary because of their opposition to the Brownback agenda and their shocking willingness to work with Democrats for the good of the state. This might be less likely to happen in the future if election analysis shows Democrats won big because of Republican votes. Something must happen to get more Republicans back to a conservative set of beliefs that can help lead to good policy for the state, especially on the key issues for Kansans.

As I reflect on my years with Kansas politics, I value the many times I had to visit with former Governor Alf Landon and learn from his experiences. Senator Bob Dole and I had our political differences, but we didn’t let that get in the way of working together for the best interests of Kansas. I think back on some of the key successes we had in my administration where, for example, working with Republican Senator Charlie Angell and Representative David Heinemann on the State’s first real Water plan or Senate President Ross Doyen on a major infrastructure program made a real positive difference for the State of Kansas.

Then, I think of our contemporary Kansas Republican leaders at the national and state level, and there is a stark difference, one almost totally devoid of compromise and crossing the aisle. How can Moran, Marshall, Roberts and Wagle look themselves in the mirror with integrity? Or should they feel shame for their role in advancing Trump’s hijacking of the Republican Party and his abuse of fundamental principles and institutions underlying our democratic system of government?  

Share this message, use it in conversations with friends, make it clear they can have it both ways. They can vote the right way for what is best now and ​ give the Republican Party another chance to make the changes necessary to get back to when two strong Parties with different philosophies, in the end, worked out their differences and did what was right for the country.

​But if the "Party of Lincoln" doesn't start resembling their founder soon, they bring grave risk to the foundation of the "House United" that he worked so hard to preserve. We cannot remain divided against one another, against ourselves as a Nation. For, as President Lincoln warned—​and our adversaries around the world know full well—​that house cannot stand. 

We've reached the final stretch of a hugely-consequential election, and if you've ever wondered what you would do if our republic was on the line, this is the time to bring those thoughts and words into action. Vote like your life depends on it, and make sure others are doing the same.

Republican members of our Congressional delegation are basically silent on the President’s straightforward attempt at destroying the Postal Service for what he sees as a key to his re-election. The President’s motives are very clear. He believes that making it more difficult to vote by mail, confusing people, and creating mistrust may result in fewer turning out to the polls and many ballots not arriving in time to be counted. All tactics that Trump thinks could increase his chances of winning. 

Trump also wants to privatize the United States Postal System even though the impact on many citizens will be higher costs and loss of services all in the name of serving the bottom line for private investors. 

For us living across Kansas with so much rural area and the necessity of quality service that will deliver mail to remote areas, without the U.S. Postal Service, where would we be? Kansans are poised for another large increase in mail-in voting participation this fall, but it's not just election results at stake. Just think of all the critical and time sensitive shipping services that either by budget cuts or the private sector push for profit would be so dramatically impacted. Essential medical prescriptions, business transactions that require timeliness, bills that need to arrive and be paid on time, and of course Social Security and other retirement benefits, all create real life impacts when mail delivery is delayed.  

Is destroying the Postal Service a direction we want to take? I do not think so and wonder why our Republican Congressional delegation is so silent given all the rural areas they represent. But it's not just silence that is damaging; a current candidate for U.S. Senate—​doing Trump's work for him—​recently referred to it as a "so-called crisis." Their inaction and misinformation is also a clear message that Republicans are not concerned about our right to vote and to have all of our ballots counted in the middle of this brutal pandemic. 

This strikes right at the heart of our system of government and the integrity of our all-important elections. Faith in our elections and the peaceful transition of power are bedrock principles that parties and candidates throughout our history used to support, not undermine. Those Republicans should ask themselves exactly what kind of country we want to be and what freedom really means to them. What credibility do we have in promoting the idea of self-government abroad when our elections are now the ones that need to be monitored by independent sources in order to ensure integrity? Without the right to vote and fair elections, this is no longer the republic we thought we lived in and that we were gifted by our founders.

The U.S. Postal Service is not a product of either Republican or Democratic ingenuity but of Benjamin Franklin, a founding father and our first Postmaster General. He recognized at the very beginning of our democracy the need for citizens to have a way to communicate and have mail delivered in a timely fashion. Franklin believed that having such a system was critical to keeping the citizens informed and making our new government work, which is why it's rooted in the Constitution itself. To paraphrase Franklin's famous words, they left us a republic, if we can keep it...
                                                                     
Instead of concerns about the Postal Service, our delegation is not just silent but instead are raising concerns about issues that are not at the top for most Kansans. Take a recent television ad for Congressman Marshall that includes Senator Moran with both focused on Sanctuary Cities (Kansas does not have one) and immigration as an excellent example of their gaslighting. Both are using these issues as punching bags for self-serving political purposes that results in very negative side effects. In particular, the agriculture sector in western Kansas very much needs immigrants to do much of the work, and the focus on vilifying others does not exactly lay out the welcome mat to immigrants nor new business. 

Our elected Representatives’ silence is allowing the damage to the Postal System to continue when we know how critical this service is to our democracy. Their inaction is hard to fathom.

On August 18th, 1920 the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution received final approval when Tennessee became the state to achieve the ⅔ vote necessary to amend. Kansas ratified the 19th Amendment a year earlier on June 16th, 1919. To put this achievement in some perspective, shortly after the Civil War, Black men's right to vote was recognized with the passage of the 15th amendment to the Constitution. Over forty years would pass before a woman's right to vote would be recognized.

This significant advancement was not accomplished by men leading the change. Men were not making the case to their colleagues that the time had come for women to have the right to vote. Much to the contrary, women persisted in leading the way. In 1869 the National Woman's Suffrage Association was formed and led by Susan B. Anthony. This movement was built off of previous women-led efforts around abolition and temperance movements.

Women have always been key in leading change and that is even more important for our future.

From a point of view of state pride, Kansas in many ways has led the nation on women’s equality. Kansas was the first state in the nation to hold a referendum on women’s suffrage in 1867 and recognized women's right to vote in local elections in 1887. That same year, the town of Argonia, Kansas elected the first female mayor in U.S. history. And, in 1912, Kansas recognized a woman's right to vote in national elections, eight years before the 19th amendment passed.

Understanding our past holds lessons for our future. My focus in this blog is on what should be done to make the most of the underutilized talents of the women in our workforce. This is not just about equal pay, but promoting women into positions that make best use of their talents and leadership skills for the benefit of everyone. Especially, at this time in our nation where there is a critical need for making positive change.

The growing fact is that many young women are outperforming young men at a significant pace by doing better in their classes, by simply learning more, and by being better prepared to really make a difference through leading change. I want to make it clear that we have many very talented young men, it is just that they tend to be fewer in number. The key is getting the right person in the right position of leadership and more often than not a woman.

So how does that progress take place? There needs to be more awareness and acknowledgment that when employers fail to fully engage women in the workplace, there are consequences, including a potentially negative impact on the bottom line. Whether financial or due to unachieved policy outcomes and practices with public institutions, the consequences can be quite significant. Given the huge challenges that are coming out of the pandemic, ensuring women are allowed to fulfill their potential is even more important.

In a strange way, the pandemic and all the needs it exposed for major change in our society may accelerate interest, motivation, and pressure for major change. We just might be more aware of the reality of our shortcomings, that we are no longer number one or close in many key areas, and going forward with the past ways will just not get it done. That will put more pressure on getting change agents—​often women—​in a key position to lead us on climate change, improving education, and addressing the many local issues needed for economic growth in the future.

The fact that more women are stepping up to run for public office also gives me hope. The new, very talented women in Congress from 2018, and likely more coming from 2020 elections including a candidate for Vice President of the United States, is very positive. Younger generations also inspire me to believe that the message of equality is taking hold, and their continued engagement is precisely the thing that can bring about the lasting changes we need.

So here’s to the women’s leadership and engagement that brought us the 19th Amendment. It is my hope that future celebrations of progress for women include not just pay equity but rightful promotions. When that happens, we will not only celebrate but also reap the economic and policy rewards.

To learn more about the history of the 19th Amendment and the key leaders and documents that made it a reality, I’d highly suggest following along with the National Archives this month, as they share suffrage stories and publish inspirational and educational materials on their website. I look forward to reading and sharing these great resources for learning about our country’s history.

​Speaker Nancy Pelosi has led through difficult times, balancing political realities with what is best for the country. She has certainly come across often as the adult in the room of Congressional leaders and the Administration. Despite representing a very liberal district, she has operated from a very pragmatic point of view. She has charted an aggressive course of action while working to keep her caucus in the majority, knowing if they lose the majority everything accomplished would be destroyed.    

There are those that lump both Houses as making up the do nothing Congress. The facts clearly document that she and her caucus have actually been very responsive to the needs of the American people. Through her leadership and the hard work of her committee chairs and the Caucus, over 400 bills, many key ones, like safeguarding our elections and with huge public support, have passed the House and been sent to the Senate. From there, Republican Majority Leader McConnell makes sure the House legislation goes nowhere and that very few originating bills come out of the Senate for the House to work.

Her first major challenge was dealing with President Trump and the decision of Impeachment. Early on, she clearly wanted the Fall 2020 election to determine if the issues surrounding the President merited impeachment. I believe Speaker Pelosi thought delaying was both best for the United States as well as her Democratic Caucus. But when the Ukraine scandal more clearly brought to light impeachable offenses and the public tide shifted towards holding hearings, she quickly assigned her Judiciary and Intelligence committees to hold hearings. She managed the process effectively and amazingly kept her troops together (albeit, there was one defector), to pass the impeachment of the President and send the indictment to the United States Senate.

Her role in the government’s response to the Coronavirus again showed her leadership skills and capacity both to challenge and to work with this Administration. Speaker Pelosi worked one-on-one with Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to develop packages that address the nation’s needs as well as secure the support of the Administration and the votes needed in the Senate. While not perfect, these relief efforts have been made significantly better through the help of Speaker Pelosi and other Congressional Democrats.

What makes her accomplishments even more interesting is that, after the 2018 Congressional elections and winning the majority, many members of the Democratic Caucus worked hard to deny Pelosi the Speakership. Yet, she not only won, but today is almost without exception solidly backed by the entire caucus. This is not an easy thing to accomplish. But the amount of respect she has garnered among her colleagues over the years and her experienced leadership have clearly made her the right person for the job, at the right time.

Given the challenges of dealing with a President like Trump and a Majority Leader like McConnell, Speaker Pelosi has done amazing things. History will place her in the short list of Speakers who have really stood out with common sense, political savvy, and success. She has impacted Washington action in a positive way for the best interests of our country.

I am currently reading the new book “Pelosi,” by Molly Ball. I haven’t finished it yet, but I’ve already learned about so many fascinating, character-building experiences she’s had in her decades of public service. She has always been a smart, tough leader. And she's paved the way for so many other outstanding female leaders, who will help guide us into the future. I’m looking forward to learning more about her brilliant career as I finish reading this insightful new book.

Looking back over the last ten years and my eighth decade of life, I am sharing what stands out for me both in good ways and bad:

On the good side:

1. I had the pleasure of finishing ten years as Archivist of the United States and played a role in making sure we all understand that it is not just for history that we have records, but to protect citizens’ entitlements (Veterans, for example). And maybe, most importantly given the times we are in, conveying the importance of records as essential in holding the government accountable.
2. My engagement with the Staley School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University for the entire decade has grown my confidence in the potential of our younger population, giving me hope for the future.
3. Governor Kelly defeating Secretary of State Kris Kobach in the 2018 election.
4. Kansas City Royals won the World Series for the first time since 1985, K-State won Big 12 championships in both football and basketball. Yes, KU won the other nine in basketball, but offsetting that, K-State was 10-0 competing against KU in football. 
5. Kansas State University closed the decade by making really good decisions and hires that will, I believe, have significant positive impact for the coming decade. 

On the bad side: 

1. Having to endure eight Brownback years (and all the mistakes that will haunt Kansans for many years) really makes a much more difficult path to the future for both the Governor and Legislators.
2. The election of Donald Trump as President in 2016. A man with little or no respect for the law, little or no understanding of how our government functions, and little or no appreciation of the huge challenges (e.g., climate change) we face that, if not addressed, will do damage of unbelievable portions.
3. Having Moscow Mitch (Republican Senator from Kentucky) in a position to stop almost every important piece of legislation through the entire decade, even those that had overwhelming public support. In addition, his handling of the courts and judges has set several damaging precedents for the future.
4. Almost 100% of Scientists with a climate background have issued serious warnings throughout the decade and there has been little or no action in response.
5. The national failure to make any progress on immigration reform, funding of infrastructure needs, dealing with gun violence, addressing climate change, as well as the increasing National debt. This represents the utmost failure of our leadership in Washington D.C.

Here’s to a new year and decade with the hope that progress can and will be made.

How do you celebrate Constitution Day? I suspect that not only do you not celebrate, but you likely are unaware that there is a day dedicated to recognizing the adoption of the U.S. Constitution on September 17th. 

For ten years, I was the Archivist of the United States, and certainly one key responsibility I had was making sure the original Charters of Freedom—​the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights—​were protected, preserved, and as accessible as possible to the public. Early in my tenure, my staff and I concluded that we were not doing enough to adequately educate the public who came through the rotunda on the values of the Charters of Freedom. We made major changes to not only enhance the visit to the Rotunda but added educational space to further promote understanding of the Charters of Freedom, the importance of public records, and their many values to our democracy.

On September 11, 2001, the initial terrorist attacks on the Trade Center quickly led to concerns about attacks on Washington D.C. and the possibility of one target being the National Archives. That potential action could destroy the original documents that undergird our whole system of democracy. Fortunately, that did not happen, but the scenario certainly brought to me a reminder of the special value of the work of the Founders. They put together a system with three equal and powerful branches of government: the executive, legislative, and judicial. For over 200 years, this system has been the bedrock of modern democracy and has become a model for nations around the world.

In late July, as part of this year's Mandela Washington Fellowship six-week Civic Leadership Institute at K-State, I had a very good visit with a young woman from Zimbabwe who ran for public office there and plans to stay involved in public life. She made it clear that folks in her country who want a democracy like ours are now looking at us with real concern and potential doubt. For her and many others, America was the model that many developing nations used to move closer to a real democracy. Her message reminded me that our current crisis may have significant impacts far beyond our borders.

Today our system of governance is being tested daily by an administration that more and more acts if they, the executive branch and particularly the President, can dictate what will be done. Between Executive Orders and other actions that ignore the will of Congress, total disregard for the value of a quality civil service system, using the Presidency for his personal and financial gain, stoking the flames of hatred and racism toward immigrants and other minority groups, and appointing Judges whose ideology is extremely far to the right, the Trump Administration is the beginning of potentially demolishing our democracy. Ignoring legislative budget decisions as if President Trump were more like a King and looking to dictators to form close friendships causes not just me but lots of folks great concern. 

It is my hope that this September 17th, Constitution Day, many of you will raise these issues of concern. I hope that this year, it will not be just another day but a wake-up call for all Americans to understand just how much impact the 2020 elections will have on our future as a democracy. It can no longer be assumed that our system of government will survive if the current disregard for democratic norms and systems of checks and balances continues.

Happy 4th of July to all of you. Our Independence Day is the holiday we have traditionally celebrated, along with fireworks and food, the work of the Founding Fathers in declaring our independence from Great Britain. Combined with our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, we have our three Charters of Freedom that underpin our Democracy and have been a successful model that many countries across the world have followed. The celebration itself has always been about “We the People.”  

This fundamental concept is truly being tested today with the current administration and their daily actions. For example, this year President Trump is turning the entire celebration on the National Mall into a partisan event with a political campaign speech at the Lincoln Memorial. When we lived in D.C., we attended and or always watched on TV as we do now, the special 4th of July patriotic non-political entertainment and messages.

Although the President has for sometime wanted a big military parade down Pennsylvania Ave to display military might, he plans to use this moment to take a step in his direction by including fancy flyovers and tanks to accompany his political speech. Just for some context, here is what former President Eisenhower had to say about such activity: “Absolutely not. We, the United States, are seeking peace, we are the preeminent power on earth. For us to try to imitate what the Soviets are doing in Red Square would make us look weak.”

The politicizing of our 4th of July should be a reminder of just how important the next year’s election is for our form of government. Out of respect to all those Americans who have served in the military or public service to protect and implement the fundamentals of our democracy, politics should not be any focus of this national holiday. Four more years of the current administration we have now could put our values in jeopardy. 

Be safe. Enjoy. Have hope.

Given the many presidential norms we've seen shattered over the past two years, we mourn the loss of someone who brought dignity, respect, and civility to the office of the Presidency. Though not loved by many at the time, eventually President George H.W. Bush significantly gained in popularity. He had the misfortune of following President Ronald Reagan, a very well liked President, and having to also eat his words on “Read my lips, no new taxes.” But since that time, the admiration and respect for both him and First Lady Barbara Bush have only grown. With their passing so close together, we have in a very short time lost two who set a high bar for public service.

My experience with President Bush included work with his Presidential Library, where I was involved heavily with setting up record storage on a temporary basis and working on the construction of the Library to ensure compliance with federal law. Here are some reflections on that time, while I was serving as Archivist of the United States.

Early in the process, the project’s lead archivist developed a relationship with the former President to the point that when the Library opened, Bush 41 wanted him as Library Director. I tried telling the President and his advisors that my man was a very good archivist but not a leader with the skills they would want and need. 41 held out and I appointed that archivist only to be contacted a short time later asking that he be removed. In their experience, he was not capable of working with the power players at Texas A&M, the Library’s home, as well as the many rich and successful supporters of the Foundation.

A special plus for me was the opportunity to get acquainted with Brent Scowcroft. A key member of the Bush 41 administration, he was the lead advisor to the President in his retirement and the person assigned to work with me. I came to know him as not just a person of many talents but the highest of character as well. Since then, he has continued to be active in public service, setting a high standard that too few achieve.

George Herbert Walker Bush will be remembered not only for his lifetime of quality public service but the way he carried out his responsibilities. Given the passage of time, I think history will be very kind to a man and a President who took seriously his role to serve.

In the passing of Karl Weissenbach, Lynn and I lost a good friend and a wonderful former colleague, and our country lost a great public servant. For ten years, Karl was the Director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, retiring last year. While at the Library, he brought many new initiatives that opened the records to a much larger audience and raised the visibility and learning around President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s life and service.

When I was at the National Archives, he ran the Nixon Project, managing the staff that spent years dealing with the Nixon Tapes and other records. Between the historians, access advocates, lawyers, and the Nixon family, this was very challenging work. Karl was careful, dedicated, and maintained a steadfast commitment to serving the American people. I salute him as an outstanding public servant, at a time when in both Topeka and Washington D.C. public service is disrespected by many, in favor of political friends and financial supporters.

Karl is an excellent example of why career public servants are so valuable. Because he made public service his career, he fine-tuned his skills to more effectively manage and lead workers to serve the Eisenhower Library's mission. When career service is under-appreciated, the system never develops the expertise or the continuity that is so important for wisely serving the public interest. In Kansas, for example, Governor Brownback led the change where now, when a state public employee leaves or retires, the administration can appoint any political friend they want and, in the process, takes that position away from the civil service. And, at the federal level, there have already been plenty of examples of the Trump administration either subverting or showing blatant disrespect for the experts who carry out the people’s business within the various departments. In no way can this action be called good government.

All who knew Karl mourn his passing and share with his wife Jessica and family our condolences. And here’s to a future where more individuals can bring the same level of respect, expertise, and commitment to their careers in public service.

With all the advancements and blessings of technology comes some curses as well. As I reflect more on the Politico article, “Trump Inspires Encryption Boom in Leaky D.C.,” the more concerned I become. The difference between having and not having records in today’s world is the difference between an environment for democracy to survive and thrive through public trust and government accountability versus being drug into total chaos. If government workers can use private devices to exchange messages that self-destruct and leave no record of the communications, it won’t be just history that is lost.

Twenty two years ago, I became the eighth Archivist of the United States, appointed by President Clinton. I followed in the footsteps of a series of academic historians who saw records to be of value almost exclusively for the writing of history. With their focus on history, they had their eyes and interests on permanent records, primarily paper, that would be available long after their creation. Worrying about new electronic records would be left for someone else to deal with many years later.

So it shouldn’t have been too shocking that one of my first lessons at that job was that the National Archives Records Administration (NARA) did not even consider email a record. By my third month, we made it official that emails were records and determined that they must be kept for a period of time, but for the President, all emails would be permanent records. Needless to say, this brought challenges not only to NARA but to all Federal agencies creating email records.   

Next, NARA expanded the understanding of reasons why records are kept, preserved, and made available—​to include holding government accountable as well as protecting rights and entitlements. Regarding accountability, without records being kept, how do citizens, elected officials, and government leaders raise issues of concern for action and resolution? An example I recall was a developer in Virginia who was taken to court and on the way to prison for not following Corp of Engineer guidelines. That is, until records were found that it was the Corp’s fault and not the developer. Regarding entitlements, for example, how could veterans successfully apply for their benefits if there was no record to prove he or she were honorably discharged?

Now fast forward to today, with technology being put to use to basically deny future use and access to records after their initial purpose was served. Before I go on, it is important to distinguish encryption (scrambling of sensitive communications for security purposes) from disappearing messages. Encrypted messages can still be archived as long as someone retains the decryption key necessary to unscramble the message. But messages that self-destruct or automatically erase are difficult, if not impossible, to record.

Keep in mind that it is only natural that many in government today would be happy to know that certain records were never going to come back to haunt them. This is not a hypothetical problem. It is real. And it has become part of daily life in a chaotic and leaky White House that already had problems with public trust and is currently the subject of ongoing investigations where records will be needed to uncover the truth. It is also worth noting that, while some of these encryption apps have reportedly been used by officials to communicate with the press or leak illuminating information, this practice becomes a double-edged sword when it either undermines our national security interests or means taking every White House staffer at their word that they are not using these applications to conduct any official business—​knowing the contents of their messages will disappear automatically and there will be no “paper trail” of said communications ever taking place.

So now, perhaps more than ever, it is essential that the records they are creating are kept and made accessible as appropriate. Only then will the legislative and judicial branches of government have access to the records to be able to hold government executive branch officials accountable for any wrongdoing that has taken place or could in the future.

I know for a fact that my friends at NARA are scrambling to do everything they can to address the encryption issue. I fear the problem will be not having the resources to carry out their responsibility under the Federal Records Act. This is much more than a government problem, for it will be all too often citizens who are negatively impacted. I know for now this issue is a long way from the midwest and our current challenges, but destruction of records really needs to be something we take very seriously. If records are being destroyed in Washington D.C. today, how will anyone be held accountable and how will history be accurately written? ​

In 2000, during my tenure as Archivist of the United States, the National Archives and Records Administration was in the midst of slicing (literally) the Nixon Watergate tapes (recorded on cheap tape that is now disintegrating). In order to satisfy a Federal Court settlement between the government and the Nixon Estate, the records were to be separated into categories, including: federal records, presidential records, classified records, political records, and personal records. Further complicating things, several (or all) of these different record types with different ownership could routinely be found within the span of one conversation on the tapes—​as one could imagine during a conversation between President Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, for example.

The procedures and regular deadlines were all under court supervision. In the summer of 2000, in the middle of the Presidential race between Governor George W. Bush of Texas and Vice President Al Gore, we were scheduled for an August public release of the next set of Watergate Tapes. Given the complexity of the task at hand, as August approached, it was clear that we were not going to meet the schedule, and after re-negotiation with the court, the scheduled release was pushed back to early October.

That’s when I got notice that the Bush campaign was not very happy with the schedule. The message was carried by Jim Cicconi who was a top executive with AT&T as well as a member of my Archives Foundation Board and a friend. From a political perspective, it was a logical request, knowing that some of the tapes would include White House visits by George Herbert Walker Bush, who was the Chairman of the Republican National Committee at that time. Not knowing for sure what had been said and not wanting to hand Gore ammunition at the end of the campaign, they pressured me to delay the release.

My refusal to give in and delay the opening was based on two points. First, the Archives was under court order to release the tapes as soon as realistically possible, and that was not a secret from the press or the interested public. Secondly, I argued that regardless of what was on the tapes, delaying would create an even larger problem for them with the press and allow the Gore campaign to speculate on what was being obviously covered up to avoid hurting the Bush effort.
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I stayed with my position, and the set of Nixon tapes came out on time in early October with no fuss. Aside from the usual foul language, there was nothing on the tapes that would impact the campaign. Although, as close as the race was, it’s hard to know exactly what would have happened if I had caved and delayed the opening.

It has been ten years since I left the National Archives and Records Administration, after spending ten years as Archivist of the United States. Twenty years ago this month, I arrived in Washington D.C. having been nominated by President Clinton, introduced to the Senate by Senator Bob Dole, and then confirmed less than one month from the day I was nominated. I was honored to serve as the Archivist of the United States. It was quite an experience and, as I have been reflecting on those years, I wanted to share (in no particular order) ten of the top experiences made possible by the many people I worked with at the time. 

• Meeting Julie Nixon Eisenhower my first week on the job, June 1995, which eventually led to settlement of decades-long legal fights on opening the Nixon records, including the Nixon Tapes.

• In September of my first year, making the decision that emails were records, something hard to believe today but, at that time, a matter of considerable controversy.

• Building a Foundation that became a huge partner in sharing the legacy of our nation’s records with the public as a resource and educational vehicle for our history and the importance of records as evidence of that history.

• Renovating the downtown main archives building, and with private money, building the National Archives Experience, the multifaceted public interactive education and exhibit space and the Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film, bringing the Archives experience in new ways to millions of visitors.

• Making huge progress at that time on the Electronic Records Archives and dealing with the onslaught of electronic records coming to the Archives.

• Working with two former Presidents (Bush 41 and Clinton) to help set up and build their Presidential Libraries as well as working with other Presidents and their families all the way back to Hoover.

• Building what is today called the National Archives Catalog, the Archives’ first online catalog of its holdings across the country with uploaded digital images of records, making our nation’s records for the first time available to anyone with access to the internet.

• Successfully holding off the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in its effort to move the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and the Bill of Rights - our nation’s founding records - to the Smithsonian. 

• Being an advocate at the national level, including with Congress and the White House, for the critical importance of our nation’s records and archives and their role in protecting the rights of our citizens, ensuring government accountability, and documenting our national experience. 

• Serving as not only a leader but a learner, working with many outstanding career public servants throughout the National Archives, its Presidential Libraries, and its nationwide network of archives and records centers as we built and implemented a 10-year agency wide strategic plan that, at the time, went a long way in modernizing the National Archives and Records Administration.