National Coalition for History

On June 23, 2009, the Historical Advisory Committee (HAC) met for the first time since the issuance of the Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) report on the operations of the Office of the Historian at the U.S. Department of State. The OIG recommended that Director of the Office of the Historian, Dr. Marc Susser, be replaced. As a result, Susser was reassigned within the State Department, and Ambassador John Campbell was named as Acting Director of the Office of the Historian. Read the full article »

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission’s (NHPRC) budget would increase by $1.75 million from the current fiscal year’s $11.25 million to $13 million under the fiscal year (FY) 2010 funding bill passed last week by the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. Read the full article »

The National Archives & Records Administration’s (NARA) budget would increase by $10 million to $457 million under the fiscal year (FY) 2010 funding bill passed by the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee. NARA’s budget would mirror the Obama administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 budget request, with the exception of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) which would receive an additional $3 million (see related story). Read the full article »

Lee H. Hamilton, president and director of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, recently announced the members of the 2009-2010 fellowship class. The 24 fellows, most of whom will arrive in September 2009 to spend an academic year in residence at the Center, include scholars and practitioners from the United States, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Israel, United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan. Read the full article »

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) would receive $170 million under the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies fiscal year (FY) 2010 bill (H.R. 2996) (H. Rept. 111-180) that was passed (254-173) by the House of Representatives on June 26. This represents a $15 million increase over the FY 2009 level of $155 million. Read the full article »

The National Park Service (NPS) would receive $2.7 billion under the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies fiscal year (FY) 2010 bill (H.R. 2996) (H. Rept. 111-180) that was passed (254-173) by the House of Representatives on June 26. This represents a $198 million increase over the FY 2009 level. Read the full article »

The Smithsonian Institution would receive $774 million under the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies fiscal year (FY) 2010 bill (H.R. 2996) (H. Rept. 111-180) that was passed (254-173) by the House of Representatives on June 26. This represents a $43 million increase over the FY 2009 level of $731 million. Read the full article »

On June 23, 2009, the Nixon Presidential Library opened approximately 154 hours of tape recordings from the Nixon White House recorded in January and February 1973, and consisting of approximately 994 conversations. The conversations cover topics such as the conclusion of a peace settlement between the United States and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the return of American POWs, President Nixon’s second inauguration, the U.S. and Europe, the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, energy policy, the reorganization of the executive branch, and the first Watergate trial. Read the full article »

On June 22, the National Park Service announced the award of 33 grants totaling $1,360,000 to assist in the preservation and protection of America’s significant battlefield lands. Read the full article »

On May 27, 2009, President Obama signed a Memorandum ordering the review of Executive Order 12958, as amended, “Classified National Security Information.” On June 2, 2009, the National Security Advisor asked the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) to assist in the review by soliciting public input for revisions to the Order. The Declassification Policy Forum opened on June 29, 2009, and can be accessed on the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) Blog. The public comment period has been extended until July 19th. Read the full article »

The National Park Service would receive $2.7 billion under the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies fiscal year (FY) 2010 bill that was approved by the House Appropriations Committee on June 18. This represents a $198 million increase over the FY 2009 level. Read the full article »

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) would receive $170 million under the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies fiscal year (FY) 2010 bill that was approved by the House Appropriations Committee on June 18. This represents a $15 million increase over the FY 2009 level of $155 million. Read the full article »

The Smithsonian Institution would receive $774 million under the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies fiscal year (FY) 2010 bill that was approved by the House Appropriations Committee on June 18. This represents a $43 million increase over the FY 2009 level of $731 million. Read the full article »

This week, the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) marked a major milestone in their partnership to digitize historic U.S. newspapers and make them widely available on the Internet. The Chronicling America website—a free, national, searchable database of historic American newspaper pages published between 1880 and 1922—recently posted its millionth page. Read the full article »

On June 15, 2009, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced that 154 successful applicants would receive $21.4 million in awards and offers for a wide-range of projects in the humanities. Read the full article »

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Park Service would receive major boosts in funding under the House Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies fiscal year (FY) 2010 “Chairman’s Mark” that was approved on June 11. The full House Appropriations Committee is expected to take up the bill sometime next week. Read the full article »

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is seeking public comment on a proposed change to the hours of operation at the Kansas City, Missouri, and New York City regional archives. The proposal for the New York City archives would result in a reduction of 2.5 hours per week from the current 42.5 hours to 40 hours, and a one-half hour per-month reduction in extended research hours. In Kansas City the hours of operation would change, but there would be no reduction of service. Read the full article »

On June 12, the House Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year (FY) 2010 Legislative Branch appropriations bill. The bill includes $60 million for a new Historic Buildings Revitalization Trust Fund to more evenly spread out the cost of repairing and revitalizing historic buildings within the U.S. Capitol Complex. Read the full article »

This week, Acting Archivist of the United States Adrienne Thomas announced the appointment of Miriam Nisbet as the director of the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) within the National Archives and Records Administration. OGIS, an organization newly established under the OPEN Government Act of 2007, will provide policy guidance and mediation services for FOIA activities government-wide. Read the full article »

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) has recommended to the Acting Archivist of the United States 82 grants of $5.9 million for projects in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Read the full article »