Federal Historians: Ethics and Responsibility in the Bureaucracy

Abstract

A FREE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION is vital to the functioning of a democratic society. Both as citizens and historians, federal historians have a vested interest in preserving and contributing to that exchange. To some extent, consequently, they are institutional mavericks in any bureaucratic setting. Their desire is to gather, analyze, and communicate sufficient information to portray an accurate picture of events. However, the managers of government agencies may wish to limit the exchange of information for a variety of often justifiable reasons. There is then an inherent tension in the relationship between historians and senior officials. In light of this, it is no small wonder how many genuinely first-class histories have been written. Indeed, the occasional story of historians denied access to information for unconvincing reasons must be put in perspective: federal historians enjoy access to an overwhelming amount of information in archives and official files.