Reminds me of the song...."I wonder where's Kissinger
now?"................ Sorry... Couldn't resist that.
GT
Graham Kitchen
Corporate Records Manager
Unified Western Grocers
5200 Sheila Street
Commerce, California 90040
Telephone: (323)264-5200 Extension 4560
Cell: (323)243-1865
email: [log in to unmask]
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Records Management Program
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Maarja Krusten
> Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 7:01 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [declassification WAS] RAIN 060528 Vietnam
> Archive, Song Savers, Records Offline
>
> [I posted this same message on the Archives List just now,
> those of you
> who have read it there can just skip over this one.]
>
> Interesting piece on the CBS website about security classification,
> reclassification, declassification.
>
> Coincidentally, the National Security Archive just has posted on its
> website a vast number of Henry A. Kissinger's Vietnam era
> records that
> the government recently has declassified and released to the public.
> See
> http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB193/index.htm
>
> The document that got the most press attention was the Memcon
> of HAK's
> meeting with Chou En-Lai on June 10, 1972, as the Vietnam War was
> ongoing. This was the meeting at which President Nixon's national
> security advisor noted that the U.S. would accept a Communist
> government in South Vietnam. See the Associated Press story.
> "Kissinger papers: U.S. OK with takeover," at
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060527/ap_on_go_ot/kissinger_papers_5 .
> The document itself is available at
> http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB193/HAK%206-20-72.pdf
> and includes these remarks by HAK:
>
> "We should find a way to end the war, to stop it from being an
> international situation, and then permit a situation to develop in
> which the future of Indochina can be returned to the Indochinese
> people. And I can assure you that is is the only object we have in
> Indochina, and I do not believe this can be so different from yours.
> We want nothing for ourselves there. And while we cannot bring a
> communist government to power, if, as a result of historical
> evolution
> it should happen over a period of time, if we can live with a
> communist
> government in China, we ougt to be able to accept it in Indochina."
>
> So that's the one that caught the eyes of reporters,
> understandly. But
> I'd like to draw your attention to another declassified
> document. With
> the NARA reclassification controversy and other news stories, you all
> have read stories about overclassification, debate over whether the
> government sometimes improperly classifies material that never should
> have been stamped secret, etc. NARA's Information Security Oversight
> Office has warned for years about "clear cut
> overclassification" etc.
> (See, for example, http://fas.org/sgp/isoo/isoo99.html, which notes
> potential damage to the credibility of the classification system from
> errors and misuse of classification authority.) So, with
> that in mind,
> take a look as the formerly "Secret" document posted at
> http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB193/HAK-8--11-71.pdf .
>
> This is an account of Dr. Kissinger's meeting with
> conservative opinion
> leaders in 1971. Participants included the publisher of National
> Review, the editor of Human Events, etc. Consider the
> following: The
> document was marked "Secret" and the government spent the necessary
> resources to treat it as such in terms of storage and handling and
> finally to release it by going through the records declassification
> process. But the memo recounts what Dr. Kissinger told "opinion
> leaders," people from outside government who were not cleared to hear
> or see national security classified information. Therefore, Dr.
> Kissinger could not have told them anything that was classified or
> derivative of classified information!! Why then was this document
> marked "Secret"?
>
> The National Security Archive provides some background on the
> document,
> noting that the meeting took place at a time when some of Nixon's
> supporters were expressing dismay over the direction of some foreign
> policy initiatives. Now take a look at the last paragraph. Dr.
> Kissinger wrapped up the meeting by telling the publishers
> and opinion
> leaders that
>
> "Our defense theory was not reflected in the Packard statement. Your
> are right; you must judge us on our action. I recognize your
> group and
> hope you know that we are listening. I also hope that the worse
> criticism that you will have of us is that we haven't moved
> far enough
> in Defense matters. I just hope you will stop yelling at us,
> and start
> yelling at our enemies. I must say to this group that I have never
> spoken with this degree of candor before. I must emphasize that none
> of these matters can appear either directly or indirectly in print.
> Please, you cannot discuss this with people."
>
> Aha! An interesting illustrative item, for sure.
>
> If you're interested in Vietnam era stuff, there are some other
> fascinating documents posted at the website I listed at the beginning
> of this posting, as well.
>
> Maarja
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Peter Kurilecz <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Mon, 29 May 2006 17:12:45 -0400
> Subject: RAIN 060528 Vietnam Archive, Song Savers, Records Offline
>
> <snip>
> Top Secret
> CBS News - USA
> ... from the files because it was embarrassing. There was no secret
> there.".
> In fact, National Archives officials say one third of the seized
> documents
> were removed ...
> <http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/28/sunday/main1662865.shtml>
>
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