An executive order signed by President Bush places new limits on the 1978 Presidential Records Act and gives current administrations the power to restrict access to the records of previous ones. Bush, who said his order balances the public's right to know with the need to protect national security, immediately came under fire from historians, who suspect he was motivated by the desire to protect some of his own people who previously worked in the Reagan administration. The Reagan papers were due to become public record in January, 12 years after the Gipper left office.
Hijacking History
An executive order signed by President Bush places new limits on the 1978 Presidential Records Act and gives current administrations the power to restrict access to the records of previous ones. Bush, who said his order balances the public's right to know with the need to protect national security, immediately came under fire from historians, who suspect he was motivated by the desire to protect some of his own people who previously worked in the Reagan administration. The Reagan papers were due to become public record in January, 12 years after the Gipper left office.
