Declassification conference at LBJ Library Friday
The conference comes as the Archives has asked former U.S. presidents and vice presidents to recheck their personal records for any classified documents following the news that President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence had such documents in their possession.
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The committee that advises the President on which secrets to make public is co-sponsoring a conference at LBJ Presidential Library on Friday.
According to the National Archives, the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) advises the President on national classification and declassification policy.
The conference comes as the Archives has asked former U.S. presidents and vice presidents to recheck their personal records for any classified documents following the news that President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence had such documents in their possession.
The Archives sent a letter Thursday to representatives of former presidents and vice presidents extending back to Ronald Reagan to ensure compliance with the Presidential Records Act, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press. The act states that any records created or received by the president are the property of the U.S. government and will be managed by the Archives at the end of an administration.
Responsibility to comply with the Presidential Records Act "does not diminish after the end of an administration,” the Archives wrote in the letter. “Therefore, we request that you conduct an assessment of any materials held outside of (the Archives) that relate to the administration for which you serve as a designated representative under the PRA, to determine whether bodies of materials previously assumed to be personal in nature might inadvertently contain Presidential or Vice Presidential records subject to the PRA, whether classified or unclassified.”
Spokespeople for former Presidents Trump, Obama, Clinton and former Vice Presidents Pence, Dick Cheney, Al Gore and Dan Quayle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to the conference website, Friday's day-long meeting, called "America's Secrets: Classified Information and Our Democracy" is about the link between declassifying documents and "transparency, oversight, education, and public trust in our national security institutions."
Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) is the keynote speaker and will be interviewed by Will Inboden, Clements Center Executive Director.
In addition to the PDIB, the Clements Center for National Security, Strauss Center for International Security and Law, the Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project, the LBJ Presidential Library and the LBJ School of Public Affairs are hosting the conference.