society that better explain a later social issue than does narrow research that is confined to explicit earlier reference to that issue.

Historians are citizens, and as such will, of course, embrace diverse ideologies. Yet whether their aim is to preserve the social order or to change it, historians as historians will profit most from history by studying it open-mindedly, respectful of its diversity and complexity. Whatever their persuasion, the purpose of historians in studying history is to understand it. 15 They are most likely to accomplish that purpose by studying history as though they were ideology-free or, alternatively, as though they were devotees of what might be called "the historian's ideology," searching out diverse facts and following wherever they may lead, ever ready to modify and

15 Edward Hallett Carr, What Is History? (New York, 1964), p. 29, and Marc Bloch, The Historian's Craft (New York, 1953).

even forsake cherished assumptions and hypotheses made untenable by the facts.

One hopes that in writing history historians will resist some of the increasingly strident calls directed at them by certain of the new men. Younger scholars are being urged to put aside individual research in favor of team efforts directed at answering, usually through quantitative methods, the "important questions" posed for them by their seniors. It is hard to think of more pernicious advice. The glory of American historical thinking and writing has been the diversity, the originality, the sparkling intellectual quality, at times the perverseness of its best practitioners - determined individualists all, answerable to themselves alone. The future of American historical thought requires that this tradition be maintained and that admonitions to uniformity, whether in formulating research tasks, methodology, or in writing, be resisted to the end. O

The administrator of general services is authorized by law to accept for accessioning as part of the National Archives of the United States the records of a federal agency or the Congress that the archivist of the United States judges to have sufficient historical or other value to warrant their continued preservation by the U.S. government. In addition, certain personal papers and privately produced audiovisual materials that relate to federal activities may also be accepted. Normally, only records at least twenty years old are considered for transfer; the chief exceptions are essential documentary sources of federal actions and the records of terminated agencies.

Excluded from the recent accessions described below are those that merely fill minor gaps or extend the date span of records already in the custody of the National Archives and Records Service. As noted, some of the accessions have been made by the archives branches of the federal archives and records centers and by the presidential libraries.

PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES

HARRY S. TRUMAN LIBRARY

Portions of the papers left to the federal government in accordance with terms of the will of President Truman have been opened, including those relating to Truman's service as presiding judge of the Jackson County (Missouri) court, senatorial speech files, and the following series in the President's Secretary's File: speech file, press conference file, press release file, and general file.

The Truman library has accessioned additional papers of Will L. Clayton, under secretary of state for economic affairs, 1946-47, for the years 1947-59, and additional papers of

Wallace J. Campbell concerning the Foundation for Cooperative Housing, 1965-74. Also accessioned was an oral history interview with Edgar C. Faris, Jr., secretary to Truman, 1935-38.

Material has also been declassified and opened in the papers of Truman, George M. Elsey, and Richard C. Patterson, Jr.

JOHN F. KENNEDY LIBRARY

Accessions during the quarter included papers of John Field, executive director of the President's Committee on Equal Opportunity, 2 linear feet; Charles F. Stanton, relating to the Warren Commission, less than 1 linear foot; Samuel E. Belk, relating to his service on the National Security Council, 5 linear feet; Lee Hall, relating to the effect of the death of President Kennedy on the arts, 7 linear feet; Arthur Holcombe, professor of government at Harvard University, less than 1 linear foot; and Matthew Reese, political consultant, 79 linear feet. Also accessioned were additions to the papers of William Crockett, deputy under secretary of state, 30 linear feet; Thomas P. O'Neill, member of Congress, 6 linear feet; Richardson White, relating to the President's Committee on Juvenile Delinquency, 1 linear foot; Dan H. Fenn, Jr., director of the Kennedy library, 2 linear feet; Frederick Papert, advertising and campaign assistant to Robert F. Kennedy and others, 10 linear feet; Frank Mankiewicz, relating to his books Perfectly Clear and U. S. vs. Nixon, 5 linear feet; and Roger Jones, deputy under secretary of state, 2 linear feet.

These papers were opened for research use during this quarter: a portion of the White House papers of Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.; part of the Kennedy-Johnson files of Walter Heller, chairman of the Council of Economic

Advisers; and the papers of John Kenneth Galbraith.

The following oral history interviews were opened: J. W. Fulbright (permission required), Dean Rusk, John Hughes Hallett, Joseph Satterthwaite, and Charles E. Darlington (portions closed).

LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON LIBRARY

An additional 12 cubic feet of the papers of Samuel Halperin dating from 1964 to 1969

were received, but will require processing before they can be opened for research. Halperin served as assistant commissioner of education for legislation and as deputy assistant secretary of health, education, and welfare for legislation.

Congressman J. J. Pickle donated tapes and transcripts of a series of meetings in July of this year between members of Congress and Egyptian and Israeli officials.

The Records Declassification Division systematically reviews security-classified documents accessioned by the National Archives, primarily World War II records that are at least thirty years old. Researchers should address any questions about the records to the unit holding them and should bear in mind that restrictions may prevent the release of some records even though they have been declassified. Significant records opened since September 1975 or presently being declassified are described below.

CIVIL ARCHIVES DIVISION

DIPLOMATIC BRANCH

Review and declassification of selected files of the Department of State decimal files, 194549, were initiated with priority being given to files relating to the occupation government of Germany. Review of records maintained by the State Department of the State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee, 1941-49, was also begun.

GENERAL ARCHIVES DIVISION

Review and declassification of War Department G-2 (intelligence staff) pre-1946 project decimal files, 666 cubic feet; decimal correspondence and supplemental files, 440 cubic feet; confidential and secret cable files, 308 cubic feet, have been completed.

Pre-1946 records of naval districts and shore establishments, 135 cubic feet, have been reviewed and declassified. Included are records of overseas bases in Italy, Algeria, Morocco, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, British West Indies, and Cuba, as well as those of the 3d, 5th, and 14th naval districts.

Records, 564 cubic feet, of the Navy Bureau of Ordnance restricted and confidential general correspondence files, 1940-44, have been reviewed and largely declassified.

Various army air force pre-1946 records, including staff messages, top secret messages, and files of the air inspector general, totaling 166 cubic feet, have been declassified.

Review of the pre-1946 records of State Department foreign service posts continues.

MILITARY ARCHIVES DIVISION

MODERN MILITARY BRANCH

Legislative and subject files, 23 cubic feet, of the navy members of the Board of War Communications, 1940-47, have been reviewed and largely declassified.

Various pre-1946 record series of the navy's Hydrographic Office, 24 cubic feet, have been reviewed and largely declassified.

Naval combat narratives, 1941-45, from the files of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, 5 cubic feet, have been reviewed and largely declassified.

Pre-1946 reports of opinions and of attitudes of military personnel stationed overseas from the files of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, 6 cubic feet, have been reviewed and declassified.

The classified records of William D. Leahy as chief of staff to the commander in chief, 194250, deposited with the records of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 61⁄2 cubic feet, have been reviewed and largely declassified.

Review of incoming and outgoing confidential and secret messages of the War Plans Division/Operations and Plans Division for the World War II period began during the quarter.