The Foreign Relations of the US (FRUS), one of the most important and long-standing documents recording the "official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity," is in crisis due to mismanagement by the Office of the Historian. William Roger Louis, the esteemed historian who has chaired the Committee for the last five years, presented his views in a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (pdf). According to Dr Louis, "15 historians or compilers in a staff of about 35 have left in the last three years." It's a sad state of affairs the such a venerable publication could succumb to petty politics.

November 28, 2008
The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
Department of State
Washington, D.C.

Dear Secretary of State Rice:

Foreign Relations of the United States Documentary Series

Fully conscious of the serious nature of the issues raised in this letter, I must write to you about the future of the Foreign Relations series and of the related issues of plummeting morale and mismanagement within the Office of the Historian. I have served on the oversight body of the series, the Historical Advisory Committee, for nearly ten years, five of them as chairman. I am a past President of the American Historical Association. Along with all other members of the advisory committee, I am guided by the Congressional mandate to ensure that the Foreign Relations series represents a trustworthy, full, and honest documentary record. In our judgment, the prospective fate of the series has now become so grave that it would be a failure of responsibility on my part were I not to call it to your attention.

The significance of the Foreign Relations series can be summed up by stating that, as required by Congressional legislation (Public Law 102-138), it provides the public, both here and throughout the world, with a thorough, accurate, and reliable documentary account of US foreign policy. Members of Congress, government officials, scholars, journalists, and interested citizens depend on the timely appearance of the series for an understanding of the course of American foreign affairs. This historic mission is now in danger, and, for reasons I shall explain at the end, there is a certain urgency to this letter.

My concern, along with that of all members of the committee, arises from mismanagement by the Historian himself, Dr. Marc Susser. So large are the numbers of staff members leaving, or contemplating departure, that the integrity of the Foreign Relations series is now in jeopardy. To give you a rough idea of the extent of the problem, 15 historians or compilers in a staff of about 35 have left in the last three years during Dr. Susser’s tenure.

[Thanks Secrecy news!]

State Dept: Crisis in the “Foreign Relations” Series, by Steven Aftergood, Secrecy News, December 11, 2008.

Steven reports on a recent meeting at the State Department in which the chairman of the Department’s Historical Advisory Committee warned that the future of the Department’s Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series is in jeopardy due to mismanagement by the Office of the Historian and announced his resignation from the Committee. William Roger Louis also said in a written analysis that "This year alone the office has lost 20% of its FRUS staff (7 of 35 members) and 30% of its FRUS staff experience (64 of 212 years)."

Steven has links to the analysis and other related documents.

FRUS Volume on Eastern Europe, 1973-1976, Elicits Dismay, by Steven Aftergood, Secrecy News, Sept. 10, 2008.

While every FRUS publication is of interest, the latest E-volume reinforced concerns about diminishing quality control in the venerable series.

“I was taken aback by how skimpy it is,” said Mark Kramer, director of the Harvard Project on Cold War Studies.

In principle, the major advantage of a softcopy-only volume is that it permits publication of a greatly expanded collection of records, unlimited by the production constraints of a hardcopy volume. But that advantage has gone unrealized in the new FRUS volume.

In a new report, the Advisory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation of the Department of State reports continuing problems with the essential series: Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS).

• Report of the Advisory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation,
  January 1-December 31, 2007 [early release available from the Federation of American Scientists]

The publication of the Foreign Relations series stands as a symbol of commitment to openness and accountability. It is recognized as such throughout the world. The Historical Advisory Committee believes the series is at a critical turning point. The momentum it had acquired in recent years, largely from the increase in staff and resources, has now stalled. Rather than reinvigorating its commitment to reaching the 30-year deadline, the Historian now provides reasons for why that deadline cannot be met.

Read a summary by Steven Aftergood at Secrecy News: Foreign Relations Series Still Fails to Meet Legal Deadline.