A Conservative Basis for the Presidential Records Act

The Presidential Records Act requires Presidents to retain official documents, which, apart from documents that are classified as secret, are then catalogued and archived at that National Archives. Professional media reports about the federal law usually describe its intent as safeguarding presidential records from destruction for the benefit of historians. These expressions are true, but what is only implicit in them is what of greater significance: the purpose of the act is to help the public and the Electors, through the work of archivists and historians, to make better informed judgments about past Presidents and their Administrations. It is also to aid the people’s and the States’ representatives, the Congress in making laws. As a conservative and a historian, I especially appreciate the conservation of historical records, not only for the sake of historical interest for academics, but for the public interest, which is what the study of history is for, as history is the conservation of memory.