Dear All,
I have been intrigued and slightly bemused by this thread. My bemusement comes from the juxtaposition of the subject line "conservatives erase history" given that the definition of conservative is one who wishes to conserve. :)
My interest lies in the deeper illusion that internet archives creates or requires. The belief that we can retain everything and retaining everything will give us greater meaning or insight into the issue. Despite our belief that we need or can retain everything, we find that people and events can actually hide in history because of the excessive amount of material gathered, ephemeral or not.
My experience with my PhD research suggests that figures in the past, who are sensitive to history, understand how to hide in the archives. Consider the contrasts between Dean Rusk and Henry Kissinger two of America's most controversial Secretaries of State (at least in the modern era). Only 5 books have been written on Dean Rusk (mine is one of them) and none of them (even mine) drills into the Rusk legacy at the State Department. As a result, Rusk has hidden in history. He left no "Rusk Papers" for future historians. Instead, he left a roadmap to any historian so inclined to recreate his work. However, the task is daunting and appears too dull to attract any historians. Even though the clues and the roadmap exist. He will remain hidden in history and can rest assured that the popular misconceptions of him remain the prevailing understanding of his role in the Vietnam War.
By contrast, Henry Kissinger has written several of his own histories and kept his own records. He has gone to the other extreme by writing his own history or version of events to challenge the historian and archivist to present an alternative view. He has created an archival wall both literally and figuratively in that any history of Kissinger must overcome or address Kissinger's version. If one considers that his memoirs cover over 3000 pages across three published volumes this is no small challenge. Moreover, Kissinger based much of his three volumes on material that he controlled. As he is still alive, he is free to add to the interpretation and understanding of his record which creates further challenges to anyone trying to find him in the archives.
The archives of both men is available and will always be available in NARA and the respective libraries that hold relevant secondary material for each man. With each year that passes, the well maintained archives become historically impenetrable. I think both men understood, if only intuitively, that the vast amount of material generated and stored about them would allow them to hide in history. They both understood that no scholar would have the time or the resources to penetrate the archives and read the material. As a result, the surface is what matters and that surface hides the deeper truths that exist and known only to both men.
If you are interested, my book can be found here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/America-Brink-Empire-Kissinger-Traditions/dp/0807131792
Best regards,
Lawrence
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