[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 180 (Monday, September 16, 1996)] [Notices] [Page 48722] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-23647] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION Nixon Presidential Historical Materials: Opening of Materials AGENCY: National Archives and Records Administration. ACTION: Notice of opening of materials. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: This notice announces the opening of certain Nixon Presidential historical materials from the White House Special Files that are commonly referred to as Nixon contested materials. Notice is hereby given that, in accordance with section 104 of the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act (``PRMPA'', 44 U.S.C. 2111 note) and Sec. 1275.46(i) of the PRMPA Regulations implementing the Act (36 CFR part 1275), the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has completed its review, and proposes for public opening, certain materials whose public release was previously objected to by former President Nixon in 1987 in accordance with 36 CFR 1275.44. DATES: NARA intends to make the materials from a file segment described in this notice available to the public beginning October 17, 1996. Because these are the final decisions of the Presidential Materials Review Board, in accordance with the PRMPA's Public Access Regulations, 36 CFR 1275.46 (i)(3), further petitions asserting a constitutional right or privilege which would prevent or limit access cannot be submitted. ADDRESSES: The materials will be made available to the public at NARA's facility located at 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karl Weissenbach, Acting Director, Nixon Presidential Materials Staff, 301-713-6950. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As required by PRMPA and its public access regulations, NARA published a Federal Register notice on January 30, 1987, announcing the public opening of approximately 628.3 cubic feet of the integral file segment identified as the White House Special Files. Under the PRMPA's public access regulations, former President Richard M. Nixon raised objections, some of which were joined in by other individuals, to the public release of approximately 42,000 documents consisting of about 150,000 pages. In response to President Nixon's objection to the public release of these documents, NARA's Presidential Materials Review Board, as required by PRMPA's public access regulations, was tasked with the responsibility of deciding on the former President's objections. The Presidential Materials Review Board completed its decisionmaking on the contested materials, which culminated with this announcement of NARA's intent to open certain of the documents for public research, to sustain certain of the objections and return those documents as private or personal and to retain but restrict access to other documents. Details of the Board's decisions will be available at the opening. The materials from the White House Special Files that can be opened are to be released on October 17, 1996. The White House Special Files were segregated from the White House Central Files by the Nixon Administration in 1972 due to their uniqueness and/or sensitivity. The contested documents that NARA plans to release are primarily from the Staff Member and Office Files and selected Subject Files of the White House Central Files. Dated: September 11, 1996. John W. Carlin, Archivist of the United States. [FR Doc. 96-23647 Filed 9-13-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7515-01-P