Thread by @MarkSZaidEsq

1/My experience with the Presidential Records Act.

About 15 years ago I was bidding on this item at auction. It was described as: "Harry S. Truman Typed Letter Signed and Original Top Secret Telegram". Docs were from 1949 & dealt w/atomic energy issues & @CIA.

I needed it!

https://twitter.com/MarkSZaidEsq/status/1491611624540676101

2/But how could there be original Top Secret doc for sale? Would be illegal to possess. Except bottom right corner has original declassification stamp from @USNatArchives that doc was declassified in 1995.

What? Why isn't this at NARA then?

3/I notified @USNatArchives, which I work with (& sue!) often, that there might be stolen classified item for public sale. I was told it was likely as many items had disappeared from Truman Presidential Library over the years & an Inspector General investigation would be opened.

4/I notified auction house, which I do frequent business with, that if I won I would not pay until NARA finished its investigation. That was not an issue.

The investigation finished, to everyone's surprise, quickly. The doc was LEGIT! How could that be?

5/Turns out docs came from John R. Steelman (1900-1999), who was Truman's Assistant to the President (now called Chief of Staff). Around 1994 NARA was approached by Steelman's family that they had many presidential docs. Could they be reviewed?

6/If classified, NARA keeps it. But if unclassified, i.e., declassified, NARA can make copy for historical record & Steelman keeps it.

Prior to Nixon Administration, WH staff literally took all files home w/them, whether classified or not. There was no law to stop it.

7/But for last 40+ years, there has been a law prohibiting what Trump did. No one who works in WH thinks otherwise. And Trump knew it. He was advised of it multiple times.

@TheJusticeDept should open criminal inquiry.

#RuleOfLaw #Consequences

END/Yes, I won the declassified Truman document. 😄