[78-L] Theft of Recordings at NARA

[Michael Biel]

Gregg --  I agree with you 100%.  I just wanted the group to realize
that this is a deep personal tragedy and try to avoid a mindless piling
on.  Some of you know that I know of the antics of two other archive
thieves, come to think of it, it really is four all together.  I try to
be civil when discussing these privately and now I think that maybe I
haven't.  All of these four thought they were "rescuing" their
acquisitions, which they weren't really, but Les wasn't.  All that he
took were safe, and he knew it.  Maybe I have been too easy on him.   He
knew these others who have gotten away with it.  But he also knew Philip
Peterson who did not get away with it, and he was caught the exact way
Peterson was  -- trying to sell an easily identifiable item.  I was
furious with Peterson, and I guess I should be furious with Les.  I just
can't bring myself to be mad at him personally, only just angry that he
did this.  And did this to himself.

(I am only identifying Peterson by name publicly because he was tried,
convicted, and served jail time.  He pilfered Edison documents and
artifacts from the site, hidden in the thousands of photocopies he was
making there at the same time.)

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  

-------- Original Message --------

From: <gdkimball at cox.net>


Mike, I certainly can understand how your personal relationship could
color your view of this, and Paul, yes, there are life and death matters
that certainly transcend this case--and most other things in life. But
please don't reduce this to "whining over a few records" or quibbling
about whether the materials are duplicates or "replaceable."

If you believe this type of theft is trivial or in any way excusable,
then how can you subscribe to the importance, mission, and ethics of
such archives? In our profession there is no greater ethical breach than
an archivist, entrusted with the care and safe-keeping of records,
violating that public trust through theft or the destruction of records.
If we can sugar coat something like this, we might as well not bother
having archives. 

Personally and professionally, I am glad that NARA is taking such a
public and aggressive stand against theft recently. For too long these
things were swept under the rug and perpetrators were allowed to give
back materials without consequences, for fear of bad publicity to the
institution. I hope that this is changing. I bear no personal animus to
this gentleman. He made a bad decision and is suffering the
consequences. Professionally . . . that's another story.

Gregg Kimball


---- Michael Biel <mbiel at mbiel.com> wrote: 
> From: Paul Christenzen <picz65 at gmail.com>
> > Puh-leeze.... is this "Over-reaction Thursday" and nobody told me? The 
> > world's goin' to he** in a handbasket, the economy's in the tank, etc, 
> > etc, etc and we're whining over a few records that somebody probably got 
> > a hugely inflated tax deduction for? Write your letters about something 
> > important!
> 
> Thank you, Paul. I did not want to post anything about this situation,
> but I and many other friends of Les have been heartsick over this for
> the past year. We have been asking each other why did he do this. A
> number of us are getting together next week for quite another reason,
> but I have a feeling that we'll bring this up and maybe have a good cry
> over it. We really are heartbroken, and we just can't join into the
> hatefest.
>