|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SPECIAL REPORT
The White House email controversy: a historical perspective
By David Gewirtz
It may seem that our story of the controversy over White House email is unique to the George W. Bush White House. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, controversy over how the White House uses email dates back almost as far as email's very existence.
"Controversy over how the White House uses email dates back almost as far as email's very existence."
|
Way before the Internet, way before Outlook or Lotus Notes, way before Web browsers, Gmail, or even cc:Mail, there was email in use at the White House. And there was controversy. According to the National Security Archive of George Washington University:
President Ronald Reagan tried to erase the White House email computer backup tapes during his last week in office, in January 1989.
President George Bush [the first] signed a secret deal with the Archivist of the United States just before midnight on his last day in office, in January 1993 -- an attempt to put the White House email under seal and take it with him to Texas.
President Bill Clinton reversed forty years of legal precedent in March 1994 by defining the National Security Council out of existence as an "agency" of the U.S. Government, in an attempt to put the White House email beyond the reach of the Freedom of Information Act.
As best as we can tell, it all starts with Ollie North, Ronald Reagan, and a former scientist named Poindexter...
Flashback: Reagan administration (1981-1989) We've got some old-timers in our audience. While the youngest of you don't remember a world without cell phones, some of you old-timers remember early email systems. And one of IBM's earliest email systems was PROFs (the Professional Office System).
Time has a way of blurring our memories. In today's pre-election climate, President Reagan is often pointed to as the model president of the modern conservative movement. And while Ronald Reagan was in this author's opinion a great president, his administration was also flawed -- and racked with controversy.
In fact, it was controversy over something called Iran-Contra that starts all the fuss. We don't have space for a formal history lesson, but the basics are this. In the mid-80s, members of the Reagan administration sold arms to Iran. The money from these sales was funneled to revolutionaries in South America known as the Contras.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- Advertisement --
Write for OutlookPower today!
Share your experience and expertise with other Outlook and Exchange users, administrators, and developers. OutlookPower Magazine has grown nicely and now has new opportunities for contributing authors and editors.
Write about something you're an expert on and get your name in lights.
For Writers' Guidelines and to discuss topics, contact Staff Editor Steve Niles. This is your opportunity to shine in front of your peers, your clients, and other readers.
Click for more info! |
-- Advertisement --
How Much Time Do You Waste Typing The Same Responses Over And Over?
InsertText goes way beyond signatures, saves you time, and helps you respond to your correspondents much faster than ever before.
- Insert repeated text fragments
- Write templates that you can reuse later
- Easy to use even if you have hundreds of templates
- Much more than just copy & paste
- Works inside Outlook and from the System Tray
Turn a 10 minute chore into a 30-second point and click task.
Tap here to download a fully-functional 30-day trial. |
|
|
|
|
|
The Power Magazine for Microsoft Outlook and Exchange Users at OutlookPower.com
Copyright © 1998-2010, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. Outlook is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|