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Researcher Admits Theft from National ArchivesA Virginia man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court March 7 to stealing 118 Civil War–era documents from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and selling them to a private collector and through an auction house. Howard W. Harner Jr., 68, of Staunton, said he had received more than $47,000 for the materials, which included letters from Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and George Armstrong Custer. About 40 items have been recovered.Archives Inspector General Paul Brachfeld said in the March 8 Washington Post that the thefts, which occurred between 1996 and 2002, were discovered in 2003 when Harner sold a letter written by Confederate Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Armistead worth more than $5,000. Although researchers are not allowed to bring coats or briefcases into the reading rooms, Harner managed to hide the documents in his clothing. “You want to be security conscious, but there is also some reticence about doing bodily searches,” Brachfeld said. Harner is scheduled for sentencing May 26 and faces a fine of $250,000 and a probable prison term of 24–30 months. At his swearing-in ceremony March 7, new U.S. Archivist Allen Weinstein announced plans to review security issues. The National Archives and Records Administration has already overhauled its security procedures—including the installation of cameras and recording equipment, background checks on volunteers, and the development of a pilot program on electronic tracking of documents—in the wake of much-publicized thefts by archives employee Shawn P. Aubitz. Inspector General reports made public last year through FOIA requests reveal that NARA is missing hundreds of historic documents and photos from its various collections, many of them presumed stolen. In March 2004, the agency began an awareness program whereby employees and researchers have been asked to monitor auctions and internet sites for stolen items. Posted March 11, 2005. |
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