The Carter administration followed suit. In spite of the government's agreement that the material should be released, the judge who heard the matter erroneously held that historical interest could never justify grand jury disclosure. If that view was ever correct, the courts have made it clear that it is no longer the law. Part of it may be simply the administration's constant effort to steal the Republicans' thunder on law-enforcement issues. But there is, of course, another less noble reason why governments prefer secrecy.
Secrecy hides government misconduct and blunders.
To be sure, this administration will not be embarrassed by disclosures about Richard Nixon's involvement in the Hiss case and the Truman administration's attempts to quash his investigation. It may, however, have reason to try to seek eternal concealment of its own actions in matters as disparate as Waco, the campaign finance scandal, those travel office firings, perhaps Craig Livingstone's rampage through FBI files of past Republican appointees, and, of course, the great Web Hubbell job search. Perhaps this administration simply has more reason than the Ford and Carter administrations to prefer secrecy to openness. Its actions will do little to enhance Bill Clinton's place in history. Still, to the extent any secrets can be kept, Attorney General Janet Reno seems to have her priorities wrong in continuing this fight.