Evening star., 1935-09-01

which will find O permanent home In
this unique $4,000, 900 structure.
The Archives Building now contain,
some s,700, 900 cubic feet Of space, sp-
proximately one-han Of which viii be
filled with stacks In which the records
will be filed. When stacks to be built
in the interior court are completed
more than $500, 900 cubic feet capacity
will be added and there Is question
in the minds Of many as to whether
this will be adequate to accommodate
all the records which should be pre-
served for posterity.
Callers at the Archives Building au-
thorized to inspect original documents
for history or other purposes will use
the large Pennsylvania avenue en-
trance, passing huge sculptures by
Robert Aiken and beneath q pediment
carved by Adolph A. Weinman. Their
destination will be the control room
on the second floor. This large room,
with cork tile floors and sound deaf
ening walls to permit mental concen-
tration, has but one unlocked door,
and on a watch tower rising above
the semi circular control desk will sit,
at all times the room Is open, an eagle
eyed attache whose duty will be to
observe the inspection Of documents
by authorized visitors. Should he de-
tect any attempt at mutilation or
abstraction Of any document he will
push q button which will close and
lock all exits TO the structure and also
summon q guard.
On the nth floor Of the building Is
q coy but ample motion picture
theater containing the latest flicker"
equipment, for Official movies Of gov
ernmental activities now have attained
an importance In the annals Of the
country ranking with the written word.
These include motion pictures, sound
and silent, Of tory-making events
and the work Of Federal agencies, and
they will be shown on appropriate
occasions, for the edification Of his
torians but, more important, they will
be preserved in impregnable vaults SO
distant posterity may know what hu-
manity looked like back In the then
misty past when jiggly figures irst
strode across o movie screen.
THE law establishing the national
archives provides:
"All archives or records belonging
to the Government Of the United
States Legislative. executive, judicial
and other) shall be under the charge
and superintendent Of the archivist
to this extent: He shall have full
power to inspect personally or by
deputy the records Of any agency Of
the United States covernmet what
soever and wheresoever located, and
shall have the full cooperation Of
any and all persons in charge Of such
records in such inspections and to
requisition for transfer to the ma
archives, or records, as the National
Archives Council, hereafter provided,
shall approve for such transfer, and
he shall have authority to make regu-
lations for the arrangement, custody,
use and withdrawal Of material de-
posted in the National Archives
Building: provided. that any head of
an executive department, independent
ONCE or other agency Of the Govern
ment may, for limited periods, not
exceeding in duration his tenure of
that ofice, exempt from examination
and consultation by officials, private
individuals or any other person such
c--fidential matter transferred from
his department or ofice, as he may
deem wise"
From this 1t will be seen the scope
Of the National Archives is virtually
unlimited and by the same token q
Stupendous task of location, classifi-
cation and selection of material for
permanent preservation devolves upon
Mr.. Connor, the Archives Council and
the archives staff.
For many years 1t has been noto-
rious that valuable records of the
Ternment have been scattered
around Washington and the country
and, indeed, in foreign lands, as aften
as not most inadequately protected
against theft, fire, dampness, insects
and the ravages of time. So alreday
the job of spotting them and tenta-
lively selecting those that should be
kept in the Archives Building is under
way.
In the vanguard Of much larger
forces are nine document detectives"
who now are climbing into attics and
delving into cellars Of Government
buildings and storehouses for records
Of forgotten, neglected but important
chapters in the Nations history. They
are trained men who will do the first
wedding out, the final verdict resting
with Mr.. Connor and the Archives
Council, consisting Of the heads Of
executive departments or their desig-
mates, the chairmen Of the Senate and
House committees on the library, the
librarian of Congress, the secretary
OF the Smithsonian Institution and
the archivist of the United States.
When the selections are begun the
documents chosen will be removed TO
the Archives Building, but no matter
hoZ world-important they may be
they will enter like immigrants. First
OF all they will be fumigated to de-
stroy all organic life that battens upon
books and papers. Then they will be
cleaned and repaired where necessary
and then filed scientifically in the
enormous stacks that occupy half Of
the great new building.
Then will ensue the first reasoned
attempt to preserve his valuable his
lyrical papers Uncle Sam has ever
made, although as early as 1910 Josiah
Quincy Of Massachusetts, headed .
House committee ito inquire into the
state of the e--cient records and
archives Of the United States and
what measures are necessary for the
more safe and orderly preservation
thereof"
THE committee found the records
md papers In a state Of great
disorder and exposure" and recon-
mended that something be done about
it without delay. 1t was 124 years later
and after no less than SO bills on the