Researchers as constituents: Three exceptions to the rules governing access to the records of congressional committees

Abstract

Researcher access to the unpublished records of the U.S. Congress is governed by rules imposed by each chamber. Constituents can play a role in encouraging exceptions to those established rules by voicing their interest in specific records either at the time they are being created or after they are archived. Drawing on published congressional committee reports, hearings, and experience with the process, the author examines the public's influence on the Senate and House of Representatives' decisions to make exceptions to its standard access policies relating to the records of the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, the House Select Committee on Assassinations, and the House Un-American Activities Committee.