Media Registration | Jan, 18 2023
The Clements Center for National Security, Strauss Center for International Security and Law, the Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project, the LBJ Presidential Library, the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) are hosting "America’s Secrets: Classified Information and our Democracy," a two-day event featuring a public meeting of the PIDB and a keynote conversation with the Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Thursday, January 26th, and a full-day conference featuring a keynote address from Senator John Cornyn on Friday, January 27th.
On Thursday, January 26th, the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) will host its first public meeting of 2023 in the 10th Floor Atrium of the LBJ Presidential Library. The PIDB will consider the critical need for modernization of the federal system for classification and declassification. PIDB members will discuss challenges that electronic government records pose for declassification and government transparency, review the PIDB's initiatives over the past year, and plan for the year ahead. Following the hearing, join us in the in the Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium for "An Evening with Avril Haines." Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines will give keynote remarks, followed by a fireside chat with Adam Klein, Director of the Strauss Center for International Security and Law.
On Friday, January 27th, we will convene a full-day conference on the role of document declassification in transparency, oversight, education, and public trust in our national security institutions. Join us to hear from scholars, members of the media and tech field, government historians and archivists for their perspectives. Senator John Cornyn will give keynote remarks and sit down for a conversation with Will Inboden, Clements Center Executive Director.
— AGENDA —
Thursday, January 26th
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm • Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) Public Meeting
10th Floor Atrium, The LBJ Presidential Library
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm • An Evening with Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence
Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium, The LBJ Presidential Library
Friday, January 27th:
8:00 am - 3:30 pm • "America’s Secrets: Classified Information and our Democracy” Conference
10th Floor Atrium, The LBJ Presidential Library
Friday, January 27th
SESSION I
8:00 am • Registration
8:25 am • Welcome
8:30 am – 9:30 am • Panel 1: Scholars and Documents: A Complicated Relationship
- Jim Goldgeier, Visiting Scholar, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University; Chair, State Department Historical Advisory Committee
- Deborah Pearlstein, Co-Director, Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy, Cardozo School of Law; Member, State Department Historical Advisory Committee
- Jeremi Suri, Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs, University of Texas at Austin
- Sheena Greitens, Founding Director, Asia Policy Program, University of Texas at Austin
- Moderator: Aaron O’Connell, Director of Research, Clements Center for National Security
9:30 am – 10:30 am • Panel 2: Is Technology the Problem or the Solution?
- Jared Abrams, Research Associate, Applied Research Laboratories
- Ivan Lee, Founder & CEO, Datasaur.ai
- Alex Joel, Senior Project Director and Adjunct Professor, Washington College of Law, American University
- Moderator: Adam Klein, Director, Strauss Center for International Security and Law
10:30 am – 10:45 am • BREAK
SESSION II and Keynote
10:45 am – 11:45 am • Panel 3: The Future of Presidential Libraries
- Tim Naftali, Clinical Associate Professor of History and Public Policy, New York University
- Gary Stern, NARA General Counsel
- Warren Finch, Former Director, George H.W. Bush Presidential Library
- Mark Lawrence, Director, LBJ Presidential Library
- Moderator: Paul Noel Chretien, PIDB Board Member and Retired Central Intelligence Agency Officer
11:45 am – 12:30 pm • Lunch
12:30 pm – 1:15 pm • Declassification, Transparency, and the Importance of Section 702: A Conversation with Senator John Cornyn
- Moderator: Will Inboden, Executive Director, Clements Center for National Security
1:15 pm – 1:30 pm • BREAK
SESSION III
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm • Panel 4: The Media, Secrecy and Transparency
- Adam Goldman, New York Times
- Nomaan Merchant, Associated Press
- Dustin Volz, Wall Street Journal
- Josh Gerstein, Politico
- Moderator: Ben Powell, Partner, Co-Chair Cybersecurity and Privacy Practice, WilmerHale
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm • Panel 5: The View from Government Historians and Archivists
- Erin Mahan, Chief Historian, Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Adam Howard, Director, Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State
- John Fox, Historian, Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Moderator: John Powers, Associate Director for Classification Management, Information Security Oversight Office
3:30 pm • Conference adjourns
This agenda is subject to change. Please check back for updates.
Media contact:
Anne Wheeler
Communications Director
LBJ Library and Foundation
awheeler@lbjfoundation.org
Cell: (512) 731-2351 Call or Text
www.lbjlibrary.org
