Congressional access to executive branch information: Lessons from Iran-Contra

The Iran-Contra affair highlights the ongoing contest between Congress and the President over access to information. To carry out their constitutional functions, each branch needs information and the ability to protect the disclosure of that information. In the case of Iran-Contra, legitimate protection of information was replaced by lies and deception on the part of Executive officials, the pursuit of contradictory policies by the Executive Branch, and the violation of congressional statutes. Congress was denied the information it needed to discharge constitutional responsibilities, requiring it to reassert legislative prerogatives by tightening oversight statutes and scrutinizing presidential nominees who had some involvement in Iran-Contra. As a result of prosecutions by the Independent Counsel, a number of Executive officials and private citizens who participated in Iran-Contra have already pled guilty or been found guilty by Federal juries. Other than some temporary mending of fences and promises of good-faith, it is uncertain whether Iran-Contra will yield more permanent and beneficial lessons.     

Congressional hearings: Neglected sources of information on American Indians

Over the past three decades, discussion of government documents on American Indians has emphasized federal agency documents and archival records. Despite the fact that Congress has the ultimate authority in Indian affairs, document librarians have not explored the considerable research potential of hearings as a format for information. This article will show, with examples from early twentieth century legislative and oversight hearings, that there is significant untapped research content on American Indians in congressional hearings.     

Congressional research service: The research and information arm of congress

Although the beginning of legislative reference service by the Library of Congress can be identified as early as 1815, a more specialized organization with the specific responsibility of providing such assistance emerged with support from leaders of the Progressive Movement just before the dawn of World War I. Subsequent revisions of this mandate in 1946 and 1970 have resulted in the current Congressional Research Service, which continues to meet the requirements of responsiveness, objectivity, and tolerance that are much a part of its two hundred years of tradition.