Last week, President George W. Bush drafted an executive order modifying the Presidential Records Act of 1978 that granted his administration power to withhold the release of presidential papers from previous administrations. Originally, the act required that sensitive documents and records be disclosed and open to the public upon request 12 years after presidents leave office.

In a time when Americans need to feel confidence in our government, Bush’s action raises unnecessary doubts in the minds of the public as to his motives. White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer cited “national security” as the primary goal of the order, but the Bush administration had been seeking to slow down or restrict the release of government documents even prior to Sept. 11, particularly those pertaining to the Reagan years.

The Presidential Records Act of 1978 was intended to apply to documents created after Jan. 20, 1981, thus making the Reagan administration’s records the first to fall under this legislation. It has never before been used, but the administration is already beginning to clamp down on the information it may provide. We worry that Bush’s executive order may be designed more to prevent the release of information that could embarrass officials with connections to the administrations of Reagan and Bush Sr. than to prevent a breach of national security.

The withholding of presidential records will have a significant impact on historians pursuing legitimate academic research, preventing them from accessing valuable resources. It will also limit the public debate on America’s past: The history that the records would illuminate is invaluable to Americans as we try to make sense of the present.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 tragedy, the public is occupied with new concerns and is unlikely to mount a vigorous challenge to measures taken in the name of national security. But withholding information is rarely in the public’s best interest. The Bush administration must place open access to vital public information above protecting the political past.