Archival Recovery Program
The Archival Recovery Team of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) investigates documents and other items that have been lost or stolen from NARA, utilizing news, auction houses and websites, collector shows, and tips. Operating as part of NARA's Office of the Inspector General, they have had some notable successes in recovering items like presidential pardons from Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew Jackson or a Remington bronco statute given to George H.W. Bush.[1]
There is considerable challenge in monitoring the National Archives, which contain more than ten billion letters, maps, reports, videos, and audio recordings, hundreds of thousands of artifacts, and 6.7 billion electronic files. A comprehensive item-by-item inventory has never been performed because of this size, so even recognizing that items are missing is difficult.[2]
To date, the team has recovered over 7000 items.[2]
Notable recoveries
- The recovery of classified counterterrorism documents from Samuel Berger, a Clinton national security adviser. Berger pleaded guilty in 2005 to stuffing his coat pockets with the documents and walking out. He was fined $50,000.[2]
- In October 2011, the residence of Leslie Waffen, the department chief of audio and film, was raided and two trucks of material were recovered.[2]
- In March 2016, the patent application for the Wright brothers "Flying Machine" was recovered after being missing since approximately 1980.[3]
- Nine presidential pardons have been recovered that were stolen from 1996-1999, along with other historical documents, by Shawn P. Aubitz from the Archival Operations Branch-Philadelphia, where he was employed as a curator. The loss of these documents were discovered in March 2000, when a National Park Service employee notified the National Archives that a possible item from its holdings was for sale on eBay. Aubitz served 21 months in a federal prison and paid more than $73,000 in restitution.
References
External links
| External video | |
|---|---|
 National Archives dispatches recovery team to hunt for missing treasures, Washington Post |
