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CNN Saturday Morning News

"The Novak Zone"

Aired September 27, 2003 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: Now time for The Novak Zone. The rotunda of the National Archives Building in the nation's capital reopened this month after a major renovation project.
Here is Robert Novak with all of the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to The Novak Zone.

We're in the rotunda of the National Archives in downtown Washington, D.C., home of the Charters of Freedom -- the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights -- with the senior curator of the National Archives, Stacey Bredhoff.

Ms. Bredhoff, the archives have been closed for more than two and half -- two years. It just reopened. What did you do during those -- that time that the archives were closed?

STACEY BREDHOFF, CURATOR, NATIONAL ARCHIVES: Well, for one thing, we reencased the Charters of Freedom. They're all in new state-of-the-art encasements. The beautiful murals that you see here were taken down off the walls, restored, and put back. And the exhibit cases were just made more accessible in many ways.

NOVAK: How much did that cost?

BREDHOFF: Well, it cost over $100 million altogether.

NOVAK: And that's -- the government pays for that?

BREDHOFF: Mostly government, and the -- and private funds also.

NOVAK: Now, I understand that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were examined during this period that they were taken out. What -- did you find anything interesting about them?

BREDHOFF: Well, the conservators found that they were in -- the Constitution, particularly, was in excellent condition. It was very strong and in great condition.

The Declaration of Independence has had a harder history. It's always been beloved, and in its early years of the nation, it was rolled up and put in burlap sacks and hauled around throughout the Revolutionary War. So it had a harder history. But it too is stable. And all of the charters are in good shape.

NOVAK: This beautiful building was built in 1931 in downtown Washington. That is in the middle of the Depression. (UNINTELLIGIBLE), how did that happen?

BREDHOFF: Well, there -- up until the 1930s, there had been no national archives. And the records were not kept in any central place. So it was a priority at that time to establish a record keeper for the United States, and that's what we are.

NOVAK: What was here before the archives were built here in this part of town?

BREDHOFF: This was -- it was called Market Square, and it was a public market.

NOVAK: Ms. Bredhoff, there are so many things to see in Washington for tourists, the Capitol, the White House -- I guess you can go to the White House again -- the Smithsonian Institution. Why would you come to the archives?

BREDHOFF: Well, I think the main experience here is to see the Charters of Freedom, the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, because even though we know what is written in them, we can open up any textbook and see what's written in them, there is a certain power just in being in the physical presence, because the hands of the people that risked everything to get this nation started were -- touched those documents.

NOVAK: Do you have other documents here that -- at the archives?

BREDHOFF: The National Archives has billions, literally billions of paper documents, millions of photographs, maps, charts, architectural drawings, of course, electronic records, motion pictures, sound recordings. So there's a huge volume of federal records.

NOVAK: I understand that maybe not here in this building -- because you have another building out in Maryland, don't you?

BREDHOFF: Yes, in College Park, Maryland.

NOVAK: I understand that there is a record of all the military who served this country in the armed services, is that right?

BREDHOFF: That's right. The National Archives has military records.

NOVAK: Can a person, just an ordinary citizen, go out and see if his great-great-grandfather -- what kind of war record he had?

BREDHOFF: Well, as a matter of fact, 80 percent of the researchers that come to the National Archives are genealogists. And they're looking for information about family members. And this is the place to come for that. NOVAK: How accessible is this building and the place in College Park to researchers? Can anybody just walk in, or do have you to be certified, or what?

BREDHOFF: You have to be 16 years of age. And that is the only requirement to obtain a research card.

NOVAK: How many people come through here a year, do you have anything like that?

BREDHOFF: We get about a million visitors who come to the National Archives, primarily to see the Charters of Freedom.

NOVAK: And now the big question for Stacey Bredhoff, senior curator of the National Archives.

Ms. Bredhoff, I am fortunate enough to live right across the street from the archives, to tell you the truth. And I get up in the morning and often get out on my deck and look at the -- at your beautiful building. And there is a sign that, if I put on my binoculars, I can read. It says, "What Is Past Is Prologue." Do you know what that means?

BREDHOFF: Well, I think it means that it's important to remember the past, because it has lessons for us all. And this building is filled with records of the stories of United States history, and there are lessons in it for everybody.

NOVAK: President Eisenhower once said in a speech that that meant, "We ain't seen nothin' yet." Do you think that's a good explanation?

BREDHOFF: I do, yes.

NOVAK: Stacey Bredhoff, thank you very much.

BREDHOFF: Thank you very much.

NOVAK: And thank you for being in The Novak Zone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 27, 2003 - 09:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: Now time for The Novak Zone. The rotunda of the National Archives Building in the nation's capital reopened this month after a major renovation project.
Here is Robert Novak with all of the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to The Novak Zone.

We're in the rotunda of the National Archives in downtown Washington, D.C., home of the Charters of Freedom -- the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights -- with the senior curator of the National Archives, Stacey Bredhoff.

Ms. Bredhoff, the archives have been closed for more than two and half -- two years. It just reopened. What did you do during those -- that time that the archives were closed?

STACEY BREDHOFF, CURATOR, NATIONAL ARCHIVES: Well, for one thing, we reencased the Charters of Freedom. They're all in new state-of-the-art encasements. The beautiful murals that you see here were taken down off the walls, restored, and put back. And the exhibit cases were just made more accessible in many ways.

NOVAK: How much did that cost?

BREDHOFF: Well, it cost over $100 million altogether.

NOVAK: And that's -- the government pays for that?

BREDHOFF: Mostly government, and the -- and private funds also.

NOVAK: Now, I understand that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were examined during this period that they were taken out. What -- did you find anything interesting about them?

BREDHOFF: Well, the conservators found that they were in -- the Constitution, particularly, was in excellent condition. It was very strong and in great condition.

The Declaration of Independence has had a harder history. It's always been beloved, and in its early years of the nation, it was rolled up and put in burlap sacks and hauled around throughout the Revolutionary War. So it had a harder history. But it too is stable. And all of the charters are in good shape.

NOVAK: This beautiful building was built in 1931 in downtown Washington. That is in the middle of the Depression. (UNINTELLIGIBLE), how did that happen?

BREDHOFF: Well, there -- up until the 1930s, there had been no national archives. And the records were not kept in any central place. So it was a priority at that time to establish a record keeper for the United States, and that's what we are.

NOVAK: What was here before the archives were built here in this part of town?

BREDHOFF: This was -- it was called Market Square, and it was a public market.

NOVAK: Ms. Bredhoff, there are so many things to see in Washington for tourists, the Capitol, the White House -- I guess you can go to the White House again -- the Smithsonian Institution. Why would you come to the archives?

BREDHOFF: Well, I think the main experience here is to see the Charters of Freedom, the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, because even though we know what is written in them, we can open up any textbook and see what's written in them, there is a certain power just in being in the physical presence, because the hands of the people that risked everything to get this nation started were -- touched those documents.

NOVAK: Do you have other documents here that -- at the archives?

BREDHOFF: The National Archives has billions, literally billions of paper documents, millions of photographs, maps, charts, architectural drawings, of course, electronic records, motion pictures, sound recordings. So there's a huge volume of federal records.

NOVAK: I understand that maybe not here in this building -- because you have another building out in Maryland, don't you?

BREDHOFF: Yes, in College Park, Maryland.

NOVAK: I understand that there is a record of all the military who served this country in the armed services, is that right?

BREDHOFF: That's right. The National Archives has military records.

NOVAK: Can a person, just an ordinary citizen, go out and see if his great-great-grandfather -- what kind of war record he had?

BREDHOFF: Well, as a matter of fact, 80 percent of the researchers that come to the National Archives are genealogists. And they're looking for information about family members. And this is the place to come for that. NOVAK: How accessible is this building and the place in College Park to researchers? Can anybody just walk in, or do have you to be certified, or what?

BREDHOFF: You have to be 16 years of age. And that is the only requirement to obtain a research card.

NOVAK: How many people come through here a year, do you have anything like that?

BREDHOFF: We get about a million visitors who come to the National Archives, primarily to see the Charters of Freedom.

NOVAK: And now the big question for Stacey Bredhoff, senior curator of the National Archives.

Ms. Bredhoff, I am fortunate enough to live right across the street from the archives, to tell you the truth. And I get up in the morning and often get out on my deck and look at the -- at your beautiful building. And there is a sign that, if I put on my binoculars, I can read. It says, "What Is Past Is Prologue." Do you know what that means?

BREDHOFF: Well, I think it means that it's important to remember the past, because it has lessons for us all. And this building is filled with records of the stories of United States history, and there are lessons in it for everybody.

NOVAK: President Eisenhower once said in a speech that that meant, "We ain't seen nothin' yet." Do you think that's a good explanation?

BREDHOFF: I do, yes.

NOVAK: Stacey Bredhoff, thank you very much.

BREDHOFF: Thank you very much.

NOVAK: And thank you for being in The Novak Zone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com