In April 2025, the Trump administration quietly dismissed all members of the Advisory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation—a nonpartisan panel responsible for reviewing and helping publish the official record of U.S. foreign policy.
The terminations, communicated via email from the White House liaison to the State Department, ended the positions effective immediately.
The nine-member committee advised the State Department’s Office of the Historian on the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series, a historical publication that dates back to 1861. The FRUS series is tasked with preserving an accurate, declassified record of major foreign policy decisions. Although the State Department claims the committee will continue in some form, the abrupt removals sparked concerns among historians and former committee members.
Critics, including former chairs of the committee, worry the move could be an attempt to politicize U.S. historical records. One former member, Professor Melani McAlister, warned that undermining the documentation of history poses a threat to democracy. Others suspect the decision was part of broader bureaucratic cuts and not fully understood by those issuing the terminations, despite the committee’s existence being mandated by law.
Currently, the committee’s website lists all seats as vacant, with no activity reported since March.
