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The E-Sylum:  Volume 4, Number 22, May 27, 2001, Article 10

HACKEL'S MINT RECORD DESTRUCTION 

   In response to the question about Mint Director Stella Hackel's 
   destruction of early U.S. Mint records, R. W. Julian writes: 
   "The facts of the matter are as follows: 

   1)  In 1984 I was planning a trip to Washington to do research 
   in the Archives but thought a visit to the GSA record center in 
   Philadelphia might be of value. I asked Eleonora Hayden, then 
   Mint Historian, to obtain for me the necessary written 
   permission from the Bureau. 

   2) There was some delay in obtaining permission (for technical 
   reasons) but while I was in Washington permission was 
   received. 

   3) I then went up to Philadelphia where I planned to read 
   Philadelphia Mint letters and ledgers for various years through 
   about 1935. 

   4) When I arrived at the Records Center I was informed that 
   Stella Hackel had destroyed the records in 1978 and I was 
   shown a thick sheaf of destruct orders that had been kept on 
   file.  Hackel used one of her office staff to sign off on the 
   destruction and then went to an Archives employee to get 
   the necessary authorization from that quarter.  No effort was 
   made by Hackel to consult with Miss Hayden or the people 
   in the Archives who actually dealt with such records.  It was 
   done in secret and those who should have been informed 
   were deliberately kept in the dark. 

   5) I then returned to Washington on other matters.  I informed 
   Miss Hayden of the destruction; it was all  news to her.  I 
   found out later that Donna Pope had reversed the policy but 
   Hackel seems to have destroyed most of the working mint 
   records from 1900 through at least 1960 and perhaps as late 
   as 1970.   I also informed the proper people in the Archives, 
   who were equally in the dark; they had been expecting this 
   material to be sent down in due course. 

   6) About two years ago a friend asked Hackel why she had 
   destroyed the records.  She claimed that she could not 
   remember the matter at all. 

   7) Eva Adams also destroyed records but not to as great an 
   extent.  One record that she trashed, for example, was a die 
   record book which listed every  die made from 1844 to 1925. 
   Her assistant, speaking for her, said that collectors had no 
   legitimate interest in such matters and that I must be a front 
   for a counterfeiting gang.  I filed an Freedom of Information 
   Act request but Adams replied, a year later, that it was an 
   internal memo and thus off-limits. 

   When Mary Brooks became director she had, at my request, 
   a search made for this book but it could not be found;  she did 
   find many other records of value which were made available to 
   me." 

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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