Reagan papers released to public

Thousands of papers from the administration of Ronald Reagan have been made public.

Their release had been delayed by the current US government for a year.

Among the boxes opened at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, included the office files of some of his lieutenants,

They included former chief of staff James Baker and Baker's aides Richard Darman and James Cicconi.

The 8,000 Reagan presidential papers had been kept under wraps while the administration of George W Bush developed an executive order to govern release of presidential records from Reagan onwards.

Still sealed are an additional 60,000 pages of Reagan records and tens of thousands of pages left behind by Reagan's vice-president, George Bush.

The Presidential Records Act allowed the 68,000 pages of records to remain closed for 12 years because they contained confidential internal advice and deliberations among government officials.

That wait ended in January 2001. Because there is no provision under the Freedom of Information Act to keep the records secret any longer, they were scheduled for release.

The White House delayed opening the files for a year so it could review them and work on an executive order Mr Bush issued on November 1 that gives former presidents more authority to withhold certain papers.

According to the White House officials expects to finish reviewing all 68,000 records by the end of the month. Duke Blackwood, director of the Reagan library, said the rest of the records should be available to the public by spring.