The Moss connection: The freedom of information movement, influence and John E. Moss, Jr.

摘要

On July 4, 1967, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) went into effect. Passed by both Houses of Congress and signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1966, the FOIA was the culmination of more than ten years of work, involved three presidential administrations, McCarthyism, the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba, the Cold War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.; The players included media representatives, presidents, lobbyists, government officials, the public, senators and representatives. One of those players was John Emerson Moss Jr., a little-known House member from northern California who took an interest in the freedom-of-information movement, directed the first subcommittee to study access to information and rose to power within the Democratic hierarchy.; This study examines Moss' role in the right-to-know movement using a political science methodology incorporating three of the four approaches defined by Robert E. Murphy: historical, behavioral and legalistic. A pluralistic approach requires examination of more than one approach, where each cannot exist in isolation and must be mutually supportive. This study examines Moss' relationship with the press and the presidential administrations. It also examines the legal boundaries, both constitutional and statutory, which influenced the direction Moss took. This study differs from previous studies of the FOIA in that it looks not at the impact of the act but at the impact of an individual.; The study concludes that timing catapulted Moss into the limelight. The media, long involved in access issues, were looking for a white knight, and Moss, in his second term in Congress, was looking for an issue that he could pursue. Moss was no political opportunist, but he did recognize the advantage of working with the press in gaining political power. The study concludes that Moss had a genuine interest in the right to know, worked diligently to obtain legislation to guarantee that right and was disappointed in the results.