Clinton library releases files on UFOs

Under fire for its sluggish processing of files from President Clinton's White House, the National Archives released files and photographs yesterday responding to 14 Freedom of Information Act requests from members of the public. The records appear unlikely to contain any political bombshells, though there could be fodder for the tabloids. Many of the requests sought information about the Clinton White House's records on unidentified flying objects or UFOs. The files detail the predilection of one of Mr. Clinton's chiefs of staff, John Podesta, for the extraterrestrial-laden television series, "the X-Files." A listing of the newly-released files is available on the Web at - this link. In a recent court filing, the Clinton Library's acting director, Emily Robison, said it had 287 pending requests for information from the Clinton Library's archives. The responsive records could total 10.5 million pages, she said. So far, the library has released records in response to just 18 Freedom of Information Act requests, according to the library's Web site.

At a debate for Democratic presidential candidates last week, one of the moderators, Timothy Russert of NBC News, questioned Senator Clinton about her husband's decision to ask the library to consider for withholding certain records about Mrs. Clinton, as well as other files.