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FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2002

The former Bureau of Indian Affairs official who decided to recognize the Duwamish Tribe of Washington on the last day of the Clinton administration is charging that staff members altered a document he authored.

Mike Anderson, who ran the BIA in January 2001 and was the top aide to former Assistant Secretary Kevin Gover, says staff changed his decision document to make it appear as thought it were a draft. He claims it was an underhanded way of the staff getting back at him for not agreeing with a recommendation against the tribe.

The decision was due to be published in the Federal Register. But when the Bush administration took over, it was suspended.

Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb eventually rescinded the document. As part of his reasoning, he cited the draft nature of it and said it had not received approval from the Solicitor's office at the Department of Interior.

Anderson says the office didn't object to his action.

Get the Story:
Charges fly in Duwamish case (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 1/11)
Reversal of tribe's status blasted (The Seattle TImes 1/11)

Relevant Links:
Branch of Acknowledgment and Research - http://www.doi.gov/bia/ack_res.html

Related Stories:
Duwamish recognized, but not as tribe (11/14)
McCaleb reverses recognition decisions (9/28)
McCaleb to listen 'closely' to recognition experts (8/9)
McCaleb decision sure to draw scrutiny (7/31)
BIA pushed to provide 'answers' on tribes (7/26)
McCaleb endorses BIA on recognition (6/14)
Gover's 'activist' legacy escapes McCaleb (6/13)
Duwamish Tribe receives recognition (1/22)