Hawaiʻi and Samoa Scholars Against the Closure of the National Archives at San Francisco

On August 13, 2026, a letter was sent to the Archivist of the United States by scholars and community members concerned about the impact of the loss of access to records for Hawaiʻi and American Samoa. To date, this letter has been co-signed by over 400 individuals.

“We write specifically to advocate for the NARA San Francisco location to remain open because its records are particularly essential for research on the law, politics, society, and history of Hawaiʻi and American Samoa. Researchers and the public have a right to access these crucial records. Access to them is necessary for the rights of citizens. The closure of NARA San Francisco, and potential relocation of its collections to an undisclosed location farther away from Hawaiʻi and American Samoa, would directly impinge on those rights. NARA San Francisco must remain in place and open to the public. […]

“The National Archives at San Francisco, located in the shadow of San Francisco International Airport, is one of the most readily accessible locations on the American continent for people in Hawaiʻi and Samoa. […] We urge NARA to preserve the National Archives at San Francisco, so that public access to public records can be a meaningful reality for people in Hawaiʻi, Samoa, and the Pacific.”

See here for the full text of the letter and the growing list of signatories.