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A federal judge on Friday ordered Boston College to turn over to the government, to provide to British authorities, documents related to seven interview subjects in an oral history collection on the violence in Northern Ireland, The Boston Globe reported. An earlier order is the subject of a stay by a federal appeals court, which is currently reviewing the legal issues in the case. The British government, citing a treaty with the United States, says that the documents could help with ongoing criminal investigations. But many historians have been alarmed by the case, saying that forcing Boston College to release the documents could discourage people from participating in oral history interviews. The interviews at Boston College, like those in many such oral history collections, were intended for release only after specified time periods, such as the death of those who spoke with researchers.
