[ta43434]

    the records were burned because they were full of mold, a health hazard

This sounds exactly like the perfect kind of lie that the general public would believe. A plausible sounding health/safety reason. I'm not an expert, maybe it's true, but it rings false to me.

Surely historians, librarians and archaeologists have faced mold before and have methods to deal with it.

[jusben1369]

Sadly in this litigious world where states and companies have suffered huge financial claims related to mold it's not hard to understand a mid tier local government official panicking after talking with a local attorney.

[mattlutze]

Are we really entertaining the notion that this was a subversive, opportunistic political power play?