Kurtz, however he may protest, is probably locked out of the records. They may have been closed simply because the records should remain confidential. However, the initial grant of access followed by its withdrawal will present the appearance that someone has done the calculation that the resentment or suspicion generated by closing off the records will represent a lower cost than allowing it to be revealed, a kind of minimax. It’s a dead end now, but a tantalizing one, the finis Africae of the labyrinth. It is precisely because Obama is such a mysterious figure that these dead ends or closed records have such an effect. If the public knew him better, and had a better sense of who he was, then there would probably be less interest in clues.