Obama-Ayers documents to be released

CHICAGO, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Documents in a library at the University of Illinois may shed light on Barack Obama's ties to an education project founded by former Weatherman Bill Ayers.

The University of Illinois at Chicago said Friday it has decided it can legally open the archive to the public and news media, the Chicago Tribune reported. The documents are expected to be released Tuesday.

Conservative supporters of likely Republican presidential nominee John McCain have been attempting to make the likely Democratic nominee's relationship with Ayers a major campaign issue. Harold Simmons, a Texas billionaire who helped finance Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, has contributed $2.87 million to the American Issues Project, a newly formed group airing an ad focusing on Obama's ties to Ayers.

Ayers, son of a Commonwealth Edison executive, became a radical in the 1960s and was one of the founding members of Weatherman, a violent offshoot of Students for Democratic Society. After several years living under an assumed name, Ayers resurfaced when federal charges were dropped.

Ayers later received degrees in education and is now a distinguished professor at the University of Illinois.