US history 2 homework

The document from the Report of the Secretary of War (General Nelson A. Mills), written around 1890, was a secondary source about the (then) current status of the Native Americans. Obviously enough, this document was not written for the eyes of the public, for there was in fact evidence that contradicted what the American Government was trying to tell "the people" about the Native's and how they weren't "civilized". General Mills was trying to show the Government how the Indians weren't able to live properly with the conditions that were given at that point and time, so it was an informing document intended to lighten situations, or at least let them be known for what they truly were. I believe this is a valuable source because it was an honest account of what was happening, not a bias Government official trying to convince even more people with more lies. However, like almost all documents recorded, there are some holes. There isn't a defending story to show how the white settlers felt, plus this is in fact a secondary document, which means that it wasn't directly written word for word, and some things could have been misinterpreted. Food for thought...how much can you trust your own secretary? Or how about a secretary of a secretary?