The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Featured Posting

Archive Director Testifies to U.S. Senate on Over-classification

Washington, D.C., March 23, 2023 - The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs invited the National Security Archive to…

Mar 23, 2023

Previous Postings

Key Agencies Missing from Central Freedom of Information Act Portal

Mar 9, 2023

Inter-American Court Orders Opening of Military Archives

Jan 24, 2023

Censored by CIAin 2022 v. Published in 2021

The Public Document a Federal Judge and the CIA Don’t Want You to See

Oct 4, 2022

Haspel Personally Observed CIA Waterboarding, Witness Testifies

Jun 23, 2022

The Capitol Riot: A Chronology

Jun 13, 2022

The Capitol Riot: Trump’s Shadow Call Log

Jun 9, 2022

Former President Trump Wins Rosemary Award for Worst in Open Government in 2021

Mar 16, 2022

U.S. National Archives’ (NARA) Budget: The 30-Year Flatline

Mar 11, 2022

President Trump May Have Violated Laws Protecting Government Property When He Destroyed, Removed Records, NGOs Assert

Feb 9, 2022

Thank you

Generous funding provided by the CS Fund/Warsh-Mott Legacy and the Open Society Foundations

Featured FOIA Roundtable

In the more than 50 years that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has been on the books, it has helped revolutionize Americans’ understanding of how their government works in practice. But the agencies and departments of the executive branch that are covered by the FOIA have persistently attempted to thwart its effective implementation.

featured interview

Nate Jones stops by NPR's All Things Considered to discuss the thousands of Donald Rumsfeld "snowflakes" that were released in response to the Archive's FOIA lawsuit.

In the Media

CIA director personally intervenes in long-forgotten press wiretapping matter (in a good way)

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

May 8, 2023

Empowering a Small Federal Office Could Help Reform the Records Classification System

Government Executive

Mar 27, 2023

The Justice Department Underscores the Need for FOIA ‘Presumption of Openness’

Government Executive

Mar 13, 2023

Overclassification overkill: The US government is drowning in a sea of secrets

The Conversation

Mar 2, 2023

The National Intelligence Director: Over-Classification Undermines Democracy

Government Executive

Jan 30, 2023

Featured Videos

FOIA 50th Anniversary - American History TV visits the National Security Archive to talk FOIA history with our director, Tom Blanton. Watch the informative and entertaining 11-minute clip here:

Man vs. FOIA - McClatchyDC talks with National Security Archive FOIA Project Director Nate Jones about the FOIA requesting process.

Why We File - During celebration of the Sunshine Week 2018 Nate Jones talks to the Export Import Bank about the Freedom of Information Act from a requester's perspective.