30+ Years of Freedom of Information Action

United States and Canada

Studies in Intelligence: New Articles from The CIA's In-House Journal
Jun 4, 2013 | Briefing Book
Related Links Reading the North Korea Tea Leaves April 11, 2013 The Central Intelligence Agency's 9/11 File June 19, 2012 The National Security Agency Declassified March 11, 2005   [Bookmark and Share]    
National Security Agency Tasked with Targeting Adversaries' Computers for Attack Since Early 1997, According to Declassified Document
Apr 26, 2013 | Briefing Book
Since at least 1997, the National Security Agency (NSA) has been responsible for developing ways to attack hostile computer networks as part of the growing field of Information Warfare (IW), according to a recently declassified internal NSA publication posted today by the non-governmental National Security Archive ("the Archive") at The George Washington University. Declaring that "the future of warfare is warfare in cyberspace," a former NSA official describes the new activity as "sure to be a catalyst for major change" at the super-secret agency.
Freedom of Information Follies: FOIA Reviewers Declassify Same Rwanda Document Four Times, Creating New Secrets Each Time
Apr 3, 2013 | Briefing Book
Washington, D.C., April 3, 2013 – The U.S. government's Freedom of Information Act reviewers produced four different versions of the same State Department document over a 12-year period, releasing different information each time, according to the National Security Archive's posting today of the documents obtained by author and journalist Michael Dobbs.
D.C. Circuit Rejects Justice Department "Maneuver"
Apr 2, 2013 | News
Washington, DC, April 2, 2013 – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today rejected the Justice Department's "impermissible" "maneuver" that would have kept "FOIA requests bottled up in limbo for months or years on end," according to the unanimous decision in the CREW v. FEC case, now remanded to the District Court.
Justice Department Repeats as Rosemary Award Winner For Worst Open Government Performance in 2012
Mar 15, 2013 | News
Washington, DC, March 15, 2013 – The Department of Justice has earned the dubious distinction of winning the infamous Rosemary Award for the second time in a row, for worst open government performance of any federal agency over the past year, according to the award citation posted today by the independent non-governmental National Security Archive at www.nsarchive.org.
Freedom of Information Regulations: Still Outdated, Still Undermining Openness
Mar 13, 2013 | Briefing Book
IN THE NEWS Agencies lag on transparency, report says By Josh Hicks, The Washington Post, December 4, 2012 Federal Agencies Are Failing to Uphold Obama's Stated Commitment to Transparency By Rebecca J. Rosen, The Atlantic, December 5, 2012 TexMessage: Cornyn chides Obama administration for failing to meet transparency standards of his 2007 law By Jana Kasperkevic, Houston Chronicle, December 5, 2012 Obama's FOIA lag draws fire from left and right By Dave Boyer, The Washington Times, December 4, 2012 Survey finds most agencies ignore FOIA update orders Washington Examiner, December 4, 2012
U.S. Had Plans for "Full Nuclear Response" In Event President Killed or Disappeared during an Attack on the United States
Dec 12, 2012 | Briefing Book
Washington, D.C., December 12, 2012 – As late as 1968, the U.S. government had plans in place to fire an automatic "full nuclear response" against both the Soviet Union and China in the event of the death or disappearance of the President in the course of an attack against the United States, but President Lyndon Johnson changed that policy in October 1968, according to a previously Top Secret document published today for the first time by the National Security Archive.
Outdated Agency Regs Undermine Freedom of Information
Dec 4, 2012 | Briefing Book
IN THE NEWS Updated December 6, 2012 Agencies lag on transparency, report says By Josh Hicks, The Washington Post, December 4, 2012 Federal Agencies Are Failing to Uphold Obama's Stated Commitment to Transparency By Rebecca J. Rosen, The Atlantic, December 5, 2012 TexMessage: Cornyn chides Obama administration for failing to meet transparency standards of his 2007 law By Jana Kasperkevic, Houston Chronicle, December 5, 2012 Obama's FOIA lag draws fire from left and right By Dave Boyer, The Washington Times, December 4, 2012
Declassified Documents Trace U.S. Policy Shifts on Use of Commercial Satellite Imagery from 1970s to Today
Nov 27, 2012 | Briefing Book
Washington, DC, November 27, 2012 – In the forty years since the first launch of a commercial imagery satellite – LANDSAT – in 1972, U.S. official policy has shifted dramatically from imposing significant limits on their capabilities to permitting U.S. firms to orbit high-resolution satellites with significant intelligence-gathering capacities. According to declassified documents posted today by the National Security Archive, internal debates within the government have focused both on the risks of adversaries exploiting such commercial platforms and on the potential benefits for the U.S.
Declassified Pentagon History Provides Hair-Raising Scenarios of U.S. Vulnerabilities to Nuclear Attack through 1970s
Nov 19, 2012 | Briefing Book
Washington, D.C., November 19, 2012 – For decades, U.S. command-control-and-communications (C3) systems were deeply vulnerable to nuclear attack, according to a recently declassified Pentagon study. The document, a top secret internal history of the highly complex procedures that connected the White House and senior civilian and military leaders with local commanders awaiting orders to launch bombers and missiles, details sometimes harrowing reports about systemic weaknesses that could have jeopardized U.S. readiness to respond to a nuclear attack.

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