Eleven Possibilities for Pentagon Papers' "11 Words"
Washington, D.C., July 12, 2011 - What were the 11 words the government didn’t want you to see?
35+ YEARS OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACTION
Secrecy and FOIA
Justice Department “Reclassifies Documents,” Fights to Withhold Ground-breaking Immigration Court Decision on El Salvadorian Vides Casanova
by Emily Willard
UPDATE: 7 May 2013, Department of Justice releases less-redacted version of decision. See less-redacted version of decision here. The New York Times is still waiting on a response to a FOIA request to the DOJ for release of the entire court record of this case including transcripts and expert witness testimony on declassified documents.
Document Friday: El Salvador’s Debate on Amnesty and Historical Memory
by Emily Willard
-Notes from the Evidence Project-
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the massacre of six Jesuit Priests in El Salvador, along with their house keeper and her 16 year-old daughter on November 16, 1989. For Document Friday, the National Security Archive is posting newly released documents regarding the case, filed by the Center for Justice and Accountability in August 2009, against 20 former El Salvadoran officials in the National Court in Spain for their involvement in the massacre.
Wikileaks El Salvador: Cables Report Salvadoran Disapproval of International Investigations
by Rachel Hatcher
US Embassy staff report that representatives from both the Salvadoran right and left expressed disapproval of possible international investigations into crimes committed during the Civil War.
Ignacio Ellacuría, killed in 1989.
Missing El Salvador Documents 3.0: Documents Found!
by Emily Willard
The Recovered Documents
Missing El Salvador Documents 2.0: NARA’s Response and Remaining Unanswered Questions
by Emily Willard
I would like to thank Mr. Kurtz of the National Archives and Records Administration for providing a candid and illuminating response to my previous post of November 17, 2010, regarding the missing documents of the El Salvador Human Rights Cases held at the NARA and the Library of Congress. I especially appreciate a clarification between the two different collections, the “Special Collection of Records Relating to El Salvador Human Rights Cases, 1979-1993” and the “UN Truth Commission Files, 1980-1993”.
The Capitol Riot: Trump’s Shadow Call Log
Washington, D.C., June 9, 2022 – As the House Select Committee tonight launches its televised hearings into the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the National Security Archive marks the event by posting former President Donald Trump’s “Shadow Call Log,” a new visual aid that helps fill in the blanks from the famous seven-and-a-half hour gap in Trump’s official call records, a gap that may be critical in the panel’s attempt to prove criminal intent.
Former President Trump Wins Rosemary Award for Worst in Open Government in 2021
Washington, D.C., March 16, 2022 - Former President Donald J. Trump has the dubious honor of winning the National Security Archive’s infamous Rosemary Award for worst performance in open government in 2021; a remarkable achievement considering Trump was out of office for much of the year. During his time in office, Trump was widely reported to have both destroyed records and prevented their creation in the first place.
U.S. National Archives’ (NARA) Budget: The 30-Year Flatline
Washington, D.C., March 11, 2022 - The National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) budget has remained stagnant in real dollars for nearly thirty years. At roughly $320 million dollars when adjusted for inflation, its budget represents 0.0076% of the federal budget — this according to a National Security Archive Audit released today to mark the beginning of Sunshine Week.[1]
President Trump May Have Violated Laws Protecting Government Property When He Destroyed, Removed Records, NGOs Assert
Washington, D.C., February 9, 2022 – The National Security Archive and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) have formally requested that the Justice Department and FBI investigate former President Donald Trump’s mutilation and destruction of presidential records as possible violations of federal criminal law.