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From Pearl Harbor to Abu Ghraib : The Evolution of Classified National Security Information and Declassification Policy and Practice Society of American Archivists, Chicago Session 602: August 27, 2011. William C. Carpenter
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From Pearl Harbor to Abu Ghraib: The Evolution of Classified National Security Information and Declassification Policy and PracticeSociety of American Archivists, ChicagoSession 602: August 27, 2011 William C. Carpenter Program Analyst, Information Security Oversight Office, National Archives and Records Administration
Timeline, 1917-2009 • 1917: Espionage Act • 1940: E.O. 8381 (Roosevelt) • 1946: Atomic Energy Act • 1961: E.O. 10964 (Kennedy) • 1972: E.O. 11652 (Nixon) • 1995: E.O. 12958 (Clinton) • 2009: E.O. 13526 (Obama)
Exemption Categories • Intelligence Sources and Methods • Weapons of Mass Destruction • Cryptology • Weapons Technology • War Plans • Foreign Relations • Protection of the President • Emergency Planning • Treaty or Statute
Declassification Milestones • At 25 years: all permanent records declassified, unless specifically exempted under an Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP)-approved exemption • At 50 years: all previously exempted records declassified, except for: • Identity of a human intelligence source • Design of weapons of mass destruction • Other “extraordinary cases,” as approved by the ISCAP • At 75 years: all previously exempted records declassified, except for specific information proposed by an agency head and approved by the ISCAP, with a specified future declassification date
Sources and Contact Information • Sources of sample documents: • Pearl Harbor: The “Magic” Background of Pearl Harbor, vol. 1. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977. • VENONA: http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/declass/venona/index.shtml • Secret Writing: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usnationalarchives/sets/72157626452036717/ • Taguba Report: http://www.dod.gov/pubs/foi/operation_and_plans/Detainee/taguba/ • Contact Information: • William.Carpenter@nara.gov • Phone: 202-357-5466 • www.archives.gov/isoo