Legal opinions issued by the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel that interpret the law for the executive branch on questions of surveillance, detention and other disputed national security policies are among the Bush Administration records that are most urgently sought by members of Congress and others, and are often among the records that are […]
Noteworthy publications from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available online include the following (all pdf). “Executive Branch Reorganization and Management Initiatives: A Brief Overview,” updated November 26, 2008. “Islamist Militancy in the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Region and U.S. Policy,” November 21, 2008 (new format, with map). “Section 1206 of the National […]
The interim report from the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States appears to reinstate Russia as a center for U.S. nuclear thinking. By Hans M. Kristensen The Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States has published an interim report that buys into many of the arguments of the […]
A proposed new Department of Energy regulation would eliminate the so-called “public interest” balancing test that encourages DOE officials to release information under the Freedom of Information Act even when it is legally exempt from disclosure if doing so would serve the public interest. “This proposed rule would remove the so-called ‘extra balancing test’… which […]
The elite JASON defense science advisory panel dismissed claims that high frequency gravitational waves (HFGW) could pose any kind of national security threat. In a study (pdf) prepared for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the JASONs concluded that “No foreign threat in HFGW is credible, including: communication by means of HFGW; object […]
In a December 10 letter to President-elect Obama, Sen. Russ Feingold urged the next Administration to take a series of specific measures to strengthen the rule of law. Distilled from the record (pdf) of a September 16 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the subject, the recommendations addressed four topics in particular: separation of powers, excessive […]
Noteworthy new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News include the following. “Iran’s Nuclear Program: Status,” updated November 20, 2008. “Iran: Ethnic and Religious Minorities,” updated November 25, 2008. “Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses,” updated November 24, 2008. “Presidential Libraries: The Federal System and Related Legislation,” updated November 26, […]
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In a tense and adversarial meeting at the State Department yesterday, the chairman of the Department’s Historical Advisory Committee warned that the future of the Department’s “Foreign Relations of the United States” (FRUS) series, which is the official record of U.S. foreign policy, is in jeopardy due to mismanagement by the Office of the Historian. […]
As a matter of policy, the Congressional Research Service does not make its products directly available to the public. Recent reports from CRS on climate change and related topics obtained by Secrecy News include these (all pdf). “Global Climate Change: Three Policy Perspectives,” updated November 26, 2008. “Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Perspectives on the Top 20 […]
“The security classification process … remains a major impediment to interagency information sharing,” a new report from the congressionally mandated supported Project on National Security Reform reaffirmed last week. The 830-page report (pdf) proposes a significant restructuring of the U.S. government national security decision-making apparatus in order to increase integration and operational agility. The report […]
“The notion of secret law has been described in court opinions and law treatises as ‘repugnant’ and ‘an abomination’,” observed Sen. Russ Feingold. “It is a basic tenet of democracy that the people have a right to know the law.” “But the law that applies in this country is determined not only by statutes and […]