A federal court last week accepted a Central Intelligence Agency argument that the date on which former covert officer Valerie Plame Wilson’s employment at the CIA began should remain classified even though it is irrevocably in the public domain. The date in question appeared in a seemingly unclassified letter sent by CIA to Ms. Wilson […]
The Open Government Act, a bipartisan bill to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act, passed the Senate on August 3 after objections from a lone Senator were finally overcome. Senators Pat Leahy (D-VT) and John Cornyn (R-TX) successfully shepherded the legislation, which is intended to expedite agency responsiveness to FOIA requests and improve the freedom […]
Earlier this year, the Department of Defense released two annual reports on the status of its chemical and biological defense efforts (both pdf): “Department of Defense Chemical and Biological Defense Program,” Annual Report to Congress, April 2007. “Report on Activities and Programs for Countering Proliferation and NBC Terrorism,” Counterproliferation Program Review Committee, Volume I, Executive […]
Recent reports of the Congressional Research Service on the 2008 budget appropriation cycle obtained by Secrecy News include the following (all pdf). “Homeland Security Department: FY2008 Appropriations,” updated July 17, 2007. “Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2008,” updated July 26, 2007. “Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2008 Appropriations,” July 20, 2007. “Financial Services and […]
The espionage statutes concerning classified information could be employed against journalists who publish such information without authorization, a Justice Department official told Congress recently, elaborating on remarks made last year by Attorney General Gonzales. Those statutes, “on their face, do not provide an exemption for any particular profession or class of persons, including journalists,” wrote […]
Director of National Intelligence J.M. McConnell has issued new Intelligence Community Directives on standards for intelligence analysis and on document exploitation. “Analysts and managers should provide objective assessments informed by available information that are not distorted or altered with the intent of supporting or advocating a particular policy, political viewpoint, or audience,” the DNI instructed. […]
The U.S. Army Ranger Handbook, updated last year, provides an introduction to this branch of Army special operations forces, with a mixture of history, lore, doctrine, operational guidance and survival tips. “Tell the truth about what you see and what you do,” advised a historic Ranger document from 1759, reprinted in the current Handbook. “There […]
Recent reports of the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Defense: FY2008 Authorization and Appropriations,” updated July 30, 2007. “Africa Command: U.S. Strategic Interests and the Role of the U.S. Military in Africa,” updated July 6, 2007. “Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) Status […]
The latest report from the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia contains additional information about the shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles used by Islamic insurgents to shoot down a Belarusian cargo aircraft in March. Below is an excerpt from the UN report: On 23 March 2007, at approximately 1700 hours, an IL-76 cargo plane belonging to Transaviaexport, a […]
For the first time since it began debating the issue more than three decades ago, Congress is now poised to adopt legislation that will require — not merely recommend — public disclosure of the total national intelligence budget. “Not later than 30 days after the end of each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2007, […]
Recent reports of the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “U.N. Convention Against Torture (CAT): Overview and Application to Interrogation Techniques,” updated January 12, 2007. “Zimbabwe: Current Issues,” updated June 21, 2007. “Haiti: Developments and U.S. Policy Since 1991 and Current Congressional Concerns,” […]
Republican Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA) is interested in developing legislation to streamline the classification system and to eliminate abuses, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Reichert uses personal experience as a benchmark for how overzealous classification can gum up the works and deny important information to those who need it. While investigating the Green River Killer […]