Some notable recent reports of the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News that are not otherwise readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Federal and State Quarantine and Isolation Authority,” updated August 16, 2006. “Declarations of War and Authorizations for the Use of Military Force: Historical Background and Legal Implications,” updated […]
The U.S. Navy announced today that the “Sea Shadow” (IX-529), an experimental naval craft, and the Hughes Mining Barge (HMB-1), which was originally developed as part of the CIA’s 1974 Project Jennifer to help raise a sunken Soviet submarine, are available for donation to a suitable museum or organization. “Ex-SEA SHADOW is contained inside HMB-1…. […]
Two partially declassified reports issued by the Senate Intelligence Committee last week that were critical of pre-war intelligence on Iraq remain significantly overclassified, according to Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who said he would seek further disclosure. Furthermore, portions of the two Intelligence Committee reports that were withheld conceal “certain highly offensive activities” and “deeply disturbing […]
The Department of Energy has issued its twenty-second report to Congress (pdf) on inadvertent disclosures of classified nuclear weapons-related information in declassified files at the National Archives. The new report said that reviewers had found an additional 736 pages containing such classified information within the more than 465,000 pages of records that they recently reviewed. […]
The Department of Defense, having concluded that its interests would be best served by public disclosure, released a new directive (pdf) on policy towards enemy detainees and a new Army Field Manual (pdf) on detainee interrogation. The new detainee policy explicitly bars “cruel, inhumane and degrading” treatment of detainees who are in Defense Department custody […]
For the second year in a row, the U.S. Senate may fail to enact an intelligence authorization bill, effectively neutering the intelligence oversight process. “The failure of the Senate to pass intelligence authorization for 2 years threatens to erode the ability of the Intelligence Committee to carry out the mission assigned to it by the […]
In an attempt to limit unnecessary controls on unclassified information, Congress last year required the Department of Homeland Security to identify by title all DHS documents that were marked as “Sensitive Security Information” (SSI) that may not be publicly disclosed. In response, the first DHS report to Congress (pdf) listed approximately one thousand titles that […]
The National Archives described progress on a new National Declassification Initiative that has the potential to streamline declassification of historical records by eliminating multiple agency reviews of the same document. Two more Army Field Manuals of specialized interest were published this week: “Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) for the Joint Network Node-Network (JNN-N)” (pdf), Field […]
“The President is the sole organ of the nation in its external relations, and its sole representative with foreign nations,” according to a statement made in 1800 by John Marshall. This so-called “sole organ” doctrine has frequently been invoked by the executive branch “to define presidential power broadly in foreign relations and national security, including […]
China has test launched a DF-31 long-range ballistic missile, according to a report by the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS. The missile was said to have been launched from the Wuzhai launch site on Monday night. The DF-31 has been under development since the 1980s and Monday’s flight test appears to be the sixth flight test […]
A landmark 1953 U.S. Supreme Court ruling which affirmed the government’s use of the “state secrets” privilege to withhold information is the focus of a new book called “In the Name of National Security” by constitutional scholar Louis Fisher. The 1953 case, United States v. Reynolds, revolved around a request by three widows for access […]
By most available measures, official secrecy continued to expand last year, according to a new “Secrecy Report Card” issued by the coalition OpenTheGovernment.org. “Every administration wants to control information about its policies and practices,” observed coalition director Patrice McDermott, “but the current administration has restricted access to information about our government and its policies at […]