NSA Declassifies and Releases the Friedman Collection

We welcome guest blogger, Dr. Dave Sherman, Associate Director for Policy and Records at the National Security Agency, who describes below details about NSA's recent accomplishment: the declassification review and release of records in the Friedman Collection. During the past two weeks I’ve had the privilege of participating in a series of events marking the … Continue reading NSA Declassifies and Releases the Friedman Collection

NDC Outlines Prioritization Plan

On Friday, April 10, 2015, the National Declassification Center held a public forum, NDC Prioritization: What Secrets Do People Want to See? to discuss prioritization of its holdings as a way forward since the completion of the 351 million page backlog in February 2014. The public forum featured remarks from the Archivist of the United … Continue reading NDC Outlines Prioritization Plan

PIDB Member William Leary to Participate in NDC Public Forum on Prioritization

We are pleased that PIDB member William (Bill) Leary will participate as a panelist at the National Declassification Center’s next public forum. The forum’s theme is NDC Prioritization: What Secrets Do People Want to See?  This is an excellent opportunity for Mr. Leary to discuss the PIDB’s recent supplemental report, Setting Priorities: An Essential Step … Continue reading PIDB Member William Leary to Participate in NDC Public Forum on Prioritization

The President Announces His Intention to Appoint Laura A. DeBonis and Solomon B. Watson IV to the PIDB

Yesterday, the President announced his intention to appoint Laura A. DeBonis and Solomon B. Watson IV to each serve three-year terms as members of the Public Interest Declassification Board.  You can find a link to the White House press release announcing the appointments here.  The members of the PIDB look forward to working with Ms. … Continue reading The President Announces His Intention to Appoint Laura A. DeBonis and Solomon B. Watson IV to the PIDB

Declassification in Full of the 1954 Oppenheimer Hearing

The PIDB congratulates the Department of Energy’s Office of Classification Management for declassifying the complete 1954 Oppenheimer Hearing Transcript.  President Obama’s Second Open Government National Action Plan tasked Government agencies, including the Department of Energy, to systematically review and declassify historical data on nuclear activities.  The PIDB is pleased to see the Department of Energy … Continue reading Declassification in Full of the 1954 Oppenheimer Hearing

The President Signs Legislation to Extend the PIDB to December 31, 2018

On July 7, 2014, the President signed into law S. 1681, “Fiscal 2014 Intelligence Authorization.”  The Senate passed the bill on June 11, 2014 and the House of Representatives passed it by voice vote on June 24, 2014.  The legislation included a section that amended Section 710(b) of the Public Interest Declassification Act of 2000 … Continue reading The President Signs Legislation to Extend the PIDB to December 31, 2018

Registration Now Open for the PIDB Public Meeting on June 19, 2014

The Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) will host a public meeting to discuss the recommendations included in its Report to the President on Transforming the Security Classification System, and its recommendation to re-examine the classification status of obsolete and historical Formerly Restricted Data (FRD) information. The meeting will focus on new processes to support the … Continue reading Registration Now Open for the PIDB Public Meeting on June 19, 2014

Save-the-Date: Public Meeting of the Public Interest Declassification Board

The Public Interest Declassification Board will hold a public meeting the morning of Thursday, June 19, 2014. We will include more details about the agenda, location and time of the meeting, as well as information about how to register to attend in a future blog post. Please visit the PIDB’s website, http://www.archives.gov/declassification/pidb/, and continue to follow … Continue reading Save-the-Date: Public Meeting of the Public Interest Declassification Board

“More Declassification Reform Needed,” says Boston Globe

The Boston Globe published an article yesterday titled, “U.S. lags in airing its old secrets.” It discusses the challenges facing the National Declassification Center (NDC) and the effect current declassification policies and practices have on providing timely access to historical records at the National Archives and Records Administration.  In the article, journalist Bryan Bender quotes … Continue reading “More Declassification Reform Needed,” says Boston Globe

New Legislation Introduced to Extend the PIDB

We are pleased to announce that two bills were introduced this week that, if enacted, will extend the term of the PIDB. On May 19, 2014, Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) introduced H.R. 4671, “To extend the Public Interest Declassification Act of 2000,” and on May 21, 2014, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform … Continue reading New Legislation Introduced to Extend the PIDB