National Security Archive
Encyclopedia
The National Security Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-governmental, non-profit research and archival institution located in the George Washington University
in Washington, D.C.
. Founded in 1985 by Scott Armstrong
, it archives and publishes declassified U.S. government
files concerning selected topics of US foreign policy. The Archive collects and analyzes the documents of many various government institutions obtained via the Freedom of Information Act
. The Archive then selects documents to be published in the form of manuscripts and microfiche as well as made available through their website, which receives a half-million downloads daily. According to a Washington Post feature story, the Archive files roughly 2,000 FOIA requests annually, collecting about 75,000 documents. The Archive appealed 549 FOIA decisions in 2006, and has filed more than 40 lawsuits to obtain compliance with its requests.
on archive secrecy, (38-page) ruling that the U.S. Archivist's reliance on the executive order to delay release of the papers of former presidents is "arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion and not in accordance with law." National Security Archives, at George Washington University
alleged that the Bush order severely slowed or prevented the release of historic presidential papers.
The Archive operates under an advisory board which is directed by Tom Blanton and is overseen by a board of directors
. The Archive's research was awarded in late 2005 by winning an Emmy Award
for its work on the documentary, Declassified: Nixon in China. More recently, the Archive uncovered a secret reclassification program operating since 1999.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4735570.stm This program was underway to reclassify documents related to American foreign policy during the 1940s and 1950s, at the National Archives and Records Administration
. The materials in question had all been declassified during the Clinton administration.
From 1985 until 1998, the Fund for Peace
, Inc. was the archive's fiscal sponsor. Among the Archive's more prominent institutional supporters today are the Carnegie Corporation of New York
, the Ford Foundation
, the Freedom Forum
, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Congressional Quarterly
, and Cox Enterprises
. The Archive receives funding from these and other, organizations via their donations to the National Security Archive Fund, established in order to administer the Archive's finances.
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Founded in 1985 by Scott Armstrong
Scott Armstrong (journalist)
Scott Armstrong is the current director of Information Trust, a former journalist for the Washington Post, and founder of the National Security Archive...
, it archives and publishes declassified U.S. government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
files concerning selected topics of US foreign policy. The Archive collects and analyzes the documents of many various government institutions obtained via the Freedom of Information Act
Freedom of Information Act (United States)
The Freedom of Information Act is a federal freedom of information law that allows for the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the United States government. The Act defines agency records subject to disclosure, outlines mandatory disclosure...
. The Archive then selects documents to be published in the form of manuscripts and microfiche as well as made available through their website, which receives a half-million downloads daily. According to a Washington Post feature story, the Archive files roughly 2,000 FOIA requests annually, collecting about 75,000 documents. The Archive appealed 549 FOIA decisions in 2006, and has filed more than 40 lawsuits to obtain compliance with its requests.
History
On October 1, 2007, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly reversed George BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on archive secrecy, (38-page) ruling that the U.S. Archivist's reliance on the executive order to delay release of the papers of former presidents is "arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion and not in accordance with law." National Security Archives, at George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
alleged that the Bush order severely slowed or prevented the release of historic presidential papers.
The Archive operates under an advisory board which is directed by Tom Blanton and is overseen by a board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
. The Archive's research was awarded in late 2005 by winning an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for its work on the documentary, Declassified: Nixon in China. More recently, the Archive uncovered a secret reclassification program operating since 1999.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4735570.stm This program was underway to reclassify documents related to American foreign policy during the 1940s and 1950s, at the National Archives and Records Administration
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
. The materials in question had all been declassified during the Clinton administration.
From 1985 until 1998, the Fund for Peace
Fund for Peace
The Fund for Peace is an independent Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit research and educational institution. Founded in 1957, FfP, a non-governmental organization, "works to prevent violent conflict and promote sustainable security.”...
, Inc. was the archive's fiscal sponsor. Among the Archive's more prominent institutional supporters today are the Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York, which was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 "to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding," is one of the oldest, largest and most influential of American foundations...
, the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, the Freedom Forum
Freedom Forum
The Freedom Forum was created in 1991 under the direction of Al Neuharth, former publisher of USA Today newspaper. Funding was provided by a foundation started by publisher Frank E. Gannett in 1935, called the Gannett Foundation...
, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
, and Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises is the successor to the publishing company founded in Dayton, Ohio, United States, by James Middleton Cox, who began with the Dayton Daily News. He was the Democratic candidate for the President of the United States in the election of 1920...
. The Archive receives funding from these and other, organizations via their donations to the National Security Archive Fund, established in order to administer the Archive's finances.
See also
- Family jewels (Central Intelligence Agency)Family Jewels (Central Intelligence Agency)The Family Jewels is the informal name used to refer to a set of reports that detail activities conducted by the United States Central Intelligence Agency. Considered illegal or inappropriate, these actions were conducted over the span of decades, from the 1950s to the mid-1970s...
, documents unclassified in June 2007 - United States intervention in ChileUnited States intervention in ChileThe United States intervention in Chilean politics started during the War of Chilean Independence. The influence of the United States of America in both the economic and the political arenas of Chile has gradually increased over the almost two centuries since, and continues to be...
- Operation CondorOperation CondorOperation Condor , was a campaign of political repression involving assassination and intelligence operations officially implemented in 1975 by the right-wing dictatorships of the Southern Cone of South America...
- Operation NorthwoodsOperation NorthwoodsOperation Northwoods was a series of false-flag proposals that originated within the United States government in 1962. The proposals called for the Central Intelligence Agency , or other operatives, to commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities and elsewhere...
External links
- National Security Archive
- Digital National Security Archive Collections
- Charity Navigator overview of the National Security Archive Fund
- National Security Archive Sues CIA, 2006
- NSA Director Tom Blanton speaks on "Secrecy in the United States: Priorities for the Next President", Rappaport Center for Law and Public ServiceRappaport Center for Law and Public ServiceThe Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service is a privately endowed public interest law center administered by and located on the grounds of Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts...
, Suffolk University Law School, October 12, 2008.