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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
Assuming the version you have is a version redacted for public release I would suggest uploading it to archive.org: (specifically, https://archive.org/create/ ) I'm not sure whether the NARA hosts versions of documents redacted for public release as separate records. Given the sheer number of records they have to deal with I'd be surprised, but perhaps the redacted version becomes a new government record?
Archive.org hosts a wide variety of scanned documents - particularly highlights for me include the ENIAC manuals (for example: Report on the ENIAC) and various documents digitized by the Virtual Apollo Guidance Computer project: Virtual AGC Project
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
Research Services at the National Archives
Jun 2, 2017 7:25 AM
Mr. Steifer,
You stated that you obtained the document via a FOIA appeal but you did not state which agency has custody of the original document. Was it the CIA or NARA?
Research Services
National Archives
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
It was CIA. So you know, I've obtained documents through FOIA from State, Navy, CIA, NSA, DOE, and other agencies. I didn't even know that NARA archival documents were subject to FOIA.
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
Bill,
NARA has Public Catalog Listings which state the measured linear inches of documents and their Classification or Restrictions. These can be FOIA'd and submitted by the NARA National Declassification Center to their originating agencies.NARA also has documents that may Not be listed on the Online Public Catalog, and you would have to take a guess or ask for the SF135, or have actually been there and witnessed the event, or taken the picture. The Classified Motion Picture Titles has numerous listings of Cold War atomic testing. The new Amelia Earhart info is on YouTube. If she was imprisoned in Saipan, then there are most likely Still Pictures of other high priority target regions. It must have been difficult for the Marine Commadant to know that the real story did not match the history books. But there is always a secondary gain or agenda from the denial and disinformation. I also wonder if one of the stars on the CIA memorial, may be in her honor, if the plane design also included the photo reconnaissance of the Pacific theater. And perhaps film canister drops that were to be recovered by ship? NARA also has a PIDB Public Interest Declassification Board which obtains topics from legislative members and submits the recommendations to the President. Many of the documents are being moved into underground mines, and if there is not an SF135 in the data base, then it will sit in a vault until the next WW3 is over.....
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
Research Services at the National Archives
Jun 6, 2017 8:19 AM
Mr. Streifer --
The National Archives Catalog contains descriptions for NARA's nation-wide holdings. As you stated, the redacted document came from the CIA. Since the records are not in NARA's custody, we would be unable to upload it to our web site.
Research Services
National Archives
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
I was looking for a website to host an important nuclear document I obtained from the CIA through FOIA -- a declassified 1958 100+page CIA report on the Soviet nuclear power program. The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has since agreed to host this document, here: Wilson Center Digital Archive
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
Hi Bill,
I propose that the FOIA Improvement Act of June 30, 2016, Rule of 3, be utilized by the agency or NARA. I found an MDR performed on Desert Storm records of the 101 st Airborne, and they were not posted on the Online Public Library.
In Fact, there are NO Desert Storm Textual Records posted in the Public Catalog, even after the 25 year time frame has been reached.
The Amelia Earheart documents and photo are really enlightening, it has changed my entire perspective of WW2.
It's apparent that Naval Intelligence was deciphering the Japanese code and communications and knew she was a prisoner. The Native Islanders stated that the plane had landed, and even dedicated a series of stamps to the event.
The retired Treasury Investigator spent 10 years on the case. This also means that the US most likely intercepted the
Japanese communications prior to Pearl Harbor? The entire first strike may have been politically avoided or militarily intercepted? It makes me wonder what really happened to Amelia and what did she endure? It's obvious that the photo was taken by a native Intel operative. The rest of the Ms. Earheart story should be released, along with the good,
bad and ugly. It is becoming apparent that the bulk of US history has been clouded in secrecy and disinformation.
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
I don't believe NARA accepts FOIA requests on archival records. I wish they did. It would make my life so much simpler. Instead, I request documents from the issuing agency which has worked out well. Look for future posts by me, and you'll see the types of documents I've obtained. The next -- in about one week -- is a Manhattan Project document that was apparently classified UNTIL I requested a copy from the Department of Energy.
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
Research Services at the National Archives
Jul 18, 2017 3:09 PM
4 people found this helpfulJust to clarify, NARA does accept Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests on archival records, although most of the records in our holdings are unrestricted and are available for research without filing a FOIA request. You may submit a FOIA request to the National Archives for archival records that are security-classified or otherwise restricted (e.g. for personal privacy). NARA's Special Access/FOIA Staff will review the request, consulting other agencies if necessary, and will advise you as to whether any or all of the files have been released. NARA’s FOIA Reference Guide provides a detailed overview of the FOIA process, which includes instructions on how to submit a request.
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
Bill,
It seems that in some cases, if the records are given to NARA, then the originating Agency has "No Searchable Record" in their data base. If the records are not in the NARA database or Online
Public Catalog, then they are in some state of :"ghostly" limbo. In some cases it seems that they may be
sending records to the mine Vaults, without creating an electronic search designation, which can be accessed
by FOIA teams. Don't ask how I came to this conclusion, but it involved something like actually going to the
site to see if the records were there? There was no reference to a S135 or 258. That leads me to believe that NARA may be bypassed by some agencies and the DOD. NARA may not be aware of these physical locations since they have their own underground facilities. And most likely do not have access to the data base. NARA must submit the
records to the Originating Agencies, who in my case stated they had no records. Eventually the Pentagon FOIA office said NARA had them after months went by. Now that records are electronic, and there is no physical evidence, they can easily be transferred from server to server and into an endless rabbit hole. Many researchers will have to focus
on physical artifacts.
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
Christian Belena
Jul 20, 2017 9:31 AM
NARA does receive FOIA requests - it depends on the collection. At Presidential Libraries that are not part of the Presidential Records Act (beginning with Reagan), records of certain federal groups - such as the Cuban/Hatian Task Force - are obtainable through FOIA. Others will be requested with a MDR. It's best to actually ask the archivists who work at NARA or the Presidential Libraries and Federal Records Centers about how these things work.
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
The CIA also has an Electronic Reading Room at their web site. These documents are over 50 years old and have not been released to NARA? They should have been reviewed at the 50 year mark in relation to atomic and nuclear classifications? They have now extended the classification to 75 years, so no one will be alive when the records may be released.
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
Michael,
You are referring to "automatic" declassification. The thing is, you don't have to wait. I've obtained dozens of classified documents from various intelligence agencies simply by asking the right way.
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
A Mandatory Declassification Review can also be requested, and after 1 year of no action, it can also be requested through the ISCAP. The majority of DOE or NTRA, Nuclear Threat Reduction Agency records are classified for 50 years. Some of the Desert Storm documents actually underwent declassification, and then they were reclassified.
I Just read a May VFW article about the USS Stark missile attack by an Iraqi Pilot in 1988 during Operation Earnest Will, which killed 37 crew members. The article stated that the records were still classified. The Crew was denied the Navy Combat Action Badge. NARA has the 7 inches of Stark Investigation records with the restricted RG 518
Desert Storm records. The FOIA's for documents in NARA's custody must be sent to the declassifying agencies. So the originating agency, and agencies, must review the documents for release, such as the DOD. Once they create a common electronic FOIA portal, then each FOIA can be easily accounted for and tracked. It will eliminate the paper system and ensure accountability. Agencies are supposed to place frequently requested records on a public web site in electronic format. Some agencies are using out dated methods and are not even aware, or even ensuring the new guidelines are being implemented. The DOJ OIP summary is available, and the new motto is " release to one and release to all".
The problem is that, the agencies do not prioritize declassification. And the younger generation is too busy on their
IPhone. War is all about business and profit, and sometimes diplomacy never works. It also makes it easier to wage another war. Plus, someone has to be the good guy....?
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Re: I just obtained a 1958 "secret" CIA report titled "A Technical Evaluation of the Soviet Nuclear Power Program" through a FOIA appeal. I think it's an important document and should be made available to the public. Any suggestions?
Bill,
NARA has records that are "transferred" and "accessioned" , whereby transferred records are still in the legal custody of the originating agency. This is the type of records held by the WNRC, Washington National Records Center.
When records are "accessioned" I think it means NARA has legal custody of the records. I think NARA had a problem in the past where documents were requested and removed by an originating agency, and then never returned.
A MDR is requested under Executive Order 13526, and may be appealed or appealed to the ISCAP. A FOIA can be
Appealed and then challenged in Federal Court. Similar to Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch cases.
Certain records can be held by the agencies up to 25, 50 years, and even up to 75 years. In some cases the records are declassified, and then reclassified again. In some cases the records or computer server is not located in the United States, whereby foreign governments are not under US law. In some cases the data may not be held on a government server, and private corporations are exempt. Most individuals look for short cuts to "bend " the regulations and over classify or simply avoid transfers and accessions and FOIA disclosures. The PIDB (Public Interest Disclosure Board) is an important tool.
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