Abstract: This article is dedicated to the analysis of judicial standards, which regulate the policy
of classified information pertaining to matters of national security of the United States. The article reveals the policy of assigning different levels of secrecy, as well as the process and conditions
under which the term of secrecy can be extended for a documents requiring various levels
of clearance. The article also goes over the process established by US legislation of declassifying
documents and disclosure of historical materials to the general population, which could not previously
be accessed; it demonstrates the role of special commissions created in the United States in
order to monitor the protection of secret documents and disclosure of information that has already
been declassified. Article is based on the method of historical analysis and the method of analyzing
documents. The documents being analyzed in this process are those of US Federal Laws and US
Presidential Orders. The scientific novelty of this article is in the fact that the author is first to sum
up the experience of the United States over the last decades, pertaining to the area of legislative
regulations on protection of information on matters of national security. He also explains the role
of Federal Laws and delegated legislation issued by the President of the United States in regulating
the process of classifying document of the Federal US Government. The author reveals the role of
the Freedom of Information Act ensuring the proper legal protection of information concerning the
matters of national security.
Keywords: National security, protection of information, classified information, declassification of documents, executive order, delegated legislation, Federal Law, freedom of information, government official, intelligence service.
References:
Archibald Cox Reflection upon Watergate. Brandies University, 1974.
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, Aug. 30, 1954, ch. 1073, §1, 68 Stat. 947.
Classified Information Procedures Act of 1980, Pub. L. 96-456, Oct. 15, 1980, 94 Stat. 2025.
Executive Order ¹ 10290, Mar. 10, 1972, 37 Fed. Reg. 5209;
Executive Order ¹ 10290, Sept. 27, 1951, 16 Fed. Reg. 9735.
Executive Order ¹ 10501, Nov. 10, 1953, 18 Fed. Reg. 7049;
Executive Order ¹ 12065, July 3, 1978, 43 Fed. Reg. 28949;
Executive Order ¹ 12356, Apr. 6, 1982, 47 Fed. Reg. 14874;
Executive Order ¹ 12958, Apr. 20, 1995, 60 Fed. Reg. 19825.
Executive Order ¹ 13526, Jan. 5, 2010, 75 Fed. Reg. 707.
Freedom of Information Act of 1966, Pub. L. 89-487, July 4 1966, 80 Stat. 250.
Freedom of Information Act of 1967, Pub. L. 90-23, June 5 1967, 81 Stat. 54.
Freedom of Information Act of 1974, Pub. L. 93-502, Nov. 21, 1974, 88 Stat. 1561.
Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, Pub. L. 110-53, sec. 602, Aug. 3, 2007, 121 Stat. 336.
Intelligence Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1996, Pub. L. 104-93, Jan. 6, 1996, 109 Stat. 969.
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, Pub. L. 108-458, title I, sec. 1102, Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3699.
Invention Secrecy Act of 1951, Feb. 1, 1952, 66 Stat. 3.
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, Pub. L. 106-65, Sec. 1042, Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 759.
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014, Pub. L. 113-66, Sec. 542, Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 672;
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1989, Pub. L. 100-453, Sept. 29, 1988.
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993, Pub. L. 102-190, Dec. 5, 1991.
National Security Council Intelligence Directive ¹ 5 (Espionage and Counterespionage Operations), December 12, 1947 // Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Records of the Department of State, Records of the Executive Secretariat, NSC Files: Lot 66 D 95, NSCIDs.
NSR (National Security Reviews) ¹ 17 of June 15, 1989 (Review of United States non Proliferation Policy); NSR ¹ 18 of June 22, 1989 (Counterintelligence and Security Countermeasures); NSR ¹ 19 of July 7, 1989 (US Policy toward Lebanon).
Protection and Reduction of Government Secrecy Act, Pub. L. 103-236, title IX, Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 525.
Public Interest Declassification Act of 2000, Pub. L. 106-567, title VII, Dec. 27, 2000.
Public Interest Declassification Board Reauthorization Act of 2012, Pub. L. 112-235, Dec. 28, 2012, 126 Stat. 1626.
Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999, Pub. L. 105-261, Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2021.
The Administrative Procedure Act of 1946, 60 Stat. 238.
Ungar, Sanford J. FBI : An Uncensored Look Behind the Walls.-Boston: Toronto, 1976.
Opalev A.V. Pravovoe obespechenie natsional'noy bezopasnosti: ob'ekt, predmet i zadachi // Natsional'naya bezopasnost' / nota bene. - 2014. - 2. - C. 244 - 250. DOI: 10.7256/2073-8560.2014.2.11295.
References (transliteration):
Archibald Cox Reflection upon Watergate. Brandies University, 1974.
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, Aug. 30, 1954, ch. 1073, §1, 68 Stat. 947.
Classified Information Procedures Act of 1980, Pub. L. 96-456, Oct. 15, 1980, 94 Stat. 2025.
Executive Order ¹ 10290, Mar. 10, 1972, 37 Fed. Reg. 5209;
Executive Order ¹ 10290, Sept. 27, 1951, 16 Fed. Reg. 9735.
Executive Order ¹ 10501, Nov. 10, 1953, 18 Fed. Reg. 7049;
Executive Order ¹ 12065, July 3, 1978, 43 Fed. Reg. 28949;
Executive Order ¹ 12356, Apr. 6, 1982, 47 Fed. Reg. 14874;
Executive Order ¹ 12958, Apr. 20, 1995, 60 Fed. Reg. 19825.
Executive Order ¹ 13526, Jan. 5, 2010, 75 Fed. Reg. 707.
Freedom of Information Act of 1966, Pub. L. 89-487, July 4 1966, 80 Stat. 250.
Freedom of Information Act of 1967, Pub. L. 90-23, June 5 1967, 81 Stat. 54.
Freedom of Information Act of 1974, Pub. L. 93-502, Nov. 21, 1974, 88 Stat. 1561.
Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, Pub. L. 110-53, sec. 602, Aug. 3, 2007, 121 Stat. 336.
Intelligence Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1996, Pub. L. 104-93, Jan. 6, 1996, 109 Stat. 969.
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, Pub. L. 108-458, title I, sec. 1102, Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3699.
Invention Secrecy Act of 1951, Feb. 1, 1952, 66 Stat. 3.
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, Pub. L. 106-65, Sec. 1042, Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 759.
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014, Pub. L. 113-66, Sec. 542, Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 672;
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1989, Pub. L. 100-453, Sept. 29, 1988.
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993, Pub. L. 102-190, Dec. 5, 1991.
National Security Council Intelligence Directive ¹ 5 (Espionage and Counterespionage Operations), December 12, 1947 // Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Records of the Department of State, Records of the Executive Secretariat, NSC Files: Lot 66 D 95, NSCIDs.
NSR (National Security Reviews) ¹ 17 of June 15, 1989 (Review of United States non Proliferation Policy); NSR ¹ 18 of June 22, 1989 (Counterintelligence and Security Countermeasures); NSR ¹ 19 of July 7, 1989 (US Policy toward Lebanon).
Protection and Reduction of Government Secrecy Act, Pub. L. 103-236, title IX, Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 525.
Public Interest Declassification Act of 2000, Pub. L. 106-567, title VII, Dec. 27, 2000.
Public Interest Declassification Board Reauthorization Act of 2012, Pub. L. 112-235, Dec. 28, 2012, 126 Stat. 1626.
Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999, Pub. L. 105-261, Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2021.
The Administrative Procedure Act of 1946, 60 Stat. 238.
Ungar, Sanford J. FBI : An Uncensored Look Behind the Walls.-Boston: Toronto, 1976.
Opalev A.V. Pravovoe obespechenie natsional'noy bezopasnosti: ob'ekt, predmet i zadachi // Natsional'naya bezopasnost' / nota bene. - 2014. - 2. - C. 244 - 250. DOI: 10.7256/2073-8560.2014.2.11295.