NoLongerSecretsFilter

June 29, 2005 1:03 AM

Where can one find declassified documents, on the net?

The item making the rounds of Indian news sites has been about derogatory remarks by Nixon & Kissinger about India, as per newly declassified transcripts. I wish to locate these. I can't find it through this search. Where do I find it?

On a broader note, maybe too broad, which all US departments release declassified documents? All? What's their schedule? Every day, one day at a time? Every 3 months? On request only, if time has elapsed? Is there a central access website, or a group of websites? Are there any web-publishing/blogging watchgroups that keep track of declassification and focus attention on interesting releases?

posted by daksya to law & government (4 comments total)

You are looking for the National Archives. I don't know if they put declassified records on the net, but you can always call/write and have them mail you a copy of any record.
posted by grateful at 5:16 AM on June 29, 2005

The Memory Hole has a variety of items, but of a certain tone.

The National Security Archive is pretty interesting.

Declassified satellite imagery.

CIA electronic reading room.
posted by The Jesse Helms at 5:43 AM on June 29, 2005

the department of state. mostly, they post stuff they're getting a lot of FOIA requests for, but i was surprised to find info on the Thule nuclear incident.
posted by crush-onastick at 7:06 AM on June 29, 2005

oh, and i worked i the pentagon in college for an office in charge of declassifying photographs. declassified documents weren't "released" necessarily. once a document is declassified, it is available to the public, if a request is made and the protocol permits release (and documents which match the request can reasonably be identified), but there's no schedule for--or customary practice of releasing--recently declassified documents en masse (at least there wasn't in my office!). just logistically speaking, it would be a nightmare. plus, a lot of it is of no interest to anyone.

all the people i know who get declassified stuff know who to ask and have a sense of when something is reaching its declassification point. it's networking in the classic sense. a friend of mine puts up declassified weapons videos on his website when his contacts send them along. he works with weapons developers in the course of his job, and a lot of them know he's interested in videos outside the context of his job.
posted by crush-onastick at 7:19 AM on June 29, 2005