Clinton’s Order on Declassification
Re “FBI and CIA: Open Up,” editorial, July 21:
On April 17, 1995, President Clinton signed Executive Order 12958 on classified national security information. The executive order expressly allowed for agency heads to exempt from automatic declassification any specific files where the release of information contained in that series would almost invariably violate a statute. The wholesale release of information by the FBI would inevitably violate provisions of the federal Privacy Act of 1974.
As the executive order recognizes, some 25-year-old information still requires protection for national security reasons. It would have been irresponsible for the FBI to declassify all 25-year-old information without review. In the spirit of cooperation and openness, however, the FBI voluntarily entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Justice to review and declassify closed case files that are 25 years or older.
Just as the FBI has a responsibility to be accountable to the American people it also has a responsibility to protect the national security and to carry out its law enforcement duties. The issue of privacy is not just a “purported concern” but a statutory requirement that the FBI cannot ignore without legislative changes. Many of these documents require a line-by-line review and a great deal of human resources. With approximately 7.8 billion pages to be reviewed, simple math will tell you that the process will take some time.
TIMOTHY P. McNALLY
Assistant Director in Charge
FBI, Los Angeles
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