National Archives and Records Administration

“ Comp. Robert B. Matchette. 3 vols. Washington: Natl. Archives and Records Administration, 1995.
A descriptive guide to governmental and other records under the jurisdiction of the National Archives. This excludes material held in presidential libraries. Organized by record group (i.e., government agency) , the brief entry for each group or class of records typically includes a descriptive title, inclusive dates, quantity, location, notes (on content, type or purpose of documents, completeness, or organization) , and finding aids. ”

“ Such policies and procedures require the approval of the agency head and shall be sufficiently detailed to ensure that redaction is performed consistently and reliably, using only approved redaction methods that permanently remove the classified information from copies of the documents intended for release. Agencies shall ensure that personnel who perform redaction fully understand the policies, procedures, and methods and are aware of the vulnerabilities surrounding the process. ”

“ Requests for classified records in the custody of the originating agency. A valid mandatory declassification review request must be of sufficient specificity to allow agency personnel to locate the records containing the information sought with a reasonable amount of effort. Requests for broad types of information, entire file series of records, or similar non-specific requests may be denied by agencies for processing under this section. In responding to mandatory declassification review requests, agencies shall make a final determination within one year from the date of receipt. ”

“ Agency heads shall establish procedures which ensure that: (1) All classified information physically transmitted outside facilities shall be enclosed in two layers, both of which provide reasonable evidence of tampering and which conceal the contents. The inner enclosure shall clearly identify the address of both the sender and the intended recipient, the highest classification level of the contents, and any appropriate warning notices. The outer enclosure shall be the same except that no markings to indicate that the contents are classified shall be visible. ”

“ Agency procedures. (1) Because the Order encourages authorized holders to challenge classification as a means for promoting proper and thoughtful classification actions, agencies shall ensure that no retribution is taken against any authorized holders bringing such a challenge in good faith. (2) Agencies shall establish a system for processing, tracking and recording formal classification challenges made by authorized holders. ”

“ Open storage area means an area constructed in accordance with Sec. 2001.53 of this part and authorized by the agency head for open storage of classified information. (m) Original classification authority with jurisdiction over the information includes: (1) The official who authorized the original classification, if that official is still serving in the same position; (2) The originator's current successor in function; (3) A supervisory official of either; or (4) The senior agency official under the Order. ”

“ Administrative control measures which may include records of internal distribution, access, generation, inventory, reproduction, and disposition of classified information shall be required when technical, physical and personnel control measures are insufficient to deter and detect access by unauthorized persons. ”

“ Agency heads or any designee may prescribe special provisions for the dissemination, transmission, safeguarding, and destruction of classified information during certain emergency situations. (b) In emergency situations, in which there is an imminent threat to life or in defense of the homeland, agency heads or designees may authorize the disclosure of classified information to an individual or individuals who are otherwise not routinely eligible for access under the following conditions: (1) Limit the amount of classified information disclosed to the absolute minimum to achieve the purpose ”

“ If Federal records have been alienated, please describe all measures the Department has taken, or expects to take, to retrieve the alienated records. Please also include a description of all safeguards established to prevent records alienation incidents from happening in the future. Please also provide NARA all guidance and directives disseminated within the Department that address the management of email records, including those records created using personal email accounts. ”

“ Persons transmitting classified information are responsible for ensuring that intended recipients are authorized persons with the capability to store classified information in accordance with this Directive. ”

“ Equity refers to information: (1) Originally classified by or under the control of an agency; (2) In the possession of the receiving agency in the event of transfer of function; or (3) In the possession of a successor agency for an agency that has ceased to exist. (h) Exempted means nomenclature and markings indicating information has been determined to fall within an enumerated exemption from automatic declassification under the Order. (i) Facility means an activity of an agency authorized by appropriate authority to conduct classified operations or to perform classified work. ”

“ A working paper is defined as documents or materials, regardless of the media, which are expected to be revised prior to the preparation of a finished product for dissemination or retention. Working papers containing classified information shall be dated when created, marked with the highest classification of any information contained in them, protected at that level, and if otherwise appropriate, destroyed when no longer needed. ”

“ Reproduction requires the consent of the originating government. Destruction will be witnessed. (b) Secret. Records shall be maintained of the receipt, external dispatch and destruction of foreign government Secret information. Other records may be necessary if required by the originator. Secret foreign government information may be reproduced to meet mission requirements unless prohibited by the originator. Reproduction shall be recorded unless this requirement is waived by the originator. (c) Confidential. ”

“ Agency heads shall provide a detailed report summarizing the results of each classification guidance review to ISOO and release an unclassified version to the public except when the existence of the guide or program is itself classified. Subpart C--Identification and Markings Sec. 2001.20 General. A uniform security classification system requires that standard markings or other indicia be applied to classified information. ”

“ When users modify existing entries which alter the classification level of the content or add new content, they shall change the required markings to reflect the classification markings for the resulting information. Systems shall provide a means to log the identity of each user, the changes made, and the time and date of each change. ”

“ The Archivist shall establish procedures for the declassification of presidential, vice-presidential, or White House materials transferred to the legal [] Page 37265 [] custody of NARA or maintained in the presidential libraries. (c) Classified information in the custody of contractors, licensees, certificate holders, or grantees. Pursuant to the provisions of the National Industrial Security Program, agencies must provide security classification/declassification guidance to such entities or individuals who possess classified information. ”

“ Except in extraordinary circumstances, each agency shall ensure that each employee who is granted access to classified information and who leaves the service of the agency receives a termination briefing. ”

“ The identity of the declassification authority, by name and position, or by personal identifier, or the title and date of the declassification guide. If the identity of the declassification authority must be protected, a personal identifier may be used or the information may be retained in agency files. (3) The date of declassification; and (4) The overall classification markings that appear on the cover page or first page shall be lined with an ``X ́ ́ or straight line. An example might appear as: SECRET Declassified by David Smith, Chief, Division 5, August 17, 2008 Sec. ”

“ Records that contain information, the release of which should clearly and demonstrably be expected to reveal the identity of a confidential human source or a human intelligence source, or key design concepts of weapons of mass destruction, are exempt from automatic declassification at 50 years. ”

“ Whenever a loss or possible unauthorized disclosure involves the classified information or interests of a foreign government agency, or another U.S. government agency, the department or agency in which the compromise occurred shall advise the other government agency or foreign government of the circumstances and findings that affect their information or interests. However, foreign governments normally will not be advised of any security system vulnerabilities that contributed to the compromise. ”

“ Local archives administrations at or above the county level shall be in charge of the archival work within their administrative regions and exercise supervision and guidance over the archival work of state organs, groups, enterprises, public institutions, and other organizations within the said regions.
The people's governments of townships and towns shall designate personnel to manage their archives and to supervise and guide the archival work of the affiliated entities, community-level self-governance organizations, and other institutions subject to their administration. ”

“ These, with the legislature itself, are the departments of government in which our archives originate.
Archives we have defined as the records, the business papers, of the province having a permanent value. All archives need not be of historical value in the narrow sense. Public documents may have a business or record value apart from history, yet it would be hard to say that any given document might not be found useful in some way in connection with history. The main value of a document is as an evidence of truth. ”

“ A central office, in which papers from all departments of the Government are lodged after they have passed out of current use, examined, classified, and filed by a staff familiar with their contents, need only be brought into use to become indispensably serviceable in the carrying on of public business; but in addition, the archivist, knowing the contents of the documents in his custody, is able to direct and help in a manner that can not otherwise be done, that portion of the public interested in the information contained in the Government archives. ”

“ Whenever an agency receives a classification challenge to information that has been the subject of a challenge within the past two years, or that is the subject of pending litigation, the agency is not required to process the challenge beyond informing the challenger of this fact and of the challenger's appeal rights, if any. ”

“ For the leaders of the American Revolution, legislatures were the most important part of any government. It was through legislatures that the people made their will known. When the Federal Convention met in Philadelphia in 1787 to amend the Articles of Confederation, most of the delegates agreed that the legislature should have two houses with greatly expanded powers. There was disagreement, however, over the type of representation. Heavily populated states supported James Madison's efforts to base representation on population alone. ”