National Security Archive
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National Security Archive Update, May 26, 2011: THE FRENCH BOMB, WITH SECRET U.S. HELP
The U.S. government secretly helped France develop its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program, and much earlier than previously realized, according to declassified documents compiled and edited by National Security Archive senior analyst William Burr and published jointly with the Nuclear Proliferation International History Project, an Archive partner. Continue reading
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National Security Archive Update, May 25, 2011: THE DIARY OF ANATOLY CHERNYAEV, 1991
Marking the 90th birthday of former top Gorbachev advisor Anatoly Sergeevich Chernyaev, the National Security Archive today publishes on the Web at www.nsarchive.org the latest installment of the unique and invaluable Chernyaev diary, covering the final fateful year of the Soviet Union, 1991. Continue reading
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National Security Archive Update, May 5, 2011: Pakistan’s bin Laden Policy
As the discovery of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, raises fresh questions about U.S.-Pakistan relations, newly released documents show that as early as 1998 U.S. officials concluded the Government of Pakistan “is not disposed to be especially helpful on the matter of terrorist Usama bin Ladin.” Continue reading
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THE OSAMA BIN LADEN FILE
The Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, killed in Pakistan by U.S. special operations forces yesterday, ranked as “one of the most significant financial sponsors of Islamic terrorist activities in the world” as early as 1996, according to declassified U.S. documents posted on the web today by the National Security Archive at George Washington University Continue reading
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THE LAST NSAM STANDING – Deconstructing a Secrecy Blunder: A Study in Dysfunction
The last remaining secret national security directive from the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, a National Security Action Memorandum on Laos, has finally been declassified, nearly fifty years after it was first issued, and was posted today on the Web site of the National Security Archive. Continue reading
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National Security Archive Update, December 16, 2010: Archive Director Tom Blanton decries “Wikimania”
Blanton reminded lawmakers that the Nixon administration had once considered firebombing the Brookings Institution building to destroy a copy of the Pentagon Papers, and that President Gerald Ford had vetoed the Freedom of Information Act in reaction to government leaks–only to be overruled by the U.S. Congress. Continue reading
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Repost: How to Decipher a State Department Cable (FOIA Tip #2) By Nate Jones
This guide –originally written by Kristin Adair– might come in handy as you peruse the 251,287 Department of State cables recently released by wikileaks. Continue reading
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Wikileaks State Cables: Quick Hits By Nate Jones
The five news organizations that Wikikeaks provided the documents to under embargo did a good job synthesizing and reporting the 251,287 cables leaked by someone with access to that information. That said, document hounds (including historians, IR/polisci people, and concerned citizens) know that to really understand the contents and significance of the records you need… Continue reading
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National Security Archive Update, November 13, 2010: Justice Department Censors Nazi-Hunting History
The Department of Justice censored dozens of pages of a candid history of Nazi-hunting (and Nazi-protecting) by the U.S. government to such a self-defeating extent that former officials leaked the entire document to the New York Times this week, instead of fulfilling the Freedom of Information request and lawsuit filed by the National Security Archive… Continue reading
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National Security Archive Update, October 4, 2010: THE IRAQ WAR — PART III: Shaping the Debate
For nearly a year before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the British government of Prime Minister Tony Blair collaborated closely with the George W. Bush administration to produce a far starker picture of the threat from Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction (WMD) than was justified by intelligence at the time, according to… Continue reading
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National Security Archive Update, October 1, 2010: THE IRAQ WAR — PART II: Was There Even a Decision?
Contrary to statements by President George W. Bush or Prime Minister Tony Blair, declassified records from both governments posted on the Web today reflect an early and focused push to prepare war plans and enlist allies regardless of conflicting intelligence about Iraq’s threat and the evident difficulties in garnering global support. Continue reading
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National Security Archive Update, September 22, 2010: THE IRAQ WAR — PART I: The U.S. Prepares for Conflict, 2001
22 September, 2010 — NSA U.S. Sets “Decapitation of Government” As Early Goal of Combat Talking Points for Rumsfeld-Franks Meeting in November 2001 Outline Policy Makers’ Aims for the Conflict and Postwar Rule of Iraq Declassified Documents Show Bush Administration Diverting Attention and Resources to Iraq Less than Two Months after Launch of Afghanistan War Continue reading
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New Obama Order Standardizes and Limits Pseudo-Secrets
President Obama’s new Executive Order on “Controlled Unclassified Information” issued today builds on recommendations from open government groups and the findings of the National Security Archive’s 2006 audit of “Pseudo-Secrets” that uncovered 28 different and uncoordinated policies on marking and restricting official unclassified information. Continue reading
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National Security Archive Update: THE IRAQ WAR — PART III: Shaping the Debate
For nearly a year before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the British government of Prime Minister Tony Blair collaborated closely with the George W. Bush administration to produce a far starker picture of the threat from Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction (WMD) than was justified by intelligence at the time, according to… Continue reading
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National Security Archive Update, September 29, 2010: THE UNITED STATES VS. RITO ALEJO DEL RIO
The U.S. ambassador to Colombia reported in 1998 that the “systematic arming and equipping of aggressive regional paramilitaries” was “pivotal” to the military success of Gen. Rito Alejo del Río Rojas, now on trial for murder and collaboration with paramilitary death squads while commander of a key army unit in northern Colombia. Continue reading
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National Security Archive Update, September 13, 2010: “No-Go” Tribal Areas Became Basis for Afghan Insurgency Documents Show
U.S. had “Absolutely No Inclination” to Negotiate with Taliban September 2001; Pakistan Disagreed, Claimed “Real Victory” Only Through Talks Continue reading
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National Security Archive Update: THE TEST BAN CHALLENGE
The documents published today provide new details on how nonproliferation objectives informed support within the U.S. government for a test ban: Continue reading
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National Security Archive Update, May 30, 2010: Secret U.S. Overture to Iran in 1999 Broke Down Over Terrorism Allegations
Washington, DC, May 30, 2010 – A highly confidential U.S. overture to Iran in summer 1999 foundered because the intelligence community and FBI believed members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) had a role in the infamous Khobar Towers bombing of June 1996, and because U.S. officials overestimated the Iranian president’s ability to manage the sensitive… Continue reading
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National Security Archive Update, May 25, 2010: THE DIARY OF ANATOLY CHERNYAEV, 1990
Fifth Installment of Former Top Soviet Adviser’s Journal Available in English for First Time For more information, contact: Svetlana Savranskaya – 202/994-7000 www.nsarchive.org Washington, DC, May 25, 2010 – Today the National Security Archive publishes its fifth installment of the diary of Anatoly Chernyaev, the man behind some of the most momentous transformations in Soviet Continue reading
The New Dark Age 