Instead of declassifying material, ...Bush Order May Reclassify Documents (so we may never learn the truth)
Saturday March 22, 2003 6:10 AM
guardian.co.uk
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration is drafting a new executive order that will delay the release of millions of historical documents for more than three years and make it easier to reclassify information that could damage national security.
The White House has declined to comment on the executive order, which is still being written, but sources who have seen drafts of the order say its provisions are less restrictive than they expected.
``I thought that they might eliminate or sharply curtail all declassification,'' said Steven Aftergood, who directs the Federation of American Scientists' government secrecy project. ``That would have been consistent with this administration's preference for official secrecy.''
He said he expects Bush will sign the order before April 17 - the government's deadline for declassifying millions of documents 25 years or older - under provisions of a similar executive order signed by President Clinton.
``These documents encompass everything from military records to diplomatic records to the administration of U.S. foreign policy - the whole gamut of national security decision-making,'' Aftergood said, adding that some agencies requested more time to review documents scheduled to be released next month.
Bruce Craig, director of the National Coalition for History, said he was troubled by minor provisions in the draft order but that declassification insiders view it as ``not so much a rewrite as an edit of the existing order.''
The draft order is expected to make it easier for the government to reclassify sensitive information if an agency determines it is in the interest of national security, Aftergood said.
It also says that information provided in confidence by a foreign government is presumed classified, he said. Under the Clinton order, this type of information was kept classified or declassified on a case-by-case basis.
``This is not irrational, but it has the potential to be abused,'' Aftergood said.
Clinton's order states that if there is significant doubt about the need to declassify information, it should be released. Bush's draft order deletes this provision, Aftergood said. |
