Twenty records related to the Katyn Forest Massacre are now available on the National Archives Transcription Pilot Project.  Help transcribe telegrams, messages, letters and reports, including handwritten script.  Your efforts help improve the accessibility of the records.  For more information on how to get started, check out the Transcription Tips.

Learn more about the Katyn Forest Massacre on Archives.gov.

The National Declassification Center (NDC) led a multi-agency project to identify and review for declassification records relating the Katyn Forest Massacre.  This effort resulted in the release of more than 1000 new pages of material not previously released to the public.  The opening was announced on September 10, 2012 during an event at The Capitol Visitors Center.  A link to the new web page describing this release is posted below.  http://www.archives.gov/research/foreign-policy/katyn-massacre/ 

Any additional Katyn-related documents identified in the future will be expedited for release and notice will be posted on this blog.

Continuing to answer questions posed at the August 29, 2012 Open Forum.

How many agencies now have file series exemptions and approximately how many pages are covered by each?

For this question, I consulted with my colleagues at the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO).  Here is their answer: 

The following agencies have approved file series exemptions:  Air Force; Central Intelligence Agency; Defense Intelligence Agency; National Reconnaissance Office; National Security Agency; Department of Defense; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Navy; National Security Staff; Department of State.

The numbers of pages covered by each File Series Exemption are generally included in the classified records submitted with each agency’s submission, and are not releasable.

Last week’s open forum was well attended with a lively discussion.  Once again, we had some questions that did not get answered.  Over the next few days, I will be posting and answering these questions.

The first question is:  Do any of the records the NDC is processing contain codeword material (e.g. sensitive compartmented information or SCI) and, if so, can you give an estimate of the total number of pages?  Are any being released?

We have approximately 4.5 million pages of codeword material among the 371 million page backlog.  These records have been reviewed and have been properly exempted from automatic declassification in accordance with Executive Order 13526, section 3.3.

Washington, DC…The National Archives National Declassification Center (NDC) will host its third public forum on Wednesday, August 29, at 10 a.m. in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.  This event is free and open to the public.  Please enter via the Special Events entrance on Constitution Ave. and 7th St., NW.

The forum’s theme is “NDC challenges at two years: what did we learn, and how are we moving forward?”  NDC Director Sheryl Shenberger will update the public on declassification progress toward meeting the President’s goal of eliminating the backlog of unprocessed classified records by December 31, 2013.  She will also discuss the fifth Bi-annual Report on Operations of the National Declassification Center. The report is online at www.archives.gov/declassification/reports.

Two inter-agency panels will address NDC’s progress over the past two years.  National Archives staff will update the public on standardized declassification training and changes to declassification policy. The forum will conclude with a question and answer session with members of the public.

For additional information or to submit questions in advance question, contact Don McIlwain at don.mcilwain@nara.gov or (301) 837-0587.

The NDC will be hosting its third annual open forum on Wednesday, August 29, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in the McGowan Theater at the National Archives Building.  The theme for this year’s forum will be “NDC Challenges at Two Years: What did we learn, and how are we moving forward?”  You may contact Don McIlwain, don.mcilwain@nara.gov or 301-837-0587 for additional information or to submit advance questions.  Additional information and details will follow.

The NDC has released a listing of 237 separate entries that have completed declassification processing between May 23 and July 5, 2012 and are now available for researcher request. This release consists primarily of military records.

Highlights include:

• Navy records relating to the underwater search for a missing thermonuclear bomb near Palomares Spain,
• Department of State Post Files from Australia and France,
• Office of the Secretary of Defense records relating to research into medical aspects of atomic warfare,
• Office of the Secretary of Defense records relating to the Cuban Missile crisis,
• Office of the Secretary of Defense, Advance Research Projects Agency records relating to “Project VELA”,
• Army Assistant Chief of Staff records relating to civil disturbances in the 1960s,
• Army Command Files for the 4th and 3rd Army, and
• Air Force records from Wright-Patterson, Langley, Patrick, and Andrews Air Force Bases.

Requests to access the newly released records or to order copies should be directed to Archives 2 Reference at 301-837-3510 or archives2reference@nara.gov.

(When making a request, please cite the HMS Entry and Series Title.)

The NDC is pleased to release its Fifth Bi-annual status report. http://www.archives.gov/declassification/ndc/reports/2012-biannual-january1-june30.pdf  This report details the progress made since January 2010 in meeting the President’s December 29, 2009 charge to eliminate the approximately 400 million page back log of reviewed, but not publicly available records at NARA.   The report specifically focuses on progress made during the first half of 2012, highlights ongoing collaboration between agencies, and discusses challenges (such as meeting the requirements of the Kyl and Lott amendments) that the NDC faces in meeting its goal. You may comment on the report by posting a comment to this blog or sending an email to ndc@nara.gov

Recently, the agency updated its Open Government Plan for 2012-2014.  Over the next two years, work around the agency will continue to improve transparency, participation, and collaboration.  NARA will strengthen its culture of open government by focusing on common values and restructuring the agency to better serve the American people.  A new mentoring program will be launched as well as an internal collaboration network for NARA staff.  NARA will work to create an innovative culture that utilizes new and emerging technologies.  The strategy for creating digital images of our records will be revised to provide the online access to records the public expects.   

As part of the plan’s Flagship Initiative, the National Archives will also continue to expand its crowdsourcing efforts with the public through the Citizen Archivist Dashboard.  Activities that “citizen archivists” can get involved in include tagging, transcribing, writing articles, and scanning.   

The work of the National Declassification Center is described in section 5.4 of the plan.  This section describes our efforts to strengthen open government by improving coordination and collaboration between agencies and effectively streamlining the declassification process.

It’s more than 50 pages, but the updated Open Government Plan is a really interesting document that describes how the work of many offices at the National Archives and Records Administration plays a role in improving open government.

The NDC has released a listing of 504 separate entries that have completed declassification processing between March 13, and May 22, 2012 and are now available for researcher request. This release consists primarily of military records.

Highlights include:

• Defense Threat Reduction Agency records relating to Operations Windstorm and Greenhouse,
• Naval Air Systems Command records relating to Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft,
• Office of the Secretary of Defense Legal Advisor records relating to the U.S. Mission to NATO,
• Army Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence Files Regarding Individuals,
• Army Command Files for the 4th and 3rd Army,
• Air Force Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence Unit Histories,and
• Air Force records from Wright-Patterson, Langley, Patrick, Offutt Air Force Bases.

Requests to access the newly released records or to order copies should be directed to Archives 2 Reference at 301-837-3510 or archives2reference@nara.gov.

 (When making a request, please cite the HMS Entry and Series Title.)