On January 14 and June 30, 2026, the ISCAP affirmed the classification of three documents in their entirety. The first document is a Secret Telegram, 1963, belonging to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. The affirmation of the classification decision was in accordance with Executive Order 13526, section 3.3(h)(1) as 50X1, regarding human intelligence. The … Continue reading ISCAP Appeals 2015-053, 2012-132, & 2013-026
Category: Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP)
ISOO Releases Annual Report to the President of the United States for Fiscal Year 2025
Our government’s ability to hold information in confidence is a power – and a premise – that we owe to America’s founders, who recognized secrecy as a necessary attribute of sovereignty, vital to the survival of the United States as an independent nation. The roots of our government’s modern national security information system – our … Continue reading ISOO Releases Annual Report to the President of the United States for Fiscal Year 2025
ISCAP Appeals 2013-004 & 2019-020
On January 14 and August 30, 2026, the ISCAP affirmed two CIA Glomar decisions. In both instances, the requester received notice from the Information and Privacy Coordinator that the CIA could neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of the records responsive to their requests, in accordance with Executive Order 13526 (Section 3.6[a]) and … Continue reading ISCAP Appeals 2013-004 & 2019-020
ISCAP Appeal 2014-065
On August 31, 2026, the ISCAP released 7 documents from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. These documents contain CIA telegrams from 1962 and 1963, with documents 1-4 covering Indonesian riots, a planned coup, and the breakdown of Indonesian-British diplomatic relationship and documents 5-7 covering the nature of the Czechoslovakian President's visit to … Continue reading ISCAP Appeal 2014-065
ISCAP Appeal 2019-049
On August 31, 2026, the ISCAP released one document from the Center for Legislative Archives. This document contains the transcript of a testimony given by Major General Richard A. Scholtes on the US invasion of Grenada to the Subcommittee on Sea Power and Force Projection of the Senate Committee on Armed Services on August 5, … Continue reading ISCAP Appeal 2019-049
ISCAP Appeal 2008-026
On August 31, 2026, the ISCAP released 38 documents from the National Archives and Records Administration. These documents, originally held within the Department of Justice, date from January 1950–July 1975, and stem from the files of Louis B. Nichols, an assistant director of the Federal Intelligence Bureau under J. Edgar Hoover. Nichols served as assistant … Continue reading ISCAP Appeal 2008-026
ISCAP Declassification of Records Relating to 9/11, Including a Ruling on ISCAP Appeals 2022-008 and 2023-001
The American flag flies at half-staff over the White House at sunrise as counter assault team (CAT) members are posted on the roof. (National Archives Identifier 5997285) Marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP) is today releasing newly declassified records derived from the work … Continue reading ISCAP Declassification of Records Relating to 9/11, Including a Ruling on ISCAP Appeals 2022-008 and 2023-001
Reforming the “Court of Last Resort” for Declassification Decisions
An American flag is displayed on the facade of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on June 30, 2015.(National Archives Identifier: 234392921) Today ISOO released new guidance on procedures for the Information Security Classification Appeals Panel, also known as the ISCAP, which serves as the court of last resort for whether information merits continued protection on … Continue reading Reforming the “Court of Last Resort” for Declassification Decisions
ISOO Notice 2026-04: Agencies Eligible to Receive Referrals from Automatic Declassification at 25, 50, and 75 Years
On August 3, 2026, Michael D. Thomas, Director of the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), signed ISOO Notice 2026-04: Agencies Eligible to Receive Referrals from Automatic Declassification at 25, 50, and 75 Years. This notice provides a comprehensive list of automatic declassification exemptions approved by the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP). It rescinds and … Continue reading ISOO Notice 2026-04: Agencies Eligible to Receive Referrals from Automatic Declassification at 25, 50, and 75 Years
ISCAP Appeal 2019-056
On March 16th, 2026, the ISCAP released one document from the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library. This document contains pictures, blueprints, and facility reports of different sites surveyed for Project Greek Island. The ISCAP decided to declassify some portions and affirm the classification of other portions of this originally Confidential document. Project Greek Island was … Continue reading ISCAP Appeal 2019-056