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Secrecy and Security News

Newer News: February 2002

January 2002

• GAO Explains Decision to Pursue Litigation Against the Bush Administration, letter to Congress from the Comptroller General, January 30. "Were the Vice President's arguments in this case to prevail, any administration seeking to insulate its activities from oversight and public scrutiny could do so simply by assigning those activities to the Vice President or a body under the White House's direct control."
• President Notifies Congress of Groom Lake Disclosure Exemptions, letter dated January 30. "Information concerning activities at the operating location near Groom Lake has been properly determined to be classified, and its disclosure would be harmful to national security."
• Call For Scientists, Technologists To Fight Terrorism by Leonard David, Space.com, January 29. "Of course, terrorism is a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional problem that does not lend itself to a purely technological solution."
• A New Cast of Hawks and Doves Debate Government Secrecy in War on Terrorism by Miles Benson, Newhouse News Service, January 25. "The government's driving commitment to homeland security has spawned a fast-expanding new world of government secrets and covert activities, many justifiable and necessary in the eyes of a frightened public."
• Notice on Public Availability of Critical Energy Infrastructure Information, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Federal Register, January 23. "FERC is considering whether to revise its rules to address public availability of critical energy infrastructure information."
• Trouble Can Lead to Shredding Impulse by Nancy Benac, Associated Press, January 22. "Inside government and out, when there's a whiff of trouble, the impulse to shred is powerful."
• DoD News Briefing on Guantanamo Detainees, press briefing, January 22. "Mr. Secretary, you said it was unfortunate that that photograph was released. I would just argue that it was unfortunate that it wasn't released with more information."
• Pentagon Wants to Add $6 Billion for Intelligence Over Five Years by Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg News, January 18. "These are massive increases to an already huge budget," said Steve Aftergood, a military intelligence analyst with the Federal of American Scientists.
• NIPC: Online Content Should be Reviewed for Security, National Infrastructure Protection Center advisory, January 17 (offsite). "The NIPC is issuing this advisory to encourage Internet content providers to review the data they make available online."
• Fleischer: Refusal to Disclose Enron Info is Matter of Principle, White House press briefing, January 17. "The White House is keenly aware of the political demands from some. But there are also principles involved in having a government that is able to thoughtfully, fully and deliberately gather information from all types of concerned Americans."
• Government Printing Office Explains Withdrawal of CD from Repository Libraries, GPO press release, January 16. "By letter dated October 12, 2001, the Superintendent of Documents requested Federal depository libraries to withdraw and destroy their depository copies of a USGS CD-ROM on source-water supplies."
• Rumsfeld: Leaks Have Impeded Bin Laden Manhunt, Pentagon Roundtable with Radio Media, January 15. "We know that as these things occur our sources of information tend to dry up. And that is notably unhelpful as well as being illegal."
• U.S. Selling Papers Showing How to Make Germ Weapons by William J. Broad, New York Times, January 13. "Critics of the disclosure policy now fear that the germ warfare documents, in the wrong hands, could speed the development of weapons meant to cripple the United States, and they want new precautions."
• President Rejects Limitations on Establishment of Special Access Programs, signing statement on FY 2002 Defense Appropriations Act, January 10.
• On declassification of information concerning American deaths abroad., Presidential signing statement on FY 2002 Foreign Operations Act, January 10.
• Classified Leaks Have "Dropped Considerably", statement of Assistant Defense Secretary Clarke at a Brookings Institution forum, January 9.
• Program Budget Decision: Ballistic Missile Defense (PDF), Department of Defense, December 9, 2001, For Official Use Only. Addresses the development and procurement of missile defense systems.
• Special Briefing on the Nuclear Posture Review, Pentagon press briefing, January 9.
• Nuclear Posture Review Report -- Foreword cover letter from Defense Secretary Rumsfeld.
• Nuke Weapons Policy Still Secret by John Fleck, Albuquerque Journal, January 5. "This is a basic policy document that cannot be permitted to remain classified," said Steven Aftergood, a government secrecy expert at the Federation of American Scientists.
• Rumsfeld: Nuclear Posture Review Submitted in Classified Form, Pentagon press briefing, January 3. "I have asked our folks to see if we can take that classified version and declassify it."

Older News: December 2001

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