The National Declassification Center (NDC)
Releasing all we can, protecting what we must
Archivist Announces the Establishment of the National Declassification Center (NDC):
The National Declassifiction Center (NDC) was created when President Obama signed the new Executive order released by the White House on December 29, 2009.
NDC will begin operations in early January 2010 under the direction of Dr. Michael J. Kurtz, Assistant Archivist for Records Services, Washington. Initially, the NDC will focus on the following:
- timely and appropriate processing of referrals between agencies for accessioned Federal records and transferred Presidential Records;
- general interagency declassification activities necessary to fulfill the requirements of sections 3.3 and 3.4 of this order;
- the exchange among agencies of detailed declassification guidance to support equity recognition;
- the development of effective, transparent, and standard declassification work processes, training, and quality assurance measures;
- the development of solutions to declassification challenges posed by electronic records, special media, and emerging technologies;
- the linkage and effective utilization of existing agency databases and the use of new technologies to support declassification activities under the purview of the Center;
Press Releases About Declassification
- Archivist of the United States Announces Establishment of the National Declassification Center 12/30/09
- National Archives and CIA Sign MOU on Processing Federal Records 04/17/08
- National Archives Releases Results of Audit 04/26/06
- National Archives Releases Second Declassified of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 04/17/06
- Archivist of the United States' Statement on Declassification of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Between the National Archives and Records Administration and the United States Air Force 04/10/06
- National Archives Hosts Summit with Federal Agencies to Discuss Re-review of Documents 03/06/06
- Archivist of the United States Announces New Steps in Response to Withdrawal of Declassified Records from Open Shelves at the National Archives 03/02/06
- Public Interest Declassification Board Holds First Meeting: Document Withdrawal from the National Archives a Serious Concern 02/28/06
- The National Archives Responds to Reclassification of Documents 02/22/2006
General Information About Restricted Records
Records may be restricted by statute, Executive Order, or by the agency that transferred the records to NARA. All agency-specified restrictions must comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Even if the records are not national-security classified, some records contain information exempt from release under the FOIA. Presidential records are governed by several laws depending on dates and president.
You can request access under the Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) process of the new Executive Order released by the White House on December 29, 2009 or under the FOIA. If your FOIA request is denied by the Inspector General submit a written appeal to the Archivist. All other denials should be sent the Deputy Archivist. If your MDR request is denied your first appeal is sent to the agency. Further appeals can be made to ISCAP.
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