Monday, February 27, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Charting GOP Super PAC Cash
By Josh Israel, ThinkProgress
23 February 12
Once again this week, independent-expenditure-only "Super PACs" disclosed their donors for the month of January 2012. A ThinkProgress analysis of these new filings and previously available data reveals that 19 wealthy donors have already given a million dollars or more each, combining to funnel $46.75 million to Republican-allied Super PACs so far this cycle.
It comes as little surprise that this list is dominated by financial sector investors (8), energy and chemical producers (4), and real estate developers (3). All are white. Only one, the wife of casino tycoon Sheldon Edelson, is female. The Obama administration has backed financial sector consumer protections and environmental regulations unpopular with big Wall Street and big energy.
The 19 donors’ contributions accounted for about 53 percent of the $88.2 million combined receipts for those committees. Here are the 19:
Donor Donations Sector
Harold Simmons/Contran Corp. $14.1M Chemicals
Sheldon Adelson $5M Casinos and hotels
Miriam Adelson $5M Casinos and hotels
Bob Perry $3.5M Real Estate/Construction
Peter Thiel $2.6M Finance/Investment
Jon Huntsman Sr. $2.2M Chemicals
Jerry Perenchio Living Trust $2M Media
Julian Robertson $1.25M Finance/Investment
Robert B. Rowling $1.1M Energy
Edward Conard $1M Finance/Investment
Robert Mercer $1M Finance/Investment
John Paulson $1M Finance/Investment
Paul Singer $1M Finance/Investment
Foster Friess $1M Finance/Investment
Rooney Holdings Inc. $1M Real Estate/Construction
William Dore $1M Energy
Whiteco Industries $1M Real Estate/Construction
F8 LLC (Jeremy Blickenstaff) $1M Finance/Investment
Eli Publishing (Steve Lund) $1M Cosmetics
These donations went to Super PACs backing GOP hopefuls Newt Gingrich (Winning Our Future), Ron Paul (Endorse Liberty), Mitt Romney (Restore Our Future), Rick Santorum (Red, White & Blue), backing former candidates Jon Huntsman Jr. (Our Destiny), Rick Perry (Make Us Great Again), and Republican candidates in general (American Crossroads).
To equal just their Super PAC contributions, political campaigns would need to collect more than 18,000 checks for $5,000 - the individual limit. Republican strategist Christopher LaCivita told the New York Times that these super donors are "serious business tycoons." And these serious business tycoons are seriously overwhelming the political system with their contributions.
23 February 12
Once again this week, independent-expenditure-only "Super PACs" disclosed their donors for the month of January 2012. A ThinkProgress analysis of these new filings and previously available data reveals that 19 wealthy donors have already given a million dollars or more each, combining to funnel $46.75 million to Republican-allied Super PACs so far this cycle.
It comes as little surprise that this list is dominated by financial sector investors (8), energy and chemical producers (4), and real estate developers (3). All are white. Only one, the wife of casino tycoon Sheldon Edelson, is female. The Obama administration has backed financial sector consumer protections and environmental regulations unpopular with big Wall Street and big energy.
The 19 donors’ contributions accounted for about 53 percent of the $88.2 million combined receipts for those committees. Here are the 19:
Donor Donations Sector
Harold Simmons/Contran Corp. $14.1M Chemicals
Sheldon Adelson $5M Casinos and hotels
Miriam Adelson $5M Casinos and hotels
Bob Perry $3.5M Real Estate/Construction
Peter Thiel $2.6M Finance/Investment
Jon Huntsman Sr. $2.2M Chemicals
Jerry Perenchio Living Trust $2M Media
Julian Robertson $1.25M Finance/Investment
Robert B. Rowling $1.1M Energy
Edward Conard $1M Finance/Investment
Robert Mercer $1M Finance/Investment
John Paulson $1M Finance/Investment
Paul Singer $1M Finance/Investment
Foster Friess $1M Finance/Investment
Rooney Holdings Inc. $1M Real Estate/Construction
William Dore $1M Energy
Whiteco Industries $1M Real Estate/Construction
F8 LLC (Jeremy Blickenstaff) $1M Finance/Investment
Eli Publishing (Steve Lund) $1M Cosmetics
These donations went to Super PACs backing GOP hopefuls Newt Gingrich (Winning Our Future), Ron Paul (Endorse Liberty), Mitt Romney (Restore Our Future), Rick Santorum (Red, White & Blue), backing former candidates Jon Huntsman Jr. (Our Destiny), Rick Perry (Make Us Great Again), and Republican candidates in general (American Crossroads).
To equal just their Super PAC contributions, political campaigns would need to collect more than 18,000 checks for $5,000 - the individual limit. Republican strategist Christopher LaCivita told the New York Times that these super donors are "serious business tycoons." And these serious business tycoons are seriously overwhelming the political system with their contributions.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Writing Advice: setting incremental goals
The hardest part of setting incremental goals, such as 1,000 words a day, 6 days a week, is that when Monday rolls around … you're back at zero. It's time for another 1,000 words just to get out of the red.
Last week I got 8,230 words out and completed Chapter 39. Today I'll give it one more pass and then get into Chapter 40.
Sailing east from Langkawi to Majuro
There is a narrow window, from December to March, when the winds allow sailing towards the east along the Equator. Later in the year the passage from PNG to Micronesia becomes a little easier, and then in July-August it is possible to sail from Majuro to Midway Island and then the NW coast of the USA with out too much trouble. But no one tempts the weather Gods by saying such things out loud.
DETENTION OF U.S. PERSONS: WHAT IS THE EXISTING LAW?
SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2012, Issue No. 10
February 6, 2012
Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
** DETENTION OF U.S. PERSONS: WHAT IS THE EXISTING LAW?
** MILITARY INTELLIGENCE PROFESSIONAL BULLETIN ONLINE
DETENTION OF U.S. PERSONS: WHAT IS THE EXISTING LAW?
When Congress passed the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, it
included provisions that authorized U.S. armed forces to detain persons who
are captured in the conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated
forces. However, Congress also said that those provisions did not provide
any new authority to detain U.S. citizens or others who may be captured in
the United States.
"Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect existing law or
authority relating to the detention of United States citizens...," section
1021(e) of the Act states. "We are simply codifying existing law," said
Sen. Carl Levin, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the time.
But this was an evasion, since existing law regarding the detention of
U.S. persons is indeterminate in important respects.
A new report from the Congressional Research Service fleshes out the law
of detention, identifying what is known to be true as well as what is
unsettled and unresolved.
It is perfectly clear, for example, that a U.S. citizen who fought
alongside enemy forces against the United States on a foreign battlefield
could be lawfully detained. This was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in
the case Hamdi v. Rumsfeld.
On the other hand, the CRS report explains, "the President's legal
authority to militarily detain terrorist suspects apprehended in the United
States has not been definitively settled."
Nor has Congress helped to settle it. "This bill does not endorse either
side's interpretation," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein on December 1 about the
defense authorization act, "but leaves it to the courts to decide."
So if a detention of a U.S. person does occur, the CRS said, "it will be
up to a court to determine Congress's intent when it enacted the AUMF [the
2001 Authorization to Use Military Force], or alternatively, to decide
whether the law as it was subsequently developed by the courts and
executive branch sufficiently established that authority for such detention
already exists."
Up to now, "Lower courts that have addressed questions the Supreme Court
left unanswered have not achieved a consensus on the extent to which
Congress has authorized the detention without trial of U.S. persons as
'enemy combatants,' and Congress has not so far clarified its intent."
The new CRS report traces the development of U.S. detention policy from
the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 through the Civil War, the two World
Wars, and the Cold War up to the present day. See "Detention of U.S.
Persons as Enemy Belligerents" by CRS legislative attorney Jennifer K.
Elsea, February 1, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42337.pdf
Some other new (or newly updated) CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News
that have not been made readily available to the public include the
following.
"Terrorist Watch List Screening and Brady Background Checks for Firearms,"
February 1, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/R42336.pdf
"War Powers Resolution: Presidential Compliance," February 1, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33532.pdf
"The U.S. Postal Service's Financial Condition: Overview and Issues for
Congress," January 27, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41024.pdf
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE PROFESSIONAL BULLETIN ONLINE
The Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin is a quarterly journal
published by the U.S. Army to promote awareness and discussion of current
topics in military intelligence. Although unclassified, the Bulletin is
not made available online by the Army. Recent volumes can be found,
however, on the Federation of American Scientists website.
http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/army/mipb/index.html
The two latest issues are devoted to "Intelligence in the Current
Environment" (April-June 2011) and "Enabling Intelligence Analysis"
(July-September 2011).
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, go to:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/subscribe.html
To UNSUBSCRIBE, go to
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/unsubscribe.html
OR email your request to saftergood@fas.org
Secrecy News is archived at:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html
Support the FAS Project on Government Secrecy with a donation:
http://www.fas.org/member/donate_today.html
_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@fas.org
voice: (202) 454-4691
twitter: @saftergood
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2012, Issue No. 10
February 6, 2012
Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
** DETENTION OF U.S. PERSONS: WHAT IS THE EXISTING LAW?
** MILITARY INTELLIGENCE PROFESSIONAL BULLETIN ONLINE
DETENTION OF U.S. PERSONS: WHAT IS THE EXISTING LAW?
When Congress passed the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, it
included provisions that authorized U.S. armed forces to detain persons who
are captured in the conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated
forces. However, Congress also said that those provisions did not provide
any new authority to detain U.S. citizens or others who may be captured in
the United States.
"Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect existing law or
authority relating to the detention of United States citizens...," section
1021(e) of the Act states. "We are simply codifying existing law," said
Sen. Carl Levin, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the time.
But this was an evasion, since existing law regarding the detention of
U.S. persons is indeterminate in important respects.
A new report from the Congressional Research Service fleshes out the law
of detention, identifying what is known to be true as well as what is
unsettled and unresolved.
It is perfectly clear, for example, that a U.S. citizen who fought
alongside enemy forces against the United States on a foreign battlefield
could be lawfully detained. This was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in
the case Hamdi v. Rumsfeld.
On the other hand, the CRS report explains, "the President's legal
authority to militarily detain terrorist suspects apprehended in the United
States has not been definitively settled."
Nor has Congress helped to settle it. "This bill does not endorse either
side's interpretation," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein on December 1 about the
defense authorization act, "but leaves it to the courts to decide."
So if a detention of a U.S. person does occur, the CRS said, "it will be
up to a court to determine Congress's intent when it enacted the AUMF [the
2001 Authorization to Use Military Force], or alternatively, to decide
whether the law as it was subsequently developed by the courts and
executive branch sufficiently established that authority for such detention
already exists."
Up to now, "Lower courts that have addressed questions the Supreme Court
left unanswered have not achieved a consensus on the extent to which
Congress has authorized the detention without trial of U.S. persons as
'enemy combatants,' and Congress has not so far clarified its intent."
The new CRS report traces the development of U.S. detention policy from
the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 through the Civil War, the two World
Wars, and the Cold War up to the present day. See "Detention of U.S.
Persons as Enemy Belligerents" by CRS legislative attorney Jennifer K.
Elsea, February 1, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42337.pdf
Some other new (or newly updated) CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News
that have not been made readily available to the public include the
following.
"Terrorist Watch List Screening and Brady Background Checks for Firearms,"
February 1, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/R42336.pdf
"War Powers Resolution: Presidential Compliance," February 1, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33532.pdf
"The U.S. Postal Service's Financial Condition: Overview and Issues for
Congress," January 27, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41024.pdf
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE PROFESSIONAL BULLETIN ONLINE
The Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin is a quarterly journal
published by the U.S. Army to promote awareness and discussion of current
topics in military intelligence. Although unclassified, the Bulletin is
not made available online by the Army. Recent volumes can be found,
however, on the Federation of American Scientists website.
http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/army/mipb/index.html
The two latest issues are devoted to "Intelligence in the Current
Environment" (April-June 2011) and "Enabling Intelligence Analysis"
(July-September 2011).
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, go to:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/subscribe.html
To UNSUBSCRIBE, go to
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/unsubscribe.html
OR email your request to saftergood@fas.org
Secrecy News is archived at:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html
Support the FAS Project on Government Secrecy with a donation:
http://www.fas.org/member/donate_today.html
_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@fas.org
voice: (202) 454-4691
twitter: @saftergood
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2012, Issue No. 8
February 1, 2012
Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
** AN OVERVIEW OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES, AND MORE FROM CRS
** SOME HISTORICAL INTELLIGENCE SATELLITE IMAGERY DECLASSIFIED
** RAVEN ROCK AND CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT
AN OVERVIEW OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES, AND MORE FROM CRS
Over the past decade, the number of U.S. special operations forces (SOF)
personnel has nearly doubled, while budgets for special operations have
nearly tripled, and overseas deployments have quadrupled, according to a
newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service.
"Special Operations Forces are elite military units with special training
and equipment that can infiltrate into hostile territory through land, sea,
or air to conduct a variety of operations, many of them classified," the
CRS report explains. "SOF personnel undergo rigorous selection and lengthy
specialized training. The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
oversees the training, doctrine, and equipping of all U.S. SOF units."
Following an overview of the structure of U.S. special operations forces,
the CRS report discusses the implications for special operations of recent
legislation including the 2012 defense authorization act. See "U.S.
Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress,"
January 11, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS21048.pdf
A copy of the new "U.S. Special Operations Command Fact Book 2012,"
prepared by USSOCOM Public Affairs, is available here:
http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/dod/socom/factbook-2012.pdf
Other noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service that
have not been made readily available to the public include the following:
"Arms Sales: Congressional Review Process," February 1, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/RL31675.pdf
"The Nunn-McCurdy Act: Background, Analysis, and Issues for Congress,"
January 31, 2011:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R41293.pdf
"Immigration-Related Detention: Current Legislative Issues," January 12,
2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL32369.pdf
SOME HISTORICAL INTELLIGENCE SATELLITE IMAGERY DECLASSIFIED
A handful of historical intelligence satellite images were declassified
last month to coincide with a new display of the GAMBIT and HEXAGON spy
satellites at the National Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base.
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287508
The GAMBIT and HEXAGON satellites were formally declassified last
September on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the National
Reconnaissance Office. At that time, the NRO released voluminous
documentation on the development of those satellites. But the associated
imagery, which is held by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, was
not released. Now a small number of satellite images have been made
public.
However, the newly disclosed images are not originals, but are embedded in
"posters" published by the NRO. As such, they do not lend themselves to
detailed analysis, complained Charles P. Vick of GlobalSecurity.org. Nor
are the original negatives of the declassified photos available for public
inspection.
http://www.nro.gov/foia/declass/GAMBHEX%20Posters.html
There is an annotation on the released images indicating that they were
declassified on January 13, 2012 by the Director of National Intelligence,
which would be consistent with the provisions of the 1995 executive order
12951.
"The images have undoubtedly been degraded, because GAMBIT and HEXAGON’s
best imagery capabilities remain classified," wrote Dwayne Day in The Space
Review. "These photographs are hopefully the first in many yet to come, and
will help us better understand the battles in the shadows of the Cold War."
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2013/1
Among other things, the NRO also released a new edition of the 1973
histories of GAMBIT and HEXAGON written by Robert L. Perry.
http://www.nro.gov/whatsnew.html
"Perry's histories... serve as exemplars of the art and craft of
historians. They are rich in detail, well-sourced, and written with
engaging prose," according to an informative introduction by James D.
Outzen of the Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance.
Unfortunately, the new edition, while handsome, is not exemplary because
it obscures the redaction of material that is still considered classified: "With respect to redacted material, we have edited the volumes to smooth
the flow of language in the volume, rather than indicate where material was
redacted." This was a mistake.
Remarkably, the NRO initiative to declassify GAMBIT and HEXAGON program
information, including imagery, dates back to 1997. At that time, a
seven-month implementation schedule was optimistically anticipated.
"I would like to hiqhliqht this declassification effort with a National
Reconnaissance Office (NRO) ceremony (including the release of selected
declassified imagery from both systems) in October 1997," wrote NRO Deputy
Director Keith R. Hall in a March 1997 memorandum that was obtained by
Jeffrey Richelson of the National Security Archive.
http://www.fas.org/irp/nro/hex-declass.pdf
As it turned out, the declassification process took 14 years, not seven
months.
RAVEN ROCK AND CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT
A newly revised U.S. Air Force directive on continuity of operations under
emergency circumstances refers matter-of-factly to Raven Rock Mountain
Complex, a largely restricted U.S. government facility in Pennsylvania. See "Air Force Continuity of Operations (COOP) Program," Air Force
Instruction 10-208, 15 December 2011:
http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/usaf/afi10-208.pdf
Raven Rock, also known as Site R, has been operational since 1953 for
purposes of emergency communications, disaster relocation and recovery. But most operations at the facility have been classified, and the facility
itself was rarely mentioned in official publications during most of the
past half century. A previous edition of the new Air Force Instruction
that was issued in 2005 made no reference to Raven Rock.
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/c3i/raven_rock.htm
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, go to:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/subscribe.html
To UNSUBSCRIBE, go to
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/unsubscribe.html
OR email your request to saftergood@fas.org
Secrecy News is archived at:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html
Support the FAS Project on Government Secrecy with a donation:
http://www.fas.org/member/donate_today.html
_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@fas.org
voice: (202) 454-4691
twitter: @saftergood
Volume 2012, Issue No. 8
February 1, 2012
Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
** AN OVERVIEW OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES, AND MORE FROM CRS
** SOME HISTORICAL INTELLIGENCE SATELLITE IMAGERY DECLASSIFIED
** RAVEN ROCK AND CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT
AN OVERVIEW OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES, AND MORE FROM CRS
Over the past decade, the number of U.S. special operations forces (SOF)
personnel has nearly doubled, while budgets for special operations have
nearly tripled, and overseas deployments have quadrupled, according to a
newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service.
"Special Operations Forces are elite military units with special training
and equipment that can infiltrate into hostile territory through land, sea,
or air to conduct a variety of operations, many of them classified," the
CRS report explains. "SOF personnel undergo rigorous selection and lengthy
specialized training. The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
oversees the training, doctrine, and equipping of all U.S. SOF units."
Following an overview of the structure of U.S. special operations forces,
the CRS report discusses the implications for special operations of recent
legislation including the 2012 defense authorization act. See "U.S.
Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress,"
January 11, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS21048.pdf
A copy of the new "U.S. Special Operations Command Fact Book 2012,"
prepared by USSOCOM Public Affairs, is available here:
http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/dod/socom/factbook-2012.pdf
Other noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service that
have not been made readily available to the public include the following:
"Arms Sales: Congressional Review Process," February 1, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/RL31675.pdf
"The Nunn-McCurdy Act: Background, Analysis, and Issues for Congress,"
January 31, 2011:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R41293.pdf
"Immigration-Related Detention: Current Legislative Issues," January 12,
2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL32369.pdf
SOME HISTORICAL INTELLIGENCE SATELLITE IMAGERY DECLASSIFIED
A handful of historical intelligence satellite images were declassified
last month to coincide with a new display of the GAMBIT and HEXAGON spy
satellites at the National Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base.
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287508
The GAMBIT and HEXAGON satellites were formally declassified last
September on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the National
Reconnaissance Office. At that time, the NRO released voluminous
documentation on the development of those satellites. But the associated
imagery, which is held by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, was
not released. Now a small number of satellite images have been made
public.
However, the newly disclosed images are not originals, but are embedded in
"posters" published by the NRO. As such, they do not lend themselves to
detailed analysis, complained Charles P. Vick of GlobalSecurity.org. Nor
are the original negatives of the declassified photos available for public
inspection.
http://www.nro.gov/foia/declass/GAMBHEX%20Posters.html
There is an annotation on the released images indicating that they were
declassified on January 13, 2012 by the Director of National Intelligence,
which would be consistent with the provisions of the 1995 executive order
12951.
"The images have undoubtedly been degraded, because GAMBIT and HEXAGON’s
best imagery capabilities remain classified," wrote Dwayne Day in The Space
Review. "These photographs are hopefully the first in many yet to come, and
will help us better understand the battles in the shadows of the Cold War."
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2013/1
Among other things, the NRO also released a new edition of the 1973
histories of GAMBIT and HEXAGON written by Robert L. Perry.
http://www.nro.gov/whatsnew.html
"Perry's histories... serve as exemplars of the art and craft of
historians. They are rich in detail, well-sourced, and written with
engaging prose," according to an informative introduction by James D.
Outzen of the Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance.
Unfortunately, the new edition, while handsome, is not exemplary because
it obscures the redaction of material that is still considered classified: "With respect to redacted material, we have edited the volumes to smooth
the flow of language in the volume, rather than indicate where material was
redacted." This was a mistake.
Remarkably, the NRO initiative to declassify GAMBIT and HEXAGON program
information, including imagery, dates back to 1997. At that time, a
seven-month implementation schedule was optimistically anticipated.
"I would like to hiqhliqht this declassification effort with a National
Reconnaissance Office (NRO) ceremony (including the release of selected
declassified imagery from both systems) in October 1997," wrote NRO Deputy
Director Keith R. Hall in a March 1997 memorandum that was obtained by
Jeffrey Richelson of the National Security Archive.
http://www.fas.org/irp/nro/hex-declass.pdf
As it turned out, the declassification process took 14 years, not seven
months.
RAVEN ROCK AND CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT
A newly revised U.S. Air Force directive on continuity of operations under
emergency circumstances refers matter-of-factly to Raven Rock Mountain
Complex, a largely restricted U.S. government facility in Pennsylvania. See "Air Force Continuity of Operations (COOP) Program," Air Force
Instruction 10-208, 15 December 2011:
http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/usaf/afi10-208.pdf
Raven Rock, also known as Site R, has been operational since 1953 for
purposes of emergency communications, disaster relocation and recovery. But most operations at the facility have been classified, and the facility
itself was rarely mentioned in official publications during most of the
past half century. A previous edition of the new Air Force Instruction
that was issued in 2005 made no reference to Raven Rock.
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/c3i/raven_rock.htm
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, go to:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/subscribe.html
To UNSUBSCRIBE, go to
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/unsubscribe.html
OR email your request to saftergood@fas.org
Secrecy News is archived at:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html
Support the FAS Project on Government Secrecy with a donation:
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_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@fas.org
voice: (202) 454-4691
twitter: @saftergood
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