Declassification Information
Any documents that were classified at one point have gone through a formal declassification process conducted by the Defense Department and relevant agencies. Below is a primer on classified and protected information:
- Documents labeled “Top Secret” contain information that the unauthorized disclosure of which is likely to cause “exceptionally grave damage” to national security. Any documents in the archive marked “Top Secret” have been declassified and no longer pose risks to national security.
- Documents labeled “Secret” contain information that the unauthorized disclosure of which is likely to cause “serious damage” to national security. Any documents in the archive marked “Secret” have been declassified and no longer pose risks to national security.
- Documents labeled “Confidential” contain information that the unauthorized disclosure of which is likely to cause “damage” to national security. Any documents in the archive marked “Confidential” have been declassified and no longer pose risks to national security.
- Documents labeled “FOUO,” an abbreviation for “For Official Use Only,” are sensitive but unclassified. Any documents in the archive marked “FOUO” have been released to us by the U.S. government and are no longer protected.
Read more: http://www.archives.gov/isoo/policy-documents/cnsi-eo.pdf
