The records include historical summaries of U.S. reconnaissance incidents and aircraft losses, along with a June 1992 memorandum concerning a Joint Staff effort to examine Cold War POW/MIA cases. Much of the history of the underlying reconnaissance incidents has been documented previously. The significance of the material is instead found in the internal Pentagon discussion surrounding those losses and the questions officials were examining decades later.

Among the most notable passages is a statement that, for some losses, the government’s “official” explanation and what actually happened could represent “two different stories.”

The documents do not establish that missing U.S. servicemen survived in foreign custody. Nor do they establish that official explanations for particular aircraft losses were false. They document questions Pentagon officials were examining in 1992, and some portions of which remain classified today.

A 1992 Joint Staff Review of Cold War POW/MIA Cases

One of the most notable records is a memorandum dated June 17, 1992, titled “JOINT STAFF EFFORT ON COLD WAR POW/MIA ISSUE.”

The memorandum describes a meeting chaired by Maj. Gen. Ryan concerning a task from the Secretary of Defense. According to the document, the effort involved:

“a listing of missing U.S. personnel who may have been captured by the former Soviet Union, PRC or North Korea.”

The memorandum states that downed U.S. reconnaissance assets represented the “most likely candidates,” although possible seaborne losses were also under consideration. CIA and NSA representatives were asked to participate and contribute information.

According to the memorandum, Ryan advised participants that information developed through the effort eventually “will be made public” in some form. Intelligence-community information could be discussed separately.

The document records his position:

“we owe the SecDef as honest a picture as we can present.”

The memorandum also records a separate request from Adm. Cramer:

“Separately, ADM Cramer has asked if we have ‘anything to add to the list or any SIGINT confirming that Soviets have U.S. prisoners.'”

“The ‘Official’ U.S. Explanation”

The memorandum becomes particularly notable in its description of what information officials wanted examined.

It states:

“the ‘official’ U.S. explanation for some of our losses and what really happened might be two different stories.”

The next sentence reads:

“Gen Ryan stressed that this group needs to know the truth.”

The document does not identify in that passage which specific losses prompted the observation. It also does not explain how an official account might have differed from what actually occurred.

Material immediately following this discussion remains withheld in the version released to The Black Vault.

21 Aircraft Loss Incidents and 131 Unaccounted-For Servicemen

Another record, titled “COLD WAR AIRCRAFT LOSSES,” summarizes information supplied by the Air Force and Navy concerning 21 loss incidents between April 1950 and April 1969.

The document separates those incidents into several categories. Four involved cases in which all crew members were recovered and the matter was considered resolved. Six had been presented to the Russians and required additional information. Three involved losses off the coast of the People’s Republic of China. Five had few details available concerning the loss. Two involved partial recovery of crews, and one involved a loss off the Korean coast.

The document then states:

“For the known losses: 131 unaccounted for servicemen.”

The accompanying table identifies Cold War aircraft losses involving a number of platforms, including the Privateer, B-29, P2V, RB-50, C-130, U-2 and RB-47.

A Broader History of U.S. Reconnaissance Incidents

The records also contain the Airborne Reconnaissance Incident History that was at the center of The Black Vault’s original FOIA request.

A Joint Staff Action Processing Form dated June 5, 1992, describes the purpose of the paper as providing a summary of approximately 30 airborne reconnaissance missions during the 1949-1960 period that resulted in international incidents and/or the loss of manned aircraft.

According to the document:

“During the period 1949-1960, there were 32 airborne reconnaissance missions flown which resulted in international incidents and the loss of 13 manned aircraft platforms.”

The pages that follow provide a chronology of encounters involving U.S. reconnaissance aircraft and Soviet, Chinese and North Korean forces.

The release also includes a continuation covering 1961 through 1973.

That section states that after centralized management of reconnaissance activities began in 1960, there was a “significant decrease in reconnaissance-related incidents.” It identifies three losses during the later period: the U-2 shot down over Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the capture of USS Pueblo off North Korea in 1968, and the EC-121 shot down over the Sea of Japan in 1969.

The accompanying chronology documents additional encounters involving U.S. reconnaissance platforms and foreign military forces during the 1960s and early 1970s.

Some of the Record Is Still Classified

Despite the age of both the Cold War incidents and the 1992 review, the FOIA production released to The Black Vault is not complete.

In its September 29, 2025, response, NSA stated that it had “no objection to the release of the NSA equities.” Other information, however, was referred to the Office of the Secretary of Defense-Joint Staff, or OSD-JS (now the Office of the Secretary of War-Joint Staff).

According to NSA, OSD-JS determined that the information remains properly classified under Executive Order 13526 and continues to warrant classification at the SECRET level.

The response states that disclosure:

“could reasonably be expected to cause grave damage to the national security.”

NSA therefore withheld the information under FOIA Exemption (b)(1). Other material was withheld under Exemption (b)(6) to protect personal privacy.

One of the OSD-JS deletions occurs directly after the 1992 memorandum’s discussion of the possibility that an “official” explanation for some losses and “what really happened” could be different.

The historical summary covering 1961 through 1973 also contains information withheld by OSD-JS.

The records were released to The Black Vault in September 2025 after a FOIA request specifically sought material excluded from an earlier NSA release as “non responsive.” They are now being made available online as part of The Black Vault’s document archive, preserving both the historical reconnaissance records and the additional context surrounding the Pentagon’s Cold War POW/MIA review.

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FOIA Case 103558 Release Package [15 Pages, 2MB]

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The post NSA FOIA Records Detail Pentagon’s 1992 Search for Answers on Missing Cold War Aircrews first appeared on The Black Vault.

The 35-page responsive record was provided by the CIA in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by The Black Vault with the agency in August 2013. In its July 6, 2026, final response, the CIA said it had located the document in its “database of previously-released records” after determining that an earlier FOIA request had sought records on the same subject.

Searches conducted for this article, however, did not locate the complete document in the CIA’s online Electronic Reading Room or elsewhere through conventional web searches. Some portions may therefore be newly accessible online through this release, although that cannot be fully established. What can be established is that this newly obtained package brings together internal records showing how that information was prepared, cleared and organized for public disclosure.

CIA Withholds Records About What Happened to Bin Laden’s Body

The FOIA request contained two separate items. While the CIA released a previously processed record (at least, in part) responsive to the second, it refused to release records responsive to the first.

Item 1 sought:

“All documents pertaining to the capture of Osama Bin Laden’s body, and all documents pertaining to what happened with Bin Laden’s body after his capture — up to the point of his burial into the ocean.”

The request separately sought records concerning meetings about whether the media should be told of bin Laden’s death.

In its July 6, 2026, final response, the CIA said it conducted a review concerning Item 1 and determined that responsive records existed, but that they would not be released:

“With regard to Item 1, after a thorough review of your request, we determined that responsive records, should any exist, would be contained in operational files.”

The CIA cited the CIA Information Act, 50 U.S.C. § 3141, which exempts certain CIA operational files from the search, review, publication and disclosure requirements of FOIA. The agency therefore stated:

“This determination is not subject to an administrative appeal.”

It should be noted that the CIA did not confirm that responsive records concerning the handling of bin Laden’s body exist. Instead, it said that “should any exist,” they would be contained within operational files exempted from ordinary FOIA processing.

As a result, the newly released package does not provide the records specifically requested concerning the handling of bin Laden’s remains through his burial at sea. The CIA instead declined to search or process that portion of the request under the CIA Information Act.

Panetta Sought Rapid Declassification for the Public Rollout

The package begins with a May 1, 2011, memorandum from CIA Director Leon Panetta concerning a request for declassification “in preparation for Counterterrorism Compound Rollout.”

Panetta wrote that materials had been assembled at the president’s request:

“At the President’s request, we have prepared materials for the public roll-out of the 1 May 2011 counterterrorism operation against a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.”

The memorandum identifies the material prepared for release as three graphics, a document containing talking points for a background briefing, and another containing questions and answers for use during that briefing.

The three graphics were described as a current image of the Abbottabad compound, an imagery-based line drawing, and a comparison showing the compound neighborhood before construction and after it had been built.

Panetta’s memorandum also makes clear that the government was working on an extremely compressed schedule. He requested that the documents be declassified “on an expedited basis” for use by the interagency.

Clapper Authorized Use of Intelligence Imagery

The next record documents another part of that process.

A memorandum to the Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency concerns the “Declassification of Imagery Products.” It bears the signature of then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and is dated May 1, 2011.

Clapper authorized:

“the use of these half-meter resolution products, as well as any text or other intelligence information derived from this imagery, in an UNCLASSIFIED manner for the public roll-out.”

The memorandum says Clapper had reviewed the imagery-based products prepared at the request of the White House.

That authorization was followed by the compound imagery itself: a detailed illustration identifying walls, gates, opaque windows and the trash-burning location; a 2011 overhead image; a preconstruction/postconstruction comparison; and an image of the compound in 2005.

Those images are not newly revealed.

The Defense Department distributed the Abbottabad graphics during its May 2, 2011 background briefing. A contemporaneous copy of the Defense Department material identifies the individual files as the Pakistan map, the 2005 Abbottabad compound image, preconstruction and postconstruction imagery, a 2011 image and the compound illustration.

The National Security Archive later collected the material as part of its Zero Dark Thirty File, identifying the imagery as National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency satellite images and the conceptual compound illustration as a Defense Department release. The Defense Intelligence Agency also continues to make the compound illustration publicly available.

Those earlier releases provide the likely public origin for at least the imagery contained in the newly obtained CIA package.

Internal Talking Points Were Explicitly “Written to Be Declassified”

Following the imagery is a nine-page document titled:

“Talking Points for Background Briefing (with USMIL references)”

Immediately underneath is an unusual parenthetical instruction:

“(written to be declassified)”

The document is dated May 1, 2011.

The talking points divide the presentation among the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, the CIA director and the CIA deputy director.

The opening script states:

“As you heard, the President ordered a raid today against an al Qaeda compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.”

It describes the intelligence operation as the product of years of work and says:

“Our intelligence and military professionals did a superb job. They deserve tremendous credit for serving justice to Osama Bin Laden.”

The proposed CIA director’s portion emphasizes the interagency intelligence effort:

“This military operation was the culmination of years of careful and highly advanced intelligence work.”

It specifically identifies officers from CIA, NGA and NSA as having worked “very hard as a team to analyze and pinpoint this compound.”

The Intelligence Case for the Compound

The proposed remarks for the CIA deputy director go deeper into the intelligence trail that led to Abbottabad.

The talking points state that detainee reporting after September 11 identified individuals who may have provided direct support to bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, and that one courier drew particular attention.

According to the document:

“Detainees also identified this man as one of the few al Qaeda couriers trusted by Bin Laden.”

The document says intelligence officers eventually identified the courier’s real name and, approximately two years before the raid, identified an area in Pakistan where he and his brother operated. In August 2010, according to the prepared briefing:

“we found their residence — a compound in Abbottabad, a town about 35 miles north of Islamabad.”

The talking points then walk through characteristics that had raised suspicion: the compound’s size, unusually high walls, privacy barriers, lack of telephone or Internet service and the occupants’ practice of burning their trash.

But the prepared language also acknowledged a fundamental uncertainty.

After discussing the intelligence assessments, the document states:

“No other candidate fit the bill as well as Bin Laden.”

It then says the intelligence community’s conclusion was “twofold”: analysts had high confidence that a high-value target was being harbored there, while assessing that there was a “strong probability” that the individual was bin Laden.

An Extensive Q&A Anticipated Difficult Questions

Perhaps the most noteworthy portion of the release is a lengthy, 14-page section titled “Questions and Answers,” also explicitly marked “(written to be declassified).”

It amounts to a prepared government response book covering questions officials expected to face following the raid.

Among them:

“How confident were you that Bin Laden was there?”

The prepared answer distinguished between confidence that the compound contained a high-value terrorist target and confidence that the individual was bin Laden.

Another asks:

“Why didn’t the US trust the Pakistanis enough to share the intelligence with them?”

The prepared response states:

“The United States shared our very sensitive intelligence with no one until this very tightly held in our own government.”

It then says that decision was made to protect intelligence and ensure the operation’s success.

The document also anticipated questions about detainee interrogation.

One asks whether the reporting came from anyone held at a black site or subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques. Another specifically asks whether detainees at Guantanamo provided information leading to bin Laden’s location.

For both, the prepared response declines to discuss the specific sources but says reporting from “a wide variety of sources — independently verified — helped lead us to this location.”

Questions About the Raid — and Answers Officials Were Not Prepared to Give

The Q&A also demonstrates where officials intended to draw the line publicly.

Asked what unit conducted the raid, the prepared answer says only that it was “a small team of highly-skilled operators.”

Asked how many troops were involved:

“I can’t be specific. It was a small team.”

Asked where the operation was launched from:

“For operational reasons, I cannot share that information with you.”

Asked how long U.S. forces were in Pakistan:

“I cannot get into that level of detail with you.”

The document says U.S. forces had left Pakistan after the operation and states that the mission objective, as directed by the president, was:

“To kill or capture Osama Bin Laden.”

Other anticipated questions addressed whether anyone was captured, how bin Laden was identified, what happened to his remains, U.S. casualties and whether similar operations could be conducted in Pakistan in the future.

Officials Prepared for Questions About Why Bin Laden Was Killed

The briefing book specifically anticipated:

“Why kill rather than capture?”

The proposed answer was concise:

“There was a firefight when our team arrived.”

Another question addressed why the president authorized the operation despite not knowing with certainty that bin Laden was inside.

The prepared response acknowledged that uncertainty:

“We couldn’t wait for absolute proof that might never come, nor could we risk the possibility that he might relocate.”

It characterized the decision as one involving risks the president was willing to take.

The document also anticipated questions about whether bin Laden’s death would alter U.S. counterterrorism policy, the search for Ayman al-Zawahiri, relations with Pakistan, Afghanistan policy and the possibility of retaliatory attacks.

Public Affairs Guidance Shows the Intended Government Message

The final substantive section is titled “Public Affairs Guidance for the Interagency,” again followed by:

“(written to be declassified)”

Its “Toplines” present a condensed version of the message agencies were expected to use publicly.

It states that President Obama had authorized “a unilateral raid” against the Abbottabad compound and describes the operation as the culmination of intelligence work led by CIA with support from partners across the Intelligence Community.

The guidance also contains sections headed “Impact of Bin Laden’s Death on al Qaeda,” “On the Intelligence Case,” “On the Operation,” “On US-Pakistan Relations,” and “Possible Retaliation by al Qaeda.”

Much of that information closely parallels what government officials said publicly in the immediate aftermath of the raid.

A May 2, 2011, Defense Department background briefing, for example, discussed the compound’s walls, privacy barriers, burned trash, lack of a conventional profile and approximately $1 million assessed value while presenting the government-released imagery.

The National Security Archive subsequently preserved extensive material concerning the government’s public account of the raid, including White House briefings and the NGA compound imagery.

What the Release Adds

The significance of the CIA release is therefore not that every fact or image inside it is new.

Much of the substantive account of the Abbottabad operation became public immediately after bin Laden’s death, and the imagery included in the CIA file can be traced to the government’s May 2011 public rollout.

What the newly obtained package adds is a more complete view of the internal machinery behind that rollout.

The records document Panetta’s request for expedited declassification, Clapper’s authorization permitting intelligence imagery and information derived from it to be used in an unclassified setting, the proposed division of talking points among senior officials, an extensive list of anticipated questions and prepared answers, and interagency public-affairs guidance.

They also preserve material in its internal form, which includes passages explicitly labeled “written to be declassified”, rather than simply the public statements that ultimately emerged from the briefings.

The document itself was approved for release on August 22, 2017, and the CIA told The Black Vault in 2026 that it located the material among its previously released records, but searches have not located this complete CIA package in the agency’s Electronic Reading Room or elsewhere online, leaving open the possibility that at least portions of the internal package are now becoming readily available online for the first time. That possibility cannot presently be confirmed.

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F-2013-02406 Release Package [37 Pages, 4.77MB]

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The post CIA Release Reveals Internal Bin Laden Raid Talking Points, Q&A and Declassification Records first appeared on The Black Vault.

The controversy did not become public until 1983, more than two years after Reagan took office. Congressional investigations examined how Carter campaign documents reached Reagan’s campaign and whether they were improperly used in preparing Reagan for the debate. The matter became widely known as “Debategate.” Reagan campaign officials acknowledged having access to Carter materials, but accounts differed over who obtained them and how they entered the campaign. Investigators examined several possible sources, and the question of precisely how the documents were originally acquired remained unresolved.

The House Subcommittee on Human Resources conducted an investigation and issued a report in 1984. The investigation documented the possession and circulation of Carter campaign material within Reagan’s organization but did not establish a definitive chain showing who initially supplied the material. The FBI also investigated aspects of the controversy, generating records that later became available through the Freedom of Information Act and other government disclosure channels.

The documents collected in this archive relate to those investigations and the broader controversy surrounding the transfer of Carter campaign materials to the Reagan campaign. They provide a documentary record of government efforts to determine what happened, who had access to the material, and whether federal laws had been violated. The historical record established that Carter campaign documents reached Reagan campaign personnel; the unresolved issue was how the material left the Carter operation and initially reached Reagan’s campaign.

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CIA Documents – F-2014-02258 Release Package [45 Pages, 9.2MB] – Note: There are additional documents on the CIA’s electronic reading room previously released. Those links are in the FOIA response letter.

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The post The 1980 Reagan–Carter “Debategate” Scandal first appeared on The Black Vault.

The document, titled Inspection Report of the DCI Counterterrorist Center, Directorate of Operations, was completed in August 2001. An earlier version was approved for release to the public on July 26, 2010.

The Black Vault requested a new Mandatory Declassification Review of the report on January 8, 2019. In a July 6, 2026 final response, the CIA said it had completed that re-review and “determined that additional information can be released.” The agency said remaining deletions were being maintained under Executive Order 13526 and statutory protections incorporated through FOIA Exemption (b)(3).

A comparison of the two versions confirms that the new release does contain additional information. Much of it consists of statistics, organizational details and fuller passages that were only partially visible, or completely removed, in the 2010 copy. Numerous operational details, program names, personnel figures and other information remain classified.

New Details on the Center’s Growth

One of the clearest additions appears in the report’s executive summary.

The 2010 version stated that Counterterrorist Center resources had increased over five years, but the actual personnel and budget figures were removed. It also withheld part of the description of the operations that those resources supported.

The newly released version fills in those figures:

“CTC’s resources have steadily increased over the last five years, with personnel growing by 74 percent during that period and the budget more than doubling.”

The report adds that the Center’s resources permitted it to support “operations against terrorists and liaison relationships that DO area divisions otherwise could not fund.”

Those figures provide additional context for the CIA’s counterterrorism buildup before the September 11 attacks.

More of the Pre-9/11 Analytic Problems Are Now Public

Some of the more notable newly released material concerns the pressures facing CIA analysts responsible for terrorism intelligence.

The earlier version disclosed that analysts were concerned about the constant state of crisis and lacked sufficient time for warning and predictive analysis. But a substantial passage immediately following that discussion was withheld. The 2010 copy moved almost directly from the discussion of analysts trying to “get ahead of the target” to a Directorate of Operations response.

The 2026 release now fills in much of that missing section.

According to the newly disclosed text, following the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Africa, CTC management commissioned a review of the Center’s finished intelligence concerning Usama Bin Ladin and possible improvements in analytic tradecraft.

The report states that the earlier study found:

“significant strides in intelligence reporting, analysis, and the application of tradecraft principles”

but nevertheless recommended that management deliberately set aside analysts for research. It also found that an “eruption of reporting, much of it unreliable,” combined with a “dramatic growth in customer taskings,” hindered CTC’s ability to conduct in-depth research on Bin Ladin and his organization.

The Inspector General reported that 18 months later, those conditions persisted and the analytic group remained “largely reactive despite the infusion of more analytic resources.”

Analysts Were Spending Large Amounts of Time Supporting Operations

Other newly available figures provide a clearer picture of how CTC’s analytic resources were being used.

The 2010 version disclosed that the Center’s Assessments and Information Group, or AIG, provided terrorism analysis, but removed several organizational and staffing details.

The new release states that AIG had expanded from two regional branches, one covering the Middle East and another covering the “rest of the world”, to five branches, with increased attention to Bin Ladin’s network and weapons of mass destruction.

Even after that expansion, however, AIG accounted for only “14 percent of staff officers or only 7 percent of the total CTC workforce.”

Another previously withheld figure shows that analysts estimated they devoted between 30 and 50 percent of their time to counterterrorism operations support, including targeting and planning connected with “penetrations, recruitments, renditions, and disruptions.”

Information Overload and Translation Backlogs

The new release also restores substantially more information about a problem that runs through the report: the volume of intelligence coming into the Center.

The newly disclosed executive-summary language says CTC had to cope with “information overload,” sometimes generated by successful operations against terrorist cells. Officers said they attempted to scan and prioritize material for immediate action, but the report noted that operational demands did not allow the Center to exploit everything it collected.

A later section now identifies the CIA’s Language Exploitation Branch as the unit principally responsible for translating clandestinely acquired foreign-language material.

The 2010 release left most of that page blank or reduced it to isolated fragments.

The 2026 version provides considerably more detail. It states that much of the material was poor-quality audio and could contain accented speech, slang or particular dialects. Translators triaged large quantities of information looking for threat indicators, but:

“the translators cannot process all of the information quickly, and several interviewees expressed concern about what they might be missing.”

The report adds that material from some large operations could take “months or longer to process fully.”

New Numbers on Reporting, Staffing and Funding

Several smaller redactions were also removed.

The new version says the percentage of disseminated CTC reports rated “good” or better increased from 44 percent in 1998 to 48 percent in 1999. Those figures were absent from the earlier release.

It also reveals that threat reporting accounted for 12 percent of all CTC reports disseminated in 2000. Senior officials described the rapid dissemination of all threat information as a “zero threshold” approach, while customers sought additional context and analysis.

On personnel, the newly released report says 40 percent of survey respondents believed their work unit lacked sufficient personnel to accomplish its mission.

And in a discussion of funding, the CIA Inspector General reported that the additional costs associated with the millennium counterterrorism surge consumed an estimated 15 percent of CTC’s fiscal year 2000 budget. The extra expenditures occurred during the first quarter, while reserve funds did not arrive until May and supplemental funding followed in August. Interviewees characterized the period as a “rollercoaster” year.

A Fuller Document, But Significant Redactions Remain

The new release does not fundamentally rewrite what was already known from the 2010 document. Large portions of sensitive operational material remain withheld, including program names, specific overseas activities, personnel numbers, operational locations and sections concerning particular counterterrorism programs.

But the comparison shows that the Mandatory Declassification Review did produce meaningful additional disclosure, as the new version provides a more complete contemporary account of the pressures inside the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center immediately before September 11: rapidly expanding resources, analysts pulled heavily into operational support, difficulties conducting long-term research on Bin Ladin, information overload, translation backlogs and staffing concerns.

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EOM-2019-00272 Release Package [82 Pages, 9.13MB]

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The post New CIA Release Reveals More About Counterterrorism Problems Before 9/11 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The records concern the Advanced Naval Vehicles Concepts Evaluation, or ANVCE, Project, a Navy study begun in 1975 to help shape research and development for the 1980–2000 period. The project ultimately examined nine broad vehicle concepts through more than 200 studies, tests and experiments. Volume 1 states that candidate vehicles were judged against three basic requirements: they had to “be technically feasible,” “have military value,” and “be affordable.”

The Navy released the records September 23, 2026, in response to a FOIA request filed by The Black Vault in September 2023. According to the response, the Navy located Volumes 1, 2 and 3, along with the appendices to Volume 4, consisting of 939 pages in all. The Navy said the Volume 3 appendices and the main Volume 4 report were still being digitized for later review and release, meaning the current production is not yet the complete ANVCE collection.

Portions remain withheld under FOIA Exemption (b)(1), covering information the Navy says remains properly classified concerning “operations and military plans, weapons systems, and operations,” as well as Exemption (b)(6) for personal privacy.

Volume 1 Was Already Public — The Significance Is in the Detailed Volumes

Volume 1, the ANVCE summary, is not newly public. A copy has circulated publicly online for years; a searchable copy remains hosted by the International Hydrofoil Society.

The same appears that it cannot be said about every page of Volumes 2 through 4. Individual ANVCE technical studies and information about the program have long been publicly accessible, including contemporary technical literature, and former ANVCE technical director Peter J. Mantle devoted a chapter of his 2015 book High-Speed Marine Craft to the project.

Per the report, the Navy considered Volume 2 the centerpiece of the project.

A January 7, 1980, Navy promulgation letter included with the newly released records states:

“These results are the most important products from the ANVCE project.”

According to that letter, Volume 2 drew on 165 separate analyses, surveys and experiments consuming 70 percent of the project’s total budget. Nine generic concepts produced 23 “point designs” which included 13 surface vehicles and 10 air vehicles, plus baseline and existing designs used for comparison.

A Navy Study of What Might Come Next

ANVCE grew out of Defense Department concerns over advanced naval vehicle development in the mid-1970s.

According to Volume 1, guidance from the Director of Defense Research and Engineering instructed the Navy to:

“Conduct R&D and studies necessary to evaluate the technical and military potential and costs of other ANV concepts which offer possible alternatives to the SES.”

The study formally examined air-cushion vehicles, hydrofoils, planing craft, surface-effect ships, small-waterplane-area twin-hull ships, air-loiter aircraft, lighter-than-air vehicles, sea-loiter aircraft and wing-in-ground-effect vehicles.

This was not simply an exercise in drawing futuristic vehicles. The Navy developed engineering-level “point designs,” subjected concepts to technical analysis, estimated their acquisition and life-cycle costs, and attempted to determine how their characteristics would matter against a projected future military threat.

Volume 1 describes Volume 2 as the technical feasibility assessment, Volume 3 as the cost analysis, and Volume 4 as the military mission analysis.

And among the concepts examined in detail, one stands out.

A 560-Ton Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Designed to Stay on Station for 15 Days

Volume 2 offers extensive details on the A/L(N) – a nuclear-powered “air loiter” aircraft.

The Navy was examining how to move beyond the endurance limitations of conventional maritime patrol aircraft. Volume 2 states that the project explored technology that might increase airborne loiter time “to at least a day, or perhaps 15 or more days.”

The study considered supercritical wings, laminar-flow control, advanced composite structures, advanced turbofan and turboprop engines, liquid-hydrogen fuel and lightweight nuclear propulsion, or LWNP.

The nuclear design was substantial: 560 tonnes gross weight, an 88-tonne payload, 407-knot cruise speed, 35,000-foot maximum altitude, 1,600-nautical-mile radius of action and 15 days on station, according to Table IV-3 of Volume 2.

The report makes a statement about what nuclear propulsion theoretically offered:

“Other than crew limits, there is no discernible limit to the endurance of the nuclear-powered aircraft.”

ANVCE selected a 15-day configuration as its nuclear point design.

The technical description went considerably beyond simply proposing a “nuclear airplane.” The aircraft used a high-wing, T-tail configuration with a three-deck fuselage. Volume 2 describes its reactor as a helium-cooled, graphite-moderated epithermal reactor with a liquid-metal sodium-potassium, or NaK, secondary loop. Four dual-mode high-bypass-ratio turbofans were mounted beneath the wings.

The report states:

“For safety reasons, JP-5 fuel is used for takeoffs and landings.”

It also says that “much of the element fabrication” was based upon technology developed for NERVA, the U.S. nuclear-rocket program.

There is an important qualification.

ANVCE did not demonstrate that the lightweight nuclear propulsion system actually worked. The report explicitly states that the project did not conduct an in-depth technical feasibility analysis of LWNP. Instead, it assumed such a system could be made technically feasible and then studied how it could be incorporated into an aircraft.

That distinction is critical when describing the design.

Even with that caveat, ANVCE concluded:

“a practical air loiter aircraft with a time on station of a day or, if LWNP is used, 4-15 days is feasible.”

That was a projection based on the technology assumptions available to the study—not evidence that such an aircraft was subsequently constructed or operated.

Nuclear Power Was Also Considered for a High-Speed Surface-Effect Carrier

Nuclear propulsion was not confined to aircraft.

Volume 2 also examined an SES CVN, a nuclear-powered surface-effect ship concept. The idea emerged from a fundamental problem the study identified in high-speed ships: combining very high speed with long endurance required enormous amounts of fuel.

ANVCE first developed a conventionally powered surface-effect carrier design with a gross weight of 11,165 tonnes, approximately 2,040 tonnes of payload, and a maximum sustained speed of 58 knots in Sea State 3.

The report noted that even this design presented formidable engineering challenges, including transmitting approximately 360,000 horsepower to its propulsion and lift systems.

To explore whether nuclear power could overcome the endurance problem, the project developed the SES CVN using the same assumed lightweight nuclear propulsion technology.

Again, the Navy inserted an explicit warning into the report:

“The ANVCE Project did not extensively explore the technology of LWNP; the feasibility of LWNP was assumed.”

The significance of these designs is therefore not that the Navy secretly possessed operational nuclear aircraft or exotic nuclear-powered surface-effect ships. The documents establish something narrower but concrete: Navy engineers incorporated lightweight nuclear propulsion assumptions into detailed feasibility-level naval vehicle designs and then carried those designs into broader cost and mission studies.

Ships Designed for More Than 80 Knots

Surface-effect ships were among the most ambitious high-speed concepts examined.

Volume 2 describes a planned 3,000-tonne-class SES incorporating multiple new technologies into a ship capable of more than 80 knots. But the report is notable for its caution as much as its ambition.

The Navy warned that such a vehicle would be “exploring new performance boundaries” and that “there is risk involved.”

It recommended:

“severely restrict the operating envelope to no more than 50 kt in any sea state until all engineering tests in that portion of the planned operating envelope are complete”

and proposed studying a 50-knot alternative to determine whether the extra speed was worth its cost.

That tension runs throughout ANVCE: extraordinary speed was technically attractive, but the study repeatedly tested whether the military payoff justified the engineering complexity and expense.

Hydrofoils: 70 to 80 Knots

The hydrofoil analysis similarly looked beyond then-current operational speeds.

After operation of a 50-knot PHM-class hydrofoil, the report recommended experimenting with variable-geometry foils that could potentially provide:

“a dash capability of 70-80 kt.”

The Navy believed that such performance should be evaluated under real operating conditions rather than accepted solely from theoretical analysis.

ANVCE also concluded that hydrofoils in the 1,000- to 2,000-tonne class deserved further exploration, while larger 2,000- to 3,000-tonne versions brought greater technical risk and higher costs.

A “Supercritical” Hull for Rough-Water Speed

The records also detail work on an unconventional planing-ship configuration described as a supercritical hull.

Traditional hard-chine planing hulls encountered increasingly severe power and seakeeping limitations as ships grew larger. ANVCE reported that its supercritical configuration offered the possibility of approximately 50-knot operation in rough seas while substantially reducing hull pounding.

Importantly, this was not only theoretical modeling. Volume 2 states:

“Its seakeeping advantages were verified by model tests within the ANVCE Project.”

The report recommended additional development, particularly to determine whether sufficient internal payload volume could be incorporated without losing the hull’s hydrodynamic advantages.

Separate ANVCE technical work on planing craft was already part of the historical public record, including an assessment describing the feasibility of open-ocean planing craft approaching the 1,000-ton range.

Wing-in-Ground-Effect Vehicles That Could Hover

Another major area was the wing-in-ground-effect, or WIG, vehicle—a craft intended to exploit the aerodynamic lift created when a wing operates close to a surface.

The concept studied by ANVCE could blur the distinction between aircraft, ship and hovercraft.

One configuration used pressurized air beneath the wing. Volume 2 states:

“This scheme gives the WIG vehicle a hovering capability, enabling it to operate over land as well as water.”

The same airflow could inflate flexible end plates for rough-water operation. With the skirts retracted, the vehicle could travel at high speed in calmer conditions, while another configuration could temporarily climb out of ground effect.

The Navy did not claim to have solved the WIG problem.

The study identified unresolved questions involving rough-water vulnerability, pitch stability and high-speed maneuverability. It specifically found that the WIG vehicle was “not very maneuverable at high speed” and could need to climb out of ground effect to execute tighter turns.

Its conclusion was continued research, not deployment.

Giant Airships Return to the Drawing Board

ANVCE also reconsidered lighter-than-air vehicles decades after rigid airships such as the Navy’s Akron and Macon.

Two major configurations were examined: fully air-buoyant, or FAB, and semi-air-buoyant, or SAB.

The project analyzed FAB vehicles with payloads between 50,000 and 150,000 pounds, maximum speeds of roughly 80–100 knots and endurance of up to 15 days.

But scale quickly became a problem.

For approximately 50-tonne multimission payloads, Volume 2 found that the fully buoyant vehicle became so large that ground handling and storage were impractical. Gusting winds also produced forces that raised concerns about precision landing.

Despite those limitations, the Navy concluded that smaller airships still had potential for maritime surveillance and recommended studying vehicles with internal volumes of roughly 1 million to 3 million cubic feet for antisubmarine-warfare surveillance.

A semi-buoyant design examined by ANVCE reached a projected dash speed of 150 knots, although the report acknowledged that the underlying aerodynamic-lift technology was insufficiently developed to produce highly reliable designs.

SWATH Ships: Less Spectacular, More Practical

Not every concept was based on extreme speed.

ANVCE viewed the small-waterplane-area twin-hull, or SWATH, ship as a comparatively modest departure from existing ship technology.

Its advantage was stability.

Volume 2 states:

“The steady platform feature of the small SWATH ship provides it with the seakeeping characteristics of a large ship.”

That made SWATH attractive as an escort and as a platform for helicopters and vertical/short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft.

The Navy recommended further design work in approximately the 1,000- to 3,000-tonne range and even proposed investigating towed fuel pods to extend range.

Volume 3: Putting a Price on the Future

Volume 3 is substantially less visually dramatic than the technical evaluation, but it was essential to ANVCE’s purpose.

The Navy attempted to put fundamentally different ships and aircraft onto a common cost basis rather than judging advanced concepts solely by performance.

The volume calculates development, procurement, operating and support expenses across a 15-year life-cycle period, which the study selected because 15 years represented the shortest service life among the advanced vehicles being examined.

The report states:

“Life-cycle costs were derived to provide an estimate of the total cost to develop, procure, and operate each of the point design vehicles over a 15-year period.”

Costs were generally expressed in fiscal-year 1977 dollars.

The analysis covered considerably more than purchase price: development, production, facilities, initial spare parts, repair parts, ordnance, personnel and operating support were incorporated into the methodology.

That cost discipline sometimes undercut the appeal of more exotic concepts. ANVCE’s broader findings repeatedly caution that increasing performance did not automatically produce enough military value to justify the corresponding expense.

Volume 3 ultimately recommended that the Navy develop better standardized cost reporting and continue refining its life-cycle-cost model.

The Release Is Still Incomplete

The September 2026 release is substantial, but it does not close the FOIA case.

The Navy says it found 939 pages comprising Volumes 1, 2 and 3 and the Volume 4 appendices, while the Volume 3 appendices and pats of Volume 4 itself remain under digitization and review.

Volume 4 may prove especially important because the project documentation describes it as the analysis that matched the advanced vehicles against a projected “Circa 2000” threat environment and attempted to identify which platform characteristics actually mattered in combat. Volume 1 says the methodology traced projected threats through potential tactical, weapon and sensor counters to the vehicle attributes that supported those responses. AdvancedNavalVehiclesConceptsEv…

Until that volume and the remaining Volume 3 appendices are released, the record remains incomplete.

What the present release already provides, however, is a detailed look at a Navy trying to answer a difficult question at the end of the 1970s: not merely what kinds of futuristic ships and aircraft could theoretically be designed, but which ones could be engineered, paid for and given a defensible military purpose.

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Document Archive

FOIA Request DON-2023-004852 Response Letter [2 Pages, 0.6MB]

Volume 1: Summary [77 Pages, 5MB]

Volume 2: Technical Evaluation [616 Pages, 32.3MB]

Volume 3: Cost Analysis [87 Pages, 6MB]

Volume 4: Appendices A, B & C [162 Pages, 6MB]

The post Navy Releases Hundreds of Pages on Cold War-Era “Advanced Naval Vehicles,” Including Nuclear-Powered Aircraft and High-Speed Warship Concepts first appeared on The Black Vault.

Before the modern era, cryptography was concerned solely with message confidentiality (i.e., encryption)—conversion of messages from a comprehensible form into an incomprehensible one and back again at the other end, rendering it unreadable by interceptors or eavesdroppers without secret knowledge (namely the key needed for decryption of that message).

Encryption attempted to ensure secrecy in communications, such as those of spies, military leaders, and diplomats. In recent decades, the field has expanded beyond confidentiality concerns to include techniques for message integrity checking, sender/receiver identity authentication, digital signatures, interactive proofs and secure computation, among others.

Below, you will find the declassified FBI File that was labeled “Cryptography.”

The file stretches back to the mid to late 1930s! It is an ongoing FOIA request, wherein many documents have not been released yet, and are being reviewed by multiple agencies. I will continue to add the releases, as they become available.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Release

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Release #1, October 19, 2016 [356 Pages, 190.5MB]

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Release #2, January 17, 2025 [356 Pages, 2MB]

United States Army Release, November 17, 2016 [34 Pages, 4.9MB]

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Release #2 (as reviewed and released by ARMY/INSCOM), December 20, 2016 [22 Pages, 1.7MB]

Department of Justice, Office of Information Policy Release [3 Pages, 0.4MB]

The post FBI Files on Cryptography – FBI File #80-HQ-612 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The records also document a separate Pentagon engagement with representatives of Uruguay’s official UAP investigative organization, including plans for reciprocal mission briefings, discussions about future collaboration, lunch with senior AARO personnel and a private Pentagon tour.

The documents were released to The Black Vault under Freedom of Information Act case 26-F-1773. The request was filed March 17, 2026, one day after DefenseScoop senior reporter Brandi Vincent broke the story of the invitation-only workshop and obtained additional information about it from the Pentagon. Vincent’s original reporting established that approximately 40 government, academic and independent researchers had participated in the AARO-sponsored gathering and detailed its emphasis on integrating narrative UAP data and applying artificial intelligence to large datasets.

The new FOIA release does not fundamentally alter the publicly stated purpose or findings of the workshop. Instead, its significance is in filling in portions of the administrative record that AARO’s public white paper left anonymous or generalized: who delivered some of the presentations, who sat on the panels, where the workshop actually occurred, and how AARO interacted with at least one foreign government UAP organization before the event.

It is not a complete record. AARO identified 89 responsive pages but withheld 19 pages in their entirety under FOIA Exemption (b)(5), which protects certain deliberative government communications. Portions of the other 70 pages were withheld under Exemptions (b)(5) and (b)(6), with the latter protecting personal privacy.

From a Public White Paper to the Records Behind It

AARO publicly released its 2025 UAP Workshop: Narrative Data, Infrastructures, and Analysis paper in February 2026. The official document described an August 5-6, 2025 workshop sponsored by AARO and hosted by Associated Universities, Inc., or AUI, bringing together 40 participants from government, academia and independent research organizations.

The workshop concentrated primarily on an unusually difficult UAP research problem: narrative reports.

Unlike standardized sensor data, witness accounts can originate in military reports, civilian reporting systems, archives, social media and other sources using different terminology, formats and levels of documentation. The workshop considered methods for standardizing those records, connecting databases and using artificial intelligence and machine learning to process large quantities of material.

Some participants had already publicly acknowledged attending. The National UFO Reporting Center announced its participation on August 11, 2025, just days after the meeting, and later identified Chief Technical Officer Christian Stepien as a participant.

The Society for UAP Studies also subsequently disclosed its involvement and identified several participants. Its account said Michael Cifone delivered a presentation titled It’s All About the Evidence and identified Robert Powell of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies among the speakers.

Those disclosures are important because the workshop was private, but its existence and some of its participants were not secret after it occurred.

The Working Agenda Names Speakers and Panelists

One of the clearest additions is an August 5, 2025, working agenda identifying people whose names and affiliations were omitted from the generic agenda later published in AARO’s white paper.

The newly released agenda identifies the workshop location as Associated Universities Inc., 2650 Park Tower Drive, Suite 700, Vienna, Virginia, across from the Dunn Loring Metro station.

Opening remarks were scheduled from AUI representatives Tim Spuck and Adam Cohen, AARO Director Jon Kosloski, and Gretchen Stahlman of Florida State University’s School of Information.

The keynote, titled “Setting the stage: Importance of good UAP data,” was assigned to Robert Powell of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies and Kosloski.

The agenda then names Laura Domine, at the time identified as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University, for the first session.

Domine’s participation fits directly with the workshop’s technical focus. Her published research includes work on the Galileo Project’s multi-sensor systems for collecting scientific observations of aerial phenomena, including an infrared camera array designed to continuously monitor and classify objects in the sky.

The first panel, “Opportunities and challenges with AI,” was to be moderated by Spuck. The working agenda identifies four panelists:

• Abigail Haddad, identified as a machine-learning engineer;
• Elliott Hauser, assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Information;
• Duncan McCaskill, identified as formerly with the U.S. Navy Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office;
• Matthew Szydagis, associate professor of physics at the University at Albany.

The second day included a presentation by Stephen Breuhl of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and another panel titled “Harmonizing qualitative and quantitative perspectives on narrative data.”

That panel was scheduled to include Cifone; Amanda Focke, head of Special Collections at Rice University’s Fondren Library; Ben Gibson, identified as a social/behavioral scientist at RAND Corporation; and NUFORC’s Christian Stepien.

The released agenda provides a more specific picture than AARO’s published workshop paper of the mixture of technical researchers, archivists, academics and established civilian UAP organizations invited into the discussion.

AARO Was Also Engaging Uruguay’s Official UAP Organization

Some of the more substantive new material concerns CRIDOVNI, Uruguay’s official commission for receiving and investigating reports of unidentified aerial phenomena within the Uruguayan Air Force.

Names of the foreign participants are redacted from the FOIA release under Exemption (b)(6), so the documents themselves do not provide a basis for identifying those individuals by name.

In a July 2025 email, an AARO partner-engagement officer told the visitors that AARO would provide hotel accommodations for several nights and proposed a separate August 4 meeting at the Pentagon, the day before the workshop began.

The stated purpose went beyond workshop logistics.

“On 4 August (Monday), would you two be available for a meeting at the Pentagon to provide briefings on our respective work at CRIDOVNI and AARO?”

The AARO official proposed discussing “the types of UAP data our offices analyze, types of analysis we undertake, and ways our offices can collaborate moving forward.”

The Uruguayan correspondent responded affirmatively:

“On August 4, of course, we will be available for a meeting at the Pentagon, it is of special interest to us to be able to establish a further working relationship with the AARO, and to exchange information and experiences.”

The correspondent also accepted an invitation to present CRIDOVNI’s work during the workshop.

Mission Briefings and “Future Collaboration” at the Pentagon

Later correspondence shows the Pentagon visit was approved through the Foreign Visit Request and Pentagon Force Protection Agency visitor systems.

A July 29 email laid out the planned meeting:

“1000-1030 CRIDOVNI Mission Briefing
1030-1100 AARO Mission Briefing
1100-1200 Discussion of Briefings and Future Collaboration”

AARO then planned to host the visitors for lunch and a private Pentagon tour.

AARO also provided a detailed list of what it wanted to learn from CRIDOVNI, including its investigative process, analytical methods and tools, handling of cases containing little or no technical data, notable cases in its database, its organizational relationship with the Uruguayan Air Force, and its scientific and governmental partnerships.

Another email states that a Pentagon lunch reservation had been arranged involving Kosloski and AARO Chief Technology Officer Josh Reiter.

The records do not establish what ultimately resulted from the discussions, whether any formal information-sharing arrangement was reached, or whether the contemplated collaboration continued afterward. No such conclusion can be drawn from the released pages.

They do establish that AARO was actively discussing future cooperation with CRIDOVNI and exchanging information about how the two organizations investigated UAP.

AARO Wanted More South American Participation

The correspondence also provides a glimpse into AARO’s effort to expand participation beyond the United States.

In one email, the AARO official wrote:

“We currently do not have any other registered guests from South America.”

The official said an invitation had been sent through a Chilean contact in Washington in an effort to bring in participants from SEFAA, but that no response had been received.

AARO then asked the Uruguayan representatives for contacts with other South American UAP research organizations that could potentially be invited to a later event.

That request led directly to another notable disclosure.

A Follow-On Workshop Was Already Being Planned

The released email states:

“AARO plans to hold a follow-on data workshop in early 2026, so if you have contact information for other UAP research organizations in South America that you could share with us, we would very much appreciate it and like to extend invitations to them as well.”

The same message described most participants in the 2025 gathering as coming from “U.S.-based universities or UAP research organizations, along with several people from U.S. federal agencies.”

The reference is notable when compared with what the Pentagon publicly said months later.

In Vincent’s March 16 DefenseScoop report, Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough said AARO hoped to convene future workshops and collaborative opportunities “as needed,” but DefenseScoop reported that Gough said AARO had no additional workshops or plans to announce at that time.

The two statements are not necessarily contradictory. The July 2025 email describes an internal plan for a follow-on workshop in early 2026; Gough’s March 2026 statement concerned what AARO had to announce publicly at that point. The released records do not establish whether the contemplated early-2026 event occurred, was postponed, changed form or was canceled.

They do establish that, before the first workshop had even taken place, AARO personnel were already telling prospective partners that another data workshop was planned.

Hospitality Went Beyond the Formal Workshop

The correspondence also shows the degree of personal and logistical attention provided to the Uruguayan visitors.

AARO arranged airport pickup, hotel accommodations and the Pentagon visit. The emails additionally discuss a Sunday Catholic Mass with Kosloski and the visitor and his wife. One message states:

“Perfect, Dr. Kosloski plans to pick you and your wife up from the hotel on August 3 and drive you to mass.”

The same email explains that Kosloski would locate a church near the visitors’ Virginia hotel.

These details do not bear directly on AARO’s UAP analysis, but they document the level of engagement surrounding the foreign delegation and provide context for a relationship that extended beyond simply registering two people for a conference.

Nineteen Pages Withheld Completely

The release also demonstrates the limits of what AARO was willing to disclose through FOIA.

The Black Vault’s request was intentionally broad. It sought attendee and invitation records, agendas, presentations, breakout materials, notes, transcripts, recordings, records concerning destruction of recordings, after-action reports, drafts of the public white paper, correspondence, contracts, funding records, IRB documentation and records concerning future workshops.

AARO reported locating 89 responsive pages.

Nineteen were withheld completely under Exemption (b)(5), with the agency describing them as inter- or intra-agency records that were deliberative and contained “subjective evaluations, opinions and recommendations.” Portions of the remaining 70 pages were withheld under the same exemption and under the personal-privacy provisions of Exemption (b)(6).

Several pages in the released package consist solely of a page number and a (b)(5) withholding notation, providing no indication of the underlying content.

Consequently, the release cannot be treated as a complete reconstruction of the workshop or AARO’s internal deliberations about it.

The Public Paper Went Through Pentagon Review

The records also include the Defense Department’s DD Form 1910 clearance paperwork for the eventual workshop paper.

The form identifies Kosloski as the author and describes the document as an 18-page white paper titled 2025 UAP Workshop: Narrative Data, Infrastructures, and Analysis. It states:

“This 18-page white paper captures findings and outcomes from an unclassified, AUI-hosted, AARO-sponsored interdisciplinary working group focused on narrative and technical UAP data integration.”

The form states that AUI intended to publish the paper on its website while AARO planned to promote it through social media and link to it from AARO.mil.

A More Detailed Picture of AARO’s Outreach

Taken together, the newly released material provides less of a revelation about what the workshop concluded than about how AARO assembled it and what the office was trying to build around it.

The public white paper already disclosed the methodological conclusions: standardize UAP data, preserve historical records, connect disparate databases, use AI cautiously, retain human oversight and develop a continuing interdisciplinary research community.

The FOIA records add names, affiliations and institutional relationships behind that summary. They show AARO putting its director on a keynote with a prominent civilian UAP researcher; bringing machine-learning specialists, physicists, archivists, social scientists and civilian UAP database operators into the same program; engaging Uruguay’s official UAP investigative body separately at the Pentagon; seeking contacts with additional South American organizations; and discussing another data workshop before the first one convened.

At the same time, the records leave significant gaps. AARO withheld 19 pages completely, redacted portions of others, and the released material does not establish the identities of all 40 participants, the full substance of the workshop discussions, the ultimate outcome of the proposed CRIDOVNI collaboration or what happened to the follow-on workshop contemplated for early 2026.

Additional FOIA requests are set to be filed regarding some of the above revelations, and those findings will be posted here at The Black Vault, when available.

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Document Archive

26-F-1773 Release Package [91 Pages, 5.92MB]

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The post Behind AARO’s Private UAP Workshop: New Records Detail Participants, Foreign Outreach and Future Plans first appeared on The Black Vault.

The records were obtained by The Black Vault through a Freedom of Information Act request filed on May 24, 2022. The request sought emails sent to, from, copied to or blind-copied to Bray containing terms including “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,” “UAP,” “UAPTF,” “UFO,” “AATIP,” “AAWSAP” and several related phrases.

More than four years later, the Navy responded on September 23, 2026. According to its response, the search located 1,321 pages of responsive records. The Navy withheld 302 pages in their entirety, while releasing the remaining 1,019 pages with redactions under several FOIA exemptions.

Who Was Scott Bray?

Bray served as Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence and Director of the Naval Intelligence Activity during much of the period covered by the records. His position placed him within a network of Navy, Defense Department and Intelligence Community officials dealing with UAP reporting, briefings, congressional interest and the development of what ultimately became the Navy-led Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force.

One email in the release described the relationship directly, stating that John “Jay” Stratton “leads the UAP Task Force effort for Navy… working directly for Scott Bray, our Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence.”

Bray later became one of the government’s most visible officials on the UAP issue. On May 17, 2022, he appeared with Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie before a House Intelligence subcommittee during a public congressional hearing devoted to UAP. The hearing was followed by a classified session.

The newly released records provide a much larger documentary backdrop to that public role.

A Broad Look Behind the Government’s UAP Effort

The correspondence stretches across years and includes exchanges involving Stratton, Defense Intelligence official Neill Tipton, senior Navy officials, admirals, Pentagon public-affairs personnel and other Defense and Intelligence Community officials.

For example, a March 2020 exchange shows Tipton, who was then identified in his signature block as Director of Defense Intelligence, Collection and Special Programs in OUSD(I&S), telling Bray that he had a document “relevant to our discussion the other day” that he preferred to deliver in hard copy. Other correspondence concerning a planned Senate Select Committee on Intelligence briefing includes Bray, Stratton, Tipton and Rear Adm. Kelly Aeschbach.

Elsewhere, the records show Stratton discussing proposed public language concerning the UAP effort and whether it should be reviewed by Bray before being sent forward. Other email traffic includes Vice Adm. Matthew Kohler, Rear Adm. Charles Brown and Rear Adm. Paula Dunn in communications surrounding the April 2020 public release of the Navy UAP videos.

Those are only examples of the names and subjects contained in the collection. The release includes communications surrounding congressional briefings, public-affairs strategy, the UAP Task Force, the 2021 ODNI UAP assessment, media inquiries, FOIA releases, classification questions, senior-level briefings and the government’s evolving organizational response to UAP.

There are also extensive attachments, forwarded news coverage and discussions of claims being made publicly about UAP. Their inclusion in Bray’s email records does not establish that the Navy or Bray endorsed those claims; in many instances, the records simply document what officials were receiving, discussing or preparing to address.

A Large Record With Significant Gaps

The release should not be viewed as a complete history of Bray’s involvement with UAP or of the UAP Task Force itself. The FOIA request was constructed around specific search terms, and the Navy withheld 302 responsive pages completely. Redactions also appear throughout the pages that were released.

What remains is nevertheless an unusually large collection of contemporaneous correspondence from inside the Navy and Defense Department during the years in which the modern UAP issue was developing into a formal, highly visible government effort.

Given the size of the release and the number of separate subjects contained within it, individual email chains and issues may warrant separate examination. The complete released collection is being made available through The Black Vault for independent review.

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Document Archive

DON-NAVY-2022-008648 Release Package [1,324 Pages, 47MB]

The post Navy Releases Massive Cache of Scott Bray UAP Emails After Four Years; More Than 300 Pages Withheld in Full first appeared on The Black Vault.

The records were obtained by The Black Vault after case numbers for Epstein’s Privacy Act requests surfaced within the broader government release of Epstein-related files. Rather than requesting CIA records about Epstein specifically, The Black Vault used those case identifiers, listed as P-1999-02450 and P-2011-00673, to seek the records generated during the processing of the two cases. This also stemmed from a public call to action request from political commentator and speechwriter Mike Benz.

The CIA responded on September 18, 2026, under FOIA case F-2026-00889, saying it had located 17 responsive documents. One was released in full and 16 were released with portions withheld under FOIA Exemptions (b)(3) and/or (b)(6).

The resulting near 50-page release contains Epstein’s original 1999 request, internal CIA search records, correspondence between Epstein and the agency, and the records surrounding a substantially more specific request submitted on his behalf in 2011.

The documents establish that the CIA reported finding no records filed under Epstein’s name in response to his first request. In 2011, the agency similarly reported finding no records reflecting an open or otherwise acknowledged CIA affiliation during the period it searched. For records that could reveal a classified connection, however, the CIA gave a different response: it refused to confirm or deny whether such records existed.

That distinction is central to what the newly released records show, and what they do not.

Epstein Asks the CIA for “All Records About Me”

Epstein’s first request was dated October 28, 1999.

Writing directly to the CIA’s Information and Privacy Coordinator, Epstein invoked both the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act and made a broad request:

“please furnish me with copies of all records about me indexed to my name.”

Epstein supplied identifying information including his full name, date and place of birth, citizenship, current address and several other addresses. The released document also contained a Social Security number, which is not reproduced here in this written article, though was released by the CIA in their document package under the FOIA.

Epstein told the CIA that if search or copying fees did not exceed $5,000, the agency should provide the information without first notifying him of the cost, as he agreed to pay to that amount. He also asked the CIA to identify the specific exemptions supporting any withholding.

On November 5, 1999, the CIA formally accepted the request as P-1999-02450.

The agency told Epstein:

“This acknowledges receipt of your letter dated 28 October 1999 wherein you requested information about yourself.”

The CIA said the request would be processed under both FOIA and the Privacy Act and that its search would cover records existing through November 5, 1999.

The documents then show the request moving through internal CIA search channels.

One November 1999 internal record identifies the requester as “EPSTEIN, JEFFREY,” describes the subject as “INFO ON SELF,” and records “NO RECORD FOUND”. This document appears to be only one component within the CIA that searched for records, with a second that would take another two years to complete their search.

Five Months Later, Epstein Wants an Answer

By April 2000, Epstein was pressing the CIA for a response.

In an April 7 letter, he wrote that more than five months had passed since his original submission:

“I would appreciate any efforts that could be taken to expedite a response to my request.”

The CIA answered on April 20.

The agency attributed the delay to its workload, telling Epstein that it was handling approximately 5,000 FOIA and Privacy Act requests and processing them on a first-in, first-out basis. It could not provide a definite completion date. Although Epstein was not notified of the initial negative search result at that stage, the case was still being processed and additional searches remained underway. The newly released internal records therefore provide a chronological view of the CIA’s processing of the request, including interim search results that were not separately communicated to Epstein before the agency issued its final determination.

The case would remain unresolved for nearly another two years.

A February 19, 2002, internal CIA memorandum records a search involving the Directorate of Operations.

Its conclusion was:

“Subject has been searched with all components of this Directorate which might have an interest or record. This Directorate has no information which can be identified with the Subject.”

Two days later, the CIA issued its final answer.

On February 21, 2002, more than two years after Epstein’s original request, the CIA closed P-1999-02450.

The agency wrote:

“We were unable to identify any information or record filed under your name.”

The CIA characterized its searches as “thorough and diligent” and said it was “highly unlikely” that repeating them would produce a different result, although Epstein retained the right to appeal.

The newly released records therefore provide considerably more information about the 1999 case than simply its case number. They show what Epstein requested, how portions of the CIA searched for responsive information, his follow-up when the process stalled, and the agency’s ultimate no-records determination.

But that was not Epstein’s last request.

A Much More Specific Request in 2011

On June 28, 2011, attorney Martin G. Weinberg submitted another FOIA and Privacy Act request to the CIA on Epstein’s behalf.

Unlike Epstein’s brief 1999 request for all records indexed to his name, the 2011 request specified both a time period and particular categories of records.

Weinberg sought records created between January 1, 2000 and June 28, 2011, including records “prepared, received, transmitted, collected, and/or maintained” by the CIA or its components and field offices.

The first category sought:

“Any records, order, agreement, or accommodation relating or referring to Epstein, including but not limited to records that document monitoring, surveillance, observation, questioning, interrogation, investigation, and/or collection of information relating to Epstein.”

The second sought:

“Any records relating or referring to how, why, or when Epstein was selected to be a subject of monitoring, surveillance, observation, questioning, interrogation, investigation, and/or collection of information.”

Epstein’s attorney also specifically requested a “cross-reference search” and preauthorized as much as $1,000 in fees.

The wording is noteworthy because it establishes precisely what Epstein wanted the CIA to search for. It does not, by itself, establish that the CIA had monitored, surveilled, questioned, investigated or maintained an intelligence relationship with Epstein, but rather, simply shows what Epstein was seeking.

CIA Requires Proof of Epstein’s Authorization

The CIA assigned the second matter P-2011-00673.

But processing initially stalled because the agency said Weinberg’s facsimile did not include the privacy waiver referenced in his request.

The CIA explained that it could conduct a search without authorization, but privacy considerations could restrict disclosure if records were found. It therefore required a properly executed statement establishing Epstein’s identity and authorizing his attorney to receive the results.

The agency gave Weinberg 45 days to provide the documentation.

On July 19, Weinberg sent another letter renewing the request and enclosed what he described as “an executed privacy waiver and certification of identity for Jeffery Edward Epstein.”

The release includes that signed authorization. In it, Epstein waived his privacy rights for purposes of the request and authorized the CIA to release information about him to Weinberg.

CIA records also document contact with Weinberg’s office. A July 20 entry states:

“I spoke with Mr. Weinberg regarding his client Mr. Epstein’s PA request. I confirmed he did receive our letter and he stated they sent out the Privacy Waiver to us via Fed Ex.”

The CIA Searches Again

The release contains records documenting the CIA’s second round of searches.

A July 2011 “NCS Upfront Person-Search Request Form” states that searches of the Office of Security central database indicated that the Directorate of Support held no record on Epstein and requested that NCS record systems also be checked. The handwritten search result is marked “Negative.”

Other released pages show searches of an internal security system using Epstein’s identifying information. One screen records a search using his date of birth, while another shows a search using his Social Security number.

Then, on July 29, 2011, the CIA issued its final determination.

That response requires careful distinction between two categories of possible records.

No Records of an Open or Acknowledged CIA Affiliation

For records that could reflect an overt or acknowledged connection between Epstein and the agency, the CIA said it found nothing.

The agency wrote:

“We searched for CIA-originated responsive records that might reflect an open or otherwise acknowledged Agency affiliation existing from 5 November 1999, the date of our previous acceptance letter (P-1999-02450) to 25 July 2011, the date we accepted Mr. Epstein’s current request. We were unable to locate any information or records.”

That statement is the CIA’s documented search result for an open or otherwise acknowledged agency affiliation during the specified period.

But the next paragraph gave a different answer concerning any potentially classified connection.

CIA Would Neither Confirm Nor Deny a Classified Connection

The CIA wrote:

“With respect to responsive records that would reveal a classified connection to the CIA, in accordance with section 3.6(a) of Executive Order 13526, as amended, the CIA can neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of records responsive to your request.”

The agency said the existence or nonexistence of such records was classified and constituted intelligence sources-and-methods information protected by federal law. It invoked FOIA Exemptions (b)(1) and (b)(3), along with Privacy Act exemptions (j)(1) and (k)(1).

This is commonly known as a Glomar response: rather than acknowledging that responsive records exist and withholding them, an agency declines to confirm or deny whether the records exist at all.

The language therefore should not be read as confirmation that Epstein had a classified relationship with the CIA. Nor does it establish that no such records existed. The CIA expressly declined to answer that question.

An Earlier Epstein Case Had Already Been Destroyed

One of the more consequential administrative details appears on the final page of the release.

An internal notation concerning the 2011 determination states:

“MFR: Previous case destroyed 14 Sept 2005 per NARA destruction schedule”

The “previous case” is identified in the surrounding 2011 records as P-1999-02450. The newly released package nevertheless contains copies of numerous documents associated with that earlier matter, including Epstein’s original request and the CIA’s correspondence and search documentation.

The notation establishes that the previous case was recorded as having been destroyed pursuant to a National Archives and Records Administration destruction schedule. The released material does not, by itself, explain precisely which original case materials were destroyed in 2005 or why copies of some of those records remained available elsewhere for the CIA’s 2026 search.

What the Records Establish — and What They Don’t

The newly released material establishes a documented chronology.

Epstein asked the CIA in October 1999 for all records about himself indexed to his name. The CIA searched and ultimately told him in February 2002 that it could not identify any such information or records. Internal records released with the case document negative searches, including searches of personnel security systems and the Directorate of Operations.

In 2011, Epstein, through an attorney, returned with a considerably more detailed request. He specifically sought records concerning possible monitoring, surveillance, questioning, investigation or collection of information about him and requested a cross-reference search.

The CIA again reported no records reflecting an open or otherwise acknowledged Agency affiliation between November 5, 1999 and July 25, 2011. For anything that would reveal a classified connection, however, the CIA neither confirmed nor denied the existence of records.

Nothing in the newly released documents establishes that Epstein worked for, assisted, was recruited by, or otherwise maintained a relationship with the CIA. The records establish that Epstein repeatedly asked the CIA what it had on him, and they now reveal substantially more about how the agency processed and answered those requests.

More than two decades after the first case was opened, those administrative files provide a documented answer to at least part of that question: when the CIA searched for records it could acknowledge concerning Epstein, it reported finding none. On the separate question of whether records reflecting a classified connection existed, the agency’s answer in 2011 was neither yes nor no.

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F-2026-00889 Release Package [50 Pages, 1.2MB]

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The post Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s CIA Privacy Act Requests for Records About Himself first appeared on The Black Vault.

The NSA’s March 25, 2026, response concerned a FOIA request filed on February 10, 2020, seeking records that “pertain or mention or contain cross references to QAnon.” The request covered records dating from 2016 through the date the request was processed.

The response does not disclose the subject, origin, date or contents of the three-page classified record. Consequently, the release provides no basis to conclude what connection the withheld document has to QAnon. It could contain a substantive discussion of the movement, a passing reference, a cross-reference comparable to the material that was released, or something else entirely. The available record does not resolve that question.

A SECRET Document Withheld in Full

According to the NSA, “1 document (3 pages) has been withheld in its entirety.” The agency said the document remains properly classified under Executive Order 13526 and specifically cited Sections 1.4(c) and 1.4(g). NSA further stated that the record remains classified at the SECRET level and that disclosure “could reasonably be expected to cause serious damage to the national security.”

Section 1.4(c) of Executive Order 13526 covers classified information concerning “intelligence activities (including covert action), intelligence sources or methods, or cryptology.” Section 1.4(g) covers “vulnerabilities or capabilities of systems, installations, infrastructures, projects, plans, or protection services relating to the national security.” Those classification categories establish the grounds cited by NSA for protecting the information; they do not establish what the three-page document says or how QAnon figures into it.

NSA invoked FOIA Exemption 1, which protects properly classified national-security information. It also invoked Exemption 3 and identified three statutes applicable to the fully withheld document: 18 U.S.C. § 798, 50 U.S.C. § 3024(h), and Section 6 of Public Law 86-36, codified at 50 U.S.C. § 3605.

NSA additionally stated that it “reasonably foresees” disclosure of the withheld material would harm an interest protected by the exemptions it cited.

Nothing in the response identifies whether the classified document was created by NSA, originated elsewhere in the Intelligence Community, or merely contains a QAnon reference that caused it to become responsive to the broad wording of the request.

That distinction matters because the unclassified record released alongside it demonstrates how little a keyword hit can reveal about a document’s actual subject.

The Released QAnon Reference Was a Joke

The substantive released material is a November 2019 discussion among NSA personnel concerning personnel policies, field tours, deployments and promotion requirements.

The pages are printouts from an NSA system labeled “Tapioca: The Stream.” The interface displays threaded posts and replies among multiple users, along with timestamps and automatically associated “Implicit Topics.” The released thread states that it contains 23 replies from 13 people.

The conversation began after a feed apparently cut out while the Director of NSA was discussing field-tour policy. Employees then attempted to reconstruct what had been said, discussing possible requirements for field tours or deployments, promotion to the GS-15 level, jobs at NSA Washington and the meaning of personnel terminology.

One participant complained that field-tour advertisements seemed to disappear. Another said someone had told them that advertisements were displayed only on certain days of the week before being removed.

That prompted the sole QAnon reference visible in the released discussion:

“This actually sounds like some qAnon conspiracy theory. Field ads appear in the hr tool just like other jobs. If you want a specific job, you should write to the org and ask about it.”

In other words, the released thread is not an NSA analysis of QAnon. The term was used colloquially by an employee during an unrelated workplace discussion. Because the 2020 FOIA request explicitly sought records that merely “mention” or “contain” references to QAnon, that passing reference made the discussion responsive.

What is Tapioca?

The released pages themselves provide useful context for Tapioca, although NSA does not provide a separate technical description of the system in this FOIA response.

The records identify the interface as “Tapioca: The Stream” and show a social-media-style internal discussion environment. The pages include tabs labeled “The Main Stream,” “Tributaries,” “Tributary Events” and “Search,” while individual entries contain replies, timestamps, topic tags and links indicating that messages were “posted to The Stream.”

An Earlier QAnon Search Found Nothing

The 2026 release also contains records from a separate August 2018 FOIA request, originally filed by The Black Vault, seeking Intellipedia entries for “QANON” or “Q-ANON,” including entries returned through an Intellipedia keyword search.

NSA explained at the time that it serves as executive agent for Intelink and provides technical services enabling Intelligence Community and Department of Defense users to access and share information. It also cautioned that Intellipedia pages are collaborative “living documents” that can be created and edited by users from different organizations and should not be regarded as the final, coordinated position of the Intelligence Community.

NSA reported that a “thorough search of Intellipedia files was conducted,” but that no responsive records were located.

That August 2018 result and the March 2026 response concern different searches and should not be conflated. The earlier request was specifically directed at Intellipedia. The later request was broader, seeking NSA records containing or cross-referencing QAnon.

What QAnon Was — and What Was Never Established

QAnon emerged online in 2017 around anonymous posts attributed to a figure calling itself “Q,” who claimed access to sensitive government information. The posts became the foundation for an expansive collection of conspiracy claims involving political figures, government officials and other public personalities.

Central QAnon claims, which included allegations of a secret cabal engaged in child trafficking and assertions that hidden government operations were underway against that cabal, were never substantiated by credible evidence. The existence of government records discussing QAnon should likewise not be confused with evidence supporting those claims.

Government agencies nevertheless had legitimate reasons to document QAnon as a social and, in some cases, security phenomenon. An FBI record from October 2018, for example, documents database checks and open-source research concerning QAnon. Later FBI and Department of Homeland Security reporting discussed conspiracy theories, including QAnon, in the context of some domestic violent extremists, while emphasizing that ideology or belief alone is not what defines domestic terrorism; the government’s framework centers on criminal acts, threats or violence.

None of that validates QAnon’s underlying allegations.

Previous CIA and FBI Responses on QAnon Records

The NSA response is not the first time a federal intelligence or law-enforcement agency has withheld information in response to a QAnon-related FOIA request. Previous requests by The Black Vault produced substantially different responses from the CIA and FBI.

In February 2020, The Black Vault submitted a request to the CIA for records pertaining to QAnon. The agency responded two days later with what is commonly known as a Glomar response: it would neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of responsive records. According to the CIA response as reported by The Black Vault at the time, even acknowledging whether such records existed would itself reveal classified information.

The FBI later took a different approach. In records released to The Black Vault and reported in May 2023, the Bureau acknowledged locating 43 pages related to QAnon but released only 19 pages. The remaining pages were withheld under FOIA Exemption 7(A), which applies to law-enforcement records when disclosure “could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings.”

The newly released NSA response adds another, distinct piece to that record. Unlike the CIA, NSA has now acknowledged that responsive records exist. And unlike the FBI withholding, which was based on interference with enforcement proceedings, NSA identified a separate three-page document as currently classified SECRET, stating that disclosure “could reasonably be expected to cause serious damage to the national security.”

Taken together, the three responses establish only what each agency has formally acknowledged through FOIA: the CIA refused in 2020 to say whether it possessed responsive records; the FBI later acknowledged 43 pages while withholding more than half of them on law-enforcement grounds; and NSA has now acknowledged responsive material that includes a three-page SECRET document withheld in full. They do not establish that the CIA, FBI and NSA records are connected, concern the same underlying matter, or substantiate any of QAnon’s claims.

What the NSA Release Does — and Does Not — Establish

The March 2026 FOIA response establishes a narrow but potentially significant fact: when NSA processed a broad request for records pertaining to, mentioning, containing or cross-referencing QAnon, it identified a three-page document that it determined remains classified SECRET and withheld every page.

It does not establish why that document was responsive.

NSA’s decision to withhold it under national-security and statutory exemptions reveals classification grounds, but not the nature of the QAnon connection. The released Tapioca thread provides a useful cautionary example: a record can qualify as responsive simply because someone mentioned “qAnon conspiracy theory” in an otherwise unrelated conversation about personnel policy.

The three-page SECRET record could similarly contain only an incidental reference, or its connection to QAnon could be more substantive. With all three pages withheld and no description of their contents provided, the public record does not permit either conclusion.

For now, what the document contains, and why the term QAnon led NSA to identify it as responsive,  remains unknown.

###

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NSA FOIA Case 109168 Release Package [14 Pages, 1.95MB]

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The post NSA Located a Classified QAnon-Related Record — All Three Pages Were Withheld first appeared on The Black Vault.

The paper, “Coupon Collecting and Cryptology,” was written by Marie Capozza and published in the Fall 1966 edition of the NSA Technical Journal. Although the title had been publicly identified for years in declassified indexes of NSA publications, searches conducted by The Black Vault did not locate a previously public copy of the paper itself. The 1966 study released in response to the FOIA request therefore provides a newly available look at how NSA mathematicians examined a classic probability problem and applied it to cryptologic questions.

The Black Vault requested the article from NSA on August 6, 2017. NSA’s response is dated September 9, 2026, more than nine years later. The agency released the responsive document with portions withheld under FOIA Exemptions 1 and 3.

Despite its complex pages of equations, the basic idea behind the paper is relatively straightforward: If items are selected randomly from a fixed number of possible types, how long should it take before every type has appeared; and can deviations from that expected behavior reveal that the selection process is not actually random?

For the NSA, that question had direct applications to cryptology.

From Cereal-Box Coupons to Cryptology

Capozza begins with a deliberately ordinary example.

“Let us assume that a manufacturer encloses in each package of his product one coupon that is chosen randomly from a stock of K different coupons.”

The manufacturer might offer a prize to someone who obtains every different coupon. The mathematical problem is determining how many packages, on average, a customer would have to purchase before completing the set.

That is what mathematicians call the coupon collector’s problem.

Capozza describes the purpose of the paper as presenting “some well-known and some new results found in the literature on coupon collecting and to point out some cryptologic applications.”

In plain English, imagine that there are ten different coupons and every box contains one, selected independently and with equal probability. Finding the first several different coupons is easy. The problem becomes progressively harder as the collection approaches completion. Once nine different coupons have been obtained, every new box has only a one-in-ten chance of containing the single missing coupon.

That last stubborn item substantially increases the average waiting time.

Capozza calculates that when there are ten possible coupons, the expected number of selections required to collect all ten is approximately 29.29. The paper notes:

“Suppose that we have decimal digits. Then the expected number of drawings to exhaust the entire population … [is]29.29.”

The same mathematics applies to an alphabet. For 26 equally probable letters, the paper calculates an expected collection time of approximately 100.20 selections before all 26 have appeared.

These examples provide the foundation for the paper’s more consequential subject: testing whether sequences used in cryptographic systems behave as though they are genuinely random.

Why Randomness Matters

Cryptographic systems depend heavily on sequences that cannot be readily predicted. A sequence may look chaotic to a person while still containing mathematical biases or patterns.

The coupon collector framework offers one way of testing those sequences.

Instead of asking how long it takes to collect every coupon, an analyst can ask how many generated symbols must be examined before every possible symbol has occurred. If that process repeatedly takes substantially more or fewer observations than mathematics predicts for genuinely random selections, something about the underlying generator may warrant scrutiny.

Capozza devotes much of the paper to deriving the probability distributions necessary to make those comparisons.

The equations determine, among other things, the probability of obtaining a particular number of distinct coupon types after a given number of selections, the average waiting time required to obtain every possible type, the variance around that average and the limiting behavior of the distribution when the number of possible symbols becomes very large.

One table illustrates how quickly the waiting time grows. For ten possible coupon types, the expected collection time is about 29.29 selections. For 20 types, it is about 71.95. For 30, approximately 119.85. At 40, the expected number rises to approximately 171.16, and for 50 possible types it reaches about 225.06.

The point is not that cryptographers were literally collecting coupons. The coupon story provides a convenient mathematical model for analyzing symbols drawn from a finite alphabet.

Testing Random Numbers

The paper eventually turns explicitly to what Capozza calls “Cryptologic Applications.”

One is a test of randomness.

Capozza describes the “Coupon Collector’s Test for Randomness” and applies the concept to decimal digits. Under the assumption that digits are random, analysts can calculate how frequently they should need a particular number of observations before seeing all ten digits.

The paper states:

“Using the 2035 decimal approximations to π given by G. W. Reitwiesner, Greenwood began with the initial position 3 and found that 33 positions were required to collect all ten digits.”

The procedure was then repeated through the sequence, producing 87 sequences of complete sets, according to the study.

Those observed results could be compared with the mathematically expected distribution.

This is an important distinction: the test does not prove that a sequence is random. Rather, it provides a statistical means of identifying behavior that is inconsistent with what would ordinarily be expected from random sampling.

The underlying technique was not unique to NSA. Robert E. Greenwood published “Coupon Collector’s Test for Random Digits” in Mathematical Tables and Other Aids to Computation in 1955, and the technique subsequently appeared in the literature on random-number testing.

Capozza’s NSA paper assembled that mathematical foundation and examined how it could be used in a cryptologic environment.

Generating Cryptographic Alphabets

A second application gets closer to operational cryptography.

Under the heading “Coupon Collecting and Key Card Generation,” Capozza describes a method in which randomly generated coordinates are used to place punches in a 12-by-12 field on a key card.

The goal was to populate the card while avoiding duplicate locations.

The document explains:

“If it takes too many trials to complete our matrix, then our ‘random’ process of position selecting is not truly random since it has a tendency to select one or more positions.”

Conversely, the study says that completing the matrix with unusually few selections could indicate another form of non-random behavior.

This is the practical significance of the otherwise abstract mathematics.

A random-number source might produce values that look unpredictable when examined casually. But if certain positions or symbols occur too frequently — or others appear too infrequently — coupon-collector statistics can expose that imbalance.

In cryptography, such bias can matter because the security of a system may depend on assumptions about the randomness of its keys or other generated values.

A Second Statistical Test

The paper also discusses what it calls a “Statistical Inference: Coupon Collector’s Test for the Number of Code Groups.”

Capozza asks analysts to imagine that there are K possible code groups, but that K itself is unknown. After observing a sample containing a certain number of different groups, the analyst can attempt to estimate the total number of groups that exist.

That reverses the original coupon problem.

Instead of knowing how many coupon types exist and calculating how long collecting them should take, the analyst observes repeated samples and attempts to infer the size of the unseen population.

Capozza notes that the underlying population is assumed to be flat — meaning the individual possibilities are treated as equally likely — an assumption that the paper explicitly acknowledges “is not easily satisfied.”

That caveat is important. The mathematics depends upon assumptions about how the underlying population behaves. If those assumptions are wrong, the resulting statistical conclusions may not accurately describe the real system.

A Paper Marked SECRET

Every page of the released article carries SECRET classification markings at the top and bottom. The released copy identifies it as Doc ID 6932166 and Doc Ref ID A3912410.

The first page now also bears a release notation:

“Approved for Release by NSA on 09-09-2026, FOIA Case # 102241.”

NSA did not release everything.

Its September 9 response states that portions remain classified under Executive Order 13526 and were withheld pursuant to FOIA Exemption 1. NSA said disclosure of the classified material “could reasonably be expected to cause serious damage to national security.”

The agency also invoked FOIA Exemption 3, citing statutes protecting intelligence-related information, including 50 U.S.C. §3024(i) and Section 6 of Public Law 86-36. NSA characterized the release as a partial denial of The Black Vault’s request.

Several portions of the article remain visibly blank or redacted. Most notably, a large section on page 115 under the heading “Coupon Collecting and Alphabet Generation” is withheld. Portions of the bibliography are also redacted.

The contents of those withheld passages cannot be established from the released record.

What the 1966 Study Means in Plain English

Stripped of its equations, Coupon Collecting and Cryptology addresses a fundamental problem: How can mathematics tell whether something that is supposed to be random is behaving the way randomness says it should?

The coupon analogy provides an intuitive way to answer it.

If a bag contains ten equally likely numbered tokens, repeated draws should eventually produce all ten. Mathematics can predict approximately how long that should take and how much variation around that average is normal.

If repeated experiments behave very differently from those predictions, the discrepancy becomes measurable.

Capozza’s paper develops that concept mathematically and then applies it to cryptologic problems involving random digits, code groups, key-card generation and alphabets.

The advanced formulas filling much of the 13-page article are therefore not describing an exotic cryptographic cipher. They are establishing the probability distributions required to distinguish expected random behavior from potentially significant statistical irregularities.

Sixty years after the study appeared inside the NSA Technical Journal — and more than nine years after The Black Vault asked NSA for a copy — the released portions of Coupon Collecting and Cryptology provide a window into how the agency applied classical probability theory to practical cryptologic problems.

The release also leaves part of that history unresolved. Portions of the 1966 paper remain withheld, including material in its discussion of alphabet generation, meaning the complete scope of the study remains unavailable in the public version released by NSA.

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Coupon Collecting and Cryptology [21 Pages, 2.5MB]

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The post NSA Releases 1966 Secret Study on “Coupon Collecting and Cryptology” After Nine-Year FOIA Wait first appeared on The Black Vault.

A collection of eight National Security Agency technology forecasting studies, spanning topics from privacy and anonymity to brain-network interfaces, advanced antennas and terahertz electronics, has been released through the Freedom of Information Act after a request that dated back to May 25, 2011.

The original FOIA request sought ten documents described as “Point Forecasts issued by the Futures Intelligence Team.” The requested studies covered solid-state lighting for wireless communications, human interaction with computer networks, antenna technology, energy storage and ultrathin electronics, post-Moore’s Law materials, terahertz microelectronics, harvested power, bio-inspired computing, privacy and anonymity, and position-location technologies.

The documents requested sought the following titles:

• Using Solid-State Lighting for Wireless Communications
• The Human Side of the Net
• Antenna Technologies
• Point Forecast for Small Energy Storage and Ultrathin Electronics
• What’s Beyond Moore’s Law
• Terahertz Solid-State Microelectronics
• Harvested Power and the Need
• Bio-Inspired Computing
• Privacy and Anonymity
• Position Location

NSA’s response, dated August 29, 2026, came more than 15 years after the request was filed. The agency stated that some responsive documents were being released with information withheld and that one 228-page document was withheld in its entirety. NSA did not identify that document by title.

According to the response, the 228-page document remained “currently and properly classified” under Executive Order 13526, resulting in its withholding under FOIA Exemption 1. NSA also cited Exemption 3 for information protected by federal statutes, specifically Title 18 U.S.C. §798, Title 50 U.S.C. §3024(i), and Section 6 of Public Law 86-36. Personal information was withheld under Exemption 6. The agency further stated that the Department of Energy requested withholding of certain information under Exemptions 6 and 7, with those portions identified as “OGA,” or Other Government Agency.

The eight studies now archived by The Black Vault correspond to eight of the ten titles specifically identified in the 2011 FOIA request. The two requested titles not represented in the released collection are Bio-Inspired Computing and Position Location. The available FOIA response does not identify which requested title corresponds to the 228-page document withheld in full, so it cannot be established from the records whether that document was Bio-Inspired Computing, Position Location, or both. Accordingly, the record establishes only that ten titles were requested, eight are represented in this release, and one unidentified 228-page responsive document was withheld in its entirety.

A Window Into NSA Technology Forecasting

Although the subjects vary considerably, the documents belong together for a specific reason: they were produced as forward-looking assessments intended to examine technologies that could affect national-security missions.

One of the earliest records in the collection, the 2002 Privacy and Anonymity study, provides unusually direct context for that effort. Its preface states that NSA’s Technology Forecasting Program was established to “anticipate the impact of advancing technologies on NSA’s mission.” It describes a process under which analysts examined emerging technologies, market trends and research activity to identify technologies that could affect future operations.

Later reports show national laboratories playing a significant role in that process. Several were produced by Sandia National Laboratories for NSA’s Research Transformation activities, while others were prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The documents often combine scientific literature reviews, technology assessments, commercial-market analysis, international research comparisons and forecasts of capabilities several years into the future.

What emerges is not a single research program devoted to one technology. Instead, the papers provide snapshots of what government technology analysts considered potentially consequential at different points between 2002 and 2010: how humans might interact directly with networks, how tiny autonomous devices could power themselves, whether visible light could carry wireless data, what might replace traditional semiconductor scaling, how terahertz systems could be miniaturized, and how advances in antennas could reshape sensing and communications.

Below are the eight released records.

The Released Documents

Privacy and Anonymity: A Technology Forecast, 29 October 2002 [44 Pages, 11.671MB]

This NSA Information Assurance Research Group forecast examines privacy and anonymity at a moment when Internet use, electronic commerce, digital communications and government surveillance were rapidly expanding. Rather than treating privacy and anonymity as technologies themselves, the report examines them as rights and policy concerns being reshaped by technology. Written shortly after the September 11 attacks, it places particular emphasis on the tension between personal privacy and national security. The document reviews U.S. and European privacy law and discusses technologies with significant privacy implications, including Wi-Fi, Secure Socket Layer, public-key infrastructure, virtual private networks, intrusion-detection systems, biometrics, Microsoft’s Passport and Palladium initiatives, anonymous remailers and Internet anonymizers.

The report also addresses the issue specifically from NSA’s perspective. It acknowledges a fundamental tension between protecting privacy and anonymity and conducting intelligence operations intended to penetrate those protections when directed against authorized foreign targets. The forecast concludes that technological solutions alone cannot resolve privacy concerns and that legal and policy protections will remain important. It also anticipates that improvements in privacy- and anonymity-enhancing technologies could make NSA’s intelligence mission “more challenging and expensive,” while potentially assisting—or complicating—the Agency’s information-assurance responsibilities.

What’s Beyond Moore’s Law: Emerging Research Materials, May 2009 [91 Pages, 26.229MB]

This technical assessment examines what might happen as conventional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) scaling approaches physical and engineering limits. Rather than assuming that increasing transistor density could continue indefinitely through conventional silicon technology, the report evaluates emerging materials and fabrication techniques that might sustain the historical trajectory associated with Moore’s Law. Topics include advanced lithography, graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanowires, macromolecules, directed self-assembly, spin materials, complex metal oxides, interfaces and heterointerfaces, along with computational modeling and simulation. Its stated objective is to forecast the sustainability of Moore’s Law through 2030 and beyond.

The report develops three broad scenarios: carbon-based nanoelectronics replacing or supplementing silicon; complex metal oxides assuming a larger role in future devices; or silicon remaining dominant while the historical rate of Moore’s Law gradually declines. Its forecast anticipated a difficult transitional period as conventional CMOS scaling weakened before replacement technologies became sufficiently mature. The report identified carbon-based nanoelectronics—particularly graphene and carbon nanotubes—as an important potential route beyond conventional silicon, while explicitly recognizing major unresolved technical problems. Its long-range projections, including terahertz-range single-core performance and trillions of transistors per chip by around 2030, are forecasts made from the technological perspective of the report’s period rather than statements of present-day capability.

Technology Point Forecast: Terahertz Solid-State Microelectronics, April 2009 [109 Pages, 22.913MB]

Prepared by Sandia National Laboratories, this report assesses efforts to develop practical solid-state electronic components operating in the terahertz portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, which it generally defines for its purposes as approximately 0.5 to 5 THz. The document describes terahertz frequencies as occupying a technological gap between microwave electronics and infrared photonics: conventional transistor-based electronics become increasingly difficult at the upper end, while conventional photonic technologies encounter limitations approaching from higher frequencies. The forecast evaluates research aimed at creating compact, manufacturable solid-state sources and detectors capable of closing that gap.

The report contrasts this goal with existing tube-based terahertz sources, which could provide useful performance but carried substantial disadvantages in size, weight, operating voltage, power requirements and mechanical complexity. It cites, for example, a 2.5-THz molecular gas laser developed for NASA’s Aura satellite as evidence that rugged terahertz systems were possible, while noting the substantial engineering expense involved. The forecast therefore focuses on solid-state approaches and assesses competing research directions, technical hurdles, anticipated component requirements and leading research groups worldwide, with an eye toward applications relevant to national security, defense and intelligence.

Overview of Harvested Power and the Need, April 2009 [37 Pages, 12.255MB]

This Sandia National Laboratories report examines “energy harvesting” as an alternative to relying exclusively on stored battery power for miniature sensors, actuators and communications equipment. The report explains that shrinking conventional batteries can sharply reduce practical energy density because packaging, seals and other inactive components occupy an increasing proportion of the available volume. It therefore evaluates methods for collecting energy from the surrounding environment, including photovoltaic, chemical, thermal, mechanical and radio-frequency sources. The document compares the energy densities, conversion efficiencies and practical limitations associated with each approach.

The forecast goes beyond individual energy-harvesting devices by examining the supporting systems required to make them useful. Because harvesters frequently cannot meet the instantaneous power requirements of electronics, the report discusses batteries, supercapacitors and power-management circuitry as load-leveling mechanisms. It also provides short-, medium- and long-term capability forecasts, including the possibility that advances in antennas, rectifiers and low-power electronics could eventually make RF energy harvesting practical across substantial portions of urban environments. The broader forecast is that harvested power would become increasingly important as electronic systems became smaller, more autonomous and expected to operate for longer periods without conventional battery replacement.

Point Forecast for Small Energy Storage and Ultrathin Electronics, March 2010 [59 Pages, 18.380MB]

Prepared by Sandia National Laboratories for NSA Research Transformation, this forecast examines technologies capable of supplying power to increasingly small electronic devices while simultaneously reducing the physical thickness of the electronics themselves. The report surveys ultrathin and printable batteries, battery materials, supercapacitors, mechanical energy-storage systems, radioisotopic power systems and ultrathin semiconductors. Its central concern is the engineering problem created when sensors, communications devices and other electronics become so small that conventional batteries and packaging consume a disproportionate amount of their available volume.

The forecast also tracks international research activity, including work in China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Australia, France and the United Kingdom. On the electronics side, it examines efforts to thin conventional silicon circuits into flexible structures approximately 5 to 50 micrometers thick, as well as organic semiconductor alternatives. The document connects these advances to applications such as smart cards, wearable sensors and low-profile communications equipment, while emphasizing that reliability, heat dissipation, packaging and energy density remained significant constraints.

Forecasting of Antenna Technologies, March 2010 [38 Pages, 10.651MB]

This Sandia National Laboratories forecast, sponsored by NSA Research Transformation, examines emerging antenna technologies needed to support increasingly capable and miniaturized wireless systems. It concentrates on four principal areas: electrically small antennas, metamaterial-based antennas, advanced antenna-array architectures and new approaches to integrating materials into antenna systems. The report argues that antennas should no longer be treated as an afterthought in system design, particularly as wireless devices are required to support multiple functions while meeting increasingly stringent size, power and performance requirements.

The study evaluates electrically small antennas for applications such as RFID and communications, metamaterials intended to alter or improve electromagnetic behavior, smart and phased arrays, and flexible or mechanically reconfigurable antenna concepts. It also surveys international research and publication activity, including Chinese work in areas such as monopulse systems, RF stealth and radar-absorbing materials. The forecast concludes with short-, medium- and long-term assessments of technical readiness, framing antenna development as an enabling technology for future communications, sensing and other wireless systems rather than merely a peripheral hardware component.

Technology Forecast: Using Solid-State Lighting for Wireless Communications, February 2010 [61 Pages, 15.479MB]

Prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, this forecast examines whether light-emitting diode solid-state lighting could simultaneously illuminate spaces and function as a wireless communications infrastructure. The underlying concept is visible-light communication: because LED output can be modulated rapidly, lighting fixtures could potentially transmit digital information while continuing to provide apparently continuous illumination to occupants. The report considers both indoor networking and point-to-point optical communications and reviews the rapid development of high-brightness LEDs that was making solid-state lighting increasingly practical.

The report tempers some of the more ambitious expectations surrounding the technology. Earlier projections had contemplated gigabit-per-second data rates and communication over hundreds of meters, but experimental systems, physical modeling and practical engineering constraints had caused those expectations to be revised downward by the time of the study. The forecast evaluates LED performance, modulation, receivers, networking architectures and the relationship between lighting requirements and communications performance. In effect, it examines an early version of what later became widely known as visible-light communications or “Li-Fi”: using existing or future LED lighting infrastructure as an additional medium for transmitting information.

The Human Side of the Net, March 2010 [99 Pages, 27.450MB]

Prepared by Sandia National Laboratories, The Human Side of the Net explores neuroscience and neurotechnology as potential components of future computer networks. The report surveys technologies including EEG, fMRI, MEG, PET, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, transcranial stimulation and other methods for measuring or influencing brain activity. Its central forecasting question is unusually direct: how might humans become “more than metaphorically” part of a network? From that premise, the study examines the possibility of direct input from the brain to a network, biometric encryption and identification based on unique neurological signals, cognitive-state detection, deception detection and direct control of devices.

The report then considers more speculative applications that researchers might eventually pursue if neurotechnology improved sufficiently. These include using the brain as a supplementary processor, “brain onion routing,” outsourcing recognition tasks to human participants, and establishing two-way interaction between the brain and a computer network. Importantly, these concepts are presented as forecast scenarios rather than evidence that NSA possessed or deployed such capabilities. Large portions of the document are redacted under FOIA exemptions, including material withheld under Exemption 7(E), leaving some of the original analysis unavailable in the released version.

The post NSA Releases Cold War-Era Style “Technology Forecasts” on Brain-Network Interfaces, Terahertz Systems, Energy Harvesting and More first appeared on The Black Vault.

The decision does not establish that Immaculate Constellation exists, that NSA participated in such a program, or even that NSA possesses records about it. Instead, NSA maintains that simply answering the question on whether responsive intelligence records exist at all, would itself disclose classified and statutorily protected information.

That distinction is particularly significant in this case. The Department of War has publicly denied having any record of a Special Access Program by that name, while the document responsible for many of the allegations remains an unverified whistleblower-origin report containing extraordinary claims for which no underlying imagery, intelligence reports, databases or other corroborating evidence described in the report has been publicly produced.

The result is an unusual information gap: one part of the government has publicly said it has no record of the alleged program, while NSA says national security prevents it from saying whether it has records pertaining to the same allegation.

The Immaculate Constellation Allegations

“Immaculate Constellation” entered the public UAP debate in October 2024 through reporting by journalist Michael Shellenberger. A document subsequently provided to Congress was entered into the record of the House Oversight Committee’s November 13, 2024 hearing, “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth.”

The document describes itself as the product of “a multi-year, internal investigation” concerning UAP, “Technologies of Unknown Origin,” and “Non-Human Intelligence.” It states that it was provided to Congress through UAP whistleblower mechanisms and says its public version was reviewed and approved for public release by the State Department’s Bureau of Global Public Affairs.

Its central allegation is explicit:

“IMMACULATE CONSTELLATION is an Unacknowledged Special Access Program (USAP) established following the public disclosure of the AATIP/AAWSAP programs by Luis Elizondo in 2017.”

The report further alleges that the program’s “primary mission is collecting imagery intelligence on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) and ARV/RV (Reproduction Vehicles)” using tasked and untasked U.S. military-intelligence collection systems.

The claims extend considerably further. The document describes alleged imagery from CENTCOM, INDOPACOM, NORTHCOM and SOUTHCOM environments; asserts that a Defense HUMINT database contains more than 400 UAP/UFO encounter reports from 1991 through 2022; and presents tables cataloging reported shapes, sizes, behaviors, signatures and other characteristics.

Those are allegations contained in the document and are not independently established findings.

The document’s presence in an official congressional hearing record verifies that Congress received and published the report. It does not authenticate the underlying claims, establish that the purported program exists, or demonstrate that the described imagery and databases are genuine.

That evidentiary distinction remains an important part of this. No primary program documentation establishing Immaculate Constellation as an actual USAP has been publicly produced alongside the report, and the underlying imagery and intelligence reporting described in it have not been made publicly available for independent examination.

Pentagon: No Record of the Program

The Department of Defense publicly took a substantially less ambiguous position.

DoD spokesperson Sue Gough stated:

“The Department of Defense has no record, present or historical, of any type of SAP called ‘IMMACULATE CONSTELLATION.’”

That denial was also recorded in an internal Office of the Director of National Intelligence document concerning the allegations. The ODNI document characterized Immaculate Constellation as a “supposed unacknowledged Special Access Program” and summarized what had been reported publicly before recording Gough’s denial.

The available public record therefore contains a direct conflict between the whistleblower-origin allegations and DoD’s stated position. There is currently no publicly available documentary evidence sufficient to independently resolve that conflict in favor of the program’s existence.

The NSA FOIA Request

On December 3, 2024, The Black Vault submitted a request to NSA seeking intelligence records and records concerning intelligence activities pertaining to the alleged Immaculate Constellation program.

The purpose of filing with NSA was not based on evidence establishing that NSA operated the alleged program. Rather, it was part of a broader FOIA strategy used by The Black Vault when attempting to trace claims involving the Intelligence Community.

Records about a program or subject do not necessarily reside exclusively with the agency alleged to have originated them. Intelligence reporting, correspondence, referrals, finished products or other material can potentially exist elsewhere in government. When responsive records originated with another agency, the FOIA process can also involve consultation or referral to the originating agency for review.

Submitting requests to multiple potentially relevant agencies can therefore test a broader portion of the government’s documentary record rather than assuming that only one agency could possess responsive material.

NSA answered on December 6, 2024.

But it did not say that it found nothing.

It would not say whether it found anything at all.

NSA Issues a Glomar Response

NSA told The Black Vault:

“For reasons described below, we are not able to confirm or deny the existence or nonexistence of these records.”

Importantly, NSA also explained that its response was not unique to Immaculate Constellation:

“Please be advised that this is our standard response to all requests where we reasonably believe that the request seeks intelligence records or records revealing intelligence related activity involving UFOs/UAP.”

NSA invoked FOIA Exemptions 1 and 3. Under Exemption 1, the agency said that even “the fact of the existence or non-existence” of the requested material was currently and properly classified under Executive Order 13526.

For Exemption 3, NSA cited 18 U.S.C. § 798, 50 U.S.C. § 3024(i), and Section 6 of Public Law 86-36, codified at 50 U.S.C. § 3605.

NSA further stated:

“the Agency reasonably foresees that disclosure of the existence or non-existence of the requested information would be harmful to an interest that is protected by the identified exemptions.”

The response is commonly known as a Glomar response: rather than acknowledging whether responsive records exist and then withholding some or all of them, an agency refuses to confirm or deny the existence of responsive records.

Nothing in NSA’s December 2024 response can properly be treated as confirmation of Immaculate Constellation. NSA specifically said the response was its standard treatment for requests it believes seek intelligence records or intelligence-related activity involving UFOs or UAP.

The Black Vault Appeals

The Black Vault appealed the decision on December 9, 2024.

The appeal centered in part on the apparent tension between NSA’s position and the categorical public statement already made by DoD.

It argued that if the alleged program did not exist, acknowledging that fact should not reveal classified information. Conversely, if responsive records existed independently of an NSA-operated program, for example, records discussing allegations concerning a program elsewhere in government; the FOIA process could potentially identify those records and subject them to normal classification and referral procedures.

The appeal specifically requested that NSA reconsider the Glomar response, “explicitly confirm or deny the existence of records related to ‘Immaculate Constellation,’” process any non-exempt portions, and provide appropriate justification for information that remained withheld.

NSA has now rejected that argument.

NSA: Even Acknowledging Records Could Harm National Security

In its appeal determination, NSA said its original response was appropriate and again declined to answer whether responsive records exist.

The appeal authority wrote:

“I determined that NSA’s response to not confirm or deny the existence of records was appropriate.”

The agency then explained the reasoning behind maintaining the Glomar response:

“To respond otherwise would require NSA to confirm or deny the existence of an alleged intelligence program (‘Immaculate Constellation’).”

NSA continued:

“If the NSA were to confirm or deny the existence of records about an alleged NSA program to you, NSA would have to do the same for others.”

According to the agency, releasing that information could “expose or compromise classified and protected intelligence information, sources, methods, or activities,” potentially harming national security and undermining NSA’s mission.

The appeal determination also directly addressed the argument concerning another agency’s public statements.

NSA wrote:

“Another agencies’ acknowledgement of the existence or non-existence of records regarding an alleged program does not require NSA to acknowledge the existence or non-existence of records about the same program.”

The appeal was therefore denied.

What the NSA Response Does — and Does Not — Establish

NSA’s decision creates no evidentiary support for the underlying Immaculate Constellation allegations.

A Glomar response cannot logically be read as “yes.” By design, it provides neither a confirmation nor a denial.

That limitation is particularly important because NSA explicitly stated in its original response that this is its standard treatment for requests seeking intelligence records or intelligence-related activity, even that which is involving UFOs and UAP.

Consequently, the NSA correspondence provides no basis for concluding that the agency operated Immaculate Constellation, participated in it, knows that it exists, or possesses any of the extraordinary imagery or intelligence described in the whistleblower-origin report.

The documentary record remains considerably narrower.

A report alleging the program’s existence was provided to Congress and formally entered into a House hearing record. The report contains detailed allegations concerning imagery intelligence, HUMINT reporting, signals intelligence and government UAP activities. DoD has publicly stated that it has “no record, present or historical” of a SAP called Immaculate Constellation. And NSA refuses to say whether it possesses intelligence records pertaining to the allegation.

Those facts can coexist without confirming the alleged program.

The Continuing Problem With Glomar

The NSA case also illustrates a recurring transparency problem created by Glomar responses.

There is an important distinction between asking whether a classified intelligence program exists and asking whether an intelligence agency possesses records concerning allegations about such a program. The latter could encompass material originating outside NSA, correspondence discussing press reports, intelligence reporting, interagency communications, referrals or other records without establishing that the alleged program itself exists.

Indeed, the ODNI record demonstrates that this distinction is not merely hypothetical. ODNI possessed an internal document discussing the Immaculate Constellation allegations, summarizing press reporting and recording DoD’s denial. Its existence did not establish that the alleged program was real.

NSA nevertheless maintains that even acknowledging the existence or nonexistence of intelligence records responsive to the request would reveal protected information.

That leaves a fundamental question unresolved: if an allegation is false, and an agency truly possesses no responsive intelligence records, what national-security interest would be damaged by simply saying so?

NSA’s appeal determination does not provide a case-specific public explanation answering that question. Instead, it states that confirming or denying records concerning alleged intelligence programs could expose classified intelligence information, sources, methods or activities, and that another agency’s acknowledgement does not bind NSA.

That is the government’s legal position. It is not evidence that Immaculate Constellation exists.

For now, the publicly available evidence remains insufficient to substantiate the extraordinary allegations contained in the whistleblower report. NSA’s Glomar response does nothing to change that evidentiary picture. It establishes only that NSA will not say whether responsive intelligence records exist, even after another component of the U.S. government publicly stated that it has no record of the alleged program.

The distinction between a government record documenting an allegation and government documentation proving the allegation remains essential in evaluating Immaculate Constellation. At present, the public record establishes the former, but not the latter.

###

The post Pentagon Says It Has No Record of “Immaculate Constellation” — NSA Denies Appeal and Won’t Say Whether It Does first appeared on The Black Vault.

In the months and years that followed, the circumstances surrounding Benghazi became the subject of extensive investigations by the State Department, FBI, intelligence community and multiple congressional committees. Those inquiries examined separate but overlapping questions, including security conditions before the attack, requests and arrangements for protecting U.S. personnel, intelligence concerning extremist activity, the U.S. government’s response while the attacks were underway, and the public explanation of what had occurred. The State Department’s Accountability Review Board ultimately issued 29 recommendations, 24 of them unclassified, addressing diplomatic security and the protection of personnel at high-risk posts. The Department stated that it accepted all of the Board’s recommendations.

The Black Vault’s Benghazi archive brings together records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, government releases, congressional investigations and other document collections so researchers can examine the underlying record directly. A substantial portion of the archive concerns one of the central questions raised after the attack: what information the U.S. government possessed about threats in Benghazi and the surrounding region before September 11, 2012. The collection includes FOIA responses and records from the Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, FBI, CIA and National Security Agency. Some requests produced released records, while others identified responsive material that remained classified or otherwise withheld. The NSA collection, for example, contains internal government communications concerning the developing situation during the attack, while other agency responses document records that were located but withheld from public disclosure.

The archive also documents how information about Benghazi was communicated inside the government and presented publicly after the attack. Included are the State Department’s September 2012 “Rapid Response: Hot Topics” newsletters, records concerning FBI interviews of survivors, White House emails, and several collections tracing the development and revision of the government’s Benghazi “talking points.” Among these are records released by the White House as well as approximately 100 pages obtained by The Black Vault from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence containing communications involving the intelligence community, State Department, CIA and other officials. Taken together, these records allow researchers to compare successive drafts and communications rather than relying solely on later descriptions of how the government’s public account developed.

Additional material addresses security at the Benghazi facilities and the physical aftermath of the attack. The archive includes officially released photographs from the attack scene and a 130-page State Department collection concerning Blue Mountain Group, the security contractor that provided local guards at the Special Mission compound. Other FBI and intelligence-agency FOIA responses illustrate the limits of the public record: in several instances agencies acknowledged locating responsive records concerning threats or warnings but withheld some or all of the underlying material under FOIA exemptions involving classified national-security information, statutory protections or law-enforcement proceedings. Those responses are preserved alongside the released records so that the scope of what remains unavailable is also part of the archive.

Finally, the collection includes material from the congressional investigations that followed Benghazi, including the report of the House Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi, released in June 2016. That investigation examined events preceding the attack, the military and civilian response on September 11 and 12, and government communications afterward. Because Benghazi generated years of political dispute and competing claims about responsibility, intelligence, security and the government’s public statements, the purpose of this archive is not to resolve those disputes for the reader. The document index below instead preserves the available primary records, FOIA responses, investigative material and related releases so they can be reviewed directly and compared against the claims that have surrounded the attack.

Document Archive

The following are documents received under the FOIA regarding Benghazi. I still have MULTIPLE requests still open and being processed, and they will be made available here when I get them.

Did the U.S. Government receive warnings of a threat on 9/11/12?  

Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

DIA Response for Records – Records Released, January 21, 2022- [9 Pages, 0.6MB]

FOIA-00437-2012 Case File – NSA Release – These were administrative files released in regards to the above case. The DIA is also processing the request for the same, and those files will be added to the site, when available.

Department of Defense (DoD)

DoD Response for Records – Original Denial, 2013 – [2 Pages, 0.6MB]

DoD Response for Records – Records Released, 2019 – [52 Pages, 0.6MB] Note: The records were obtained electronically, and they were this compressed upon receipt (looking blurry and of poor quality.)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

 FBI Response to FOIA request for all warnings / threats of terrorism on or around 9/11/12 [5 Pages, 1MB] – The FBI found 72 pages of responsive records to this search, but each of them were classified and exempt from release.  Could these pages potentially show the Obama Administration was negligent and ignored warnings of a terrorist attack on 9/11/12?

 FBI Response to FOIA request for all warnings / threats of terrorism on or around 9/11/12, on documents originating with a “Other Government Agency” [3 Pages, 0.2MB] – The FBI had sent 4 pages to a “Other Government Agency” that was responsible for the documents. They determined that these, as well, were entirely classified and exempt from release.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

 CIA Response to FOIA request for all warnings / threats of terrorism on or around 9/11/12 [2 Pages, 0.2MB] – The CIA responded on behalf of the Department of State, when they found multiple pages responsive to my request.  The CIA says that each document is classified, and exempt from release.

 CIA Response to Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request for all warnings / threats of terrorism on or around 9/11/12 [1 Page, 0.2MB] – After four years from the above case, I requested a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request of all the files found, but previously exempt, in 2014. Yet again, the CIA denied access to the files.

National Security Agency (NSA)

 NSA Response to FOIA request for all warnings / threats of terrorism on or around 9/11/12 [ 70 Pages, 6.1MB ] – This request took more than 5 years to complete. The keys (to me) to this specific release are, first, I got the official internal messages sent updating on the situation, many sent while Ambassador Stevens was not even found or his whereabouts known. Second, there is a “declassified” Top Secret briefing from April of 2012. This must contain information about the situation in and around Benghazi, but the question about this briefing, is why is it STILL so classified since much of the situation and CIA presence became known when the attack took place? The reasons why are cited as FOIA Exemption (b)(1) having to deal with national security information and (b)(3) information exempted by statute.

Related FOIA Documents

DoD Response for Records [2 Pages, 0.6mb]

 State Department “Rapid Response: Hot Topics” Newsletter for the month of September 2012 [ 37 Pages, 1.6MB ] – These newsletters are issued daily by the State Department, and circulated internally. I requested the entire month of September 2012 to show the days leading up to and following the Benghazi attack.

 FBI Response to FOIA request for all transcripts from interviews with Benghazi survivors [4 Pages, 2.35MB] –

Benghazi “Talking Point” Timeline revisions [8 Pages, 1.7mb] – This document, released by ABC News, shows the different versions of the “talking points” relating to Benghazi. There is a drastic change over the course of 12 revisions.

 Benghazi “Talking Point” Revision — Emails from the White House, released April 2014 [113 Pages, 43.76mb] – These records come from my friends over at Judicial Watch, who do great work obtaining hard to get documents.  To quote FoxNews on their release, “Newly released emails on the Benghazi terror attack suggest a senior White House aide played a central role in preparing former U.N. ambassador Susan Rice for her controversial Sunday show appearances — where she wrongly blamed protests over an Internet video.”

Benghazi “Talking Point” Revision — Emails from the DNI, State Dept. CIA and others [100 Pages, 36.71mb] – These pages were released to The Black Vault from the Director of National Intelligence in a request for all emails pertaining to the “talking points” and how they were revised behind the scenes before Susan Rice and others used them in the days after the attack.  Very interesting to see what went into it, and how they knew from the start the bullet point about it being over a protest would be an issue.  You will also see where the information about the “warnings” given PRIOR to 9/11/12, along with the terrorist ties, were completely cut out of the final version.

Benghazi Attack Scene Photos [8 Pages, 1.6mb] – Thanks to my friends over at Judicial Watch, photos from the scene of the Benghazi attack were released under the FOIA after originally being deemed classified, and exempt from disclosure under FOIA exemption (b)(7). These are the first photos to have been officially released from the scene of the Benghazi attack.

 FBI Response for Benghazi “threats” towards the consulate, or to the US on or around 9/11/12 [3 Pages, 1.02MB] – In a search for records relating to a threat towards either the United States, or the Benghazi consulate, I filed a FOIA request to the FBI for records relating to anything that may indicate we had prior knowledge that an attack was imminent around 9/11/12.  The response? FOIA exemption (b)(7) – law enforcement information, which if released, would interfere with an ongoing proceeding.

White House Releases Emails Regarding Benghazi [100 Pages, 29.12mb] – On 5/15/2013, The White House released 100 pages of emails regarding the ‘talking points’ that would be discussed in the days that followed the attack in Benghazi.  Up until this date, the White House refused to release them to congressional investigators.

 Blue Mountain Group (BMG) Security Firm Repeatedly Abandoned Their Posts in Benghazi due to “fear” for their safety [ 130 Pages, 39.28MB ] – On September 10th, 2014, Judicial Watch announced that it had obtained 130 pages of new State Department documents revealing that local security guards working for Blue Mountain Group (BMG), the firm hired to protect the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, repeatedly abandoned their posts “out of fear of their safety” in the months leading up to the deadly terrorist attack on the special mission compound. Source and special thanks: Judicial Watch

Report of the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi

Published 6/28/2016

Washington, D.C. – Select Committee on Benghazi Chairman Trey Gowdy (SC-04) released the following statement after the committee’s Majority released a mark of its investigative report:

“Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods were heroes who gave their lives in service to our country. Their bravery and the courageous actions of so many others on the ground that night should be honored.

“When the Select Committee was formed, I promised to conduct this investigation in a manner worthy of the American people’s respect, and worthy of the memory of those who died. That is exactly what my colleagues and I have done.

“Now, I simply ask the American people to read this report for themselves, look at the evidence we have collected, and reach their own conclusions. You can read this report in less time than our fellow citizens were taking fire and fighting for their lives on the rooftops and in the streets of Benghazi.”

The committee’s proposed report is just over 800 pages long and is comprised of five primary sections and 12 appendices. It details relevant events in 2011 and 2012.

The following facts are among the many new revelations in Part I:

• Despite President Obama and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s clear orders to deploy military assets, nothing was sent to Benghazi, and nothing was en route to Libya at the time the last two Americans were killed almost 8 hours after the attacks began. [pg. 141]

• With Ambassador Stevens missing, the White House convened a roughly two-hour meeting at 7:30 PM, which resulted in action items focused on a YouTube video, and others containing the phrases “[i]f any deployment is made,” and “Libya must agree to any deployment,” and “[w]ill not deploy until order comes to go to either Tripoli or Benghazi.” [pg. 115]

• The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff typically would have participated in the White House meeting, but did not attend because he went home to host a dinner party for foreign dignitaries. [pg. 107]

• A Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) sat on a plane in Rota, Spain, for three hours, and changed in and out of their uniforms four times. [pg. 154]

• None of the relevant military forces met their required deployment timelines. [pg. 150]

• The Libyan forces that evacuated Americans from the CIA Annex to the Benghazi airport was not affiliated with any of the militias the CIA or State Department had developed a relationship with during the prior 18 months. Instead, it was comprised of former Qadhafi loyalists who the U.S. had helped remove from power during the Libyan revolution. [pg. 144]

Rep. Mike Pompeo (KS-04) released the following statement regarding these findings:

“We expect our government to make every effort to save the lives of Americans who serve in harm’s way. That did not happen in Benghazi. Politics were put ahead of the lives of Americans, and while the administration had made excuses and blamed the challenges posed by time and distance, the truth is that they did not try.”

Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02) released the following statement regarding these findings:

“Our committee’s insistence on additional information about the military’s response to the Benghazi attacks was met with strong opposition from the Defense Department, and now we know why. Instead of attempting to hide deficiencies in our posture and performance, it’s my hope our report will help ensure we fix what went wrong so that a tragedy like this never happens again.” 

The following facts are among the many new revelations in Part II:

• Five of the 10 action items from the 7:30 PM White House meeting referenced the video, but no direct link or solid evidence existed connecting the attacks in Benghazi and the video at the time the meeting took place. The State Department senior officials at the meeting had access to eyewitness accounts to the attack in real time. The Diplomatic Security Command Center was in direct contact with the Diplomatic Security Agents on the ground in Benghazi and sent out multiple updates about the situation, including a “Terrorism Event Notification.” The State Department Watch Center had also notified Jake Sullivan and Cheryl Mills that it had set up a direct telephone line to Tripoli. There was no mention of the video from the agents on the ground. Greg Hicks—one of the last people to talk to Chris Stevens before he died—said there was virtually no discussion about the video in Libya leading up to the attacks. [pg. 28]

• The morning after the attacks, the National Security Council’s Deputy Spokesperson sent an email to nearly two dozen people from the White House, Defense Department, State Department, and intelligence community, stating: “Both the President and Secretary Clinton released statements this morning. … Please refer to those for any comments for the time being. To ensure we are all in sync on messaging for the rest of the day, Ben Rhodes will host a conference call for USG communicators on this chain at 9:15 ET today.” [pg. 39]

• Minutes before the President delivered his speech in the Rose Garden, Jake Sullivan wrote in an email to Ben Rhodes and others: “There was not really much violence in Egypt. And we are not saying that the violence in Libya erupted ‘over inflammatory videos.’” [pg. 44]

• According to Susan Rice, both Ben Rhodes and David Plouffe prepared her for her appearances on the Sunday morning talk shows following the attacks. Nobody from the FBI, Department of Defense, or CIA participated in her prep call. While Rhodes testified Plouffe would “normally” appear on the Sunday show prep calls, Rice testified she did not recall Plouffe being on prior calls and did not understand why he was on the call in this instance. [pg.98]

• On the Sunday shows, Susan Rice stated the FBI had “already begun looking at all sorts of evidence” and “FBI has a lead in this investigation.” But on Monday, the Deputy Director, Office of Maghreb Affairs sent an email stating: “McDonough apparently told the SVTS [Secure Video Teleconference] group today that everyone was required to ‘shut their pieholes’ about the Benghazi attack in light of the FBI investigation, due to start tomorrow.” [pg. 135]

• After Susan Rice’s Sunday show appearances, Jake Sullivan assured the Secretary of the State that Rice “wasn’t asked about whether we had any intel. But she did make clear our view that this started spontaneously and then evolved.” [pg. 128]

• Susan Rice’s comments on the Sunday talk shows were met with shock and disbelief by State Department employees in Washington. The Senior Libya Desk Officer, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, State Department, wrote: “I think Rice was off the reservation on this one.” The Deputy Director, Office of Press and Public Diplomacy, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, State Department, responded: “Off the reservation on five networks!” The Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications, Bureau of Near East Affairs, State Department, wrote: “WH [White House] very worried about the politics. This was all their doing.” [pg. 132]

• The CIA’s September 13, 2012, intelligence assessment was rife with errors. On the first page, there is a single mention of “the early stages of the protest” buried in one of the bullet points. The article cited to support the mention of a protest in this instance was actually from September 4. In other words, the analysts used an article from a full week before the attacks to support the premise that a protest had occurred just prior to the attack on September 11. [pg. 47]

• A headline on the following page of the CIA’s September 13 intelligence assessment stated “Extremists Capitalized on Benghazi Protests,” but nothing in the actual text box supports that title. As it turns out, the title of the text box was supposed to be “Extremists Capitalized on Cairo Protests.” That small but vital difference—from Cairo to Benghazi—had major implications in how people in the administration were able to message the attacks. [pg. 52]

Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-04) released the following statement regarding these findings:

“Obama Administration officials, including the Secretary of State, learned almost in real time that the attack in Benghazi was a terrorist attack. Rather than tell the American people the truth, the administration told one story privately and a different story publicly.”

Rep. Peter Roskam (IL-06) released the following statement regarding these findings:

“In the days and weeks after the attacks, the White House worked to pin all of the blame for their misleading and incorrect statements on officials within the intelligence community, but in reality, political operatives like Ben Rhodes and David Plouffe were spinning the false narrative and prepping Susan Rice for her interviews.”

The following facts are among the many new revelations in Part III:

• During deliberations within the State Department about whether and how to intervene in Libya in March 2011, Jake Sullivan listed the first goal as “avoid[ing]a failed state, particularly one in which al-Qaeda and other extremists might take safe haven.” [pg. 9]

• The administration’s policy of no boots on the ground shaped the type of military assistance provided to State Department personnel in Libya. The Executive Secretariats for both the Defense Department and State Department exchanged communications outlining the diplomatic capacity in which the Defense Department SST security team members would serve, which included wearing civilian clothes so as not to offend the Libyans. [pg. 60]

• When the State Department’s presence in Benghazi was extended in December 2012, senior officials from the Bureau of Diplomatic Security were excluded from the discussion. [pg. 74]

• In February 2012, the lead Diplomatic Security Agent at Embassy Tripoli informed his counterpart in Benghazi that more DS agents would not be provided by decision makers, because “substantive reporting” was not Benghazi’s purpose. [pg. 77]

• Emails indicate senior State Department officials, including Cheryl Mills, Jake Sullivan, and Huma Abedin were preparing for a trip by the Secretary of State to Libya in October 2012. According to testimony, Chris Stevens wanted to have a “deliverable” for the Secretary for her trip to Libya, and that “deliverable” would be making the Mission in Benghazi a permanent Consulate. [pg. 96]

• In August 2012—roughly a month before the Benghazi attacks—security on the ground worsened significantly. Ambassador Stevens initially planned to travel to Benghazi in early August, but cancelled the trip “primarily for Ramadan/security reasons.” [pg. 99]

• Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta bluntly told the committee “an intelligence failure” occurred with respect to Benghazi. Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell also acknowledged multiple times an intelligence failure did in fact occur prior to the Benghazi attacks. [pg. 129]

Rep. Susan Brooks (IN-05) released the following statement regarding these findings:

“President Obama has said his worst mistake was ‘failing to plan for the day after … intervening in Libya.’ As a result of this ‘lead from behind’ foreign policy, the Libyan people were forced to make the dismal trade of the tyranny of Qadhafi for the terror of ISIS, Al-Qaeda and others. Although the State Department considered Libya a grave risk to American diplomats in 2011 and 2012, our people remained in a largely unprotected, unofficial facility that one diplomatic security agent the committee interviewed characterized as ‘a suicide mission.’”

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (GA-03) released the following statement regarding these findings:

“One of the most concerning parts of the State Department’s policy in Libya was its reliance upon the militias of an unstable nation to protect our men and women in Benghazi. These were by no means forces that could adequately protect Americans on the ground, and the State Department knew it. But the appearance of no boots on the ground was more important to the administration.”

Part IV of the report reveals new information about the Select Committee’s requests and subpoenas seeking documents and witnesses regarding Benghazi and Libya, and details what the Obama administration provided to Congress, what it is still withholding, and how its serial delays hindered the committee’s efforts to uncover the truth.

Part V proposes 25 recommendations for the Pentagon, State Department, Intelligence Community, and Congress aimed at strengthening security for American personnel serving abroad and doing everything possible to ensure something like Benghazi never happens again, and if it does, that we are better prepared to respond.

The Select Committee intends to convene a bipartisan markup to discuss and vote on the proposed report on July 8, 2016. All members of the committee will have the opportunity to offer changes in a manner consistent with the rules of the House.

 Read the Report [853 Pages, 10.7MB]

Honoring Courage, Improving Security and Fighting the Exploitation of a Tragedy

Published June 2016

As the report states, “The Democratic Members of the Benghazi Select Committee submit this report in honor of the memories of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty; the other extraordinary heroes in Benghazi and Tripoli who risked life and limb to help their fellow Americans; and the men and women of the Defense Department, State Department, and Intelligence Community who serve the United States every day around the world.”

Why can’t our elected officials work together? Why can’t they do an unbiased investigation into ANY event, including Benghazi?  Regardless of the answers, this report is included here for reference and fairness.

 Read the Report [344 Pages, 4.3MB]

U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Published 11/21/2014

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (“HPSCI” or “the Committee”) conducted a comprehensive and exhaustive investigation into the tragic attacks against two U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya on September 11-12, 2012. The nearly two-year investigation focused on the activities of the Intelligence Community (“IC”) before, during, and after the attacks. During the course of thousands of hours of detailed investigation, HPSCI reviewed thousands of pages of intelligence assessments, cables, notes, and emails; held 20 Committee events and hearings; and conducted detailed interviews with senior intelligence officials and eyewitnesses to the attacks, including eight security personnel on the ground in Benghazi that night.

 Read the Report [37 Pages, 2.5MB]

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Releases Report on DOD Response to Benghazi

Published 2/11/2014

WASHINGTON – The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations released a comprehensive report today evaluating the response of the Department of Defense (DOD) to the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012. Read the Report

To undertake the committee’s review, Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon directed the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations to work alongside the full committee. As a result, this report expresses the views of Chairman McKeon, Vice Chairman Mac Thornberry, Rep. Martha Roby (who was the chairman of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee until December 2013), and the five majority members of that subcommittee.

To date, committee staff has reviewed thousands of pages of written material (including classified emails and situation reports) made available by DOD. Staff has also held three classified staff briefings, and two classified interviews. Members have participated in two open hearings, and seven additional classified briefings. In undertaking this work, the committee has met with and received information from military personnel in the entire chain of command in connection with Benghazi: from those on the ground at the time of the attack to the nation’s senior-most uniformed leader.

While the committee’s inquiry continues, the majority members believe that information gathered to date reaffirm the relevant findings in the Interim Progress Report for the Members of the Republican Conference on the Events Surrounding the September 11, 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi, Libya issued in April 2013 by the five committees with jurisdiction in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Based on its activities undertaken since the release of that report, majority members make the six findings listed below:

 Read the Report [31 Pages, 0.4MB]

Documents about the Benghazi Aftermath

The following are documents received under the FOIA regarding Benghazi, and the aftermath in the days, weeks and months after the attack.

• Correspondence Between Office of the Director of National Intelligence and Members of Congress, 09/01/2012 – 12/31/2012, Released March 2015 [47 Pages, 17.3MB]
• Director of National Intelligence E-Mails Regarding Benghazi, Released December of 2015 [26 Pages, 3.5MB] – After being told there were no documents relating to my request for correspondence to or from the consulate in Benghazi. After appealing their decision, I was asked to withdraw it, and they would do another search for responsive records. As a result, there were responsive records, and they were redacted and released. This is another example of being told one thing, but after pushing and exercising my appeal rights, there is another picture that unfolds.  FOIA Case Processing Notes, [18 Pages, 6MB]
• A Trainee Demand Analysis for the Expansion of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, March 2013, Master’s Thesis [95 Pages, 4.54mb] – On September 11, 2012, the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked, resulting in the death of four United States citizens, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Prior to Bengazi, the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group (MCESG) held a total strength of about 1,400 Marines, of which 1,196 were Marine Security Guards (MSG). In response to the deadly attack, Congress authorized 1,000 new MSGs through the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, creating additional protection for U.S. diplomatic facilities worldwide. This thesis examines the growth requirements needed to support MCESG’s expansion demands to produce MSGs at maximum capacity in the coming three to four years. The study analyzes trainee demands, proposing a methodology to assist MCESG operation personnel plans for expansion and future force sustainment. The proposed methodology is founded on an Excel-based analytical approach that relies heavily on simulation and is interfaced through a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) UserForm. The model is easily manipulated, as operational needs dictate. Once developed, VBA UserForm is a simple and effective tool that can assist planners in standardizing procedures at the operational level. Research-based analysis indicates that the proposed methodology could yield significant savings in terms of manpower and training requirements for MCESG.
• CTC Sentinel – Volume 6, Issue 2, February 2013 [25 Pages, 1.51MB] – Islamist Militant Groups in Post-Qadhafi Libya.

Declassified Transcripts of Benghazi Briefings Released

January 13th, 2014 – The House Armed Services Committee today released a series of recently declassified transcripts of briefings on the September 11th 2012 attack on Americans in Benghazi, Libya. The briefings were conducted by the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations then chaired by Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL), though they were open to all members of the Committee and attended by Members off the Committee. The briefings, which took place over the course of several months, were part of the Committee’s examination of the actions of the military chain of command before, during, and after the attack. A report summarizing the conclusion of the HASC Oversight & Investigations majority Members draw from these briefings is expected to be released later this week.

•  Transcript #1

  1_Briefing transcript (redacted), “DOD’s preparation for the terrorist attacks in Benghazi,” (Part I, Session I, DOD), May 21, 2013.pdf (3.7 MBs)

•  Transcript #2

  2_Briefing transcript (redacted), “DOD’s preparation for the terrorist attacks in Benghazi,” (Part I, Session II DOD), May 21, 2013.pdf (642.4 KBs)

•  Transcript #3

  3_Briefing transcript (redacted), “DOD’s preparation for the terrorist attacks in Benghazi,” (Part II, AFRICOM), June 26, 2013.pdf (9.2 MBs)

•  Transcript #4

  4_Briefing transcript (redacted), “DOD’s preparation for the terrorist attacks in Benghazi,” (Part III, Colonel Bristol), July 31, 2013.pdf (10.8 MBs)

•  Transcript #5

  5_Hearing transcript, “DOD’s posture for September 11, 2013,” (Part IV, Force Posture), September 19, 2013.pdf (691.9 KBs)

•  Transcript #6

  6_Briefing transcript (redacted), “DOD’s force posture in anticipation of September 11, 2012,” (Part V, General Dempsey), October 10, 2013.pdf (2.3 MBs)

Progress Report on Benghazi Terror Attack Investigation

Last year, Speaker John Boehner asked the House committees on Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, Judiciary, and Oversight & Government Reform to investigate the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya that killed four Americans. On 4/23/13, these five committees released their progress report, which outlines their findings and the next steps in the investigation.

• Progress Report on Benghazi Terror Attack Investigation [46 Pages, 0.99mb]

Timeline of Documents and Events Relating to the Benghazi Attack

1. 8/27/12 – Travel Warning, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Bureau of Consular Affairs, in regards to Libya [2 Pages, 113kb] – Specifically mentions Benghazi with increased violence.
2. 9/11/12 – Statement on the Attack in Benghazi, Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, Department of State [1 Page, 90kb] – Blames internet video for attack. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
3. 9/12/12 – Statement by the President on the Attack in Benghazi [1 Page, 96kb] – Written Statement released by the President. No mention of video. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
4. 9/12/12 – Statement by the President on the Attack in Benghazi, Rose Garden Speech [Video] – No mention of “terror” or “terrorism” in relation to Benghazi. Says “No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve on this great nation…” at the end of the speech, however, he was speaking about the 9/11/01 attacks, and his visits to victims and family members.
5. 9/12/12 – Remarks on the Deaths of American Personnel in Benghazi, Libya, Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, Department of State [3 Pages, 90kb] – The video of this speech, is below in the Video Archive. Blames internet video for attack. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
6. 9/12/12 – Press Statement on the Deaths of American Personnel in Benghazi, Libya, Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, Department of State [2 Pages, 101kb]-
   Blames internet video for attack. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
7. 9/12/12 – Remarks on the Deaths of American Personnel in Benghazi, Libya, Susan Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations , U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Department of State [3 Pages, 98kb] –Blames internet video for attack. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
8. 9/12/12 – Briefing by Senior Administration Officials to Update Recent Events in Libya [3 Pages, 98kb] – Will not answer if internet video was cause of attack. Will not answer if there is a “terrorism” link.
9. 9/13/12 – State Department Daily Press Briefing [21 Pages, 180kb] – Confirms blaming internet video for attack. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
10. 9/13/12 – Statement on the Deaths of Tyrone S. Woods and Glen A. Doherty in Benghazi, Libya, Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, Department of State [2 Pages, 101kb]- No mention of video. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
11. 9/14/12 – Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney [17 Pages, 166kb] Blames internet video as attack. Denies any “concrete evidence” of a “terror” link that would show “[the attack]to not being in response to the film.”
12. 9/14/12 – Remarks at the Transfer of Remains Ceremony to Honor Those Lost in Attacks in Benghazi, Libya, Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State [3 Pages, 99kb] Blames internet video as attack. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
13. 9/14/12 – Remarks at the Transfer of Remains Ceremony to Honor Those Lost in Attacks in Benghazi, Libya, President Barack Obama [2 Pages, 125kb]- No mention of video. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
14. 10/09/12 – Background Briefing on Libya [13 Pages, 140kb]-
    Said video was not their conclusion for attack..No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
15. 10/10/12 – On-The-Record Briefing by Under Secretary Kennedy [4 Pages, 110kb] – WATCH VIDEO – No mention of video. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
16. 10/12/12 – Hearing on Benghazi Security Issues, Testimony Before the House Oversight Subcommittee, Patrick Kennedy, Under Secretary for Management [4 Pages, 108kb]- No mention of video. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
17. 10/12/12 – Hearing on Benghazi Security Issues, Testimony Before the House Oversight Subcommittee, Charlene Lamb, Deputy Assistant, Secretary of State [8 Pages, 124kb] – No mention of video. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
18. 10/12/12 – Hearing on Benghazi Security Issues, Prepared Statement Before the House Oversight Subcommittee, Eric Allan Nordstrom, Regional Security Officer, Tripoli, Libya from September 21, 2011-July 26, 2012 [12 Pages, 191kb]-
    No mention of video. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
19. 10/15/12 – Interview With Margaret Brennan of CBS, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State [4 Pages, 108kb] -No mention of video. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”
20. 11/09/12 – Daily Press Briefing, Victoria Nuland, Spokesperson [19 Pages, 190kb]- No mention of video. No mention of “terror” or “terrorism”

Flashing Red: A Special Report on the Terrorist Attack At Benghazi (Official Senate Report)

1. Flashing Red: A Special Report on the Terrorist Attack At Benghazi [31 Pages, 0.4mb] – While our country spent September 11, 2012, remembering the terrorist attacks that took place 11 years earlier, brave Americans posted at U.S. government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, were fighting for their lives against a terrorist assault. When the fight ended, U.S. Ambassador to Libya John C. (Chris) Stevens and three other Americans were dead and U.S. facilities in Benghazi were left in ruin. We must remember the sacrifice that these selfless public servants made to support the struggle for freedom in Libya and to improve our own national security. While we mourn their deaths, it is also crucial that we learn from how they died. By examining the circumstances of the attack in Benghazi on September 11th, we hope to gain a better understanding of what went wrong and what we must do now to ensure better protection for American diplomatic personnel who must sometimes operate in dangerous places abroad.

Historical government records, detailing the highly volatile situation in Libya and Benghazi

1.  America Strikes Back, April 1987 [44 Pages, 16.53mb] – After repeated warnings from the United States government, elements of the U.S. Sixth Fleet and the USAF bombed targets in and around the Libyan cities of Benghazi and Tripoli on 14 April 1986. The attack came in retaliation to several Libyan sponsored terrorist attacks on U.S. concerns in the weeks preceding. This paper examines the effects of the bombing as a deterrent of future terrorist attacks and further examines current and projected U.S. counterterrorist policies.
2. Conflict with Libya: Use of Military Force Against Terrorism, 8 Feb 1994 [30 Pages, 1.1mb] – The United States attack on Libya on April 15, 1986 was the culmination of a series of developments in U.S. foreign policy and military strategy intended to combat international terrorism. It was the culmination of the U.S. attempt to use both non- military and military methods to combat terrorism. This paper examines the use of military force as an appropriate means to combat terrorism. In particular, the 1986 conflict with Libya is examined concentrating on the following aspects: whether operational level objectives contributed to achievement of strategic goals; and the use of military force as an effective instrument in the war against terrorism. This paper concludes that the use of military force (along with the European non- military responses) was an effective instrument in the war against terrorism as measured by the decrease in Libyan sponsored attacks from 1986 to 1991. However, the U.S. attack on Libya is still an isolated event and does not provide a sufficient basis for a doctrine of military retaliation against terrorism.
3. Deterring Libya: The Strategic Culture of Muammar Qaddafi, October 2000 [31 Pages, 0.2mb] – In September of 1969, Muammar al-Qaddafi then a virtually unknown army officer in his late twenties rose to the leadership of Libya. Armed with a vision of Arab unity and anti-colonialism, he led a small group of his fellow officers who called themselves the Free Officers Movement. In a virtually bloodless coup, they ousted the aging (and absent) King Idris Al-Sanusi and established Libya as a republic. During the 30 years since, Qaddafi has emerged as a charismatic and complicated leader. Considered by Westerners to be bizarre and irrational, he has been branded a terrorist and a rogue. Among some of his fellow Arabs, he is praised as a virulent anti-Zionist and anti-imperialist, while others condemn him as a plotter and an adventurer whose zealous pursuit of Arab, African, and Islamic unity has only resulted in destabilization. Qaddafi remarked in 1976 that atomic weapons will be like traditional ones, possessed by every state according to its potential. We will have our share of this new weapon. In 1987 Reuters quoted him as saying: The Arabs must possess the atom bomb to defend themselves, until their numbers reach one thousand million and they learn to desalinate water and until they liberate Palestine. 1 Qaddafi places little faith in his armed forces and dreads a repeat of the 1986 U.S. air strikes against Tripoli and Benghazi. Reflecting on the air strikes, Qaddafi has wistfully spoken of possessing a ballistic missile capability that could threaten New York.2 Few state leaders have expressed such single-minded determination to obtain chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. This determination, coupled with Qaddafi s long-term association with terrorism, has caused grave concern among other nations especially the United States and Israel.
4. Libya: A Future Arab Democracy [43 Pages, 0.6mb] – Libya has overthrown its long time dictator Muammar Gadhafi with the aid of both Western and Arab militaries. The United States acted under the authority of U.N. mandate 1973 as part of a broad coalition of both NATO and Arab Nations primarily in a supporting role. In Libya, as in its neighbors Egypt and Tunisia, the successful revolution has now established transitional governments who’s effectiveness is yet to be determined. Unlike other Arab nations, Libya possesses a combination of vast oil reserves, a small and balanced population, and a relatively high education level in its citizens. These factors all bode well for the establishment of a lasting representative government. If successful, Libya can not only secure its borders, and deny safe haven to terrorism as is the declared interest of the United States, but also serve as a positive economic and political influence on the region. Egypt remains the most significant and strategic nation in the region, but the benefits of a successful Libya and the relatively low cost at which it may be achieved should not be overlooked.
5. Libya: Unrest and US Policy [43 Pages, 0.7mb] – Over 40 years ago, Muammar al Qadhafi led a revolt against the Libyan monarchy in the name of nationalism, self-determination, and popular sovereignty. Opposition groups citing the same principles are now revolting against Qadhafi to bring an end to the authoritarian political system he has controlled in Libya for the last four decades. The Libyan government’s use of force against civilians and opposition forces seeking Qadhafi’s overthrow sparked an international outcry and led the United Nations Security Council to adopt Resolution 1973, which authorizes “all necessary measures” to protect Libyan civilians. The United States military is participating in Operation Unified Protector, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military operation to enforce the resolution. Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and other partner governments also are participating. Qadhafi and his supporters have described the uprising as a foreign and Islamist conspiracy and are attempting to outlast their opponents. Qadhafi remains defiant amid continuing coalition air strikes, and his forces continue to attack opposition-held areas. Some opposition figures have formed an Interim Transitional National Council (ITNC), which claims to represent all areas of the country. They seek foreign political recognition and material support.
6. A Nation at the Periphery: Libyan Regionalism Revisited [43 Pages, 0.6mb] – This article places the current Libyan conflict in historical perspective by focusing on the dynamics between the country’s two main regions (Tripolitania and Cyrenaica) during key moments of the 20th century. Particular attention is given to the different way each of the two regions approached the early period of Italian colonialism, from 1911 to 1923. The paper shows that historical relations between the two regions are characterized by both independence and interdependence and that this pattern is reemerging as the country transitions to a new era.
7. Personnel Recovery: Strategic Importance and Impact, December 2012 [31 Pages, 0.6mb] – The breaking news from countless media venues in March 2011 was captivating and compelling: while taking part in coalition operations in Libya, a US Air Force F-15E, call sign Bolar 34 had gone down east of Benghazi. The two crew members had ejected into a chaotic battle between the despotic Libyan regime and opposition forces supported by the coalition. As our nation prayed for the two Airmen, President Barack Obama heard a briefing on the event and monitored the situation as rescue forces from a US Marine task force in the area and opposition ground forces quickly dashed in to recover both men. In many ways, this heartwarming story resembled accounts of other rescues performed in earlier conflicts. The saga of Bolar 34 joined the lore of rescue missions that grace the proud history of our nation.

The post Benghazi Attack, 9/11/2012 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The records released by the National Security Agency provide an important distinction.

The NSA’s PROMIS, or Product Management Information System, was an intelligence-product management database developed during the 1970s. According to records released to The Black Vault under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the system was designed to organize information associated with intelligence reports and give senior signals intelligence managers a way to search, analyze and manage information about those products.

It should not simply be equated with the better-known Prosecutor’s Management Information System, also called PROMIS, associated with INSLAW, Inc. and the Department of Justice.

That distinction became a central issue when the Justice Department investigated allegations surrounding INSLAW and its software in the 1990s. DOJ ultimately concluded in 1994 that there was no credible evidence that INSLAW’s PROMIS had been improperly distributed elsewhere in the federal government or to foreign governments. A subsequent Court of Federal Claims proceeding also rejected INSLAW’s claims.

Yet NSA did, in fact, have something called PROMIS.

The records obtained by The Black Vault document what it was, and then a FOIA request filed in 2013 to uncover those records produced one final surprise nearly 13 years later.

Two Systems Called PROMIS

The Black Vault’s pursuit began with a passage contained in Justice Department records concerning the INSLAW controversy.

On November 14, 2013, The Black Vault filed a FOIA request with NSA seeking:

“a copy of all records pertaining to the NSA’s use of the computer program PROMIS.”

The request specifically cited a Justice Department account stating that investigators had contacted NSA to determine whether the agency “used or developed any program called PROMIS.” According to that account, NSA explained that it had developed a database in the 1970s using the M204 database system and called it PROMIS, an acronym for Product Related On-line Management Information System.

The NSA records subsequently released provide considerably more detail.

A draft Justice Department report sent to NSA for review in May 1994 recounts interviews with NSA personnel about the issue. The document states:

“the NSA maintains a database known as Product Management Information System, or ‘PROMIS.'”

It explains that “Product” was an NSA term for intelligence reports and that the database contained “abstracts of intelligence reports generated by various parts of the NSA.”

Most importantly, the DOJ account records an explicit distinction between NSA’s database and the software at the center of the INSLAW controversy:

“the NSA ‘PROMIS’ is not a software program, but rather is an application of the M204 database management system.”

One NSA employee interviewed by DOJ said she had participated in the original development of the database during the 1970s. According to the document, it was developed “primarily to allow the accumulation of management information regarding the productivity of various NSA divisions.”

That distinction is important because the Justice Department’s own PROMIS was the Prosecutor’s Management Information System, a case-management system used by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. DOJ records describe that system as a tool for maintaining and tracking information involving defendants, crimes, charges, court events and witnesses.

The common acronym helped produce decades of confusion, but the NSA records released through this FOIA case document an independently developed intelligence-product management database.

Building PROMIS Inside NSA

The released records trace the NSA system to early 1974.

A January 15, 1974, memorandum titled “SIGINT Management Data Bases” described the underlying management problem. The Deputy Director for Operations wrote that existing management statistics were prepared separately by different production groups and therefore were not available in a form that fully met his needs.

The memorandum called for:

“a system which will cut across Group lines”

and provide management data while allowing officials to respond to Intelligence Community questions.

Another memorandum, dated January 21, 1974, described plans to implement:

“an on-line computer system to provide product-related data needed at the DDO level and outside the agency.”

The document also made clear that security was built into the design requirements. Because some of the information was sensitive, the system would need controls governing both security and access. The memorandum stated that access to data, “either in part or in whole,” would be restricted to those who actually needed it.

A February 12, 1974, memorandum described the existing process the proposed database was intended to improve. The older Offline Coversheet Processing system was characterized as costly and inadequate, with manual data conversion alone consuming approximately 500 man-hours each quarter. Output could lag by roughly two weeks, while the memorandum estimated an error rate of seven to eight percent.

By May 1974, the name PROMIS was explicitly appearing in the records.

A May 8 memorandum titled “PROMIS Content and Timeliness Requirements” discussed a study of the database and asked what SIGINT products should be included initially, what products should eventually be covered and how current the information needed to be.

The memorandum stated:

“We expect to conclude the study and to recommend a system for PROMIS in the very near future.”

The surviving documents therefore portray PROMIS not as a mysterious stand-alone surveillance package, but as a management and retrieval system built around NSA intelligence “products,” with requirements involving searchable information, access controls, timeliness and the handling of sensitive SIGINT data.

The Black Vault’s FOIA Pursuit

Obtaining those records became its own unusually long story.

The Black Vault filed the request on November 14, 2013.

By March 2016, NSA had located a substantial volume of potentially responsive material but sought $440 in fees to continue processing the request. The Black Vault did not pay the requested amount, and there was no expectation that a release would follow.

Then, unexpectedly, one did.

On October 4, 2018, nearly five years after the original request, NSA sent The Black Vault a partial release. The agency wrote:

“Your request has been processed under the FOIA and some of the documents you requested are enclosed.”

NSA withheld portions under FOIA Exemptions 1, 3 and 6, citing classified national-security information, statutory protections applicable to NSA activities and personal privacy.

Significantly, the October 4 letter also stated:

“Additional documents will be provided when their processing is complete.”

The first release included internal NSA memoranda from the 1970s describing the creation and requirements of the system, along with Justice Department correspondence concerning its later INSLAW investigation.

A second, much larger release followed on October 22, 2018. That production contained 85 pages, including a PROMIS user’s manual and additional memoranda. NSA characterized that production as the final release in the case. The Black Vault subsequently archived the material on this page.

And for years, that appeared to be the end of FOIA case 75611.

It wasn’t.

An Unexpected Letter — Nearly Eight Years Later

On April 29, 2026, The Black Vault received another response from NSA.

There had been no indication to The Black Vault that the 2013 request remained open, and nearly eight years had passed since NSA’s October 2018 releases.

Nevertheless, NSA’s new letter identified the same underlying November 14, 2013 request and described the 2026 correspondence as:

“a final response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request”

The agency then provided an explanation for why a case that had seemingly ended years earlier had suddenly produced another record:

“During a review of our files, we located one document that was not provided to you with our final response to your request.”

NSA said it had reviewed the newly located document under FOIA and released it with redactions. Portions were withheld under the statutory protection applicable to NSA, while NSA also stated that the CIA had requested protection of CIA information under FOIA Exemptions 6 and 3.

The newly released record was dated February 8, 1978.

Its subject was:

“Regular PROMIS Listings for CIA”

That document added a significant piece to the historical record.

Addressed to the DDO from NSA’s Chief, V, the memorandum states that an individual identified as being with CIA/COMP had asked NSA to provide “regular quarterly PROMIS listings” for certain sites. Portions identifying the sites remain redacted.

The memorandum indicates that NSA had previously provided the information on a “one-time basis” the preceding August. The author then questioned whether NSA should establish recurring distribution:

“I don’t see any grounds for standing fast on one-time lists, since we are providing monthly listings for [redacted]”

and noted that another party was “obviously aware of this agreement.”

The identities and portions of the operational context remain withheld, preventing a complete reconstruction of what information was being supplied and to whom. The document does, however, establish that by 1978 NSA officials were discussing providing CIA personnel with recurring PROMIS-generated listings and that at least one earlier PROMIS listing had already been supplied.

What the Records Establish — and What They Do Not

The documents now accumulated through this FOIA case establish that NSA developed a system called PROMIS during the 1970s; that the name referred to a product-management database associated with intelligence reporting; that the system grew out of an effort to replace or supplement cumbersome offline management processes; and that its design contemplated searchable product information with controls over sensitive SIGINT data.

They also show that PROMIS information crossed organizational boundaries. The January 1974 planning records contemplated information needed “outside the agency,” while the newly released 1978 memorandum documents discussions about recurring PROMIS listings for CIA.

What these records do not establish is equally important.

They do not demonstrate that NSA’s PROMIS was INSLAW’s Prosecutor’s Management Information System. In fact, the Justice Department material contained within NSA’s own release specifically records NSA personnel distinguishing the agency’s PROMIS database from a separate software program. Nor do the released records, standing alone, substantiate broader claims that have circulated for decades connecting PROMIS to later NSA surveillance systems.

The documentary record supports a narrower conclusion: NSA developed and operated a PROMIS database for managing intelligence-product information beginning in the 1970s, and surviving records show the system being discussed internally and in connection with information provided to the CIA.

The history of the FOIA request has now lasted almost as long as some modern government information systems themselves. A request submitted in November 2013 produced records in 2018, appeared finished, and then resurfaced without warning in April 2026 when NSA discovered that a responsive 1978 document had been left out of its earlier final production.

Whether additional responsive records remain undiscovered is unknown. NSA’s April 29, 2026, letter again labels its response “final.”

For now, the documents below represent the record released by the government, including the document NSA itself found nearly eight years after its previous final response.

Document Archive

Department of Justice (DOJ)

 Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of INSLAW, Inc., March 1993, and the 1994 DOJ Report on INSLAW/PROMIS matter, released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Information Policy (OIP) [465 Pages, 11MB] – Special thanks to GovernmentAttic.org for this record.

National Security Agency (NSA)

 NSA Documents Regarding PROMIS, Released 4 October 2018 [17 Pages, 2.7MB] – In March of 2016, see below, the NSA required a $440 payment in order to continue to process my request on PROMIS. Although I did not respond, I was surprised to receive this in October of 2018. It appears that this is only part of what the NSA has on PROMIS, and additional records are still being processed. I will add them when they are released to me.

 NSA Documents Regarding PROMIS, Released 22 October 2018 [85 Pages, 8MB] – This release includes the user’s manual of the PROMIS system, various memorandums and more. One document was withheld entirely and this, according to the NSA, is now the final release of information.

 NSA Documents Regarding PROMIS, Released 22 October 2018 [3 Pages, 1MB]

 Payment Estimate Letter (Read Above) Letter regarding the NSA use of the PROMIS System [4 Pages, 1.1MB] – The NSA did find a considerable amount of documents, however, they are requiring a payment of $440 for the release of the material.

The post NSA’s PROMIS: What the Declassified Records Actually Show first appeared on The Black Vault.

The Black Vault submitted the request on August 6, 2017, seeking the article, which was published in the Fall 1972 edition of the journal. The NSA ultimately processed the request as FOIA Case 102240 and issued its response on August 25, 2026.

The article, written by Herbert S. Guy, Jr., concerns the analysis of a callsign system. The portion released on the opening page describes it as “the story of the dissection of a callsign system” and discusses the overlapping work of cryptanalysts, traffic analysts and linguists.

However, only a relatively small portion of the underlying article is readable in the release. Large sections, including entire pages, remain withheld.

In its response, the NSA stated that the withheld material is exempt under FOIA Exemption 3, which permits withholding information protected from disclosure by another federal statute. According to the agency:

“The specific statute applicable in this case is Section 6, Public Law 86-36 (50 U.S. Code 3605).”

The NSA further stated that it “reasonably foresees that disclosure of the withheld information would be harmful to an interest that is protected by the identified exemption.”

The Black Vault intends to appeal the redactions and seek additional disclosure of the material withheld from the 1972 article. Any subsequent appeal determination or additional release will be added to this archive as the FOIA case progresses.

###

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FOIA Case 102240 Release Package [7 Pages, 0.8MB]

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The post NSA Releases Heavily Redacted 1972 Technical Journal Article After Nine-Year FOIA Wait first appeared on The Black Vault.

According to the Department, the waiver establishes an “authorized, legally protected disclosure mechanism” for individuals possessing UAP-related National Defense Information, or NDI.

“This waiver establishes an authorized, legally protected disclosure mechanism for current and former personnel to provide UAP-related National Defense Information (NDI) to designated representatives of the PURSUE effort,” the Department said.

The announcement is significant, particularly because the Department expressly references Special Access Program Indoctrination Agreements alongside conventional nondisclosure agreements.

But the underlying concept, allowing government personnel to provide otherwise protected UAP information to specifically authorized government investigators without violating their NDAs, is not new.

Documents previously obtained and published by The Black Vault show that similar protections were already established for disclosures to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). Those protections became a central issue during AARO’s unsuccessful attempts to interview former intelligence official David Grusch in 2023.

The new announcement therefore raises an important question: What does the PURSUE waiver provide that the government did not already provide through AARO?

The public announcement does not fully answer that question.

What the New Waiver Says

According to the Department of War, the new directive covers “all current and former DOW service members, civilian personnel, and contractors holding or previously granted access to UAP-related National Defense Information.”

Those individuals are now authorized to provide that information directly to official PURSUE representatives.

The Department specifically states:

“The waiver supersedes civil and administrative enforcement provisions contained within Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and Special Access Program Indoctrination Agreements (SAPIAs) previously executed within the United States, strictly for communications directed to the PURSUE team.”

That final limitation is important.

The announcement does not provide blanket authorization for personnel to disclose protected information publicly. It does not state that classified information may be provided to journalists or released independently by the individual possessing it. Nor does the announcement itself declassify information.

The authorization described by the Department applies specifically to disclosures made to PURSUE.

According to the Department, information entering that channel would undergo “systematic review, security evaluation, and potential declassification.”

The use of “potential declassification” establishes another distinction: information disclosed to PURSUE does not automatically become unclassified and/or publicly releasable.

Department Says the Waiver Removes Fear of Penalties

The Department characterized the waiver as addressing concerns from individuals who might otherwise hesitate to provide information because of agreements they previously signed.

“Historically, individuals with direct knowledge of UAP-related programs cited concerns regarding potential legal liability, loss of clearances, or administrative prosecution stemming from standard NDAs and SAP indoctrination terms,” the announcement states.

It continued:

“This waiver removes those barriers by explicitly authorizing covered disclosures to PURSUE representatives without triggering breach-of-agreement penalties or standard NDA violations.”

The Department did not identify the individuals who reportedly raised those concerns, identify specific programs associated with them, or provide examples of information that had previously been withheld from PURSUE because of an NDA or SAP agreement.

The announcement also does not establish that any alleged undisclosed UAP program exists.

It establishes a mechanism through which information about such matters can be provided to the government for evaluation.

Similar UAP Disclosure Protections Already Existed

Although the September 14 announcement establishes a new channel through PURSUE, the federal government had already created an authorized mechanism for individuals to provide highly classified and otherwise protected UAP information to AARO.

That authority dates to legislation enacted years before PURSUE.

Section 1673 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 established a mechanism for authorized UAP disclosures and gave AARO authority to receive UAP-related information regardless of classification and notwithstanding nondisclosure agreements.

AARO’s current reporting guidance continues to state that an authorized disclosure “shall not be subject to a nondisclosure agreement entered into by the individual who makes the disclosure.” AARO also states that it is authorized to receive UAP information subject to restrictive access controls, including Special Access Programs and compartmented access programs.

The practical implementation of that authority was subsequently revealed through Freedom of Information Act records obtained by The Black Vault.

Those records centered on David Grusch.

The Government Told Grusch He Could Disclose Classified UAP Information

In November 2023, The Black Vault filed FOIA case 24-F-0266 seeking records concerning AARO’s attempts to contact and interview Grusch.

The resulting 28-page release documented repeated communications between AARO and Grusch and included government memoranda addressing exactly the type of disclosure protections now being highlighted under PURSUE.

In a November 19, 2023, communication released through the case, AARO told Grusch:

“In accordance with the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, AARO is authorized to receive any information related to UAP regardless of classification, and notwithstanding any nondisclosure agreement you may have signed.”

AARO offered to meet Grusch inside a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF, so he could provide the information.

The records also contained formal government guidance concerning individuals holding protected UAP information.

One memorandum stated:

“Individuals with current or previous access to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP)-related or presumed relevant information which is subject to a USG Nondisclosure Agreement are authorized to provide this otherwise protected information to AARO representatives.”

The memorandum further stated:

“The provision of UAP-related information which is subject to a Nondisclosure Agreement to AARO personnel constitutes an authorized disclosure if the information is provided and received for the limited purpose of conducting AARO’s assigned mission.”

The documentation was not limited to ordinary classified information.

The procedures contemplated information potentially classified at TOP SECRET//SCI or involving Special Access Programs, with AARO instructed to initially handle information at the classification level asserted by the individual until its actual status could be determined.

Those records were published by The Black Vault in April 2024 as part of its reporting on AARO’s attempts to interview Grusch.

The Exact Legal Advisement Was Later Released

Questions remained about precisely what AARO intended to tell Grusch and other witnesses immediately before they provided protected information.

The Black Vault subsequently filed FOIA case 24-F-1138 in April 2024 seeking the complete wording of AARO’s “Verbal Legal Advisement.”

The Department of Defense released that document in full in 2025.

It provided unusually explicit instructions.

Before an interview, a witness was to be asked:

“Do you understand that for the limited purpose of this oral history, and only during the course of our discussion in this Secure Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), that the information you disclose is not subject to any Nondisclosure Agreement you have signed?”

The witness was also told:

“Upon completion of this interview today all non-disclosure agreements remain in full force.”

The language illustrates the limited nature of the protection.

A witness was not being released permanently from secrecy obligations. Rather, the government was creating an authorized environment in which protected UAP information could be communicated to officials legally entitled to receive it.

That basic structure closely resembles what the Department of War is now describing for PURSUE.

Grusch Raised a More Complicated Question

The earlier records are also relevant because Grusch disputed whether the protections offered by AARO were sufficient for the information he said he needed to discuss.

His documented concern went beyond whether an NDA covering UAP information could be overridden.

In a November 13, 2023, email released through FOIA, Grusch wrote:

“The key issue here is that many of these activities have conventional classified and compartmented Security Classification Guides that also cover non-UAP activities as well.”

He continued:

“To discuss the UAP-related activities would also expose these conventional SAP mission areas.”

Grusch argued that an individual participating in an oral-history interview would need protection from those obligations as well, including information he described as potentially involving “bigoted or WAIVED” programs.

The records show that Grusch continued requesting additional assurances and documentation concerning AARO’s authority and ultimately did not participate in the planned November 14, 2023, meeting.

AARO, meanwhile, maintained that it possessed the necessary statutory authority to receive his UAP-related information and continued attempting to arrange an interview.

The distinction between those two positions is important.

The government maintained that Grusch was legally authorized to provide AARO with UAP-related information regardless of classification or applicable NDA restrictions. Grusch’s concern was that providing that information could necessarily reveal additional classified or compartmented information governed by other restrictions.

The FOIA records document the disagreement. They do not establish which interpretation would have prevailed if the issue had been litigated or otherwise formally adjudicated.

Does the PURSUE Waiver Address Grusch’s Concern?

That history makes one phrase in the September 14 announcement particularly noteworthy.

Unlike some earlier public descriptions of the AARO disclosure mechanism, the Department now expressly states that the PURSUE waiver supersedes applicable civil and administrative enforcement provisions contained in both “Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and Special Access Program Indoctrination Agreements (SAPIAs).”

That is more specific language.

Whether it actually provides broader protection than the AARO framework is not yet clear.

The earlier AARO authority already contemplated classified information, Special Access Programs, compartmented access programs and information covered by NDAs. The newly announced PURSUE waiver explicitly identifies SAPIAs and UAP-related National Defense Information.

But the Department has not publicly released, at least as of this writing, the underlying directive or complete waiver language accompanying its announcement.

That makes a direct legal comparison impossible.

It also remains unclear whether the PURSUE waiver addresses the precise scenario Grusch raised: UAP information that cannot be discussed without simultaneously revealing conventional classified or compartmented information that is not itself UAP-related.

The Department’s announcement says the authorization covers “UAP-related National Defense Information.” It does not explain how collateral classified information would be treated when disclosure of that information is necessary to describe the UAP-related material.

The Black Vault Seeks the Actual Directive and Guidance

The Black Vault contacted the Department of War following the September 14 announcement seeking additional information about the waiver.

Among the information sought was the actual language of the directive or waiver underlying the public announcement, along with any implementation instructions, legal advisements, procedures or other guidance being provided to current or former personnel considering making a disclosure to PURSUE.

That documentation would permit a direct comparison between the new PURSUE process and the statutory authorities, memoranda and verbal legal advisement previously used by AARO.

As of the publication of this article, the Department of War had not responded.

Without those underlying records, it cannot yet be determined whether the September 14 waiver materially expands the legal protections previously available to UAP witnesses or primarily establishes a new authorized recipient — PURSUE — operating under protections similar to those already available through AARO.

PURSUE’s Broader Disclosure Effort

The new waiver comes approximately four months after the Department launched the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE).

On May 8, 2026, the Department announced the first PURSUE release, describing the initiative as an interagency effort involving the White House, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Department of Energy, AARO, NASA, FBI and additional elements of the Intelligence Community.

The Department said the effort followed President Donald Trump’s direction to identify and begin releasing government records concerning UAP, UFOs and related subjects.

Five tranches had been published through August 7, 2026.

The government’s PURSUE portal contains historical documents alongside more recent UAP material from multiple agencies. The Department has said additional material will be released on a rolling basis.

The September 14 action adds another component to that process: instead of relying exclusively on records already residing within government repositories, PURSUE now has an expressly authorized channel through which individuals possessing protected information can provide it for review.

New Channel, Existing Precedent

The Department of War’s September 14 waiver therefore contains both a new development and substantial precedent.

The new development is the establishment of a PURSUE-specific disclosure channel and the Department’s explicit statement that civil and administrative enforcement provisions contained in NDAs and Special Access Program Indoctrination Agreements are superseded for authorized communications with the PURSUE team.

What is not new is the broader proposition that a person possessing highly classified UAP information can be authorized to provide it to designated government investigators without violating an NDA.

Congress established such an avenue through AARO years earlier.

The Black Vault’s subsequent FOIA releases documented how the government attempted to put that authority into practice with one of the most prominent UAP whistleblowers, David Grusch. Those records included written government authorization, procedures for handling highly classified and SAP information, repeated assurances to Grusch and, eventually, the exact legal advisement AARO intended to provide before receiving his information.

The PURSUE announcement does not invalidate or contradict that history. Instead, it establishes another authorized pathway.

Whether the new waiver goes materially further, particularly concerning the overlapping conventional SAP information that Grusch said prevented him from speaking freely to AARO, remains unanswered by the public announcement.

The underlying directive, legal guidance and instructions being provided to potential PURSUE sources will be necessary to determine exactly what has changed.

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The post Department of War Issues New UAP Disclosure Waiver; But Similar Protections Already Existed first appeared on The Black Vault.

The documents were released September 11, 2026, on the 25th anniversary of the attacks. According to the CIA, the collection represents the Agency’s “single largest release of declassified CIA PDB products related to 9/11” and contains more than 100 pages of intelligence analysis.

The newly released material spans from February 1998 through September 12, 2001, and includes assessments concerning Bin Ladin’s terrorist network, potential attacks inside the United States, hijacking threats, al-Qa‘ida’s overseas infrastructure, unconventional weapons efforts and the escalating threat environment during the months immediately preceding September 11. The collection concludes with a September 12, 2001, situation report examining intelligence that emerged in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. The CIA’s published index identifies 71 individual products and provides a 101-page compilation of the collection.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe announced the declassification Friday, calling it an “act of exceptional transparency” and saying the Agency was releasing the material to commemorate those killed in the attacks. The CIA described the records as tracing its analysts’ “evolving understanding of al-Qa‘ida” and their efforts to warn about Bin Ladin’s attack planning based on what the Agency characterized as “sparse, vague, and imperfect information.”

The release provides a broader documentary record surrounding one of the most scrutinized intelligence products from the period: the August 6, 2001, President’s Daily Brief titled “Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US.” That document, portions of which became public during the investigations that followed 9/11, warned that Bin Ladin had wanted to conduct attacks inside the United States for years.

“Clandestine, foreign government, and media reports indicate Bin Ladin since 1997 has wanted to conduct terrorist attacks in the US. Bin Ladin implied in US television interviews in 1997 and 1998 that his followers would follow the example of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef and ‘bring the fighting to America.’”

The August 6 brief also addressed information then being developed by the FBI:

“Nevertheless, FBI information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.”

It further stated that the FBI was conducting “approximately 70 full field investigations throughout the US that it considers Bin Ladin-related,” while the CIA and FBI were investigating a May 2001 call to the U.S. Embassy in the United Arab Emirates alleging that Bin Ladin supporters were inside the United States planning attacks.

The broader collection released Friday places that well-known August 6 assessment alongside years of earlier PDB reporting about Bin Ladin and his network. A September 4, 1998, memorandum, for example, warned:

“The most serious threat comes from Usama Bin Ladin, but affiliated extremist groups such as the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) and the Egyptian al-Gama’at-al-Islamiyya, which have a presence in North America and Europe, could conduct independent attacks or collaborate in terrorist operations against US interests.”

An August 28, 1998, PDB similarly assessed that Bin Ladin could draw upon “a network of individuals and allied groups in at least 60 countries to conduct attacks.” The document stated:

“Bin Ladin’s well-established infrastructure in North America, Europe, and East Asia lends credibility to reports that he also will target US interests in these regions.”

The documents also show intelligence reporting concerning hijacking scenarios years before September 11. A May 22, 2001, PDB titled “Captured Terrorist Details Hostage Plot” discussed an alleged operation involving Bin Ladin and Egyptian Islamic Jihad in which conspirators seeking the release of imprisoned extremists “may hijack an aircraft or storm a US Embassy.”

The assessment noted:

“Bin Ladin’s al-Qa‘ida organization and the two Egyptian groups previously have considered taking hostages—possibly including hijackings—to force concessions.”

The collection also documents the increasingly urgent threat reporting received during 2001. An August 10 PDB, “UBL Associate Planned To Attack US in Europe,” described information that a source had been instructed by senior Bin Ladin lieutenants to prepare a suicide attack against U.S. interests in France. CIA analysts wrote that the information was consistent with other indications that “al-Qa‘ida’s leadership is taking a more active role in directing mujahidin attacks.”

Other assessments addressed al-Qa‘ida’s interest in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear capabilities. A February 12, 2001, PDB stated:

“Bin Ladin is actively trying to extend his capability to target US interests with more sophisticated unconventional means than the crude attacks with toxic chemicals and biological materials already at his disposal.”

The documents do not provide a single, continuous intelligence picture. Individual assessments contain extensive redactions, and the information available to analysts varied substantially in specificity and reliability. Some reports concerned threats overseas, others addressed possible attacks inside the United States, and numerous documents explicitly acknowledged uncertainty about targets, timing or operational details.

The collection extends through the morning after the attacks. In a September 12, 2001, situation report titled “Bin Ladin’s Tracks,” the CIA wrote:

“Mounting evidence indicates Sunni extremists in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf recently were aware Usama Bin Ladin-directed attacks were imminent.”

The report said a facilitator in Afghanistan had claimed that Bin Ladin left Kandahar for Kabul in anticipation of a probable operation. It also described reported friction between Bin Ladin and Taliban leader Mullah Omar:

“Bin Ladin and Taliban leader Mullah Omar late last month clashed over Bin Ladin’s determination to mount terrorist attacks. Bin Ladin told Mullah Omar he had operations in progress that would cause great damage to the US.”

According to the same September 12 assessment, an Arab in Kandahar said the attacks resulted from two years of planning and represented “The beginning of the wrath.” The document also stated that “the Capitol and the White House also may have been targets of the operations.”

The September 11 release does not eliminate the redactions remaining throughout the historical record, nor does the collection by itself resolve the longstanding questions surrounding how pre-9/11 intelligence was collected, assessed and acted upon. It does, however, place 71 presidential-level intelligence products into the public record together, allowing the progression of CIA reporting on Bin Ladin and al-Qa‘ida from 1998 through the immediate aftermath of the attacks to be examined as a collection.

The complete set was released by the CIA on September 11, 2026, with the Agency providing both the individual PDB products and a consolidated 101-page file, which is archived here on The Black Vault below.

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Document Archive

CIA Releases 71 Presidential Daily Briefs Detailing Intelligence Before 9/11 Attacks [101 Pages, 41MB]

The post CIA Releases 71 Presidential Daily Briefs Detailing Intelligence Before 9/11 Attacks first appeared on The Black Vault.

The release stems from MDR case EOM-2021-00117, originally filed in May 2021 by The Black Vault. An initial response issued on February 9, 2024, resulted in only limited additional disclosures while continuing to withhold portions of the manual under Executive Order 13526, Sections 3.3(h)(2) and 6.2(d).

Following an appeal submitted by The Black Vault on March 1, 2024, the CIA’s Agency Release Panel conducted a second review. In a letter dated July 21, 2026, the Agency stated that its earlier determination “can now be revised such that the enclosed document previously released in part may now have more information released,” while continuing to withhold certain passages under the same Executive Order authorities.

Although many of the newly disclosed passages are administrative in nature, the release fills in several long-redacted sections, restores historical directive references, and provides additional context regarding CIA counterintelligence procedures during the Cold War.

Coordination with Other U.S. Agencies

Among the more notable restorations is language explaining how KUBARK coordinated certain clandestine interrogations conducted overseas by other U.S. departments and agencies.

The newly released text identifies ODAPSE Directive No. 5 as governing KUBARK’s responsibility for coordinating specific clandestine interrogation activities abroad. According to the newly disclosed passage:

“ODAPSE Directive No. 5 deals with KUBARK’s responsibilities for the coordination of ODYOKE clandestine activities conducted abroad.”

The restored section explains that clandestine interrogations involving espionage or counterintelligence conducted by other government components were, under certain circumstances, subject to KUBARK coordination. It further references previously redacted internal guidance including Chief/KUBARK Directives 5/1 and 5/2, which governed those coordination procedures.

While portions of the paragraph remain classified, the release provides a clearer picture of the administrative framework governing overseas counterintelligence interrogations than previously available.

Newly Identified Historical References

The appeal release also restores several references to internal CIA guidance documents that had previously been withheld.

One recurring reference directs interrogators to consult the Field Double Agent Guide of August 1960 when planning the interrogation of suspected double agents. The guide itself was not publicly available when the KUBARK manual first entered the public domain decades ago, but documents bearing that title were released as part of the National Archives’ JFK Assassination Records releases beginning in 2022. These newly restored references provide additional documentary connections between CIA counterintelligence manuals produced during the early Cold War.

Newly Released Statistic on Soviet Defectors

Another noteworthy disclosure restores a numerical estimate that had remained redacted in previous releases.

Discussing Soviet defectors, the manual now states:

“The most significant single fact to be kept in mind when planning the interrogation of Soviet defectors is that a certain percentage of them have proven to be controlled agents; estimates of this percentage have ranged as high as seventy percent during a period of several years after 1955.”

Earlier public versions of the document withheld the percentage entirely. While the manual presents the figure as an estimate used by CIA personnel during the period (not as an independently verified historical fact), the release provides additional insight into how the Agency evaluated the possibility of controlled defections during the height of the Cold War.

Much Remains Classified

Despite the additional disclosures, portions of the manual remain withheld.

Entire phrases, organizational identifiers, operational procedures, and references to internal directives continue to be redacted under Executive Order 13526. In its appeal decision, the CIA stated that the remaining deletions continue to be protected under Sections 3.3(h)(2) and 6.2(d), authorities cited in conjunction with statutory protections incorporated through FOIA Exemption (b)(3).

While the latest appeal does not fundamentally alter historians’ understanding of KUBARK, it does produce what appears to be the most complete officially released version of the manual currently available, restoring previously withheld directive references, administrative context, and several historical details that had remained classified until now.

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Document Archive

 Download July 1963 KUBARK Counterintelligence Interrogation Manual [132 Pages, 70MB]

The post CIA Declassifies Additional Portions of 1963 KUBARK Manual After The Black Vault Appeal first appeared on The Black Vault.

The post USPTO Official Tribal Insignia Database Released Under FOIA first appeared on The Black Vault.

The Department of Defense’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has released its Fiscal Year 2025 Consolidated Annual Report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, documenting 319 newly received UAP reports while emphasizing that every resolved case was ultimately attributed to conventional causes.

The report arrives well after the timeline established by Congress. Under 50 U.S.C. § 3373(k)(1)(A), the AARO Director is required to submit an annual UAP report to the appropriate congressional committees “not later than 180 days after December 23, 2022, and annually thereafter for four years.”

The FY2025 report covers incidents from June 2, 2024, through May 30, 2025. Although Congress did not prescribe a specific public release date, previous reports have generally been delivered and publicly released in the fall. The FY2024 report, for example, was published in November 2024. This year’s report was not released until July 2026, several months later than the statutory annual reporting cycle contemplated by Congress.

According to AARO, it received 319 UAP reports, consisting of 284 incidents occurring during the reporting period and 35 older incidents that had not been included in previous reports. The office resolved 114 of those reports, while also resolving 256 previously reported cases, for a total of 370 resolved investigations during the reporting period.

AARO states that every resolved case was attributed to ordinary explanations.

One of the most notable developments described in the report is the office’s expanded ability to identify satellite flares.

The report explains that none of the 44 space-domain reports originated from space-based sensors. Instead, 42 originated from FAA civilian pilot reports and two from U.S. Space Command ground-based sensors. Using three-dimensional modeling and all-source analysis, AARO concluded these observations were consistent with reflected sunlight from satellites.

The overall reporting volume represents a significant decrease from the FY2024 report, which documented 757 reports, including a large backlog of historical FAA submissions dating back to 2021.

One of the more unusual incidents described in the FY2025 report involves a Navy observation off the Virginia coast.

While most unresolved reports were moved into AARO’s “active archive” because of insufficient data, the office stated that nine reports continue to warrant additional analysis by intelligence and scientific partners. At the same time, AARO reiterated that it has found no evidence of advanced foreign technology.

The report also contains language that will likely draw attention from those following national security aspects of the UAP issue. Regarding reports near sensitive facilities, AARO states:

Two reports also described electronic or avionic interference involving operational aircraft, though AARO says it has not determined whether those effects were actually attributable to UAP.

The office reports receiving 50 notifications involving unmanned aerial systems near U.S. nuclear infrastructure, weapons, and launch sites, a substantial increase over the 18 incidents discussed in the FY2024 report. However, AARO states that none of those incidents were classified as UAP.

The report again rejects longstanding claims that the U.S. government possesses recovered UAP material.

AARO adds that it is nevertheless developing procedures for handling such material “should such materials ever come into the possession of the USG.”

The office also reports receiving 262 submissions through its secure reporting mechanism from individuals claiming first-hand knowledge of government UAP programs. Of those, 255 were determined to be out of scope, while seven individuals were identified for follow-up interviews.

The report concludes by highlighting several organizational initiatives, including expanded sensor prototyping, additional public outreach, publication of case resolutions such as the “Go Fast” and Aguadilla cases, and the launch of AARO’s electronic FOIA Reading Room.

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Document Archive

FY 2025 AARO Report [14 Pages, 1.2MB]

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The post AARO Releases FY2025 UAP Report Months After Statutory Deadline, Citing 319 New Cases and Expanded Satellite Analysis first appeared on The Black Vault.

Document Archive

1920 Wall Street Bombing – [2,137 Pages, 152MB] – The Wall Street bombing occurred at 12:01 pm on Thursday, September 16, 1920, in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City. The blast killed thirty people immediately, and another ten died later of wounds sustained in the blast. There were 143 seriously injured, and the total number of injured was in the hundreds. The bombing was never solved, although investigators and historians believe it was carried out by Galleanists (Italian anarchists), a group responsible for a series of bombings the previous year. The attack was related to postwar social unrest, labor struggles, and anti-capitalist agitation in the United States.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani – [3 Pages, 1.2MB] – Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani GCB GCMG (17 September 1932 – 23 October 2016‎‎) was the Emir of Qatar from 27 February 1972 until he was deposed by his son Hamad bin Khalifa on 27 June 1995.  He was the grandfather of the current Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Abel, Rudolf – FBI Release #1 – [1,812 Pages, 934MB] Abel, Rudolf – FBI Release #2 – [1,794 Pages, 371MB] – Rudolf Ivanovich Abel (Russian: Рудольф Иванович Абель), real name Vilyam “Willie” Genrikhovich Fisher (Вильям “Вилли” Генрихович Фишер), (July 11, 1903 – November 15, 1971) was a Soviet intelligence officer. He adopted his alias when arrested on charges of conspiracy by FBI agents in 1957. In 1957 the U.S. Federal Court in New York convicted Fisher on three counts of conspiracy as a Soviet spy for his involvement in what became known as the Hollow Nickel Case and sentenced him to 30 years’ imprisonment at Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, Georgia. He served just over four years of his sentence before he was exchanged for captured American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers. Back in the Soviet Union, he lectured on his experiences. He died in 1971 at the age of 68.

Abrams, Stephen Irwin – FBI Release #1 – [28 Pages, 13.3MB] Abrams, Stephen Irwin – FBI Release #2 – [9 Pages, 1.3MB] – Stephen Irwin Abrams (15 July 1938 in Chicago, Illinois – 21 November 2012) was an American scholar of parapsychology and a cannabis rights activist who was a long-standing resident of the United Kingdom. He is best known for sponsoring and authoring the full page advertisement petitioning for cannabis law reform which appeared in The Times on 24 July 1967.

Accuracy in the Media – [20 Pages, 1.4MB] – Accuracy in Media (AIM) is an American non-profit conservative news media watchdog founded in 1969 by economist Reed Irvine. AIM supported the Vietnam War and blamed media bias for U.S. loss in the war. During the Reagan administration, AIM criticized reporting about the El Mozote massacre in El Salvador. During the Clinton administration, AIM pushed Vince Foster conspiracy theories. During the George W. Bush administration, AIM accused the media of bias against the Iraq War, defended the Bush administration’s use of torture, and campaigned to stop the United States from signing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It described 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama as “the most radical candidate ever to stand at the precipice of acquiring his party’s presidential nomination. It is apparent that he is a member of an international socialist movement.” It also criticized the media’s response to COVID-19.

Albertson, William – [492 Pages, 135MB] – William Albertson, an American communist party leader who in 1964 was the subject of a snitch jacket, an FBI project to forge and plant a fictional report identifying him as an informant for the Bureau. Albertson, William – [4 Pages, 2.37MB] – Records are now destroyed, which may indicate the below release in 2011 may be among what was destroyed. It’s also possible those files are now at NARA, as there is a huge list of numbers that were transferred, as archived here with this letter. The Black Vault did not pursue getting them. Albertson, William – [2,563 Pages, 125.3MB] – (Source: GovernmentAttic.org Release)

Alexander, Donald Crichton – [106 Pages, 125.3 MB] – Donald Crichton Alexander (May 22, 1921 – February 2, 2009) was a tax lawyer and Nixon administration official. Alexander was appointed Commissioner of Internal Revenue by President Richard Nixon in May 1973, and was replaced in February 1977, early in the Jimmy Carter administration.

Alinsky, Saul FBI Release, June 2016 – [462 Pages, 31.7MB] – I requested additional records from the FBI (based on their statement that additional records could exist.) The final determination is that the material was destroyed.  SEE LETTER HERE) Alinsky, Saul File #100-BA-30057, NARA Release, August 2016 – [32 Pages, 35.7 MB] Saul David Alinsky (January 30, 1909 – June 12, 1972) was an American community organizer and writer. He is generally considered to be the founder of modern community organizing. He is often noted for his 1971 book Rules for Radicals. In the course of nearly four decades of political organizing, Alinsky received much criticism, but also gained praise from many public figures. His organizing skills were focused on improving the living conditions of poor communities across North America. In the 1950s, he began turning his attention to improving conditions in the African-American ghettos, beginning with Chicago’s and later traveling to other ghettos in California, Michigan, New York City, and a dozen other “trouble spots”. His ideas were adapted in the 1960s by some U.S. college students and other young counterculture-era organizers, who used them as part of their strategies for organizing on campus and beyond. Time magazine wrote in 1970 that “It is not too much to argue that American democracy is being altered by Alinsky’s ideas.” Conservative author William F. Buckley, Jr. said in 1966 that Alinsky was “very close to being an organizational genius”.

Allen, Paul – [160 Pages, 28MB] – Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American business magnate, computer programmer, researcher, investor, and philanthropist. He was best known for co-founding Microsoft Corporation with childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which helped spark the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. Microsoft became the world’s largest personal computer software company. Allen was ranked as the 44th-wealthiest person in the world by Forbes in 2018, with an estimated net worth of $20.3 billion at the time of his death.

Alpha 66  – [1,347 Pages, 67.5MB] – Alpha 66 is an anti-Castro paramilitary organization that operates in the Southern United States. The group was originally formed by Cuban exiles in the early 1960s and was most active in the late 1970s and 1980s. Although its base of support has greatly eroded due to the end of the Cold War and the thawing of relations between the United States and Cuba, Alpha 66 is still active today and is recognized as a terrorist organization by state governments and research groups alike.

America’s Most Wanted – FBI Release #1 – [355 Pages, 18MB] America’s Most Wanted – FBI Release #2 – [377 Pages, 18MB] – America’s Most Wanted is an American television program that was produced by 20th Television. At the time of its cancellation by the Fox television network in June 2011, it was the longest-running program in the network’s history (25 seasons), a mark since surpassed by The Simpsons. The show started off as a half-hour program on February 7, 1988. In 1990, the show’s format was changed from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. The show’s format was reverted to 30 minutes in 1995, and then back to 60 minutes in 1996. A short-lived syndicated spinoff titled America’s Most Wanted: Final Justice aired during the 1995-96 season. Note: Although America’s Most Wanted was not the main subject of a file, the FBI released their files that mentioned America’s Most Wanted in connection to their respective files. This batch, is everything they sent.

American Alliance of Museums – [109 Pages, 53.9 MB] – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), formerly the American Association of Museums, is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community. AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future. AAM is the only organization representing the entire scope of museums and professionals and nonpaid staff who work for and with museums. AAM currently represents more than 25,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, 4,000 institutions and 150 corporate members. Individual members span the range of occupations in museums, including directors, curators, registrars, educators, exhibit designers, public relations officers, development officers, security managers, trustees and volunteers.

American Bar Association – [114 Pages, 5.7MB] – The American Bar Association (ABA), founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA’s most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation of model ethical codes related to the legal profession. The ABA has 410,000 members. In 1979, half of all lawyers in the U.S. were members of the ABA; in 2019, 20% of the nation’s lawyers were members.  The organization’s national headquarters are in Chicago, Illinois; it also maintains a significant branch office in Washington, D.C.

American Psychiatric Association (APA) – [259 Pages, 148.5MB] – The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. Its some 36,000 members are mainly American but some are international. The association publishes various journals and pamphlets, as well as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM codifies psychiatric conditions and is used worldwide as a guide for diagnosing disorders.

American Psychological Association (APA) – [14 Pages, 6.2MB] – The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 118,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. The APA has an annual budget of around $115m. There are 54 divisions of the APA—interest groups covering different subspecialties of psychology or topical areas.

Amtorg Trading Corporation – [259 Pages, 146MB] – Amtorg Trading Corporation, also known as Amtorg (short for Amerikanskaia Torgovlia, Russian: Амторг), was the first trade representation of the Soviet Union in the United States, established in New York in 1924 by merging Armand Hammer’s Allied American Corporation (Alamerico) with Products Exchange Corporation (Prodexco) and Arcos-America Inc. (the U.S. branch of All Russian Co-operative Society, ARCOS, in Great Britain).

Asian American Political Alliance – [1,663 Pages, 83.4 MB] – The Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) was a political organization started at University of California, Berkeley in 1968 that aimed to unite all Asian Americans under one identity to push for political and social action. The two main chapters were at UC Berkeley, and San Francisco State College, both of which became heavily involved in the larger Asian American movement throughout the 1960s, including at the Third World Liberation Front strikes at SF State and at UC Berkeley.  The AAPA identified as an anti-imperialistic, Third World political organization that fought for self-determination and liberation for Asian Americans. They expressed solidarity and support for other people of color throughout the US and throughout the world, particularly in colonized or recently decolonized countries. The AAPA’s participation in the Third World Liberation Front strikes at SF State and UC Berkeley resulted in the creation of a School of Ethnic Studies at SF State and an Ethnic Studies department at UC Berkeley. The AAPA was also involved in movements such as the Black Power Movement and the anti-Vietnam War movement. Although both main chapters were short-lived and disbanded in 1969, the AAPA played a large role in the Asian American movement and was influential in encouraging other Asian Americans to get involved in political action.   This release covers the FBI investigation of the group and its leaders from 1969 through 1972. The FBI was especially interested in the contact the group or its members had with Chinese communists abroad.

Austin, Louis –  [139 Pages,  86MB] – A devout and visionary Philadelphia entrepreneur who foresaw a prosperous industry in bottling Capon Springs water. The bottling business was abandoned after 1959, when Lou retired, although the water remains available free of charge at fountains and faucets.

Baldrige, Letitia – [34 Pages, 1.53 MB] – Letitia Baldrige (February 9, 1926 – October 29, 2012) was an American etiquette expert and public relations executive who was most famous for serving as Jacqueline Kennedy’s Social Secretary. Known as the “Doyenne of Decorum”, she wrote a newspaper column, ran her own PR firm, and, along with updating Amy Vanderbilt’s Complete Book of Etiquette, she published 20 books and appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and the cover of Time Magazine.

Banco Ambrosiano [4 Pages, 1.4 MB] – Banco Ambrosiano was an Italian bank that collapsed in 1982. At the centre of the bank’s failure was its chairman, Roberto Calvi and his membership in the illegal Masonic Lodge Propaganda Due (aka P2). Vatican Bank was Banco Ambrosiano’s main shareholder, and the death of Pope John Paul I in 1978 is rumored to be linked to the Ambrosiano scandal. Vatican Bank was also accused of funneling covert United States funds to Solidarity and the Contras through Banco Ambrosiano.

Banister, Guy [297 Pages, 32.9 MB]  Banister, Guy – Release #2 [335 Pages, 20.3 MB] – William Guy Banister (March 7, 1901 – June 6, 1964) was an employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an Assistant Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, and a private investigator. After his death, he gained notoriety from allegations made by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison that he had been involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  He was an avid anti-communist, alleged member of the Minutemen, the John Birch Society, Louisiana Committee on Un-American Activities, and alleged publisher of the Louisiana Intelligence Digest. He also supported various anti-Castro groups in the New Orleans area: “Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front”; “Anti-Communist League of the Caribbean”; “Friends of Democratic Cuba”. According to the New Orleans States-Item newspaper, “Guy [Banister] participated in every anti-Communist South and Central American revolution that came along, acting as a key liaison man for the U.S. government-sponsored anti-Communist activities in Latin America.”

Banks, Dennis – FBI Release #1 – [324 Pages, 200MB] Banks, Dennis – FBI VAULT Release #1 – [681 Pages, 31MB] – Dennis Banks (April 12, 1937, in Ojibwe – October 29, 2017) was a Native American activist, teacher, and author. He was a longtime leader of the American Indian Movement, which he co-founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1968 to represent urban Indians.

Barker, Bernard Leon (FBI File) – [352 Pages, 23.57 MB]  Barker, Bernard Leon (Secret Service File) – [ 18 Pages, 0.9 MB ]- Bernard Leon Barker (March 17, 1917 – June 5, 2009) was a Watergate burglar. He had a long career as an undercover operative.

Barlow, Lester – FBI Release #1 – [235 Pages, 46MB] Barlow, Lester – Archived Release #1 (Archived from a third party requester – may be duplicated pages) – [239 Pages, 13.6MB] – Lester Pence Barlow was an American inventor and engineer, known for his significant contributions to military technology during World War I. Born in the late 19th century, Barlow’s innovative spirit led him to develop some of the first aerial bombs and torpedoes, revolutionizing modern warfare. His designs were instrumental in advancing aerial combat capabilities, providing a crucial edge to Allied forces. Barlow’s work not only demonstrated remarkable technical prowess but also highlighted the transformative impact of aerial munitions in 20th-century military strategy. His legacy endures as a testament to the pivotal role of inventive engineering in warfare.

Battelle Memorial Institute – [261 Pages, 23.57MB] – Battelle Memorial Institute (more widely known as simply Battelle) is a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle is a charitable trust organized as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State of Ohio and is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code because it is organized for charitable, scientific and education purposes. The institute opened in 1929 but traces its origins to the 1923 will of Ohio industrialist Gordon Battelle which provided for its creation. Originally focusing on contract research and development work in the areas of metals and material science, Battelle is now an international science and technology enterprise that explores emerging areas of science, develops and commercializes technology, and manages laboratories for customers.

Baikowitz, Dr. Bernardo Benes – [115 Pages, 20MB] – Dr. Bernardo Benes Baikowitz (27 December 1934 in Matanzas, Cuba – 14 January 2019 in Miami, Florida) was a prominent Jewish Cuban lawyer, banker, journalist and civic leader, who was responsible for freeing 3,600 Cuban political prisoners in 1978.

Bates, Sanford– [254 Pages, 24MB] Bates, Sanford– [201 Pages, 5MB] –  Sanford Bates (1884–1972) was an American lawyer, public official, and pioneering corrections administrator best known as the first director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons. Before his federal service, he practiced law in Massachusetts and served in the state legislature, gaining a reputation for progressive views on criminal justice. Appointed in 1930, Bates shaped the early philosophy and structure of the federal prison system, emphasizing professional administration, standardized procedures, rehabilitation, and humane treatment. After leaving the Bureau in 1937, he continued to influence corrections nationally as the head of the New Jersey Department of Institutions and Agencies and through leadership roles in the American Prison Association. His career left a lasting legacy on modern correctional management and reform.

Belli, Melvin– [369 Pages, 39.9 MB] – Melvin Mouron Belli (July 29, 1907 – July 9, 1996) was a prominent American lawyer known as “The King of Torts” and by insurance companies as “Melvin Bellicose.” He had many celebrity clients, including Zsa Zsa Gabor, Errol Flynn, Chuck Berry, Muhammad Ali, The Rolling Stones, Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Bakker, Martha Mitchell, Maureen Connolly, Lana Turner, Tony Curtis, and Mae West. He won over $600 million in judgments during his legal career. He was also the attorney for Jack Ruby, who shot Lee Harvey Oswald for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Berkshire Hathaway (Cross References)- [96 Pages, 3.8MB] – Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is a multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by Oliver Chace in 1839 as a textile manufacturing company, it was eventually taken over by Warren Buffett in the mid-1960s, transforming it into a diversified powerhouse with investments in a vast range of sectors including insurance, utilities, rail transportation, and consumer goods, among others. Renowned for its consistent performance and Buffett’s unique investment philosophy, Berkshire Hathaway stands as one of the most respected and valuable companies in the world.

Blaichman, Frank (Cross References) –  [10 Pages, 1.3MB] – Frank Blaichman (December 11, 1922 – December 27, 2018), also known as Ephraim Blaichman, occasionally spelled Frank Bleichman, and in Polish Franek or Franciszek Blajchman, was a Holocaust survivor who was a Polish-Jewish leader of an armed organization during World War II.

Bras, Juan Mari – [19 Pages, 14MB] – Juan Mari Brás (December 2, 1927 – September 10, 2010) was an advocate for Puerto Rican independence from the United States who founded the Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP). On October 25, 2006, he became the first person to receive a Puerto Rican citizenship c ertificate from the Puerto Rico State Department. These documents were obtained, after a FOIA appeal.

Bridges, Harry – [199 Pages, 151MB] – Harry Renton Bridges (1901-1990) was a prominent Australian-born American labor leader who played a crucial role in the labor movement on the West Coast of the United States. Emigrating to the U.S. in 1920, Bridges became a leading figure in the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union (ILWU), known for his advocacy of workers’ rights and his efforts to unionize dockworkers. He led the pivotal 1934 West Coast Longshore Strike, which resulted in significant gains for workers and established the ILWU as a powerful force in labor relations. Despite facing numerous legal battles, including accusations of being a communist, Bridges remained a steadfast and influential advocate for labor rights until his death, leaving a lasting legacy in the American labor movement.

British Broadcasting Company (BBC) – [15 Pages, 1MB] – The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters are at Broadcasting House in Westminster, London, and it is the world’s oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 22,000 staff in total, more than 16,000 of whom are in public sector broadcasting.  The total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed-contract staff are included.

Browning, James Louis – [192 Pages, 78MB ] – James Louis Browning, Jr. (December 8, 1932 – January 12, 2016) was a California jurist. He served as United States Attorney for the Northern District of California from 1969 to 1977 and later as a municipal, then state judge. He was the lead prosecutor in the sensational case that sent newspaper heiress Patty Hearst to prison in 1976. Many documents on Mr. Browning were destroyed, as indicated by the FOIA response letter.

Burgman, Herbert John – [239 Pages, 54.5MB ] – Herbert John Burgman (1894–1953) was an American broadcaster and journalist who became notorious for his role as a propagandist during World War II. Born in Hokah, Minnesota, Burgman served in the U.S. Army during World War I and subsequently found work in Berlin as a clerk at the American Embassy. He remained in Germany after the Nazis rose to power and became involved with German radio broadcasting. During World War II, he became known for his anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi broadcasts under the pseudonym “Joe Scanlon,” attempting to demoralize Allied troops with disinformation. After the war, he was arrested, tried for treason in the U.S., and sentenced to imprisonment in 1949. He died in prison a few years later.

Burning Man – [19 Pages, 6.7 MB] – Burning Man is an annual gathering that takes place at Black Rock City—a temporary community erected in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. The event is described as an experiment in community and art, influenced by 10 main principles, including “radical” inclusion, self-reliance and self-expression, as well as community cooperation, gifting and decommodification, and leaving no trace. First held in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco as a small function organized by Larry Harvey and a group of friends, it has since been held annually, spanning from the last Sunday in August to the first Monday in September (the U.S. Labor Day); for example, Burning Man 2015 took place August 30 – September 7, 2015.

Bull, Gerald – FBI Release #1 – [69 Pages, 30MB]  Bull, Gerald – FBI Release #2 – [7 Pages, 1MB]Gerald Vincent Bull (March 9, 1928 – March 22, 1990) was a Canadian engineer who developed long-range artillery. He moved from project to project in his quest to economically launch a satellite using a huge artillery piece, to which end he designed the Project Babylon “supergun” for the Iraqi government. Bull was assassinated outside his apartment in Brussels, Belgium in March 1990.

Burning of the ROTC Building at Kent State University, 1970 – [68 Pages, 27.6MB] – The burning of the ROTC building at Kent State University occurred on May 2, 1970, amid a backdrop of intense national protests against the Vietnam War. Students at the university had been increasingly vocal in their opposition to the war, and tensions reached a boiling point when President Nixon announced the expansion of the war into Cambodia. The ROTC building, symbolizing military presence on campus, was set ablaze by protesters, leading to significant unrest. This event was a precursor to the tragic shootings on May 4, 1970, when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed students, resulting in four deaths and nine injuries, marking a pivotal moment in the anti-war movement and American history.

Bush, Barbara– FBI Vault Release #1 – [61 Pages, 4.5MB] Bush, Barbara– FBI Release #1 – [6 Pages, 2.64MB] – Barbara Pierce Bush (June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was the first lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993 as the wife of President George H. W. Bush, and the founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She previously was the second lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Among her six children are George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, and Jeb Bush, the 43rd governor of Florida. She and Abigail Adams are the only two women to be the wife of one U.S. president and the mother of another.

Busic, Zvonko – FBI Release #1 – [110 Pages, 45.5MB]  Busic, Zvonko – FBI Release #2 – [96 Pages, 40MB]  Busic, Zvonko – FBI Release #3 – [70 Pages, 4.5MB]  Busic, Zvonko – DOJ/OIP Release #1 – [4 Pages, 0.5MB] – Zvonko Bušić (23 January 1946 – 1 September 2013) was a Croatian emigrant, responsible for hijacking TWA Flight 355 in September 1976. He was subsequently convicted of air piracy and spent 32 years in prison in the United States before being released on parole and deported in July 2008. On 10 September 1976, Zvonko and his wife, Julienne, along with Petar Matanić and Frane Pešut, hijacked a commercial Trans World Airlines plane, Boeing 727, Flight 355, heading from New York to Chicago.  The mastermind of the hijacking, Zvonko Bušić, delivered a note to the captain in which he informed him that the airplane was hijacked, that the group had five gelignite bombs on board, and that another bomb was planted in a locker across from The Commodore Hotel in New York with further instructions.   NOTE: There are an additional 7,300 pages on Busic that have yet to be released. If anyone would like to sponsor this file – please CONTACT ME.

Byers, Louis T. – FBI Release #1 – [6 Pages, 1MB]  Byers, Louis T. – FBI Release #2 – [326 Pages, 187MB] –  Louis Temple Byers (July 4, 1931 – October 22, 1981) was an early official of the Willis Carto backed National Youth Alliance. Byers was the NYA leader from 1969 through 1971 until Dr. William Pierce assumed control of the organization. Byers was once a paid coordinator for the John Birch Society in Pittsburgh.  Byers founded the Francis Parker Yockey Society. In 1968, Byers was a Pennsylvania organizer for the Gov. George C. Wallace campaign when he ran for president on the American Independent Party ticket. In October 1981 Louis T. Byers died of cancer.

Byrd, David Harold – FBI Release #1- [18 Pages, 1MB] Byrd, David Harold – FBI Release #2- [14 Pages, 1MB] – David Harold “Dry Hole” Byrd (24 April 1900 – 14 September 1986) was a noted Texan producer of petroleum, and a co-founder of the Civil Air Patrol. Byrd’s cousin, polar explorer Richard E. Byrd, named Antarctica’s Harold Byrd Mountains for him.

Cahill, Thomas J. – [116 Pages, 66.8MB ] – Thomas J. Cahill was the chief of police of San Francisco, California from 1958 to 1970 and still has the distinction of having the longest tenure as chief of police in San Francisco history, serving under three mayors (George Christopher, John F. Shelley, and Joseph Alioto) through decades that saw tremendous social changes and upheavals. People called him Tom. He was born June 8, 1910, on Montana Street on the North Side of Chicago. His family returned to County Kilkenny, Ireland, when he was a child, and Cahill returned to San Francisco in 1930.

Cain, Herman– [114 Pages, 21MB] – Herman Cain was an American businessman, writer, and political figure, born on December 13, 1945, in Memphis, Tennessee, and passed away on July 30, 2020. He rose to prominence as a successful businessman, most notably serving as the CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, a role in which he notably turned the company’s fortunes around. Cain also served as the chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Omaha Branch. He gained political attention during his campaign for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, where he was known for his “9-9-9” tax reform plan, which proposed replacing the current tax system with a 9% business transaction tax, a 9% personal income tax, and a 9% federal sales tax. Cain’s life was a blend of corporate success and political aspiration, making him a notable figure in American business and politics.

Calvi, Roberto – [34 Pages, 16.3MB ] – Roberto Calvi (13 April 1920 – 17 June 1982) was an Italian banker dubbed “God’s Banker” (Italian: Banchiere di Dio) by the press because of his close association with the Holy See. A native of Milan, Calvi was Chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, which collapsed in one of modern Italy’s biggest political scandals. His death in London in June 1982 is a source of enduring controversy and was ruled a murder after two coroner’s inquests and an independent investigation. In Rome, in June 2007, five people were acquitted of the murder.

Cameron, Edwin – FBI Release #1 – [55 Pages, 6MB] Cameron, Edwin – FBI Release #2 – [9 Pages, 1.2MB] – Edwin Cameron was the NSA’s top analyst on foreign rocketry and missile activities, with an additional specialization in Soviet-era space activities.

Cameron, Lyle – [129 Pages, 6.5MB ] – Lyle Cameron was a well know skydiver, and published a magazine on the topic.

Caruso, Pietro – FBI Release #1 – [4 Pages, 1.0MB]  Caruso, Pietro – FBI Release #2 – [3 Pages, 0.7MB]Pietro Caruso (born 10 November 1899 in Maddaloni – died 22 September 1944 in Rome) was an Italian Fascist and head of the Italian police during the final part of World War II. Together with Herbert Kappler, the German Gestapo chief in Rome, Caruso organised the massacre in Fosse Ardeatine on 24 March 1944 as revenge for an attack the day before by Italian partisans on a column of German soldiers in Rome. 335 people, many of them belonging to a Communist military resistance group, were shot during the massacre.

Church of Scientology – [1,519 Pages, 749MB] – (Note: Very large file. Recommend right clicking and downloading to your hard drive) Developed by L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and one’s relationship to self, family, groups, Mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being.  Scientology addresses the spirit—not the body or mind—and believes that Man is far more than a product of his environment, or his genes.

Citzens’ Council – FBI Release #1 – [829 Pages, 192MB] Citzens’ Council – FBI Release #2 – [22 Pages, 12.9MB] Citzens’ Council – FBI Release #3 – [20 Pages, 7MB] – The Citizens’ Councils (also referred to as White Citizens’ Councils) were an associated network of white supremacist, extreme right organizations in the United States, concentrated in the South. The first was formed on July 11, 1954. After 1956, it was known as the Citizens’ Councils of America. With about 60,000 members across the United States, mostly in the South, the groups were founded primarily to oppose racial integration of schools following the US Supreme Court ruling in 1954 that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. They also opposed voter registration efforts in the South, where most blacks had been disenfranchised since the turn of the 20th century, and integration of public facilities during the 1950s and 1960s. Members used intimidation tactics including economic boycotts, firing people from jobs, propaganda, and committing violence against citizens and civil-rights activists.

Cochran, Jr., Johnnie – [99 Pages, 39MB] – Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. (October 2, 1937 – March 29, 2005) was an American lawyer best known for his leadership role in the defense and criminal acquittal of O.J. Simpson for the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman. Cochran represented Sean Combs during his trial on gun and bribery charges, as well as Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Todd Bridges, football player Jim Brown, Snoop Dogg, former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe, 1992 Los Angeles riot beating victim Reginald Oliver Denny, and inmate and activist Geronimo Pratt. He represented athlete Marion Jones when she faced charges of doping during her high school track career. Cochran was known for his skill in the courtroom and his prominence as an early advocate for victims of police brutality.

Cohn, Roy– [748 Pages, 100MB] – Roy Marcus Cohn (February 20, 1927 – August 2, 1986) was an American lawyer best known for being Senator Joseph McCarthy’s chief counsel during the Army–McCarthy hearings in 1954, for assisting with McCarthy’s investigations of suspected communists, as a top political fixer, and for being Donald Trump’s personal lawyer. The Black Vault’s FOIA Case number for reference (no letter is attached to this since it was released electronically) is 1432506-000.

Crouch, Paul Franklin – [ 76 Pages, 33.5 MB ] – Paul Franklin Crouch (March 30, 1934 – November 30, 2013) was an American Christian broadcaster. Crouch, along with his wife Jan, and televangelist Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Bakker, founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network in 1973 (TBN).

Cryptome.org – [125 Pages, 38.5 MB] – Cryptome is a 501(c)(3) private foundation created in 1996 by John Young and Deborah Natsios and sponsored by Natsios-Young Architects. The site collects information about freedom of expression, privacy, cryptography, dual-use technologies, national security, intelligence, government secrecy.

Cult of the Dead Cow – [73 Pages, 10MB] – Cult of the Dead Cow, also known as cDc or cDc Communications, is a computer hacker and DIY media organization founded in 1984 in Lubbock, Texas.

Darrow, Clarence – [ File #1 ] – Clarence Darrow was a lawyer from the 1900’s to 1930’s. There have been many books on him, an estimated number of fifty. He was the best orator of his time and was coveted at all kinds of debates.Once he had moved from Ohio, he quickly became the most successful lawyer in Chicago, and grew to be the most famous lawyer in all of history. This is Miscellaneous material and correspondence regarding the famous attorney.

Dean, Arthur Hobson – [113 Pages, 55MB] – Arthur Hobson Dean (1898–1987) was a New York City lawyer and diplomat who was viewed as one of the leading corporate lawyers of his day, as well having served as a key adviser to numerous U.S. presidents. Dean was chairman and senior partner of Sullivan & Cromwell, where he worked closely with John Foster Dulles. He was the chief U.S. negotiator at Panmunjeom where he helped negotiate the Korean Armistice Agreement, which ended the Korean War, and also helped draft and negotiate the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963. Dean was a member (and later served on the Board of Directors) of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Asia Society and served as a delegate to the United Nations. He was a member of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group and participated in 14 conferences between 1957 and 1975.

Deatherage, George– FBI Release #1 – [2,294 Pages, 1.5GB] Please note: This is a extremely large file of 1.5 gigabyte — it is recommended you right click and download the file to your desktop Deatherage, George– FBI Release #2 – [100 Pages, 67MB] – George Edward Deatherage (November 15, 1893 – March 31, 1965) was an American political activist and a promoter of nationalism. A native of Minnesota and an engineer by training, he authored several books on construction.

Delaney, Edward Leo – [260 Pages, 156.9 MB] – Edward Leo Delaney (December 12, 1885 – July 1, 1972) was an American broadcaster of Nazi propaganda during World War II. He was indicted on charges of treason in 1943, but after the war the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.

DePugh, Robert Boliver – [1,485 Pages, 799.7MB] – Robert Boliver “Bob” DePugh (15 April 1923 – 30 June 2009) was an American anti-Communist activist who founded the Minutemen militant anti-Communist organization in 1961.

Douglas, Donald Willis – [8 Pages, 5.2MB] – Donald Wills Douglas Sr. (April 6, 1892 – February 1, 1981) was an American aircraft industrialist and engineer. An aviation pioneer, he designed and built the Douglas Cloudster. Though it failed in its intended purpose—being the first to fly non-stop across the United States—it became the first airplane with a payload greater than its own weight.

Dummar, Melvin – [15 Pages, 4.4MB] – Melvin Earl Dummar (August 28, 1944 – December 9, 2018) was a Utah man who gained attention when he claimed to have saved reclusive business tycoon Howard Hughes in the Nevada desert in 1967, and to have been awarded part of Hughes’ vast estate. Dummar’s claims resulted in a series of court battles that all ended in rulings against Dummar. A Las Vegas jury determined in 1978 that the will, leaving Dummar $156 million, was a forgery. Dummar’s story was later adapted into Jonathan Demme’s film Melvin and Howard in 1980, in which he was portrayed by actor Paul Le Mat. A 2005 reinvestigation of the circumstances surrounding the so-called Dummar Will yielded new evidence not previously known.

Duncan, Donald – [242 Pages, 109.2 MB] – Master Sergeant Donald Walter “Don” Duncan (March 18, 1930 – March 25, 2009) was a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who served during the Vietnam War, helping to establish the guerrilla infiltration force Project DELTA there. Following his return to the United States, Duncan became outspoken in his opposition to the conflict and became one of the leading public figures in opposition to the war. Duncan is best remembered as the military editor of the radical monthly magazine, Ramparts, during the Vietnam conflict and for his testimony to the 1967 Russell Tribunal detailing American war crimes in Vietnam.

Eisenhower, Milton S.– [20 Pages, 1.2MB] – Milton Stover Eisenhower (September 15, 1899 – May 2, 1985) was an American educational administrator. He served as president of three major American universities: Kansas State University, Pennsylvania State University, and Johns Hopkins University. He was the younger brother of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) – [9 Pages, 4.44 MB] – The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. We work to ensure that rights and freedoms are enhanced and protected as our use of technology grows.

Elmhurst, Ernest F. – [445 Pages, 34MB] – Ernest Frederick Elmhurst, originally named Hermann Fleischkopf, was born on July 27, 1891, and passed away on March 1, 1967. He is most known for his book “The World Hoax” published in 1939. Elmhurst’s activities often placed him in controversial situations, notably his participation as an American delegate in the Pan-Aryan Anti-Jewish Union conference in Erfurt, Germany, in August 1937, sponsored by World Service. He also faced legal challenges, including his role as a defendant in the Great Sedition Trial of 1944. During this time, he worked as a head waiter at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington but was dismissed following the intervention of political gossip columnist Walter Winchell on his national radio show. Additionally, in October 1945, Elmhurst was arrested in New York City, along with others, on charges of unlawful assembly and selling pamphlets on Jewish ritual murder, resulting in a six-month sentence in a work house. Elmhurst also ventured into East Germany secretly in 1952 and 1956 to observe conditions in the communist country​​​​​​​​.

Ensign Peak Advisors– [7 Pages, 1.2MB] – Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc. is a nonprofit investment management organization based in Salt Lake City, Utah, that serves as a supporting organization and integrated auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It manages and invests financial reserves for the Church, including investments in publicly traded equities, fixed-income securities, managed funds and other asset classes, with the stated purpose of supporting current operations and preserving resources for future Church needs. Ensign Peak became the subject of significant public scrutiny over its investment-reporting practices, and in 2023 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission found that from 1997 through 2019 it had failed to file required Forms 13F in its own name, instead using a series of LLCs whose filings obscured the size of the Church’s securities portfolio and misstated Ensign Peak’s control over the investments. Ensign Peak and the Church settled the matter without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings, with Ensign Peak agreeing to pay a $4 million penalty and the Church a $1 million penalty; the Church said the reporting structure had been adopted based on legal counsel and that Ensign Peak changed its reporting practices in 2019 after the SEC raised concerns. Ensign Peak continues to operate as the Church’s investment manager and files quarterly public securities disclosures with the SEC.

Epstein, Hedy – [9 Pages, 245.7MB] – Hedy Epstein (August 15, 1924 – May 26, 2016) was a German-born Jewish-American political activist known for her support of the Palestinian cause through the International Solidarity Movement. Born in Freiburg to a Jewish family, she was rescued from Nazi Germany by the Kindertransport in 1939. She immigrated to the United States in 1948, and lived in St. Louis, Missouri, for many years.

Equifax – [41 Pages, 14.8MB] – Equifax Inc. is a data analytics and technology company that assists organizations and individuals in making informed business and personal decisions. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. It is a member of Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500® Index, and its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EFX. Equifax employs over 10,000 employees worldwide.

FBI Undercover Operations and Guidelines – [ File #1 ] – Although not a historical figure file, it does should the history of the FBI and the domestic surveillance programs. I felt it would be a fit here.

Feeney, Leonard  – [233 Pages, 131MB]  Feeney, Leonard Cross References  – [15 Pages, 7MB]Father Leonard Edward Feeney (February 18, 1897 – January 30, 1978) was an American Jesuit priest, poet, lyricist, and essayist. He articulated and defended a strict interpretation of the Roman Catholic doctrine, extra Ecclesiam nulla salus (“outside the Church there is no salvation”). He took the position that baptism of blood and baptism of desire are unavailing and that therefore no non-Catholics will be saved. Fighting against what he perceived to be the liberalization of Catholic doctrine, he came under ecclesiastical censure. He was described as Boston’s homegrown version of Father Charles Coughlin for his antisemitism.

Felt, Mark  – [233 Pages, 131MB] – William Mark Felt Sr. (August 17, 1913 – December 18, 2008) was an American law enforcement officer who worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 1942 to 1973 and was known for his role in the Watergate scandal. Felt was an FBI special agent who eventually rose to the position of Associate Director, the Bureau’s second-highest-ranking post. Felt worked in several FBI field offices prior to his promotion to the Bureau’s headquarters. In 1980 he was convicted of having violated the civil rights of people thought to be associated with members of the Weather Underground, by ordering FBI agents to break into their homes and search the premises as part of an attempt to prevent bombings. He was ordered to pay a fine, but was pardoned by President Ronald Reagan during his appeal. In 2005, at age 91, Felt revealed that during his tenure as associate director of the FBI he had been the notorious anonymous source known as “Deep Throat” who provided The Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein with critical information about the Watergate scandal, which ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974. Though Felt’s identity as Deep Throat was suspected, including by Nixon himself it had generally remained a secret for 30 years. Felt finally acknowledged that he was Deep Throat after being persuaded by his daughter to reveal his identity before his death.

Fensterwald, Bernard  – [280 Pages, 160.8MB] – Bernard “Bud” Fensterwald Jr. (August 2, 1921 – April 2, 1991) was an American lawyer who defended James Earl Ray and James W. McCord Jr. Other notable clients included Mitch WerBell, Richard Case Nagell and the widow of John Paisley.

Field, Frederick Vanderbuilt – [283 Pages, 14MB] – Frederick Vanderbilt Field was an American leftist political activist and a great-great-grandson of railroad tycoon Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt, disinherited by his wealthy relatives for his radical political views. Field became a specialist on Asia and was a prime staff member and supporter of the Institute of Pacific Relations. He also supported Henry Wallace’s Progressive Party and so many openly Communist organizations that he was accused of being a member of the Communist Party. He was a top target of the American government during the peak of 1950s McCarthyism. Field denied ever having been a party member but admitted in his memoirs, “I suppose I was what the Party called a ‘member at large.'”

Finders Cult – FBI Release #1 – [373 Pages, 196MB]  Finders Cult – FBI Release #2 – [280 Pages, 120MB] – A bizarre and rarely heard about cult that allegedly deals with white slave traffic, sexual exploitation of children, and satanic rituals. It also found its way into many “Pizzagate” conspiracy theories. Not much is known, but here is a pile of hundreds of documents released on the “cult.”

Fischer, Robert “Bobby” Release #1 – [ 14 Pages, 6.6 MB ]  Fischer, Robert “Bobby” Release #2 – [ 10 Pages, 1.8 MB ] – Robert James “Bobby” Fischer (March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster, the eleventh World Chess Champion. Many consider him the greatest chess player of all time. In 1972, he captured the World Chess Championship from Boris Spassky of the USSR in a match held in Reykjavík, Iceland, publicized as a Cold War confrontation which attracted more worldwide interest than any chess championship before or since. In 1975, Fischer refused to defend his title when an agreement could not be reached with FIDE, the game’s international governing body, over one of the conditions for the match. This allowed Soviet GM Anatoly Karpov, who had won the qualifying Candidates’ cycle, to become the new world champion by default under FIDE rules. There may be additional records, which I have requested. I will add them here, if they become available.

Fitzgerald, A. Ernest – [15 Pages, 160.8MB] – Arthur Ernest “Ernie” Fitzgerald (July 31, 1926 – January 31, 2019) was an American engineer, a member of the Senior Executive Service in the United States Air Force, and a prominent U.S. government whistleblower.

Ford, Henry – [ File #1 | File #2 | File #3 | File #4 | File #5 ] – These records consist of seven files involving Henry Ford on various subjects, such as his being the victim of an extortion attempt, kidnapping plots, jury tampering, and a State Department investigation.

FTX– [11 Pages, 3MB] – FTX, founded in 2017 by Sam Bankman-Fried and Gary Wang, rapidly emerged as one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges. It distinguished itself with a comprehensive range of products including derivatives, options, volatility products, and leveraged tokens. FTX was designed to cater to both retail and institutional traders, offering innovative features such as a centralized collateral pool and a tiered liquidation model, aimed at reducing clawback risks associated with leveraged trading. The platform quickly gained a reputation for its user-friendly interface, deep liquidity, and a robust, agile infrastructure that could handle high trading volumes and complex trading strategies. FTX’s growth trajectory and influence in the cryptocurrency market were significant, as it ventured into realms like tokenized stocks and prediction markets, further solidifying its position as a versatile and influential player in the digital asset space.

Fully Informed Jury Association– [193 Pages, 11.5MB] – The Fully Informed Jury Association (FIJA), founded in 1989, is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about jurors’ rights, powers, and responsibilities within the American legal system. FIJA promotes the idea that jurors serve not only as finders of fact but also as a final check on government power, emphasizing the historical concept of jury nullification—the ability of jurors to acquit defendants if they believe a law is unjust or improperly applied. Through educational campaigns, publications, and grassroots outreach, the organization seeks to empower citizens to make independent, conscientious decisions in the jury box. FIJA remains a prominent voice in discussions about civic duty, legal reform, and the balance between law and justice.

Fusion Energy Foundation – FBI Release #1 – [205 Pages, 25MB] Fusion Energy Foundation – FBI Release #2 – [64 Pages, 5.5MB] – The Fusion Energy Foundation (FEF) was a U.S. nonprofit organization established in New York in 1974 and closely associated with political activist Lyndon LaRouche and his broader movement. The foundation advocated expanded investment in nuclear power, particularly the accelerated development of controlled thermonuclear fusion, while also promoting research in areas such as plasma physics, lasers, particle-beam technologies and space exploration. FEF published Fusion magazine and the more technical International Journal of Fusion Energy, organized conferences and educational programs, and participated in public-policy discussions concerning energy and scientific research. Its activities attracted participation or contributions from a number of established scientists and engineers, while critics and government reports characterized the organization as part of the larger network of LaRouche-affiliated organizations. FEF ceased operating in the mid-1980s amid legal and financial disputes involving LaRouche-associated entities; a federal court later found that the government’s involuntary-bankruptcy action against FEF and related organizations had been undertaken in bad faith.

Fusion GPS – [11 Pages, 3MB] – Fusion GPS is a commercial research and strategic intelligence firm based in Washington, D.C. The company conducts open-source investigations and provides research and strategic advice for businesses, law firms and investors, as well as for political inquiries, such as opposition research. The “GPS” initialism is derived from “Global research, Political analysis, Strategic insight”.

Garment, Leonard – [ 338 Pages, 15.26 MB ] – Leonard Garment (May 11, 1924 – July 13, 2013) was an American attorney, public servant, and arts advocate. He served U.S. presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford in the White House in various positions from 1969 to 1976, including Counselor to the President, acting Special Counsel to Nixon for the last two years of his presidency, and U.S. Ambassador to the Third Committee at the United Nations.

Garrison, Jim – [ 160 Pages, 10.13 MB ] – Earling Carothers “Jim” Garrison (November 20, 1921 – October 21, 1992) – who changed his first name to Jim in the early 1960s – was the District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, from 1962 to 1973. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best known for his investigations into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He was played by Kevin Costner in Oliver Stone’s JFK.Requesting additional records on Garrison, other than the above, the FBI informed me that records may have BEEN DESTROYED.  In addition, others may exist at the National Archives. I am awaiting a response.

General Mills, Inc. – FBI Release #1 – [121 Pages, 70MB]  General Mills, Inc. – FBI Release #2 – [423 Pages, 20MB]  General Mills, Inc. – FBI Release #3 – [260 Pages, 150MB]  General Mills, Inc. – FBI Release #4 – [25 Pages, 3.5MB] – General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods sold through retail stores. It is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known North American brands, including Gold Medal flour, Annie’s Homegrown, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totino’s, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Häagen-Dazs, Cheerios, Trix, Cocoa Puffs, and Lucky Charms. Its brand portfolio includes more than 89 other leading U.S. brands and numerous category leaders around the world.

Giacchetto, Dana – FBI Release #1 – [583 Pages, 74.7MB] Giacchetto, Dana – FBI Release #2 – [96 Pages, 3.6MB] Giacchetto, Dana – US Marsha’s Release #1 [5 Pages, 4MB] – Dana Giacchetto rose to prominence as an investment adviser and social fixture in Manhattan during the nineties. Some of his clients included Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Matt Damon, and so on. His career went on a downward spiral when he was arrested for misappropriating between $5 million and $10 million of clients’ funds.In 2000, Dana Giacchetto was sentenced to 57 months in prison for securities fraud after stealing between $5 and $10 million from clients at his company Cassandra Group. Giachetto had stolen money from accounts of non-celebrity clients to finance a high-flying lifestyle and give extraordinary returns or mask losses to star clients. He was released in 2003. Giacchetto, notorious both before and after his infamy for partying hard, was discovered by his roommate in his Upper East Side apartment following a bender that included a drunken scuffle with security guards at a Lower East Side club on Friday night. He was pronounced dead early Sunday, a New York Police Dept. official confirmed. Giacchetto was 53.

Gillars, Mildred – [669 Pages, 321.6MB] – Mildred Elizabeth Gillars (November 29, 1900 – June 25, 1988), nicknamed “Axis Sally” along with Rita Zucca, was an American broadcaster employed by the Third Reich in Nazi Germany to disseminate propaganda during World War II. She was convicted of treason by the United States in 1949 following her capture in post-war Berlin.

Graham, Billy– [477 Pages, 295.3MB] – William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist, a prominent evangelical Christian figure, and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well-known internationally in the late 1940s. One of his biographers has placed him “among the most influential Christian leaders” of the 20th century.

Gay, Oscar S.– [27 Pages, 2.95MB] – Oscar S. Gray is a distinguished legal scholar known for his expertise in the field of tort law. As a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, he has made significant contributions to the understanding and development of tort law principles. Gray is renowned for his co-authorship of the seminal casebook “Harper, James and Gray on Torts,” which is widely used in law schools across the United States. His work has been influential in shaping the way tort law is taught and understood by legal professionals. With a career spanning several decades, Gray has earned a reputation as a leading authority in the field, and his contributions continue to impact the study and practice of tort law.

Greenberg, Jack– [58 Pages, 26MB] – Jack Greenberg (December 22, 1924 – October 12, 2016) was an American attorney and legal scholar. He was the Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund from 1961 to 1984, succeeding Thurgood Marshall. He was involved in numerous crucial cases, including Brown v. Board of Education, which ended segregation in public schools.  In all, he argued 40 civil rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He was Alphonse Fletcher Jr. Professor of Law Emeritus at Columbia Law School, and had previously served as dean of Columbia College and vice dean of Columbia Law School. He died on October 12, 2016.

Guccione, Robert “Bob” (Cross References) – [123 Pages, 20.4MB] Guccione, Robert “Bob” (FBI Release #2) – [6 Pages, 20.4MB] – Robert Charles Joseph Edward Sabatini Guccione (December 17, 1930 – October 20, 2010) was an American photographer and the founder of the adult magazine Penthouse in 1965. This was aimed at competing with Hugh Hefner’s Playboy, but with more extreme erotic content, a special style of soft-focus photography, and in-depth reporting of government corruption scandals. By 1982 Guccione was listed in the Forbes 400 wealth list, and owned one of the biggest mansions in Manhattan. However, he made some extravagant investments that failed, and the growth of free online pornography in the 1990s greatly diminished his market. In 2003, Guccione’s publishers filed for bankruptcy and he resigned as chairman.

Hahn, David Charles “The Radioactive Boy Scout” – [20 Pages, 7.9MB] – David Charles Hahn (October 30, 1976 – September 27, 2016), sometimes called the Radioactive Boy Scout or the Nuclear Boy Scout, was an American man who in 1994, at age 17, attempted to build a homemade breeder reactor. A scout in the Boy Scouts of America, Hahn conducted his experiments in secret in a backyard shed at his mother’s house in Commerce Township, Michigan. While his reactor never reached critical mass, Hahn attracted the attention of local police when he was stopped on another matter and they found material in his vehicle that troubled them, and he warned that it was radioactive. His mother’s property was cleaned up by the Environmental Protection Agency ten months later as a Superfund cleanup site. Hahn attained Eagle Scout rank shortly after his lab was dismantled. While the incident was not widely publicized initially, it became better known following a 1998 Harper’s article by journalist Ken Silverstein. Hahn was also the subject of Silverstein’s 2004 book, The Radioactive Boy Scout.

Hammer, Armand – [ File #1 | File #2 | File #3 | File #4 | File #5 | File #6 | File #7 | File #8 | File #9 | File #10 | File #11 | File #12 ] – Noted entrepreneur and art collector Armand Hammer had extensive import-export dealings with the SovietUnion and personally negotiated with Premier Lenin during the 1920’s. He later went into the oil business and became head of the Occidental Petroleum Corporation.

Hart, Pearl M. – [ 34 Pages, 1.76 MB ] – Pearl M. Hart (1890–1975) was a Chicago attorney notable for her work defending oppressed minority groups. Hart was the first woman in Chicago to be appointed Public Defender in the Morals Court. Most notably, she represented children, women, immigrants, lesbians, and gay men, often without fee or for a nominal fee. She attended The John Marshall Law School and was admitted to the Illinois State Bar in 1914.

Highlander Folk School – [1,376 Pages, 64.50 MB] – The Highlander Folk School was originally established in Grundy County, Tennessee. When Highlander was founded in 1932, the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression. Workers in all parts of the country were met with major resistance by employers when they tried to organize labor unions, especially in the South. Against that backdrop, Horton, West and Dombrowski created the Highlander School “to provide an educational center in the South for the training of rural and industrial leaders, and for the conservation and enrichment of the indigenous cultural values of the mountains.” Horton was influenced by observing rural adult education schools in Denmark started in the 19th century by Danish Lutheran Bishop N. F. S. Grundtvig.  During the 1930s and 1940s, the school’s main focus was labor education and the training of labor organizers. (Source: Ernie Lazar)

Hillel International– [288 Pages, 120MB] – Hillel International, founded in 1923 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world. Named after the ancient Jewish sage Hillel the Elder, it aims to enrich the lives of Jewish students and support their Jewish identity and leadership development. Hillel operates on more than 550 college campuses across North America and globally, providing educational, cultural, and social programs. The organization fosters a welcoming and inclusive environment, encouraging students to explore and celebrate Jewish traditions and values. Through its various initiatives and activities, Hillel International plays a pivotal role in strengthening Jewish community life and ensuring the continuity of Jewish culture and heritage among young adults.

Hiss, Alger (Non Searchable PDF) – [15,823 Pages, 950MB] (Note: Very large file. Recommend right clicking and downloading to your hard drive) Hiss, Alger (Searchable PDF .ZIP file) – [15,823 Pages, 7.5GB] (Note: Very large file. Recommend right clicking and downloading to your hard drive) Hiss, Alger (Searchable PDF Directory Browse) – [15,823 Pages, Various Sizes] Hiss, Alger (FBI “Vault” Release) – [271 Pages, 16.9MB] – Alger Hiss (November 11, 1904 – November 15, 1996) was an American government official who was accused of being a Soviet Union spy in 1948 and convicted of perjury in connection with this charge in 1950. Before he was tried and convicted, he was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department official and as a U.N. official. In later life he worked as a lecturer and author.

History of the FBI (30 mb) – [ File #1 | File #2 | File #3 | File #4 | File #5 | File #6 | File #7 | File #8 ] – Although not a historical figure file, it does should the history of the FBI and the domestic surveillance programs. I felt it would be a fit here.

Hitler, Adolf – [742 Pages, 39.9 MB] Hitler, Adolf – [3 Pages, 0.8MB] – After requesting additional records, I was informed that the remaining files pertaining to Adolf Hitler were destroyed on March 7, 1973.Adolph Hitler (1889-1945) was leader of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party and Chancellor of Germany from 1933-1945; he led that country into World War II in 1939. The documents in this file range from 1933 to 1947, but primarily fall either in 1933 or between 1945 and 1947. In 1933, the FBI investigated an assassination threat made against Hitler. In the aftermath of Germany’s surrender in 1945, western Allied forces suspected that Hitler had committed suicide but did not immediately find evidence of his death. At the time, it was feared that Hitler may have escaped in the closing days of the war, and searches were made to determine if he was still alive. FBI Files indicate that the Bureau investigated some of the rumors of Hitler’s survival.

Holtec International – [8 Pages, 4.2MB] – Holtec International is a supplier of equipment and systems for the energy industry founded in Mount Laurel, New Jersey and based in Jupiter, Florida, United States. It specializes in the design and manufacture of parts for nuclear reactors. The company sells equipment to manage spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors. In July 2014, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority awarded Holtec International a $260 million tax incentive to expand operations at the Port of Camden. Those breaks have come under scrutiny. Holtec makes storage casks used for spent nuclear fuel. It intends to send spent fuel to a site in New Mexico, but has met with resistance. Holtec is scheduled to purchase Indian Point Energy Center from Entergy and decommission it starting in 2021.

Hook, Sidney – [152 Pages, 107.3MB] – Sidney Hook (December 20, 1902 – July 12, 1989) was an American philosopher of the Pragmatist school known for his contributions to the philosophy of history, the philosophy of education, political theory, and ethics. After embracing Communism in his youth, Hook was later known for his criticisms of totalitarianism, both fascism and Marxism–Leninism. A pragmatic social democrat, Hook sometimes cooperated with conservatives, particularly in opposing Communism. After World War II, he argued that members of such groups as the Communist Party USA and Leninists like Democratic centralists could ethically be barred from holding the offices of public trust because they called for the violent overthrow of democratic governments.

Hoover Institution (HQ1-5) – [ 355 Pages, 39.96 MB ] – The Hoover Institution is a conservative American public policy think tank located at Stanford University in California. Its official name is the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace. It began as a library founded in 1919 by Republican Herbert Hoover, Stanford’s self-proclaimed first student, before he became President of the United States. The library, known as the Hoover Institution Library and Archives, houses multiple archives related to Hoover, World War I, World War II, and other world history. (Source: Ernie Lazar)

Hoover, J. Edgar–  John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972), better known as J. Edgar Hoover, was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States. He was appointed as the fifth director of the Bureau of Investigation — the FBI’s predecessor — in 1924 and was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972 at the age of 77. Hoover has been credited with building the FBI into a larger crime-fighting agency than it was at its inception and with instituting a number of modernizations to police technology, such as a centralized fingerprint file and forensic laboratories.

Horsley, Neal [57 Pages, 20.6 MB] – Otis O’Neal Horsley, Jr. (April 15, 1944 – April 13, 2015) was a militant anti-abortion activist and Christian Reconstructionist known for producing a website called the Nuremberg Files, which provided the home addresses of abortion providers in the United States.

Hubbard, L. Ron  – FBI Release #1 – [1,225 Pages, 75 MB]  Hubbard, L. Ron  – VA Release #1 (Large file – right click and “save as…” [472 Pages, 695MB] – Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard and often referred to by his initials, LRH, was an American author and the founder of the Church of Scientology. After establishing a career as a writer, becoming best known for his science fiction and fantasy stories, he developed a self-help system called Dianetics which was first expounded in book form in May 1950. He subsequently developed his ideas into a wide-ranging set of doctrines and rituals as part of a new religious movement that he called Scientology. His writings became the guiding texts for the Church of Scientology and a number of affiliated organizations that address such diverse topics as business administration, literacy and drug rehabilitation.

Hubbard, Mary Sue – [339 Pages, 172.8MB] – Mary Sue Hubbard (June 17, 1931 – November 25, 2002) was the third wife of L. Ron Hubbard, from 1952 until his death in 1986. She was a leading figure in Scientology for much of her life. The Hubbards had four children; Diana (born 1952), Quentin (born 1954), Suzette (born 1955), and Arthur (born 1958). She became involved in Hubbard’s Dianetics in 1952, while still a student at the University of Texas at Austin, becoming a Dianetics auditor. She soon became involved in a relationship with Hubbard and married him in March 1952. She accompanied her husband to Phoenix, Arizona, where they established the Hubbard Association of Scientologists – the forerunner of the Church of Scientology, which was itself founded in 1953. She was credited with helping to coin the word “Scientology”. She played a leading role in the management of the Church of Scientology, rising to become the head of the Church’s Guardian’s Office (GO). In August 1978, she was indicted by the United States government on charges of conspiracy relating to illegal covert operations mounted by the Guardian’s Office against government agencies. She was convicted in December 1979 and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and the payment of a $10,000 fine. She was forced to resign her post in July 1981 and served a year in prison from January 1983, after exhausting her appeals against her conviction. In the late 1990s, she fell ill with breast cancer and died in 2002.

Huskey, Harry – [29 Pages, 6.5MB] – Harry Douglas Huskey (January 19, 1916 – April 9, 2017) was an American computer design pioneer. Huskey designed and managed the construction of the Standards Western Automatic Computer (SWAC) at the National Bureau of Standards in Los Angeles (1949–1953). He also designed the G15 computer for Bendix Aviation Corporation, which could perhaps be considered as the first “personal” computer in the world. He had one at his home that is now in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

ILC Dover / International Latex Corporation – [155 Pages, 86MB] – ILC Dover, LP is a special engineering development and manufacturing company, globally headquartered in Newark, Delaware. ILC Dover specializes in the use of high-performance flexible materials, serving the aerospace, personal protection, and pharmaceutical industries. Best known for making space suits for NASA, ILC Dover outfitted every United States astronaut in the Apollo program, including the twelve that walked on the moon. ILC also designed and manufactured the Space Suit Assembly portion of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), worn by astronauts during performance of extra-vehicular activity (EVA) on Space Shuttle missions and on the International Space Station. Other ILC Dover products include the airbag landing devices for Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rover (MER) missions; lighter-than-air vehicles, including airships, aerostats, and zeppelins; chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) masks and hood systems; and flexible powder-containment solutions for the pharmaceutical industry.

In-Q-Tel (IQT) – [11 Pages, 1MB] – In-Q-Tel (IQT) is a strategic venture capital firm established in 1999 to bridge the technological innovation of the private sector with the national security needs of the United States. Operating as a nonprofit organization, IQT invests in early-stage companies to advance cutting-edge technologies that align with the mission objectives of U.S. intelligence and defense agencies, particularly the CIA, which was instrumental in its founding. Its portfolio spans areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, biotechnology, quantum computing, and data analytics, ensuring that the intelligence community has access to emerging tools to address complex global challenges. By fostering innovation and partnerships with startups, In-Q-Tel accelerates the adoption of critical capabilities while maintaining a focus on advancing national security interests.

Javits, Marian – [29 Pages, 6.5MB] – Marian Ann Borris Javits, sometimes Marion (1925 – February 28, 2017) was an American arts patron. She was married to the politician Jacob K. Javits from 1947 until his death in 1986.

Jobs, Steve  – [191 Pages, 3.91 MB] – Steven Paul Jobs (1955-2011) was a founder and leader of Apple Inc. (formerly Apple Computer Inc.). In 1991, Jobs was considered for an appointed position on the U.S. President’s Export Council. This release consists of the FBI’s 1991 background investigation of Jobs for that position and a 1985 investigation of a bomb threat against Apple.

Johnson, Clarence  Leonard “Kelly” – FBI Release #1 – [56 Pages, 30.5MB]  Johnson, Clarence  Leonard “Kelly” – FBI Release #2 – [9 Pages, 2.6MB]Clarence Leonard “Kelly” Johnson (February 27, 1910 – December 21, 1990) was an American aeronautical and systems engineer. He is recognized for his contributions to a series of important aircraft designs, most notably the Lockheed U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird. Besides the first production aircraft to exceed Mach 3, he also produced the first fighter capable of Mach 2, the United States’ first operational jet fighter, as well as the first U.S. fighter to exceed 400 mph, and many other contributions to a large number of aircraft. As a member and first team leader of the Lockheed Skunk Works, Johnson worked for more than four decades and is said to have been an “organizing genius”. He played a leading role in the design of over forty aircraft, including several honored with the prestigious Collier Trophy, acquiring a reputation as one of the most talented and prolific aircraft design engineers in the history of aviation. In 2003, as part of its commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ flight, Aviation Week & Space Technology ranked Johnson 8th on its list of the top 100 “most important, most interesting, and most influential people” in the first century of aerospace. Hall Hibbard, Johnson’s Lockheed boss, referring to Johnson’s Swedish ancestry once remarked to Ben Rich: “That damned Swede can actually see air.”

Juggalos – FBI Release #1 – [123 Pages, 60.1MB]  Juggalos – FBI Release #2 – [33 Pages, 2.2MB]  Additional records are being denied, as of December 19, 2017, due to a law enforcement investigation (FOIA Exemption (b)(7)(e)  – Juggalo gangs are criminal groups using the name and associated imagery from Juggalo culture, dedicated fans of the rap group Insane Clown Posse or any other Psychopathic Records artist.[5][1][2][3][6] As a result, Juggalos have been classified as a criminal street gang by government and law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation,[3] the National Gang Intelligence Center, and the states of Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, and Utah. Juggalo gang sets have been documented by law enforcement in at least 21 states, including those that do not recognize Juggalos as a gang at the state level.

Kaufman, Mary Metlay  – [1,158 Pages, 52.6 MB] – Mary Kaufman began her career as a labor attorney in New York City in the 1930s. In 1947, she served on the prosecution team of the U.S. Military War Crimes Tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany. From 1948 to 1960, her practice consisted primarily of defending state and national leaders of the U.S. Communist Party indicted under the Smith Act. She also represented individuals called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities and the Subversive Activities Control Board. Kaufman was active in the National Lawyers’ Guild from its inception in the 1930s, and became the first Director of the Guild’s Mass Defense Office in New York City in 1968, supervising the defense of hundreds arrested in political actions. From 1972 to 1976, she taught legal studies as a visiting professor at Antioch College in Ohio, and Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass. She taught courses in labor law; McCarthyism; Nuremberg and international law; racism and the law; and political trials of the 20th Century.

Keating, Charles – [122 Pages, 61.66MB] – Charles Humphrey Keating, Jr. (December 4, 1923 – March 31, 2014) was an American athlete, lawyer, real estate developer, banker, financier, and activist best known for his role in the savings and loan scandal of the late 1980s.

Kennan, George – [732 Pages, 55.61 MB] – George Frost Kennan (February 16, 1904 – March 17, 2005) was an American adviser, diplomat, political scientist, and historian, best known as “the father of containment” and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War. He later wrote standard histories of the relations between Soviet Union and the Western powers. He was also a core member of the group of foreign policy elders known as “The Wise Men”. Additional records on Kennan are considered classifed.

Knott, Walter – [55 Pages, 19.8MB] – Walter Marvin Knott (December 11, 1889 – December 3, 1981) was an American farmer who created the Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park in California, introduced the Boysenberry, and made Knott’s Berry Farm boysenberry preserves. Knott was born in San Bernardino, California, and grew up in Pomona, California. In the 1920s, Knott was a somewhat unsuccessful farmer whose fortunes changed when he nursed several abandoned berry plants back to health. The hybrid boysenberry, named after its creator, Rudolph Boysen, was a cross between a blackberry, red raspberry and loganberry. The huge berries were a hit, and the Knott family sold berries, preserves and pies from a Buena Park, California roadside stand. In 1934, Knott’s wife Cordelia (née Hornaday, January 23, 1890 – April 12, 1974) began serving fried chicken dinners, and within a few years, lines outside the restaurant were often several hours long.

Koch, Frederick Chase – [732 Pages, 89.1MB] – Fred Chase Koch (September 23, 1900 – November 17, 1967) was an American chemical engineer and entrepreneur who founded the oil refinery firm that later became Koch Industries, a privately held company which, under the principal ownership and leadership of Koch’s sons, Charles and David, is listed by Forbes, as of 2015, as the second-largest privately held company in the United States.

Koischwitz, Max Otto – [337 Pages, 17.4MB] – Max Otto Koischwitz (February 19, 1902 – August 31, 1944) was a naturalized American of German descent who became notorious for his role in disseminating Nazi propaganda to American audiences during World War II. After an academic career at Hunter College, his shift to pro-Nazi sentiment led him back to Germany, where he teamed up with ‘Axis Sally’ Mildred Gillars to broadcast messages aimed at demoralizing Allied troops. Indicted for treason by the United States in 1943, Koischwitz evaded trial due to his death in Berlin from tuberculosis and heart failure in 1944, with the charges against him subsequently dropped for lack of evidence​.

Konami – [65 Pages, 6.3MB] – Konami is a renowned Japanese entertainment company specializing in video game development and publishing, as well as creating trading card games, arcade machines, and fitness equipment. Founded in 1969 by Kagemasa Kozuki, the company gained global recognition with iconic video game franchises such as Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Castlevania, Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), and Contra. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Konami has diversified its offerings beyond video games, with ventures in amusement parks, pachinko machines, and fitness clubs. Known for its innovative approach and contributions to gaming culture, Konami remains a significant force in the global entertainment industry.

Koresh, David – [ File #1 | File #2 ] – David Koresh (born Vernon Wayne Howell; August 17, 1959 – April 19, 1993) was the American leader of the Branch Davidians religious sect, believing himself to be its final prophet. Howell legally changed his name to David Koresh on May 15, 1990 (Koresh being the Persian name of Cyrus the Great (کوروش, Kurosh). A 1993 raid by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the subsequent siege by the FBI ended with the burning of the Branch Davidian ranch outside of Waco, Texas, in McLennan County. Koresh, 54 other adults, and 28 children were found dead after the fire.

Kuhn, Fritz Julius – FBI Release #1 – [50 Pages, 62MB] Kuhn, Fritz Julius – FBI VAULT Release #1-10 – [1,069 Pages, 4.2MB] German American Bund – FBI Release #1 – [143 Pages, 10.8MB] – Fritz Julius Kuhn was a German-American fascist leader born in Munich, Germany in 1896. He served in the German army during World War I before immigrating to the United States in 1923. Kuhn became the leader of the German American Bund, an organization that promoted Nazism and anti-Semitism in the United States during the 1930s. Kuhn’s leadership was marked by controversy, including allegations of embezzlement and a widely publicized rally at Madison Square Garden in 1939 that turned violent. He was eventually convicted of embezzlement and deported to Germany in 1945. Kuhn’s life serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of extremist ideologies and the importance of protecting democratic values.

Kullback, Solomon – FBI Release – [188 Pages, 123.9MB] Kullback, Solomon – INSCOM Release – [33 Pages, 6.9MB]Solomon Kullback (April 3, 1907 – August 5, 1994) was an American cryptanalyst and mathematician, who was one of the first three employees hired by William F. Friedman at the US Army’s Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) in the 1930s, along with Frank Rowlett and Abraham Sinkov. He went on to a long and distinguished career at SIS and its eventual successor, the National Security Agency (NSA). Kullback was the Chief Scientist at the NSA until his retirement in 1962, whereupon he took a position at the George Washington University.

Lear, William – [14 Pages, 3 MB] – William Powell Lear (June 26, 1902 – May 14, 1978) was an American inventor and businessman. He is best known for founding the Lear Jet Corporation, a manufacturer of business jets. He also invented the battery eliminator for the B battery, and developed the 8-track cartridge, an audio tape system. Throughout his career of 46 years, Lear received over 120 patents.

LeFevre, Robert – [ 90 Pages, 29.88 MB ] – Robert LeFevre (13 October 1911 – 13 May 1986) was an American libertarian businessman, radio personality, and primary theorist of autarchism. (Source: Ernie Lazar)

LEIDOS – [204 Pages, 10.9MB] – Leidos Holdings, Inc. is an American technology, engineering, and defense-services company headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Founded in 1969 by Dr. J. Robert Beyster (originally as Science Applications International Corporation, or SAIC), Leidos became a standalone public company in 2013 following a corporate split. Today the firm employs roughly 48,000 people globally and serves government and commercial clients across defense, intelligence, civil government, and health markets by providing scientific research, engineering services, systems integration, cybersecurity, data analytics, biomedical research, and mission-critical IT solutions.  Over its history, Leidos has grown through major acquisitions and expansions — most notably merging with the IT business of Lockheed Martin in 2016 — broadening its scope to become a leading provider of complex technical and mission-driven services.

Levison, Stanley – FBI “VAULT” Release: – [Part 01|Part 02|Part 03|Part 04|Part 05|Part 06|Part 07|Part 8a|Part 8b|Part 9a|Part 9b|Part 10a|Part 10b|Part 11a|Part 11b|Part 12a|Part 12b|Part 13a|Part 13b|Part 13c|Part 14a|Part 14b|Part 14c] – This FBI file consists of security investigations of Stanley Levison from the 1950’s through the early 1970’s. Levison was a key advisor to Martin Luther King, Jr.  Levison, Stanley – FBI Release #2 (Not on “VAULT” above) – [73 Pages, 40MB] – Stanley David Levison (May 2, 1912 – September 12, 1979) was an American businessman and lawyer who became a lifelong activist in progressive causes. He is best known as an advisor to, and close friend of Martin Luther King Jr., for whom he helped write speeches, raise funds, and organize events.

Lewis, John L. – [Part 01[1,605 Pages, 81mb]  |Part 02[ 1,088 Pages, 45mb] ] – John L. Lewis, leader of the United Mine Workers of America, along with three other mine officials, was investigated on charges of violating Section 51 of Title 18 of the United States Code. Between 1937 and 1941 they were accused of conspiring to oppress employees from the Mine “B” in Springfield, Illinois from exercising their rights secured to them by the National Labor Relations Act. After a full investigation by the FBI, the Department of Justice decided not to prosecute the case and it was closed in 1943.

Liedtke, John Hugh – [147 Pages, 8MB] – John Hugh Liedtke (February 10, 1922 – March 28, 2003) was an American petroleum executive. Liedtke moved to Midland, Texas, then opened a law practice with his brother, William, in 1949.  With the future President of the United States George H.W. Bush, the two brothers co-founded the Zapata Corporation in 1953.  In the 1960s the Liedtke brothers acquired control of the South Penn Oil Company and merged it with Zapata to form a new company they called Pennzoil. In the 1980s, during his time as CEO of Pennzoil, he led the company to a court victory over Texaco.

Liedtke, William – [90 Pages, 5MB] – William C. “Bill” Liedtke Jr (September 27, 1924 — March 1, 1991) was an American petroleum executive, best known as the co-founder of Pennzoil with his older brother J. Hugh Liedtke.

Lindbergh, Charles – [ Part 1a | Part 1b | Part 2a | Part 2b | Part 2c | Part 3a | Part 3b | Part 4a |Part 4b | Part 4c | Part 5a | Part 5b | Part 6a | Part 6b | Part 7a | Part 7b ] – Many citizens wrote to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover indicating their mistrust of Lindbergh. The populous questioned Lindbergh’s loyalty to the United States. This file consists of letters sent to Director Hoover and newspaper articles written about Mr. Lindbergh.

Maheu, Robert – [129 Pages, 8MB] – Robert Aime Maheu (October 30, 1917 – August 4, 2008) was an American businessman and lawyer, who worked for the FBI and CIA, and as the chief executive of Nevada operations for the industrialist Howard Hughes.

Mandela, Nelson – [ 344 Pages, 15.77MB ] – Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was South Africa’s first black chief executive, and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991 to 1997. Internationally, Mandela was Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999.

Marshall, Thurgood – [1,409 Pages, 47.17MB] – Thurgood Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991. Marshall was the Court’s 96th justice and its first African American justice. Before becoming a judge, Marshall was a lawyer who was best known for his high success rate in arguing before the Supreme Court and for the victory in Brown v. Board of Education, a decision that desegregated public schools. He served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit after being appointed by President John F. Kennedy and then served as the Solicitor General after being appointed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. President Johnson nominated him to the United States Supreme Court in 1967.

Masel, Bennett – [365 Pages, 210MB] – Bennett A. “Ben” Masel (October 17, 1954 – April 30, 2011) was an American writer, publisher, cannabis rights and free speech activist, expert witness for marijuana defendants, and frequent candidate for public office. A skilled chess player, Masel was director of Wisconsin NORML, and organizer of Weedstock and the annual Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival which has been held in front of the Wisconsin State Capitol every autumn since 1971.

McCorvey, Norma aka Jane Roe of “Roe v. Wade” – [32 Pages, 13.1MB] – Norma Leah McCorvey Nelson; September 22, 1947 – February 18, 2017), better known by the legal pseudonym “Jane Roe”, was the plaintiff in the landmark American lawsuit Roe v. Wade in 1973. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that individual state laws banning abortion are unconstitutional. Later, McCorvey’s views on abortion changed substantially; she became a Roman Catholic activist in the pro-life movement.

McDonnel Aircraft Corporation – [8 Pages, 0.8MB] – The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company was founded on July 6, 1939 by James Smith McDonnell, and was best known for its military fighters, including the F-4 Phantom II, and manned spacecraft including the Mercury capsule and Gemini capsule. McDonnell Aircraft later merged with the Douglas Aircraft Company to form McDonnell Douglas in 1967.

Mellon, Matthew – [5 Pages, 1MB] – Matthew Taylor Mellon II (January 28, 1964 – April 16, 2018) was an American businessman who was a chairman of the New York Republican State Committee’s finance committee.

Mitrokhin, Vasili Nikitich – [8 Pages, 0.5MB] – Vasili Nikitich Mitrokhin (Russian: Васи́лий Ники́тич Митро́хин; March 3, 1922 – January 23, 2004) was a major and senior archivist for the Soviet Union’s foreign intelligence service, the First Chief Directorate of the KGB, who defected to the United Kingdom in 1992 after providing the British embassy in Riga with a vast collection of his notes purporting to be written copies of KGB files. These became known as the Mitrokhin Archive. The intelligence files given by Mitrokhin to the MI6 exposed an unknown number of Russian agents, including Melita Norwood. He was co-author with Christopher Andrew of The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West, a massive account of Soviet intelligence operations based on copies of material from the archive. The second volume, The Mitrokhin Archive II: The KGB in the World, was published in 2005, soon after Mitrokhin’s death.

Moon, Sun Myung – [891 Pages, 61.76MB] – Sun Myung Moon (25 February 1920 – 3 September 2012) was a Korean religious leader, businessman, and political activist.  A messiah claimant, he was the founder of the Unification Church (members of which considered him and his wife Hak Ja Han to be their “True Parents”),  and of its widely noted “Blessing” or mass wedding ceremony, and the author of its unique theology the Divine Principle. He was an ardent anti-communist and advocate for Korean reunification, for which he was recognized by the governments of both South and North Korea. His business interests included News World Communications, an international news media corporation known for its American subsidiary The Washington Times, and Tongil Group, a South Korean business group (chaebol), as well as various affiliated organizations.

Morros, Boris – FBI Release #1 – [153 Pages, 88.9MB]  Morros, Boris – FBI Release #2 – [243 Pages, 21.0MB] -Boris Morros (1891–1963) was a Russian-born American film producer, music director, and double agent who played a fascinating role during the Cold War. After immigrating to the United States in the 1920s, he became a prominent figure in Hollywood, working with Paramount Pictures and producing films such as The Flying Deuces with Laurel and Hardy. In the 1930s, he was recruited by the Soviet NKVD to assist in espionage efforts, but by the late 1940s, he began cooperating with the FBI as a counterspy. Morros helped expose Soviet spy networks in the U.S. while continuing to pose as a loyal agent for the Soviets. His story was later dramatized in the 1960 film Man on a String, in which he co-wrote the screenplay and shared details of his life undercover.

Myrdal, Karl – Cross References – [25 Pages, 2MB] – Karl Gunnar Myrdal (6 December 1898 – 17 May 1987) was a Swedish economist and sociologist. In 1974, he received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences along with Friedrich Hayek for “their pioneering work in the theory of money and economic fluctuations and for their penetrating analysis of the interdependence of economic, social and institutional phenomena.” When his wife, Alva Myrdal, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982, they became the fourth ever married couple to have won Nobel Prizes, and the first to win independent of each other (versus a shared Nobel Prize by scientist spouses). He is best known in the United States for his study of race relations, which culminated in his book An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy. The study was influential in the 1954 landmark U.S. Supreme Court Decision Brown v. Board of Education. In Sweden, his work and political influence were important to the establishment of the Folkhemmet and the welfare state. Myrdal and his wife were staunch believers in Social engineering (political science).

National Rifle Association (NRA) HQ1 – [211 Pages, 24.08MB] – The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1871 that promotes firearm competency, safety, and ownership, as well as police training, marksmanship, hunting and self-defense training in the United States. The NRA is also one of the United States’ largest certifying bodies for firearm safety training and proficiency training courses for police departments, recreational hunting, and child firearm safety. The organization publishes several magazines and sponsors marksmanship events featuring shooting skill and sports.This release of documents concerned the FBI’s investigation into the NRA through the 1950s and 1960s, and the public outrage. Very interesting to read the letters submitted to the FBI regarding their probe of the organization. (Source: Ernie Lazar)

Nation of Islam – [321 Pages, 15.2MB] – The Nation of Islam (NOI) is an Islamic religious movement founded in Detroit, United States, by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad on July 4, 1930. The Nation of Islam’s stated goals are to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African Americans in the United States and all of humanity.

National Black Network (NBN) – [5 Pages, 1.6MB] – The National Black Network, or NBN, began operation in July 1973 as the first coast-to-coast radio network wholly owned by African Americans.

National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia – [31 Pages, 13.9MB] – The National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia is an American 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is concerned with the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue. According to the group’s web site, its sole purpose is “to obtain the release of all prisoners, the fullest possible accounting for the missing and repatriation of all recoverable remains of those who died serving our nation during the Vietnam War in Southeast Asia.” The League’s most prominent symbol is its famous POW/MIA flag.

National States’ Rights Party – [69 Pages, 5.21MB] – The National States’ Rights Party was a far right, white supremacist party that briefly played a minor role in the politics of the United States.

Nordstrom, Inc. – FBI Release #1 – [233 Pages, 9MB]  Nordstrom, Inc. – FBI Release #2 – [139 Pages, 76MB]  Nordstrom, Inc. – FBI Release #3 – [5  Pages, 76MB] – Nordstrom, Inc. is an American luxury department store chain. Founded in 1901 by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin, it originated as a shoe store and evolved into a full-line retailer with departments for clothing, footwear, handbags, jewelry, accessories, cosmetics, and fragrances. Some stores feature home furnishings and wedding departments, and several have in-house cafes, restaurants, and espresso bars.

North American Friends of Cuba – [168 Pages, 27MB] – During the 1960s, the “North American Friends of Cuba” emerged as a grassroots coalition united by a common interest in supporting the Cuban Revolution’s ideals and advocating for a constructive dialogue between Cuba and North America. Amidst the Cold War tensions and the U.S. embargo against Cuba, the organization worked to challenge the prevailing narratives, aiming to provide a more nuanced view of the Cuban social and political changes. Its members engaged in organizing educational events, circulating publications, and facilitating humanitarian aid, all while promoting the end of the embargo and fostering peaceful relations, at a time when global geopolitics were deeply divided.

Olsen, Kenneth – FBI Release #1 – [337 Pages, 160MB]  Olsen, Kenneth – FBI Release #2 – [311 Pages, 100MB]  Olsen, Kenneth – FBI Release #3 – [6 Pages, 1MB] – Kenneth Harry “Ken” Olsen (February 20, 1926 – February 6, 2011) was an American engineer who co-founded Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1957 with colleague Harlan Anderson and his brother Stan Olsen. The FBI, in addition to the document releases above, sent a disc of the following photographs:

Otash, Fred – [42 Pages, 25.1MB] – Fred Otash (January 7, 1922 – October 5, 1992) was a Hollywood police officer, private investigator, and author. Fred Otash has been interviewed numerous times in the media, including in 1957 by Mike Wallace, which can be viewed online at the University of Texas.  Otash worked for Hollywood Research Incorporated, which did business with the tabloid magazine Confidential.  He is also known for being hired by Peter Lawford to investigate Marilyn Monroe.  Fred Otash also was involved in the investigation of the “Wrong Door Raid” involving Frank Sinatra. Otash died at the age of 70 on October 5, 1992. Otash suffered from emphysema and high blood pressure. He wrote about his life in his memoir, Investigation Hollywood: Memoirs Of Hollywood’s Top Private Detective. Fred Otash was the youngest of 6 children and is survived by his daughter, Colleen Otash, and his four sisters, Evelyn Abisalih, Grace Steiner, Selma Otash and Lila Merhige, and one brother Mitchel.

Pacepa, Ion Mihai – [9 Pages, 2.86MB] – Ion Mihai Pacepa (28 October 1928 – 14 February 2021) was a Romanian two-star general in the Securitate, the secret police of the Socialist Republic of Romania, who defected to the United States in July 1978 following President Jimmy Carter’s approval of his request for political asylum. He was the highest-ranking defector from the former Eastern Bloc, and wrote books and articles on the inner workings of communist intelligence services. His best known work is the book Disinformation. At the time of his defection, Pacepa simultaneously had the rank of advisor to President Nicolae Ceauşescu, acting chief of his foreign intelligence service and a state secretary of Romania’s Ministry of Interior. Subsequently, he worked with the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in operations against the former Eastern Bloc. The CIA described his cooperation as “an important and unique contribution to the United States”.

Palfrey, Deborah Jeane – The “D.C. Madame” – [65 Pages, 28.3MB] – Deborah Jeane Palfrey (March 18, 1956 – May 1, 2008) (dubbed the D.C. Madam by the news media) operated Pamela Martin and Associates, an escort agency in Washington, D.C. Although she maintained that the company’s services were legal, she was convicted on April 15, 2008 of racketeering, using the mail for illegal purposes, and money laundering. Slightly over two weeks later, facing a prison sentence of five or six years, she was found hanged. Autopsy results and the final police investigative report concluded that her death was a “suicide”.

Penkovsky, Oleg – FBI Release #1 – [307 Pages, 21MB]  Penkovsky, Oleg – FBI Release #2 – [22 Pages, 1MB] – Oleg Vladimirovich Penkovsky (23 April 1919 – 16 May 1963), codenamed HERO, was a Soviet military intelligence (GRU) colonel during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Penkovsky was responsible for informing the United Kingdom about the Soviet emplacement of missiles in Cuba, thus providing both the UK and the United States with the precise knowledge necessary to address rapidly developing military tensions with the Soviet Union. He was the highest ranking Soviet official to provide intelligence for the UK up until that time, and is one of several individuals credited with altering the course of the Cold War.

Phelps, Fred Waldron – [232 Pages, 11.1MB] – Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. (November 13, 1929 – March 19, 2014) was an American pastor who headed the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), an independent Baptist church based in Topeka, Kansas. Phelps attained notoriety primarily from his vehemently anti-gay activism and his picketing of funerals of homosexuals and soldiers.

Pipes, Richard – [141 Pages, 8.5MB] – Richard Edgar Pipes (July 11, 1923 – May 17, 2018) was an American academic who specialized in Russian history, particularly with respect to the Soviet Union, who espoused a strong anti-communist point of view throughout his career. In 1976, he headed Team B, a team of analysts organized by the Central Intelligence Agency who analyzed the strategic capacities and goals of the Soviet military and political leadership. Pipes was the father of American historian Daniel Pipes.

Planned Parenthood – FBI Release #1 – [109 Pages, 49.7MB]  Planned Parenthood – FBI Quote for Remainder of File – [3 Pages, 1.1MB] The FBI estimates there are more than 200,000 pages still to be released on Planned Parenthood.  The cost for release on CD-ROMs is $6,025.00.Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3)[4] and a member association of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). PPFA has its roots in Brooklyn, New York, where Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the U.S. in 1916. Sanger founded the American Birth Control League in 1921, which changed its name to Planned Parenthood in 1942. PPFA is the largest single provider of reproductive health services, including abortion, in the U.S. In their 2014 Annual Report, PPFA reported seeing over 2.5 million patients in over 4 million clinical visits and performing a total of nearly 9.5 million discrete services including 324,000 abortions. Its combined annual revenue is US$1.3 billion, including approximately US$530 million in government funding such as Medicaid reimbursements. Throughout its history, PPFA and its member clinics have experienced support, controversy, protests, and violent attacks.

Popkin, Richard – [16 Pages, 1.2MB] – Richard Henry Popkin (December 27, 1923 – April 14, 2005) was an academic philosopher who specialized in the history of enlightenment philosophy and early modern anti-dogmatism. His 1960 work The History of Scepticism from Erasmus to Descartes introduced one previously unrecognized influence on Western thought in the seventeenth century, the Pyrrhonian Scepticism of Sextus Empiricus. Popkin also was an internationally acclaimed scholar on Christian millenarianism and Jewish messianism.

Possony, Stefan – [270 Pages, 185MB] – Stefan Thomas Possony (March 15, 1913 – April 26, 1995) was an Austrian-born US economist and military strategist and a Senior Fellow and director of International Studies at the Hoover Institution. He conceived the US Strategic Defense Initiative.

Priebke, Erich (FBI File Release #1) – [19 Pages, 24.57MB]  Priebke, Erich (FBI File Release #2) – [11 Pages, 0.7MB]  Priebke, Erich (Department of State Release #1)  Priebke, Erich (Department of State Release #2) – [67 Pages, 1.2MB] Erich Priebke (29 July 1913 – 11 October 2013) was a German Hauptsturmführer (Captain) in the SS police force (Sipo). In 1996 he was convicted of war crimes in Italy, for participating in the massacre at the Ardeatine caves in Rome on 24 March 1944. 335 Italian civilians (among them 75 Italians of Jewish ancestry) were killed in retaliation for a partisan attack that killed 33 German soldiers. Priebke was one of those held responsible for this mass execution. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, he received help from a bishop stationed in Rome and fled to Argentina on a Vatican passport, where he lived for over 50 years.

Process Church of the Final Judgement – FBI Release #1 – [95 Pages, 26.7MB]  Process Church of the Final Judgement – FBI Release #2 – [152 Pages, 8.4MB]  Process Church of the Final Judgement (IRS Release) – [73 Pages, 11.5MB] – The Process Church of the Final Judgment, commonly known as the Process Church, was a religious group established in London in 1966. Its founders were the British couple Mary Ann MacLean and Robert de Grimston and it spread across parts of the United Kingdom and United States during the latter 1960s and 1970s.

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) – [123 Pages, 74.2MB] – The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and television program distributor. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, PBS is an independently operated non-profit organization and is the most prominent provider of television programs to public television stations in the United States, distributing series such as NOVA, Sesame Street, PBS NewsHour, Masterpiece, Nature, American Masters, Frontline, and Antiques Roadshow. This FOIA request began with a $300 estimate on fees ($95 for CD-ROM version), which, although I would normally deny, I was graciously given an anonymous agreement that another person wanted the file released, and would pay the fees.  So, I agreed to the fees, and the request was to be processed accordingly.  Yet, strangely, I was informed there were only 118 pages to be released.  Regardless the reason for this mix-up, here is the file in it’s entirety, along with the original quote letter, and final response.

Queen Elizabeth II – [107 Pages, 94MB] – Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was head of state of 15 realms at the time of her death. Her reign of over 70 years is the longest of any British monarch and the longest verified reign of any female head of state in history.

Radiance Technologies – [30 Pages, 1.54MB] – Radiance Technologies, Inc. is a U.S.-based, employee-owned engineering and defense-services firm founded in 1999 and headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. Over the years it has grown from a small startup of a handful of engineers to a company employing roughly 1,000 people across multiple offices in the United States. Radiance provides advanced systems engineering, prototype design and integration, modeling and simulation, directed-energy and hypersonics research, cybersecurity, intelligence analysis, and test-evaluation services — servicing clients across the Department of Defense, U.S. intelligence community, and other government agencies. The company emphasizes end-to-end technical capabilities, spanning hardware and software development, sensor technologies, and mission support, enabling it to tackle complex challenges such as missile systems, space, aviation, and threat-system analysis. Its employee-ownership model underpins a culture of innovation, flexibility, and shared stake in success, distinguishing it among defense contractors.

Radioplane Company – FBI Release #1 – [19 Pages, 1.3MB]  Radioplane Company – FBI Release #2 – [6 Pages, 3MB] – The Radioplane Company was an American aviation company that produced drone aircraft primarily for use as gunnery targets. During World War II, they produced over 9,400 of their Radioplane OQ-3 model, a propeller-powered monoplane, making it the most-used target aircraft in the US. In the post-World War II era they introduced their Radioplane BTT series, which was produced for years and eventually reached almost 60,000 examples. They also produced several radio control and self-guided missiles, the largest being the GAM-67 Crossbow, which didn’t enter service. The company was purchased by Northrop Corporation in 1952, and moved to one of Northrop’s factories in 1962. One of the last projects carried out at the original Radioplane factory in Van Nuys, California, was the construction of the Gemini Paraglider.

Ratzinger, Joseph (Pope Benedict XVI) – [16 Pages, 3MB] – Joseph Ratzinger, born on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, Germany, is a distinguished theologian, scholar, and prelate who served as the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013 under the name Pope Benedict XVI. Known for his intellectual rigor, Ratzinger held various academic and ecclesiastical roles, including serving as Archbishop of Munich and Freising and as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. As Pope, he focused on the preservation of traditional Catholic teachings and values, fostering interfaith dialogue, and addressing pressing issues such as the sexual abuse scandal within the Church. Ratzinger made history as the first Pope to resign in nearly 600 years, citing his declining health.

Redstone, Sumner – FBI Release #1 – [641 Pages, 400MB]  Redstone, Sumner – FBI Release #2 – [531 Pages, 37.9MB] – Sumner Murray Redstone (né Rothstein; May 27, 1923 – August 11, 2020) was an American billionaire businessman and media magnate. He was the founder and chairman of the second incarnation of Viacom which was dissolved in 2019 (a year before Redstone’s death) and was the majority owner and chairman of the National Amusements theater chain. Through National Amusements, Redstone, up until his death, was, and his family remains, majority voting shareholder of mass media conglomerate ViacomCBS, in turn, the parent company of the Paramount Pictures film studio, the CBS television network, and various cable networks. According to Forbes, as of April 2020, he was worth US$2.6 billion.Note: There are approximately 3,064 pages remaining, costing $100 to receive. CONTACT The Black Vault if you would like to sponsor the file.

Retail Credit Company (Equifax) – [62 Pages, 5MB] – Equifax was founded by Cator and Guy Woolford in Atlanta, Georgia, as Retail Credit Company in 1899. Equifax Inc. is an American multinational consumer credit reporting agency and is one of the three largest consumer credit reporting agencies, along with Experian and TransUnion (together known as the “Big Three”). Equifax collects and aggregates information on over 800 million individual consumers and more than 88 million businesses worldwide. In addition to credit and demographic data and services to business, Equifax sells credit monitoring and fraud prevention services directly to consumers.

Rockefeller, Laurance – [22 Pages, 3.9MB]  Rockefeller, Laurance – FBI Cross References – [11 Pages, 5.2MB] – Laurance Spelman Rockefeller (May 26, 1910 – July 11, 2004) was an American businessman, financier, philanthropist and major conservationist. He was a prominent third-generation member of the Rockefeller family, being the fourth child of John Davison Rockefeller Jr. and Abigail Greene “Abby” Aldrich. His siblings were Abby, John III, Nelson, Winthrop, and David.

Rockefeller, Margaretta Happy – FBI Release #1 – [653 Pages, 314.4MB]  Rockefeller, Margaretta Happy – FBI Release #2 – [19 Pages, 9.2MB] -Margaretta Large Fitler Murphy “Happy” Rockefeller (June 9, 1926 – May 19, 2015) was a philanthropist and the second wife of the 49th Governor of New York and 41st Vice President of the United States, Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (1908–1979). She was First Lady of New York from her marriage to then-Governor Rockefeller in 1963 until he left office in 1973, and Second Lady of the United States from her husband’s swearing in as Vice President on December 19, 1974 until his term ended on January 20, 1977.

Rosenberg, Anna M.– [ File #1 18.71MB |  | File #2 34.90MB | File #3 30.93MB | File #4 19.03MB  | File #5 14.24MB  | File #6 17.96MB | File #7 23.96MB  | File #8 20.64MB  | File #9 12.08MB | File #10 4.04MB | File #11 7.53MB  | File #12 20.42MB  | File #13 1.00MB ] [1,843 Total Pages ] – Anna Marie Rosenberg, (June 19, 1902 – May 9, 1983), later Anna Rosenberg Hoffman, was a public official and businesswoman. Born in Budapest, Anna Lederer immigrated with her family to the US in 1912. In 1919 she married Julius Rosenberg, a Jewish American member of the upper class (not to be confused with nuclear spy Julius Rosenberg). During World War II, she served in numerous government positions including regional director of the War Manpower Commission from 1942 to 1945. She ran a consulting business, with customers that included large businesses and public figures. She was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1945, and was a recipient of the Medal for Merit in 1947, along with two other women, Mary Shotwell Ingraham and Elmira Bears Wickenden. In late 1950, she was nominated for assistant Secretary of Defense. Joseph McCarthy and his staff launched an all-out campaign to oppose her nomination, but she was recommended by the Senate Armed Services Committee. In spite of all opposition, in November 1950 she was named assistant Secretary of Defense, a post she held until January 1953.

Russell, Bertrand – [337 Pages, 119.5MB] – Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer, social critic, political activist and Nobel laureate. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had “never been any of these things, in any profound sense”. He was born in Monmouthshire into one of the most prominent aristocratic families in the United Kingdom. Russell mostly was a prominent anti-war activist; he championed anti-imperialism.  Occasionally, he advocated preventive nuclear war, before the opportunity provided by the atomic monopoly is gone, and “welcomed with enthusiasm” world government. He went to prison for his pacifism during World War I.  Later, he campaigned against Adolf Hitler, then criticised Stalinist totalitarianism, attacked the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War, and was an outspoken proponent of nuclear disarmament. In 1950 Russell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought”.

Said, Edward – [171 Pages, 95.6MB] – Edward Wadie Said (November 1935 – 25 September 2003) was a professor of literature at Columbia University, a public intellectual, and a founder of the academic field of post-colonial studies. Born in Mandatory Palestine, Said was an American citizen from birth by way of his father Wadir Saïd, a U.S. Army veteran of the First World War (1914–18).  Educated in the Western canon, at British and American schools, Said applied his education and bi-cultural perspective to illuminating the gaps of cultural and political understanding between the Western world and the Eastern world, especially about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in the Middle East. His main influences were Antonio Gramsci, Michel Foucault, and Theodor Adorno.  This is the complete file, as verified with the FBI October 18, 2016.

Sandground, Mark – [56 Pages, 27MB] – Mark Sandground was a well known divorce lawyer.

Saudi Aramco / Saudi Arabian Oil Company  – [543 Pages, 95.6MB] – Saudi Aramco (Arabic: أرامكو السعودية‎ ʾArāmkū s-Saʿūdiyyah), officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (formerly Arabian-American Oil Company), is a Saudi Arabian multinational petroleum and natural gas company based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest companies in the world by revenue. Saudi Aramco has both the world’s second-largest proven crude oil reserves, at more than 270 billion barrels (4.3×1010 m3),[8] and largest daily oil production of all oil producing companies.

Scalia, Antonin – [796 Page, 334MB] – Antonin Gregory Scalia (March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectual anchor for the originalist and textualist position in the Court’s conservative wing. For catalyzing an originalist and textualist movement in American law, he has been described as one of the most influential jurists of the twentieth century,[8] and one of the most important justices in the Supreme Court’s history. Scalia was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018 by President Donald Trump, and the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University was named in his honor.

Schuller, Robert H. – [1 Page, 0.9MB] – Robert Harold Schuller (September 16, 1926 – April 2, 2015) was an American Christian televangelist, pastor, motivational speaker, and author. In his five decades of television, Schuller was principally known for the weekly Hour of Power television program, which he began hosting in 1970 until his retirement in 2010. Schuller began broadcasting the program from the Neutra Sanctuary, with the encouragement of longtime friend Billy Graham after Schuller visited him in 1969. He was also the founder of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, where the Hour of Power program was later broadcast. There is believed to be a file on Robert Schuller, but the FBI claims it was in a facility devastated by a flood, so it is inaccessible. I am continuing to attempt to access the records, and will post updates when they happen.

Sheinbaum, Stanley – FBI Release #1 – [355 Page, 14MB]  Sheinbaum, Stanley – FBI Release #2 – [53 Page, 3MB] – Stanley K. Sheinbaum (June 12, 1920 – September 12, 2016) was an American peace and human rights activist. In 1971, Sheinbaum was asked to help organize the Daniel Ellsberg Pentagon Papers defense team. He helped assemble the team of attorneys and became the main fundraiser and spokesperson, raising nearly one million dollars from over 25,000 contributors.

Silkwood, Karen Gay – [537 Pages, 33.2MB] – Karen Gay Silkwood (February 19, 1946 – November 13, 1974) was an American chemical technician and labor union activist known for raising concerns about corporate practices related to health and safety of workers in a nuclear facility. Her mysterious death received extensive coverage and was the subject of a victorious lawsuit against chemical company Kerr-McGee. Silkwood was portrayed by Meryl Streep in Mike Nichols’ 1983 Academy Award-nominated film Silkwood. She worked at the Kerr-McGee Cimarron Fuel Fabrication Site plant near Crescent, Oklahoma, United States. Silkwood’s job was making plutonium pellets for nuclear reactor fuel rods. This plant experienced theft of plutonium by workers during this era. She joined the union and became an activist on behalf of issues of health and safety at the plant as a member of the union’s negotiating team, the first woman to have that position at Kerr-McGee. In the summer of 1974, she testified to the Atomic Energy Commission about her concerns. For three days in November, she was found to have plutonium contamination on her person and in her home. That month, while driving to meet with David Burnham, a New York Times journalist, and Steve Wodka, an official of her union’s national office, she died in a car crash under unclear circumstances. Note: On June 28, 2016, the FBI informed me that additional records (in addition to the above) were destroyed on July 15, 1992. I was informed these records may have pertained to Karen Silkwood, but they are now destroyed. In addition, other records exist at the National Archives, and total 724 total pages; ~647 pages released in full, 39 pages released in redacted form and 37 pages withheld in full. I am unable to purchase them for 80 cents per page, but if anyone would like to, or you are around College Park, Maryland, you can see these files in person, requesting FBI case file 117-HQ-2702, located in the Motion Picture research room.

Silverstein Properties – FBI “Cross References” –  [30 Pages, 13MB] – Silverstein Properties, Inc. (SPI) is a family held, full-service real estate development, investment and management firm based in New York City. Founded in 1957 by Chairman Larry Silverstein, the company specializes in developing, acquiring, and managing office, residential, hotel, retail, and mixed-use properties. The firm is New York City’s fifth-largest commercial landlord.

Simpson, Wallis– [120 Pages, 32.3MB] – Wallis Simpson (born Bessie Wallis Warfield; 19 June 1896 – 24 April 1986), later known as the Duchess of Windsor, was an American socialite whose intended marriage to the British king Edward VIII caused a constitutional crisis that led to Edward’s abdication.

Socialist Party – [ File #1 (NYC-3) 23.43MB | File #2 (NYC-4) 28.18MB ] – [ 711 Total Pages ] – Doctor Frederick Charles Schwarz (15 January 1913 – 24 January 2009) was an Australian physician and political activist who founded the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade (CACC). He made a number of speaking tours in the USA in the 1950s, and in 1960 moved his base of operations to California.  He was the author of the international bestseller, You Can Trust The Communists (to be Communists) (Prentice Hall, 1960). Dr Schwarz worked with his wife, Lillian Schwarz, from abroad and, in his later years, at their home in Camden, near Sydney, in the Australian state of New South Wales. (Source: Ernie Lazar)

Starr, Kenneth  – FBI Vault Release #1 – [318 Pages, 12MB]  Starr, Kenneth  – FBI Vault Release #2 – [170 Pages, 9MB]  Starr, Kenneth  – FBI Vault Release #3 – [177 Pages, 13.5MB] – Kenneth Starr (1946–2022) was an American lawyer, judge, and educator best known for serving as the independent counsel who led the investigation into President Bill Clinton during the 1990s, which encompassed the Whitewater real estate matter and ultimately the Monica Lewinsky scandal. A graduate of George Washington University and Duke Law School, he clerked for Chief Justice Warren Burger before entering government service. Starr served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and later as Solicitor General under President George H. W. Bush. Beyond government work, he held positions in private practice, academia, and university leadership, including as president and chancellor of Baylor University. His career was marked by significant influence in American law and politics as well as controversy over the scope and impact of his investigations.

Stone, Jeremy J.  – [177 Pages, 13MB] – Jeremy J. Stone (November 23, 1935 – January 1, 2017) was president of the Federation of American Scientists from 1970 to 2000, where he led that organization’s advocacy initiatives in arms control, human rights, and foreign policy. In 2000, he was succeeded as president by Henry Kelly. Stone continued his work at a new organization called Catalytic Diplomacy. Stone was the son of the journalist I. F. Stone.

Sudarkasa, Niara  – [231 Pages, 98MB] – Niara Sudarkasa (1938–2019) was an influential African American anthropologist, scholar, and university president who broke new ground as the first female president of Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Born Gloria Albertha Marshall in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she developed a passion for African studies, earning a Ph.D. in anthropology from Columbia University. Her extensive research focused on African and African diaspora cultures, particularly in West Africa, and she published widely on the roles of women, family structures, and social organization in African societies. Sudarkasa was a trailblazer in higher education, championing diversity, community engagement, and cross-cultural understanding, while also working to improve educational opportunities for underrepresented students. Her legacy endures through her contributions to anthropology, her pioneering leadership, and her advocacy for Black empowerment and education.

Sullivan & Cromwell Llp  – [119 Pages, 49.5MB] – Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is an international law firm headquartered in New York City. It has gained renown for its business and commercial law practices and its impact on international affairs.  Founded in 1879 by Algernon Sydney Sullivan and William Nelson Cromwell, Sullivan & Cromwell has served many of the world’s foremost industrial, commercial and financial enterprises.

Tencent Holdings, Inc. – [135 Pages, 1MB] – Tencent Holdings Ltd., also known as Tencent, is a Chinese multinational technology and entertainment conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is also the largest company in the gaming industry in the world based on its investments. It operates the instant messengers Tencent QQ and WeChat, and QQ.com. It also owns Tencent Music.

Theoharis, Athan – [25 Pages, 12.5MB] – Athan George Theoharis (August 3, 1936 – July 3, 2021) was an American historian, professor of history at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As well as his extensive teaching career, he was noteworthy as an expert on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), J. Edgar Hoover, and U.S. intelligence agencies, having written and edited many books on these and related subjects.

Thompson, Kenneth P. – [135 Pages, 45.4MB] – Kenneth P. “Ken” Thompson (March 14, 1966 – October 9, 2016) was the District Attorney of Kings County, New York, from 2014 until his death from cancer on October 9, 2016. Thompson began as an attorney in the United States Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., where he served as Special Assistant to former Treasury Department Undersecretary for Enforcement and then Secretary General of Interpol, Ronald K. Noble. In 1995 Thompson accepted a position as an Assistant U.S. Attorney under Zachary W. Carter, in the United States Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn. During his tenure, he worked with Loretta Lynch as a member of the federal prosecution team in the 1997 trial of former New York City police officer Justin Volpe, who was accused of sodomizing Abner Louima inside a bathroom at the 70th Precinct in Brooklyn. The watershed police brutality trial, at which Thompson delivered the opening prosecution arguments, resulted in Volpe changing his plea from ‘not guilty’ to ‘guilty’.

Torres Advanced Enterprise Solutions – FBI Release #1 – [74 Pages, 2.5MB] Torres Advanced Enterprise Solutions – FBI Release #2 – [163 Pages, 100MB] – Torres Advanced Enterprise Solutions (Torres) is a global security, cyber security, information technology and software consulting firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. with a global presence in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. Torres serves the highest levels of U.S. and foreign governments and commercial enterprises around the world. Our personnel consistently go the extra mile to provide reliable and comprehensive services to our clients regardless of the challenge. As a result, Torres has been named an Industry Leader in Government and Commercial Services by Inc. and Smart CEO magazines eight times since 2008.

True, James– FBI Release #1 – [503 Pages, 328.6MB] True, James– FBI Release #2 – [89  Pages, 5.3MB] – James B. True Jr. (July 1, 1880 – September 1946) was a critic of the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). His opposition focused on New Deal programs and used anti-Semitic and isolationist themes. He published a newsletter and headed James True Associates, a personally-financed one-man enterprise.  Note: There are many different files on James True at the National Archives (see cover letter to this FOIA release.)  I did not pursue getting these reviewed for release.

Trump, Fred C. – [8 Pages, 2.2MB] – Frederick Christ “Fred” Trump (October 11, 1905 – June 25, 1999) was an American real estate developer and philanthropist, and the father of United States Appeals Judge Maryanne Trump Barry as well as businessman and 2016 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Trump’s development company built and managed single-family houses in Queens, barracks and garden apartments for U.S. Navy personnel near major shipyards along the East Coast, and more than 27,000 apartments in New York City. During his business career, Trump was investigated by a U.S. Senate committee (1954) for profiteering from public contracts, was investigated by the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division (1973) for civil rights violations — and was the subject of numerous critiques by noted folk icon Woody Guthrie. Note: In March of 2016, I requested the file for Fred C. Trump. I was given a denial that no records existed. I then filed a request for cross references to Fred C. Trump in other files, and gave some suggested locations which included: Manny Ciminello; construction contractor, racketeer, tied to S & A Concrete; Paul Castellano; head of Gambino Mob; secret owner of S & A Concrete; Fat Tony Salerno; head of Genovese Mob; secret owner of S & A Concrete; S & A Concrete; Mob-front concrete company, run by Nick Auletta; built Trump Tower and Trump Plaza; Willie Tomasello; Fred Trump’s partner on Beach Haven; Genovese associate; Nicky Scarfo; Atlantic City/Philadelphia Crime Boss; Cleveland Wrecking Co; Cleveland Wrecking Company Wachtel Plumbing Teddy Maritas; head of Carpenters Union; Circle Industries; John Cody;  head of Teamsters Local 282; jailed for racketeering Nick Auletta: President of S & A Concrete, cement company; Joe DePaolo; President of Dic Underhill Co; helped build Trump Village with Fred Trump; Danny Sullivan; partner in SSG, Inc; deal-making arm of Scarfo Mob Kenny Shapiro; scrap-metal dealer, partner SSG; principle financier for Scarfo’s Philadelphia Crime Organization. A few months after this request, the FBI posted this 8 page release. Once I receive their response letter in the mail, I will add that to the file, along with anything else that may have come up.

Trump, John G. – [16 Pages, 2.2MB] – John George Trump (August 21, 1907 – February 21, 1985) was an American electrical engineer, inventor, and physicist. He was a recipient of U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s National Medal of Science, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Trump was noted for developing rotational radiation therapy. Together with Robert J. Van de Graaff, he developed one of the first million-volt X-ray generators. He was also the uncle of President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump.  These documents consist of the entire FOIA case file, and processing notes, to the request I did wherein it was told to me files relating to John G. Trump were destroyed.

Trump Barry, Maryanne – [406 Pages, 2.2MB] – Maryanne Trump Barry (1937–2023) was an American attorney and federal judge, and the eldest sister of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Born in New York City to Fred Trump and Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, she pursued higher education at Mount Holyoke College, Columbia University, and Hofstra University School of Law. Barry began her legal career as an assistant U.S. attorney in 1974. In 1983, she was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and later elevated by President Bill Clinton in 1999 to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She assumed senior status in 2011 and retired in 2019 amid an investigation into alleged judicial misconduct related to her family’s financial dealings. Barry passed away in New York City on November 13, 2023, at the age of 86.

Trump Organization – [154 Pages, 25.8MB] – The Trump Organization is the collective name for a group of approximately 500 business entities of which Donald Trump, the current U.S. President, is the sole or principal owner. Approximately 250 entities use the Trump name.  Donald Trump’s grandmother Elizabeth Christ Trump and father Fred Trump founded the organization in 1923 as E. Trump & Son, and it was led from 1971 to 2017 by Donald Trump, who renamed the company around 1973. I first requested these files in 2016, but received a “no records” response. I refiled again in late 2018, and received 150+ pages. After investigating why the new records were found, Jason Leopold and Ryan Shapiro took the FBI to court, and got them to release the records. Interesting that they fully denied records existed prior to this.

University Bible Fellowship – [27 Pages, 4.7MB] – The University Bible Fellowship is an international evangelical non-denominational Christian entity that originated in South Korea in 1961. It was founded through a partnership between a Korean, Samuel Chang-Woo Lee, and Sarah Barry, an American Presbyterian missionary who was sent to South Korea. The international headquarters of UBF is in Chicago. The group members are concentrated in South Korea, but has chapters in 91 countries including American universities and community colleges. The organization’s stated goal is student evangelism. Some outside observers and former members describe the group as cult-like, excessively controlling, spiritually damaging, or abusive.

FBI Files: Unsolved Mysteries TV Show – [1,581 Pages, 62MB] – Unsolved Mysteries is an American mystery documentary television program, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Karl Malden, and Robert Stack, beginning on NBC on January 20, 1987, becoming a full-fledged series on October 5, 1988, hosted by Stack. After nine seasons on NBC, the series moved to CBS for its 10th season on November 13, 1997. After adding Virginia Madsen as a co-host during season 11 failed to boost slipping ratings, CBS canceled the series after only a two-season, 12-episode run on June 11, 1999. The series was revived by Lifetime in 2000, with season 12 beginning on July 2, 2001. Unsolved Mysteries aired 103 episodes on Lifetime, before ending on September 20, 2002, an end that coincided with Stack’s illness and eventual death.In 2017, the show’s creators expressed interest in reviving the series. On January 18, 2019, Netflix picked up a reboot of the series.

Uranium One – [25 Pages, 7.3MB] – Uranium One is a Russian-Canadian uranium mining company with headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. It has operations in Australia, Canada, Kazakhstan, South Africa and the United States. In 2010, Rosatom, the Russian state-owned uranium monopoly, through its subsidiary ARMZ, bought a 51.4% controlling interest in the Canadian company. In January 2013 Rosatom purchased the remaining 48.6% of the company, at a value of $1.3 billion. Since 2015 the sale of Uranium One to Rosatom had been characterized by conservative media in the United States as a bribery scandal involving Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation; no evidence of wrongdoing has been found after three years of allegations, an FBI investigation, and the 2017 appointment of a Federal Attorney to evaluate the investigation. Uranium One Related FOIA Requests – [29 Pages,5.8MB] – In September of 2018, I requested a copy of all FOIA requests dealing with Uranium One that were filed with the FBI. In February of 2019, I received a copy of who was going after records.

VARO, Inc. – FBI Release #1 – [139 Pages, 17.7MB] VARO, Inc. – FBI Release #2 – [171 Pages, 8.5MB] VARO, Inc. – Navy #1 – [5 Pages, 1MB] VARO, Inc. – DoJ Denial – [5 Pages, 1MB] – Varo manufactures military night vision viewing systems, high voltage rectifiers and multipliers used in consumer and industrial electronic products, frequency control devices for the U.S. Navy, and marine searchlights.

Venceremos Brigade – [802 Pages, 396MB] – The Venceremos Brigade is a politically motivated international organization founded in 1969 by members of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and officials of the Republic of Cuba. It was formed as a coalition of young people attempting to show solidarity with the Cuban Revolution by working side by side with Cuban workers, challenging U.S. policies towards Cuba, including the United States embargo against Cuba. The yearly brigade trips, which as of 2010 have brought more than 9,000 people to Cuba, continue today and are coordinated with the Pastors For Peace Friendship Caravans to Cuba. The 48th Brigade travelled to Cuba in July 2017. According to FOIA case 1496188-001, there are approximately 52,712 more pages available, which will cost $1,585.00 to get. If anyone wants to sponsor this file, please let me know, and I am happy to archive it.

Wackenhut Corporation – FBI Release #1 – [ File #1 51.0MB | File #2 19.09MB | File #3 30.36MB | File #4 20.36MB ] – [ 1,023 Total Pages ]  Wackenhut Corporation – FBI Release #2 – [488 Pages, 168.6MB]  Wackenhut Corporation – FBI Release #3 – [146 Pages, 25.8MB]  Wackenhut Corporation – FBI Release #4 – [190 Pages, 98MB] – The Wackenhut Corporation was founded in 1954, in Coral Gables, Florida, by George Wackenhut and three partners (all former FBI agents). In 2002 the company was acquired for $570 million by Danish corporation Group 4 Falck (itself then merged to form British company G4S in 2004). In 2010, G4S Wackenhut changed its name to G4S Secure Solutions (USA) to reflect the new business model.

Wade, Henry Manasco – [374 Pages, 358MB] – Henry Menasco Wade (November 11, 1914 – March 1, 2001) was a Texas lawyer who served as District Attorney of Dallas from 1951 to 1987. As such, he participated in two of the most notable U.S. court cases of the 20th century: the prosecution of Jack Ruby for killing Lee Harvey Oswald, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing abortion, Roe v. Wade. In addition, Wade was District Attorney when Randall Dale Adams, the subject of the documentary film The Thin Blue Line, was convicted in the murder of Robert Wood, a Dallas police officer. He is also the longest-serving district attorney in United States history.

Weisberg, Harold NARA Release #1 – [22 Pages, 2.2MB] – Harold Weisberg (April 8, 1913 – February 21, 2002) served as an Office of Strategic Services officer during World War II, a U.S. Senate staff member and investigative reporter, an investigator for the Senate Committee on Civil Liberties, and a U.S. State Department intelligence analyst who devoted 40 years of his life to researching and writing about the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. He wrote ten self-published and published books and approximately thirty-five unpublished books related to the details for those assassinations, mostly with respect to Kennedy’s assassination. Weisberg was a strong critic of the Warren Commission report and of the methods used in investigating President Kennedy’s murder. In this regard, he was avant-garde, embarking on a course that many other conspiracy theorists would later come to follow. Weisberg is best known for his seminal work, Whitewash, where he wrote: “Following thousands of hours of research in and analysis of the vast, chaotic, deliberately disorganized, padded and largely meaningless 26 volumes of the testimony and exhibits of the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy and its 900-page Report – millions of words of which are not needed and are merely diversionary – I published the results of my investigation in a book, Whitewash: The Report on the Warren Report. In this book, I establish that the inquiry into the assassination was a whitewash, using as proof only what the Commission avoided, ignored, misrepresented and suppressed of its own evidence.” On February 21, 2002, Weisberg died of cardiovascular disease at his home in Frederick, Maryland.

Weishaupt, Kurt – [39 Pages, 15MB] – Kurt Weishaupt (1913–2004) was a Swiss-born artist, scholar, and innovator, known for his contributions to both the arts and sciences during a century marked by profound cultural and technological change. Born in Zurich, Weishaupt displayed an early aptitude for painting and engineering, a rare combination that shaped his multifaceted career. He became renowned for his avant-garde artwork that blended abstract expressionism with elements of scientific precision, earning him recognition in European art circles during the mid-20th century. Beyond the canvas, he was an inventor and thinker, holding several patents for mechanical designs inspired by his fascination with geometry and motion. Weishaupt’s life reflected a relentless curiosity and dedication to bridging the gap between creativity and functionality, leaving a legacy celebrated by artists and engineers alike.

Welch, Jr. Robert Henry – [5,081 Pages, 299MB] – Robert Henry Winborne Welch Jr. (December 1, 1899 – January 6, 1985) was an American businessman, political activist, and author. He was independently wealthy following his retirement and used that wealth to sponsor anti-Communist causes. He co-founded the conservative group the John Birch Society (JBS) in 1958 and tightly controlled it until his death. He became a highly controversial target of criticism by liberals, as well as some conservatives, including William F. Buckley Jr. Please Note: Additional Records do exist, which total 8,271 more pages, and will cost $255 to receive them on CDs.

West, Rev. Donald L. – [ File #1 | File #2 | File #3 | File #4 | File #5 | File #6 | File #7 | File #8| File #9 | File #10 | File #11 | File #12 | File #13 | File #14 |  ] – [ 2,398 Total Pages ] –  No biography available. (Source: Ernie Lazar)

Wheeler, Roger Milton – [1,369 Pages, 56MB ] – Roger Wheeler (February 27, 1926 — May 27, 1981) was an American businessman, the former chairman of Telex Corp. and former owner of World Jai Alai. In 1981, he was murdered at age 55 in his car while preparing to leave Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, following his weekly game of golf. He was purportedly murdered for uncovering an embezzlement scheme that was going on at his business, World Jai Alai. After retiring from the FBI, H. Paul Rico took a job as head of security for World Jai Alai. He saw the perfect opportunity to set up his former confidential informants Whitey Bulger and Steve Flemmi in a skimming operation there. The Winter Hill Gang skimmed $10,000 per week from the parking lot operation at World Jai Alai.  Please note: Check out the bookmarks in the PDF file to differentiate between the file numbers and section IDs of this release. There are more files relating to Mr. Wheeler. As of June of 2016, the FBI informed me there were 8,160 potentially responsive pages. To order, it will be $250 to receive on CD-ROMs. If you are interested in sponsoring this file, CONTACT ME.

White Supremacist Groups – [ 78 Pages, 10.94MB ] – White supremacy is the belief of, and/or promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds and that therefore whites should politically, economically and socially dominate non-whites. The term is also used to describe a political ideology that perpetuates and maintains the social, political, historical and/or industrial dominance of whites. Different forms of white supremacy have different conceptions of who is considered white, and different white supremacist identify various groups as their primary enemy.

Whitman, Charles – [ 757 Pages ] 1335599-0 – Preprocessed CD No Charge Letter – 2678411.pdf 432K 1335599-0 – 63-11732 – Section 1 Serial 1 COVER SHEETMediaPage.PDF 100MB 1335599-0 – 63-11732 – Section 2 Serial 47 COVER SHEETMediaPag.PDF 75MB 1335599-0 – 63-11732 – Section 3 Serial 121 COVER SHEETMediaPa.PDF 101MB 1335599-0 – 63-11732-Sub A – Section 1 Serial 1 COVER SHEETMediaPage.PDF 103MB 1335599-0 – Documents – Section 1 Serial COVER SHEETMediaPages.PDF 77MBCharles Joseph Whitman (June 24, 1941 – August 1, 1966) was an American engineering student at the University of Texas, former U.S. Marine, and a mass murderer who killed 16 people. In the early morning hours of August 1, 1966, Whitman murdered his wife and mother in their homes. Later that day, he brought a number of guns, including rifles, a shotgun, and handguns, to the campus of the University of Texas at Austin where, over an approximate 90 to 95 minute period, he killed 14 people and wounded 32 others in a mass shooting in and around the Tower. Whitman shot and killed three people inside the university’s tower and eleven others after firing at random from the 28th-floor observation deck of the Main Building. Whitman was shot and killed by Austin police officer Houston McCoy.

Widmaier-Picasso, Maya – [7 Pages, 2MB] – Maya Widmaier-Picasso was a French art expert and the eldest daughter of renowned artist Pablo Picasso and his muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter. Growing up in the heart of the art world, Maya developed a profound understanding of her father’s work and has dedicated much of her life to preserving and promoting his legacy. She has been instrumental in authenticating and curating numerous Picasso exhibitions and has contributed significantly to art historical scholarship. Maya’s deep personal and professional connection to her father’s oeuvre makes her a prominent figure in the art community.

Wolfe, Bertram – FBI “Vault Release” – [ File #1, 21.4MB | File #2 23.09MB | File #3 14.05MB ] [ 546 Total Pages ]  Wolfe, Bertram – [693 Pages, 139.6MB]Bertram David “Bert” Wolfe (1896–1977) was an American scholar and former communist best known for biographical studies of Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, and Diego Rivera.

Wolfe, Ella Goldberg – [347 Pages, 181.3MB] – Ella Goldberg Wolfe, who helped her husband Bertram (see above) and others found the American Communist Party, died January 8, 2000, in her Palo Alto, California home. By the time she died at age 103, she had lived a dramatic life of political intrigue, travel and scholarship in three centuries. She spent much of the last 20 years organizing her and her husband’s papers at the Hoover Institution Archives.

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom – [4,432 Pages, 2.94GB] – Note: This is a very large file. It is recommended you right click and download to your desktop. –  The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a non-profit non-governmental organization working “to bring together women of different political views and philosophical and religious backgrounds determined to study and make known the causes of war and work for a permanent peace” and to unite women worldwide who oppose oppression and exploitation. WILPF has national sections in 37 countries. The WILPF is headquartered in Geneva and maintains a United Nations office in New York City.

Wriston, Walter – [84 Pages, 32.3MB] – Walter Bigelow Wriston (August 3, 1919 – January 19, 2005) was a banker and former chairman and CEO of Citicorp. As chief executive of Citibank / Citicorp (later Citigroup) from 1967 to 1984, Wriston was widely regarded as the single most influential commercial banker of his time. During his tenure as CEO, the bank introduced, among other innovations, automated teller machines, interstate banking, the negotiable certificate of deposit, and “pursued the credit card business in a way that no other bank was doing at the time”. With then New York Governor Hugh Carey and investment banker Felix Rohatyn, Wriston helped save New York City from bankruptcy in the mid-1970s by setting up the Financial Control Board and the Municipal Assistance Corporation, and persuading the city’s union pension funds and banks to buy the latter corporation’s bonds.  Note: These records were provided by the family of anthologist and transparency activist Russ Kick, from his papers, facilitated by the generous assistance of Dr. Susan Maret. This is not a complete collection set of his papers, but rather, a selection of items sent to The Black Vault for digital preservation.

Yeager, Chuck – [66 Pages, 4.2MB] – Chuck Yeager (1923-2020) was an iconic American test pilot, Air Force officer, and record-setting aviator, best known for being the first person to break the sound barrier. Born in West Virginia, Yeager enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, where he displayed remarkable flying prowess, becoming an ace fighter pilot. His legendary flight on October 14, 1947, aboard the Bell X-1 rocket plane, surpassed the speed of sound, marking a groundbreaking achievement in aviation history. Over his illustrious career, Yeager’s courageous feats and unmatched skills earned him numerous accolades and solidified his status as one of the most influential pilots of the 20th century.

Youth International Party – FBI Release #1 –  [614 Pages, 32MB] Youth International Party – FBI Release #2 – [455 Pages, 221MB] – The Youth International Party (YIP), whose members were commonly called Yippies, was an American youth-oriented radical and countercultural revolutionary offshoot of the free speech and anti-war movements of the late 1960s. It was founded on December 31, 1967. They employed theatrical gestures to mock the social status quo, such as advancing a pig (“Pigasus the Immortal”) as a candidate for president of the United States in 1968.[3] They have been described as a highly theatrical, anti-authoritarian and anarchist youth movement of “symbolic politics”.

Zapata Oil – [4 Pages, 0.8MB] – Zapata Petroleum Corporation was founded in 1953 by future-U.S. President George H. W. Bush, along with his business partners John Overbey, Hugh Liedtke, Bill Liedtke, and Thomas J. Devine. Overbey was a ‘landman’, skilled in scouting oil fields and obtaining drilling rights cheaply. Bush and Thomas J. Devine were oil-wildcatting associates. Their joint activities culminated in the establishment of Zapata Oil. The initial $1 million investment for Zapata was provided by the Liedtke brothers and their circle of investors, by Bush’s father Prescott Bush and his maternal grandfather George Herbert Walker, and their family’s circle of friends. Hugh Liedtke was named president, Bush was vice president; Overbey soon left.  Note: Records destroyed in April of 1995.

Zworykin, Vladimir – FBI Release #1 – [1,153 Pages, 830MB] Zworykin, Vladimir – FBI Release #2 (Cross References) – [19 Pages, 830MB]Vladimir Kosmich Zworykin (July 29, 1888 – July 29, 1982) was a Russian-born American inventor, engineer, and pioneer of television technology. Educated in Russia and in France, he spent most of his life in the United States. Zworykin invented a television transmitting and receiving system employing cathode ray tubes. He played a role in the practical development of television from the early thirties, including charge storage-type tubes, infrared image tubes and the electron microscope.

The post FBI Files: Historical Figures & Groups first appeared on The Black Vault.

A newly released Freedom of Information Act response from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offers a limited but useful look at UAP-related keyword hits found in the email records of Dr. Timothy Gallaudet, the former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Acting NOAA Administrator, and Deputy NOAA Administrator.

The request, filed July 10, 2023, sought all emails sent to, from, or copied to Gallaudet between October 25, 2017, and January 20, 2021, that contained a series of UFO- and UAP-related terms. Those terms included “UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL,” “UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS,” “AARO” (included even though AARO pre-dated date range), “UAP,” “UAPTF,” “UFO,” “UNIDENTIFIED FLYING,” “AOIMSG,” “ELIZONDO,” and “GRUSCH.” Those dates were chosen as they coincided with his time at NOAA. A second FOIA request was filed with the Navy, which is still open.

NOAA’s final response, dated May 6, 2026, stated that the agency located 51 responsive records totaling 245 pages. According to the agency, 167 pages were released in full, while 78 pages were released with redactions under FOIA exemption (b)(6), which protects personal privacy. NOAA stated the request was complete.

While the release does not reveal extensive government discussions about UAP programs, it does provide a glimpse into the information ecosystem surrounding the issue and the material that was reaching Gallaudet during his time at NOAA.

Among the more notable records are emails connected to the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF).

In an August 17, 2020 email, Gallaudet wrote, “I told you that I’m on another Interagency ESC chaired by the chair of this TF – ONI’s CO. I will!” The reference appears to indicate that Gallaudet was serving on a separate interagency Executive Steering Committee (ESC) chaired by the same Office of Naval Intelligence official who was leading the UAP Task Force at the time. While the email does not suggest that Gallaudet himself was a member of the UAPTF, it does show an awareness of the task force and a professional connection to its leadership through another government coordination mechanism. His email stated that he “will” get answers to the UAP issue, given his connections to its top leadership.

During the period in question, the UAP Task Force was at the Office of Naval Intelligence, then led by Rear Adm. Kelly Aeschbach.

Aeschbach and Gallaudet were not strangers to one another. Both had previously served in senior Navy leadership positions, according to Gallaudet’s email.

While the released records do not indicate that Gallaudet participated in the UAP Task Force itself, his August 2020 email suggests he was clearly familiar with its leadership and had professional access to the same senior official overseeing the effort through a separate interagency Executive Steering Committee (ESC). That connection provides additional context for Gallaudet’s later public statements about UAP issues and demonstrates that his awareness of the government’s UAP activities extended beyond media reporting alone.

The exchange provides rare contemporaneous documentation placing Gallaudet within a network of officials discussing the UAPTF while it was still operating largely outside public view. At the same time, the records stop short of showing direct involvement in the task force’s activities, investigations, or decision-making processes.

Another email circulated an article from The Intercept examining former Pentagon official Luis Elizondo and the controversy surrounding his role in the government’s UAP efforts.

The article was critical of aspects of Elizondo’s public narrative and highlighted questions surrounding his involvement with the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). The appearance of the article in the records is surprising, because it shows that critical reporting, not simply supportive coverage, was being shared within the network of individuals discussing the UAP issue that Gallaudet was communicating with.

The records also show Gallaudet forwarding a New York Magazine article featuring retired Navy Commander Chad Underwood, the aviator who captured the now-famous “FLIR1” video. In forwarding the piece, Gallaudet added a brief endorsement: “Gottaread this!” (sic). The article provided Underwood’s perspective on the encounter and helped shape public understanding of one of the most discussed military UAP incidents on record.

Other records show the circulation of mainstream reporting that became central to public awareness of the issue. Included among them was a 2020 New York Times article focused on former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his longstanding interest in government investigations of unidentified aerial phenomena.

The correspondence also references Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, best known for the television series Ancient Aliens.

Another UFO-related hit in the release records appears in a December 2017 Yahoo Daily newsletter sent to Gallaudet’s NOAA account.

The newsletter included a story titled “UFO encounter: Navy pilot’s recollection,” accompanied by the image of the now infamous “Gimbal” UFO. Gallaudet later forwarded the newsletter from his iPad, but the release does not show any substantive comment from him about the UFO article, the Navy encounter, or the broader UAP issue.

Taken together, these emails portray Gallaudet less as a passive recipient of UFO-related news and more as an active consumer and occasional distributor of information related to the emerging UAP conversation. At the same time, the records stop well short of demonstrating direct participation in UAPTF operations, NOAA-led investigations, or other formal government UAP activities. Instead, they document an official who was following developments closely as the issue moved from the fringes of public discussion into mainstream political and media attention, but nothing more than that.

Other responsive material is even further removed from the subject of UAP. Several emails involve the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, including board communications, holiday messages, meeting notes, and foundation updates. Another email contains a link to an article titled “The 101 Best EDM Songs of All Time,” which appears to have been captured by the keyword search despite having no clear connection to UFOs or UAP.

One email exchange does contain a passing reference to an unexplained light phenomenon, though not in the context of UAP policy or government investigations.

In February 2020, NOAA employee Julie Phillipson wrote to Gallaudet about possibly visiting Washington, D.C., and mentioned the Marfa Lights in Texas. She wrote, “You know, nobody’s totally sure what causes the Marfa lights! There are some speculations that they’re best viewed in certain atmospheric conditions due to strong low-level temperature inversions, and the headlights of vehicles on the highway down there.” The exchange was casual and did not involve official UAP reporting, military encounters, or internal NOAA deliberations.

In November 2024, Gallaudet submitted written testimony for the House Oversight Committee hearing titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth.” In that testimony, he described a January 2015 incident from his time as Commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, when he said he received an email on the Navy’s secure network with the subject line “URGENT SAFETY OF FLIGHT ISSUE.”

According to Gallaudet’s testimony, the email was sent by the operations officer of Fleet Forces Command during a pre-deployment naval exercise involving the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group. He wrote that the message included words to the effect of, “If any of you know what these are, tell me ASAP. We are having multiple near-midair collisions, and if we do not resolve it soon, we will have to shut down the exercise.”

Gallaudet testified that the email included what is now known as the “Go Fast” video, which he described as showing “an unidentified object exhibiting flight and structural characteristics unlike anything in our arsenal.” He further stated that “the very next day, the email disappeared from my account and those of the other recipients without explanation.”

In the same testimony, Gallaudet said the matter continued to concern him during the rest of his government service, including his time as an Under Secretary of Commerce and NOAA Administrator. He wrote that the incident “highlighted a dangerous culture of over-classification, where even pressing safety-of-flight issues could be swept aside under the pretense of secrecy.”

The newly released NOAA emails unsurprisingly do not contain that 2015 Navy email, which would fall outside the date range of the FOIA request. But more notably, they do not contain apparent follow-up discussions about the “Go Fast” video, the Roosevelt encounters, safety-of-flight concerns, the UAP Task Force, or the claims Gallaudet later raised publicly. That absence does not disprove his testimony, but it is relevant that if there was any time for him to mention this to his close confidants he was communicating with as shown in these emails, it would be assumed that might be a time to do bring it up as he brought up other articles and recommended reading material.

Gallaudet’s Congressional testimony placed him among the more prominent former government officials advocating for greater UAP transparency. He told Congress that “the continued excessive secrecy surrounding UAPs has not only hindered our ability to effectively address these phenomena but has also eroded trust in our institutions and compromised the safety of both military and civilian aviators.” He also urged Congress to pursue stronger oversight of executive branch UAP programs, information, and materials.

The result of this FOIA case is not a major disclosure, but it is a useful archival marker. Based on this release, Gallaudet’s public UAP advocacy is not reflected in any significant way in the NOAA email records produced under this request.

There is a Navy FOIA request still open, which has proven to be problematic during the processing of the case. Updates on that will be posted in the future.

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Document Archive

DOC-NOAA-2024-000220 Release Package [80 Pages, 8MB]

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The post What Timothy Gallaudet’s NOAA Emails Reveal About His Interest in UAPs first appeared on The Black Vault.

Newly released Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) records provide a detailed look at both the operational planning and environmental review efforts surrounding the U.S. military’s Rocket Cargo initiative and proposed activities at Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

The documents were released in response to two FOIA requests filed by The Black Vault in July 2025 seeking records related to discussions, planning, contracts, technical proposals, environmental reviews, and communications involving SpaceX and the Department of the Air Force concerning Rocket Cargo and other point-to-point rocket logistics concepts. Together, the releases reveal coordination between the Air Force, SpaceX, environmental regulators, and other federal agencies as officials evaluated Johnston Atoll as a potential location for future Rocket Cargo-related operations.

In the first release, according to the Air Force’s April 2026 response letter, officials located hundreds of responsive pages. While hundreds of pages of the material was withheld, hundreds more were released, mostly partially redacted under various FOIA exemptions. The release includes correspondence, planning documents, and environmental coordination records.

The Air Force stated that no classified documents were found during its search.

The documents show SpaceX conducting a site survey of Johnston Atoll in early 2024 at the request of the Air Force under an existing contract. According to one email, the survey was intended to assess runway and taxiway conditions, conduct aerial mapping of the island, and perform sonar mapping of harbor areas.

Other records identify the activities as supporting the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Rocket Cargo Vanguard program. One planning document noted that SpaceX personnel with expertise in rocket landing operations would participate in the survey effort.

The release also reveals extensive coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Because Johnston Atoll is both a National Wildlife Refuge and part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, proposed activities required environmental reviews and consultation regarding potential impacts to wildlife and habitat.

Many of the records most likely to contain detailed technical or contractual information remain withheld under exemptions protecting commercial information and internal deliberations.

A second FOIA release obtained from the Air Force offers additional insight into the environmental review process surrounding proposed Rocket Cargo activities at Johnston Atoll.

Unlike the first release, which focused largely on site surveys and coordination between the Air Force, SpaceX, and other agencies, the newly released records center on environmental compliance efforts, consultations with federal wildlife regulators, and concerns about the potential impact of future operations on the atoll’s ecosystem.

The records show extensive coordination between the Department of the Air Force, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as officials worked through environmental requirements associated with the proposed project.

One February 2025 email highlights what officials viewed as a significant challenge.

The reference was to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), a federal law protecting migratory bird species. The same email indicates the Air Force was pursuing regulatory options to address potential impacts from future activities at Johnston Atoll, including “requesting a Special Use – Miscellaneous MBTA take permit” and potentially seeking “a Military Readiness Activity exemption permit as well.”

The records also show the Air Force conducting formal consultations under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. Correspondence references reviews involving protected species that inhabit or utilize the Johnston Atoll area, including green sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles, and Hawaiian monk seals.

Another set of emails reveals that environmental review documents remained under active revision throughout late 2024. In one exchange regarding the Johnston Atoll Rocket Cargo Environmental Assessment, an Air Force environmental official emphasized that the document was “in no way ‘Final'” despite being circulated among agencies for review and comment.

Much of the release consists of draft review discussions, comment adjudication, permitting questions, and coordination with environmental regulators. Although the records contain little new information about the technical aspects of Rocket Cargo itself, they provide a clearer picture of the regulatory and environmental challenges facing any effort to conduct rocket landing operations at Johnston Atoll.

Note: You will find the entire release package of material below. The PDF also has bookmarks embedded within it to show you the various file names, as they were released by the Air Force. The documents were combined into a single file for easier viewing.

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Document Archive

2025-06383-F Release Package [822 Pages, 43.8MB]

2025-06382-F Release Package [73 Pages, 6.52MB]

The post FOIA Release Provides Glimpse Into Air Force, SpaceX Efforts to Advance Rocket Cargo Program first appeared on The Black Vault.

While the unclassified verbiage in this five-page release aligns with what the public already knows about UAP evaluation, the newly disclosed document highlights a stark contradiction. Despite frequent public assertions of “transparency” and the high-profile release of official UAP videos in previous years, the core mechanisms of how the U.S. government views, tracks, and analyzes the UAP issue remain heavily guarded, classified, and blacked out from public view.

The released document is the official, self-initiated project proposal for Project Title: Evaluation of the Department of Defense’s Actions Regarding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (Evaluation Proposal Number: 585).

“(U) The objective of this evaluation is to determine the extent to which the DoD has taken intelligence and counterintelligence actions to detect, collect, exploit, analyze, and address Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), at the DoD, Services, Combat Support Agencies, and the Military Criminal Investigation Organizations (MCIO).”

Yet, exactly why this evaluation matters and how the military evaluates threats is entirely hidden.

The section titled “Potential Benefit(s) of Performing” is completely redacted, citing FOIA exemptions (b)(1) 1.4(a) and 1.4(g). According to the DoW OIG’s response letter, these exemptions apply directly to “military plans, weapons systems, or operations” and “vulnerabilities or capabilities of systems, installations, infrastructures, projects, plans, or protection services relating to national security.”

Furthermore, the entire first two sections of the UAP background information are heavily redacted. Every single one of these blacked-out paragraphs is preceded by an “(S)” or “(S//NF)”, indicating that the contents are classified as SECRET // NOFORN (Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals).

The unclassified portions of the background text validate the deep internal friction that has plagued the Pentagon regarding UAP research. The proposal openly documents the public speculation fueled by the lack of official explanations for encounters spanning 16 years, as well as the political fallout that led to the 2017 resignation of the Director of the National Programs Special Management Staff within the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, Luis “Lue” Elizondo.

The proposal quotes his resignation memo to the Secretary of Defense verbatim:

“Despite overwhelming evidence at both the unclassified and classified levels, certain individuals in the Department remain staunchly opposed to further research on what could be a tactical threat to our pilots, sailors, and soldiers, and perhaps even an existential threat to our national security.”

There has been immense controversy over the official role, if any, of Elizondo when it came to UAP research during his tenure working within the Pentagon. This newly released document, which refers to Elizondo by title and having “researched UAP”, does not mention AATIP or any official program in which he did so. This reference will likely invigorate his supporters, while his detractors will state that the document, in which the author is unknown, could simply be conveying what they read in media articles, but not basing it on fact.

Either way, the mystery remains when it not only comes to Elizondo, but to the true nature of the UAP that the U.S. government has yet to adequately explain away.

Following the Congressional mandates in the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, the UAP Task Force was officially established in August 2020.

However, when the Space, Intelligence, Engineering and Oversight leadership finally met with the UAP Task Force Director in October 2020, the details and outcomes of that meeting were entirely withheld under exemption (b)(5), which protects internal deliberative processes.

The scope of this evaluation was massive, spanning across the Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Central Command, DIA, NSA, NGA, NRO, DARPA, and the military branch criminal investigation divisions.

However, the specific questions the IG intended to answer are missing. Under the methodology section, the document outlines requests for information regarding agency policies and generated UAP reports, but every single specific metric is entirely redacted.

Additionally, methodology steps 3, 4, and 5, which are classified Secret and restricted to U.S. and Five Eyes (FVEY) intelligence sharing, are completely withheld from the public, while steps 6, 7, and 8 are also entirely redacted citing the “deliberative process privilege.”

The Black Vault has always advocated for government transparency while maintaining a realistic understanding that occasional, legitimate national security secrets must be kept. However, the sheer volume of redactions in this release paints a troubling picture.

If there truly is “nothing to hide”, as various public relations campaigns and limited document drops by the military try to suggest, then the foundational policies, potential benefits, and historical background of UAP tracking would not require blanket censorship.

While the Department of War publicly promotes its transparency efforts by highlighting declassified videos, the core documents that dig into the meat of the UAP issue, like how the U.S. military views, reports, and handles these phenomena, all remain completely hidden in the shadows.

This FOIA case remains open with an estimated 245 pages of potentially responsive records still awaiting future processing and review, which will be published on The Black Vault, if released.

Document Archive

DODOIG-2021-000806 Interim Release 4 Package [7 Pages, 1.2MB]

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The post Department of War Cites National Security to Hide Core UAP Evaluation Details first appeared on The Black Vault.