Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel
For Immediate Release

Federal Panel Releases Communique for 2002

WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP) has released its fifth communique, covering its activities for calendar year 2002.

ISCAP was established in 1995 by Executive Order 12958, "Classified National Security Information" to resolve appeals of Executive Branch decisions on classification. In 2002, the ISCAP decided on 101 documents that remained fully or partially classified upon the completion of agency processing. They reversed agency declassification decisions on 11 documents in full and on portions of 56 others. The Panel affirmed the agencies' decisions in their entirety for 34 documents.

ISCAP highlights for 2002 include:

• Declassification of information in 76 percent of the documents in the appeals it has acted upon to date.

• Continued classification of information that would harm national security by revealing intelligence sources or jeopardizing ongoing diplomatic activities.

• A demonstrated willingness by agencies to examine afresh the justification for continued classification of each category of information -- even for information that previously, for all intents and purposes, was classified in perpetuity.

• Evidence that agency classification and declassification decisions more closely adhere to the principles of E.O. 12958.

• The approval of declassification guides that provide limited and rational exemptions from the automatic declassification provisions of E.O. 12958.

The ISCAP is composed of representatives appointed by the Secretaries of State and Defense, the National Security Adviser, the Director of Central Intelligence, the Attorney General, and the Archivist of the United States. The Director of the Information Security Oversight Office, J. William Leonard, serves as the Executive Secretary of the ISCAP and his staff provides the staff support for the ISCAP.

Documents declassified by the ISCAP are made available through the entity that has custody of them, usually a Presidential Library. For assistance in identifying and requesting copies of such documents, or for any other questions regarding the ISCAP, contact the ISCAP staff at ISOO at 202-219-5250.