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Information Security Oversight Office
National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20408

January 29,1998

The Honorable Jim Kolbe
Chairman, Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service and General Government
Committee on Appropriations
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman:

On behalf of the Archivist of the United States and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, I am pleased to enclose a brief report that provides "an update of agency compliance with the declassification requirements of Section 3.4 of E. O.12958, 'Classified National Security Information,'" and a brief report on "agency compliance with sections 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 1.8, and 1.9 of Executive Order 12958." These reports are directed by House Report 105-240, which accompanied the Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations Act for 1998.

The enclosed data and information disclose unprecedented effort and achievement on the part of executive branch agencies to meet the declassification requirements of E.O. 12958 during Fiscal Years 1996 and 1997. At the same time, we remain mindful that an even greater effort will be necessary as agencies seek to review the remaining records that will otherwise be subject to automatic declassification under the terms of the Order. We are also aware that the level of achievement among the agencies remains uneven, with several agencies slow to get started in their declassification efforts. The report on classification activity reveals general compliance throughout the executive branch with the cited provisions of E.O. 12958.

The Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) will have more information available and analyzed when it issues its Report to the President for Fiscal Year 1997. Copies of the Report to the President will be provided to the Subcommittee and other interested Committees of Congress as soon as it has been cleared by the White House. We hope to have that Report to the President by the end of May. In the meantime, l am available at your request to meet with the membership or staff of the Subcommittee to provide as much information and data as we have available. Also, we will provide the Subcommittee with a report on security classification costs by May 1, 1998, as directed in House Report 105-240.

Inasmuch as the data contained in the enclosure are preliminary, and have not as yet been included in any public report or disclosure, we respectfully request that the Subcommittee limit access to these reports to its needs or the needs of the Committee on Appropriations until ISOO issues its Report to the President for Fiscal Year 1997.

Sincerely,

Steven Garfinkel
Director

Enclosure

cc: The Honorable John W. Carlin
Archivist of the United States

The Honorable Frank Raines
Director, Office of Management and Budget


REPORT OF DECLASSIFICATION ACTIVITY
IN RESPONSE TO HOUSE REPORT 105-240

PAGES DECLASSIFIED __________________________
1 In FY 1995, the agencies of the executive branch declassified 24 million pages, and the President, through an Executive order, declassified an additional 43-45 million pages of documents within the National Archives of the United States.

INTERIM TARGETS

FILE SERIES EXEMPTIONS FROM AUTOMATIC DECLASSIFICATION

INTERAGENCY SECURITY CLASSIFICATION APPEALS PANEL (ISCAP)

OTHER POSITIVE TRENDS

LINGERING PROBLEMS OR PITFALLS


REPORT OF CLASSIFICATION ACTIVITY
IN RESPONSE TO HOUSE REPORT 105-2402

BACKGROUND

_____________________
2 House Report 105-240 asks the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to report on this aspect of E.O. 12958's implementation. ISOO is reporting on this activity on behalf of OMB. When the President issued E.O. 12958, ISOO was a component of and funded through OMB. Subsequently, the Congress moved ISOO's funding to NARA, and ISOO became a component of NARA. The Archivist of the United States assumed those functions and responsibilities under E.O. 12958 assigned to the Director of OMB. ISOO anticipates that E.O. 12958 will be amended to reflect these changes.

ISOO OVERSIGHT

STATISTICAL DATA

COMPLAINTS AND SUGGESTIONS

CLASSIFICATION CHALLENGES APPEALED TO THE ISCAP

CONCLUSION




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