Spy agencies foil Obama plan for transparency.
Washington – President Obama will maintain a lid of secrecy on millions of pages of military and intelligence documents that were scheduled to be declassified by the end of the year, according to administration officials.
The missed deadline spells trouble for the White House’s promises to introduce an era of government openness, say advocates, who believe that releasing historical information enforces a key check on government behavior. They cite as an example the abuses by the Central Intelligence Agency during the Cold War, including domestic spying and assassinations of foreign officials, that were publicly outlined in a set of agency documents known as the “family jewels.’’
The documents in question – all more than 25 years old – were scheduled to be declassified on Dec. 31 under an order originally signed by President Bill Clinton and amended by President George W. Bush.
But now Obama finds himself in the awkward position of extending the secrecy, despite his repeated pledges of greater transparency, because his administration has been unable to prod spy agencies into conformance.
Read more here.
Thank you for reading Truthout. Before you go…
…We ask that you take just a second to read this message.
We are up against a far-reaching, wide-scale attack on press freedom coming from the Trump administration. Since his inauguration last year, we’ve seen frightening censorship, a right-wing takeover of the news industry, and worsening financial conditions for progressive nonprofits across the board.
We can only resist Trump’s agenda by cultivating a strong base of support. The right-wing mediasphere is funded comfortably by billionaire owners and venture capitalist philanthropists. At Truthout, we have you.
We need your help to sustain the fight against authoritarianism in 2026. Please take a meaningful action in this fight: make a one-time or monthly donation to Truthout. If you have the means, please dig deep.