AMENDMENT TO EXECUTIVE ORDER 12958 — CLASSIFIED
NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States of America, and in order to extend and
establish specific dates for the time within which all classified information
contained in records more than 25 years old that have been determined
to have historical value under title 44, United States Code, should
be automatically declassified, and to establish the Information Security
Oversight Office within the National Archives and Records Administration,
it is hereby ordered that Executive Order 12958 is amended as follows:
Section 1. In the first sentence of section 3.4(a) of Executive Order
12958, the words ‘‘within five years from the date of this
order’’ are deleted and the words ‘‘within six
and one half years from the date of this order’’ are inserted
in lieu thereof.
Sec. 2. The following new language is inserted at the end of section
3.4(a): ‘‘For records otherwise subject to this paragraph
for which a review or assessment conducted by the agency and confirmed
by the Information Security Oversight Office has determined that they:
(1) contain information that was created by or is under the control
of more than one agency, or
(2) are within file series containing information that almost invariably
pertains to intelligence sources or methods, all classified information
in such records shall be automatically declassified, whether or not
the records have been reviewed, within 8 years from the date of this
order, except as provided in paragraph (b), below. For records that
contain information that becomes subject to automatic declassification
after the dates otherwise established in this paragraph, all classified
information in such records shall be automatically declassified, whether
or not the records have been reviewed on December 31 of the year that
is 25 years from the origin of the information, except as provided
in paragraph (b), below.’’
Sec. 3. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 5.2 are amended to read
as follows:
(a) The Director of the Information Security Oversight Office, under
the direction of the Archivist of the United States and in consultation
with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
and the co-chairs of the Security Policy Board, shall issue such directives
as are necessary to implement this order. These directives shall be
binding upon the agencies. Directives issued by the Director of the
Information Security Oversight Office shall establish standards for:
(1) classification and marking principles;
(2) agency security education and training programs;
(3) agency self-inspection programs; and
(4) classification and declassification guides.
(b) The Archivist of the United States shall delegate the implementation
and monitorship functions of this program to the Director of the Information
Security Oversight Office.’’
Sec. 4. Subsection (a) and the introductory clause and item (4) of
subsection (b) of section 5.3 are amended as follows:
(a) Subsection (a) shall read ‘‘(a) There is established
within the National Archives and Records Administration an Information
Security Oversight Office. The Archivist of the United States shall
appoint the Director of the Information Security Oversight Office,
subject to the approval of the President.’’
(b) The introductory clause of subsection (b) shall read ‘‘Under
the direction of the Archivist of the United States, acting in consultation
with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs,
the Director of the Information Security Oversight Office shall:’’.
(c) Item (4) of subsection (b) shall read ‘‘(4) have
the authority to conduct on-site reviews of each agency’s program
established under this order, and to require of each agency those
reports, information, and other cooperation that may be necessary
to fulfill its responsibilities. If granting access to specific categories
of classified information would pose an exceptional national security
risk, the affected agency head or the senior agency official shall
submit a written justification recommending the denial of access to
the President through the Assistant to the President for National
Security Affairs within 60 days of the request for access. Access
shall be denied pending the response,’’.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
THE WHITE HOUSE
November 19, 1999.
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