Release of Imagery Acquired by Space-Based
National Intelligence Reconnaissance Systems
By the authority vested in me as President
by the Constitution and the laws of the United
States and in order to release certain scientifically
or environmentally useful imagery acquired by
space-based national intelligence reconnaissance
systems, consistent with the national security,
it is hereby ordered as follows:
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Section 1. Public Release of Historical
Intelligence Imagery.
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Imagery acquired by the space-based national
intelligence reconnaissance systems known
as the CORONA, ARGON, and LANYARD missions
shall, within 18 months of the date of this
order, be declassified and transferred to
the National Archives and Records Administration
with a copy sent to the United States Geological
Survey of the Department of the Interior consistent
with procedures approved by the Director of
Central Intelligence and the Archivist of
the United States. Upon transfer, such imagery
shall be deemed declassified and shall be
made available to the public.
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Section 2. Review for Future Public
Release of Intelligence Imagery.
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(a) All information that meets the criteria
in section 2(b) of this order shall be kept
secret in the interests of national defense
and foreign policy until deemed otherwise
by the Director of Central Intelligence. In
consultation with the Secretaries of State
and Defense, the Director of Central Intelligence
shall establish a comprehensive program for
the periodic review of imagery from systems
other than the CORONA, ARGON, and LANYARD
missions, with the objective of making available
to the public as much imagery as possible
consistent with the interests of national
defense and foreign policy. For imagery from
obsolete broad-area film-return systems other
than CORONA, ARGON, and LANYARD missions,
this review shall be completed within five
years of the date of this order. Review of
imagery from any other system that the Director
of Central Intelligence deems to be obsolete
shall be accomplished according to a timetable
established by the Director of Central Intelligence.
The Director of Central Intelligence shall
report annually to the President on the implementation
of this order.
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(b) The criteria referred to in section 2(a)
of this order consists of the following: imagery
acquired by a space-based national intelligence
reconnaissance system other than the CORONA,
ARGON, and LANYARD missions.
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Section 3. General Provisions.
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(a) This order prescribes a comprehensive
and exclusive system for the public release
of imagery acquired by space-based national
intelligence reconnaissance systems. This
order is the exclusive Executive Order governing
the public release of imagery for purposes
of section 552(b)(1) of the Freedom of Information
Act.
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(b) Nothing contained in this order shall
create any right or benefit, substantive or
procedural, enforceable by any party against
the United States, its agencies or instrumentalities,
its officers or employees, or any other person.
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Section 4. Definition.
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As used herein, "imagery" means
the product acquired by space-based national
intelligence reconnaissance systems that provides
a likeness or representation of any natural
or man-made feature or related objective or
activities and satellite positional data acquired
at the same time the likeness or representation
was acquired.
—THE WHITE HOUSE
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