Re-review of withdrawn Presidential textual materials may be requested through the mandatory declassification review provisions of Executive Order 13526.

To make a Mandatory Review request:

1. Download NA Form 14020
   
   
   • PDF Format
   • DOC Format
     
     
2. Complete Sections I, II, and III
   
   
   1. Copy the information from the Document Withdrawal Record into Sections II and III.
   
   
3. Email the completed NA Form 14020 to nixon@nara.gov or mail it to the Nixon Presidential Library in California
   
   

   Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
   18001 Yorba Linda Boulevard
   Yorba Linda, CA 92886
   
   

How Requests for Mandatory Declassification Review are Processed

The Presidential Libraries Mandatory Review Request form (NA Form 14020) should be used when submitting a request for a mandatory declassification review in accordance with Section 3.5 of Executive Order 13526. The requestor should fill out section I to provide contact information. Sections II and III should be completed by the requestor using the information provided on the document withdrawal record (NA Form 14021). The documents identified on the request form should be from one folder only. If all documents requested from a single folder cannot be listed on a single form, use additional forms as necessary.  If you are requesting documents from more than one folder, use a separate request form for each folder, even if the folders are from the same box. The Nixon Presidential Library may, at its discretion, divide requests and assign separate case numbers in order to facilitate handling by the reviewing agencies.

Once the Nixon Presidential Library receives a Mandatory Review (MR) request, it will be processed as follows:

1. The Nixon Presidential Library will submit copies to the originating agency and/or other agencies that have primary subject matter interest in the document.
   
   
2. Each agency that has primary subject matter interest will review the document and advise the Nixon Presidential Library of its decision.
   
   
3. After all agency responses have been received by the Nixon Presidential Library, the requestor will be notified of the results of the agencies’ declassification reviews. Documents will be released in accordance with Section 104 of Title I of the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act (PRMPA, 44 USC 2111, note) and regulations governing access to the Nixon Presidential Materials (36 CFR 1275.56).
   
   
4. If an agency denies a request for declassification, the requestor may appeal this decision to the agency's appellate authority through the Nixon Presidential Library. The Nixon Presidential Library will provide the requestor with appeal instructions in its notification letter prior to public release. An appeal of a sanitized or exempted document must be received by the Nixon Presidential Library within 60 days of the document’s public release.
   
   
5. If the agency reviews the document on appeal and determines that more information may be released without harm to national security, the document will be released in accordance with the regulations governing access to the Nixon Presidential Materials (36 CFR 1275.56) at the next scheduled PRMPA opening. The requestor then has the right to appeal the agency’s determination to the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP) within 60 days of the document’s public release.
   
   
6. If the agency reviews the document on appeal and determines that it cannot release any further information without harm to national security, the requestor will be notified immediately and informed of the right to file an appeal with the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP) for final adjudication.

Limitations on the Right to Mandatory Declassification Review:

1. Documents that have been reviewed by an agency with declassification authority and exempted from declassification may not be resubmitted for declassification review until two years from the date of an agency's final determination. The two year rule applies regardless of whether the agency reviewed the document as a mandatory declassification review in accordance with Section 3.5 of Executive Order 13526 or as a systematic declassification review in accordance with Section 3.4 the Order.
   
   
2. Only those requestors identified at the time the Mandatory Review (MR) request is submitted for agency review will have the right to appeal an agency’s final determination.
   
   
3. The document withdrawal record (NA Form 14021) will indicate whether a Mandatory Review (MR) request has been received for a document. Requests for documents that have already been submitted for agency review will not be assigned a new case number, but the requestor will be notified when documents are scheduled for public release.

We appreciate your patience and understanding. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Heddon at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California:

Email:     melissa.heddon@nara.gov (Subject: Mandatory Review)

Phone:    714-983-9120

Mail:
Melissa Heddon
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
18001 Yorba Linda Boulevard
Yorba Linda, CA 92886

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