Author: John Greenewald

Background On December 25, 2017, The Black Vault requested all FBI files on the social news and discussion platform known as Reddit. On May 23, 2019, the FBI responded stating that they had found records pertaining to the request, on Reddit, however they were denying the release of every single page. The number of pages reviewed is unknown. They cite (b)(1) for “national security” reasons; (b)(3) information exempted by 50 U.S.C., § 3024(i)(1) which means “Responsibilities and authorities of the Director of National Intelligence” / “Protection of Sources and Methods,” and (b)(7) which is information exempt as it is compiled…

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Background This document was first released in the mass of CIA related UFO records. Upon the first release of it, nearly the entire document was redacted, with only one paragraph readable. The Black Vault filed a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) in January of 2019, and the record was further declassified and released in December of 2019. A side by side comparison is available below, along with the .pdf version for download. Document Archive 2019 MDR Release Possible Unidentified Flying Object in Ukraine, 1959 (CIA Intelligence Information Report) [7 Pages 5MB] Original Release Possible Unidentified Flying Object in Ukraine, 1959 (CIA…

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Background This document was first released in the mass of CIA related UFO records. Upon the first release of it, nearly the entire document was redacted, with only one paragraph readable. The Black Vault filed a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) in January of 2019, and the record was further declassified and released in December of 2019. Document Archive Speculative Paper by N Kardashev and A Sakharov on Charged Mass in Space at Conference on Origins of Life, 1971 [3 Pages, 1.4MB]

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Background Department of Defense FOIA offices are prohibited from responding to “significant” FOIA requests having “departmental level interest” without approval from the Pentagon, according to a policy document obtained by Cause of Action from the DoD’s Inspector General.  A “significant” request is defined by the policy document as one where, in the judgment of a FOIA office, “the subject matter of the released documents may generate media interest and/or may be of interest or potential interest to DoD senior leadership.”  This can include requests regarding “the current administration (including request for information on Senator Obama) previous administrations, and current or…

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Background DARPA’s mission is to prevent the technological surprise of the United States, and to create technological surprise for our enemies. This document provides short abstracts of DARPA programs in FY 2008 and FY 2009, and it is a reference for those interested in DARPA’s research portfolio. To better illustrate the goals of the programs, the programs have been grouped into the nine Strategic Thrusts that form DARPA’s strategy as described in Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Strategic Plan (February 2007). Document Archive 2008 DARPA Fact File, June 2008 [91 Pages, 21MB]

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