Author: John Greenewald

The Census Bureau released its Lessons Learned document from the 2000 decennial census.  Every 10 years, the Census Bureau documents the lessons learned from the most recent 10-year national population census. Document Archive The Census Bureau Lessons Learned Documents from the 2000 Decennial Census [5,935 Pages, 102MB]

A previously classified document, “Independent Oversight Inspection of Safeguards and Security of the Los Alamos Site Office and Los Alamos National Laboratory,” published in February 2003, has been further released after a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) filed by The Black Vault. The document provides an in-depth examination of the safeguards and security programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Los Alamos Site Office (LASO) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) conducted in late 2002. The inspection, carried out by the Office of Independent Oversight and Performance Assurance (OA), was comprehensive and performance-oriented, covering six key areas: classified matter protection…

The previously released heavily redacted “FISA Amendments Act of 2008 Section 702 Summary Document” has been released in a less redacted form following a Mandatory Declassification Review filed by The Black Vault. The original document, published on December 23, 2008, provided a crucial insight into the U.S. government’s approach to acquiring foreign intelligence information, particularly from non-U.S. persons located outside the United States. The further declassified document offers a more detailed look at how the U.S. government compels electronic communication service providers to assist in intelligence gathering. Section 702 operates as an exception to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA),…

A document recently released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveals the intricate details of a clemency request for John Factor, also known as “Jack Factor,” “Jake Factor,” “J. Franklyn,” and infamously “Jake the Barber,” who was pardoned by President John F. Kennedy in December 1962. The document is a letter of advice from the Attorney General to the President, discussing the merits and background of Factor’s pardon application. John Factor, convicted in 1942 for orchestrating a complex mail fraud scheme involving whisky warehouse receipts, served a 10-year sentence and was released on parole in 1949. The document enclosed…

The declassified FBI document “Terrorism — Its Tactics and Techniques,” dated January 12, 1973, provides an analytical overview of the methods employed by terrorists during that period. The document, prepared for a National Symposium on Terrorism, draws from public sources and information provided by foreign police contacts to aid law enforcement in combating political violence. It outlines the primary tactics of terrorists, which include hijackings, kidnappings, murders, assassinations, massacres, and bombings. The document emphasizes the imitative nature of terrorist activities, where methods used in one region are quickly adopted in others. It also distinguishes between political terrorists, who have specific…