On June 28, 1978, President Carter signs Executive Order 12065 pertaining to the Freedom of Information Act. The order shortens the wait for declassification review to twenty years, requires that the public's need to know be acknowledged in the declassification process, and shifts the burden of proof to government agencies to demonstrate that releasing requested information would be 'clearly harmful.' Courts reviewing FOIA releases must now consider the public's interest. These provisions ultimately assist in the release of many UFO-related documents from the CIA, NSA, FBI, and other agencies.
Background
EVENT TITLE: Executive Order 12065: Carter Strengthens FOIA and Declassification Process
EVENT DATE: 1978-06-28
EVENT TYPE: legislation
1. On June 28, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed Executive Order 12065, which aimed to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and streamline the declassification process. The order sought to promote transparency and reduce excessive classification within the government.
The Incident
On June 28, 1978, President Carter signed Executive Order 12065. This executive order pertained to the Freedom of Information Act. The order aimed to address the problem of excessive classification of documents, which Carter believed hindered government efficiency and genuine national security.
Investigation
Executive Order 12065 shortened the waiting period for declassification review to twenty years. The order also required that the public's need to know be acknowledged as part of the declassification process. Courts reviewing documents for release were impacted by this order.
Significance
Executive Order 12065 is significant in the UFO context because it potentially made it easier for researchers and the public to access classified information related to UFOs. The order's emphasis on the public's right to know and the reduction of excessive classification could have facilitated the declassification of UFO-related documents that were previously withheld. By shortening the declassification review period and requiring consideration of the public's need to know, the executive order may have indirectly contributed to greater transparency regarding government knowledge of UFOs.