Presidential Documents

10789

Federal Register

Vol. 60, No. 39

Tuesday, February 28, 1995

Title 3—

The President

Executive Order 12951 of February 22, 1995

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 of America 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:

Section 1. Public Release of Historical Intelligence Imagery. 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.

Sec. 2. Review for Future Public Release of Intelligence Imagery. (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 5

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.

(b) The criteria referred to in section 2(a) of this order consist of the

following: imagery acquired by a space-based national intelligence reconnaissance system other than the Corona, Argon, and Lanyard missions.

Sec. 3. General Provisions. (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.

(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.
10790 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 28, 1995 / Presidential Documents

Sec. 4. Definition. 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

[FR Doc. 95–5050

time the likeness or representation was acquired.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

February 22, 1995.

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Filed 2-24-95; 2:13 pm]

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