NSA Publication Indices Declassified

Schneier is reporting that a 3 year old freedom of information act request has finally come to fruition showing us indices from the NSA Technical Journal, Cryptographic Quarterly, Crytologic Spectrum, and Cryptologic Almanac. From the article: "The request took more than three years for them to process and declassify -- sadly, not atypical -- and during the process they asked if he would accept the indexes in lieu of the tables of contents pages: specifically, the cumulative indices that included all the previous material in the earlier indices. He agreed, and got them last month. Consider these bibliographic tools as stepping stones. If you want an article, send a FOIA request for it. Send a FOIA request for a dozen. There's a lot of stuff here that would help elucidate the early history of the agency and some interesting cryptographic topics."

Freedom?

[mbulge]

3 years is a long time to wait for "free" information.

Re:or take the easier route

[Morphine007]

no, just government information.

You see, a transparent government is the key to a successful democracy. Someone realized that they need to do everything in their power to make the government at least appear to be transparent or they wouldn't be able to keep the proles down.

After re-reading this comment, I have to say that it was intended to be a joke... but it appears to go beyond the "funny cuz it's true" realm and into the "yer not funny anymore" realm... /sigh

Re:Ancient Documents *Should* Be Declassified

[AJWM]

Your analysis makes the mistake of assuming that there's only one enemy (or "potential opponent", if you prefer that term). You also underestimate the value of doubt.

Even if nations A, B, and C know your secret, there's still D thru Z that don't unless you publish it. Furthermore, A, B and C may not know for sure that they know your secret until you confirm it by publishing. Confirming it tells them not only your secret, but it also tells them that the channel by which they obtained it originally is reliable. At least, assuming you're not just publishing the phony secret that you already know they've obtained, in order to "confirm" a tainted channel.

Re:Ancient Documents *Should* Be Declassified

[hcob$]

Yeah, Let's feed the trolls...

The current administration constantly bitches about leaks and spends untold millions tracking down leakers instead of dealing with the problems the leak discloses.

When Plame's name was released... the media went apeshit when the leaker WASN'T found. (He ended up revealing himself)

This week, we have the spectacle of the cynical shits in the administration, faced with a leak, suddenly "partially declassifying" a NIE to counter the leak. Note that the tightlipped (and tightassed) bastards only declassified enough to make their case and still hold the rest classified.

Of course, the excerpts that were to be published before the partial declassification were to be on just enough to prove the democrat's case.

This is the most closed administration in American history. I just hope that a future administtration will have the balls to reverse the current policies, most especially the one where the coward-in-chief retroactively closed off all public access to the contents of all the presidetial libraries.

Well,as for openness(not that FOIA is a really good judge of the administration, but here's some numbers).

Clinton Admin full grants over his 8 years: 249,457
Bush Admin full grants over his 6 years: 323,055

Granted these are not percentages, ratios of requests to grants, anything of that nature. These are just the raw data, but feel free to look it up yourself.

For the yearly FOIA reports totaling every request and action see the DOJ Archive of reports [usdoj.gov].

Re:Ancient Documents *Should* Be Declassified

[Yfrwlf]

All citizens should have the right to know what their leaders know. Anything less isn't fair. The only reason for secrecy is perhaps during times of war, when and where the next attack will occur. Doing anything to get an upper hand against an enemy is naturally sought, but a government isn't or shouldn't be at war with it's citizens. Hiding truths only slows the progress of intelligence and breeds ignorance.