[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 39 (Tuesday, February 28, 1995)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 10789-10790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-5050]



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

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 Title 3--
 The President  
[[Page 10789]] 


                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. [[Page 10790]] 

                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 time the 
                likeness or representation was acquired.

                    (Presidential Sig.)>

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    February 22, 1995.

[FR Doc. 95-5050
Filed 2-24-95; 2:13 pm]
Billing code 3195-01-P