[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 8 (Monday, February 27, 1995)]
[Pages 304-305]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Executive Order 12951--Release of Imagery Acquired by Space-Based 
National Intelligence Reconnaissance Systems

February 22, 1995

    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.
    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

[[Page 305]]

positional data acquired at the same time the likeness or representation 
was acquired.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
February 22, 1995.

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 2:13 p.m., February 24, 
1995]

Note: This Executive order was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on February 24, and it will be published in the Federal 
Register on February 28.