Reading Room Document

Authority under Executive Order No. 10501 to declassify information

This document discusses the provisions of Executive Order No. 10501 and the authority for downgrading or declassifying information. It raises questions about the applicability of the order to agencies subject to its provisions and whether the intent of the order includes mechanisms for the President to instruct agencies to declassify security information. The document also highlights the lack of clarity on whether presidential action could create administrative problems in the declassification process. Additionally, it references responses from federal agencies to a questionnaire regarding their designation under the provisions of the order. The conclusions reached in the document suggest that there is confusion about the applicability of the order to agencies and the mechanisms for declassifying security information. The questions presented for review include the intent of the order and the potential administrative problems that may arise from presidential action in the declassification process.

December 22, 1955