News Archive - January 2010

Obama Announces Establishment of National Declassification Center

January 3: President Obama has ordered the creation of a National Declassification Center, according to articles in the Washington Post. For more information, see this National Archives Press Release, the text of the Executive Order of Nov 29, 2009, and this FAQ page on the National Archives website.

According to the press release, "By streamlining the declassification process, the NDC will usher in a new day in the world of access, allowing the National Archives to make more records available for public scrutiny much more quickly." The NDC will initially be located at the site of the National Archives II facility in College Park, Maryland, where military records, JFK records, and other documents are currently accessed. The press release also states that "Public input, questions and comments may be sent to NDC@nara.gov."

MLK Civil Trial Transcript in Book Form

Jan 24, 2010: The transcript of the 1999 civil trial in the case of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King has been published in paperback by MLK The Truth. Entitled "The 13th Juror", the transcript-book is available from amazon.com as well. In that trial, jurors found that Dr. King's murder was a result of a conspiracy.

Recent news reports say that Senator Kerry of Massachusetts will soon introduce an "MLK Records Act" similar to the JFK Records Act which resulted in voluminous declassification of previously-secret records, many of them now available on this website. Sen. Kerry and Rep. Cynthia McKinney both introduced such legislation in 2006 but it was not acted upon.