The eagerly awaited declassification of vast amounts of historical intelligence satellite imagery that was supposed to occur this year did not take place, and it is unknown when or if it might go forward.
Earlier this year, government officials had all but promised that the declassification and release of miles of satellite imagery film was imminent.
“The NGA [National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency] is anticipating the potential declassification of significant amounts of film-based imagery… in 2011,” the Agency stated in a solicitation that was published in Federal Business Opportunities on February 14, 2011. (“Large Release of Intelligence Imagery Foreseen,” Secrecy News, February 28, 2011).
“Almost all” of the historical intelligence imagery from the KH-9 satellite (1971-1986) should be declassified within a few months, said Douglas G. Richards of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff at an August 23, 2011 public forum of the National Declassification Center.
But it didn’t happen. Why not?
“I have no additional information to provide you concerning the status of this declassification effort,” said Mr. Richards by email this week. “The Joint Staff completed its participation with the action a few months ago, consequently, I don’t know its current status. Recommend contacting NGA for additional information.”
An NGA spokesman said that the Agency is still weighing the issue and that it will eventually make a recommendation to the Director of National Intelligence on how to proceed. But it has not yet done so, and there is no particular deadline for it to reach a conclusion on the issue.
“The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) has requested that NGA review the KH-8 GAMBIT and KH-9 HEXAGON imagery holdings for the purpose of making a recommendation to the DNI for possible declassification,” said NGA public release officer Paul R. Polk in a November 10 email message to Prof. Chris Simpson of American University.
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