Research Guides: Declassified Documents: US Government Resources

Online Resources

OpenNet: Department of Energy
The OpenNet database provides easy, timely access to over 485,000 bibliographic references and 140,000 recently declassified documents
TRAC: Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse
The purpose of TRAC is to provide the American people — and institutions of oversight such as Congress, news organizations, public interest groups, businesses, scholars and lawyers — with comprehensive information about staffing, spending, and enforcement activities of the federal government.
Secrecy News Blog
This blog is hosted by the Federation of American Scientists. One mission of the FAS is to "illuminate government secrecy practices"
National Security Archive: George Washington University
'Investigative journalism with declassified documents' is one way to describe this resource. Over the years, this Archive has become the world's largest non governmental library of declassified documents.
National Security Administration
This website contains declassified documents grouped into thematic categories like UFO sightings, the John F. Kennedy Assassination, and many more

Digital National Security Archive (DNSA) (ProQuest)
Comprehensive collection of significant primary documents central to U.S. foreign and military policy since 1945. Includes the following collections:
Declassified Documents Reference System (Gale)
Database of declassified documents from various government agencies, including the White House, the CIA, the FBI, and the State Department, ranging from immediately after World War II through the 1970s. Covers the Cold War, Vietnam, foreign policy shifts, the civil rights movement, and more. The Firefox browser is recommended for use with this database.

National Declassification Center
This blog from the National Archives provides news, updates, discussion, newly released documents, and more information on the declassification of government documents
Transforming Classification [Blog]
A blog sponsored by the Public Interest Declassification Board and hosted by the National Archives. They are "proposing new solutions that address the shortcomings of the current system and tackle the challenges of digital records"
National Archives and Declassification
The National Archive's homepage for declassification information

Nuclear Test Films
These films from the Department of Energy document the history of the development of nuclear weapons, starting with the first bomb tested at Trinity Site in southeastern New Mexico in July 1945.
The Vault: Gangster Era
FBI records on famous gangsters and FBI operations. Click on a gangster's name for a selection of documents, mug shots, newspaper articles and more