[Executive Orders]

                                  The White House 

                           Office of the Press Secretary 

         _______________________________________________________________ 

         For Immediate Release                         February 24, 1995 



                                  Executive Order 
                                      #12951 
                                   - - - - - - - 

                     Release Of Imagery Acquired By Space-Based 
                    National Intelligence Reconnaissance Systems 


         	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 ofthis  
         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. 

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         	(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 positional data acquired at the same time  
         the likeness or representation was acquired. 




         					William J. Clinton 




         The White House, 
             February 22, 1995. 




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