Reading Room Document

Department of Justice Historical Records Policy for Discretionary Release under the Freedom of Information Act of Investigatory Files More Than 15 Years Old.

In this memo, the OLC confirmed that the FBI’s recission of the historical records policy, which allowed researchers to obtain access to materials of historical interest more than 15 years old, would be unwise in the light of public, judicial, and legislative opinion around openness of government (presumably referencing the post-Watergate public pressure that led to the sunshine reforms of the 1970s). The OLC developed proposed guidelines for the administration of the policy, which it recommended be transmitted to appropriate agencies for experimental use.

May 13, 1974