Bush orders agencies to deal with declassification suggestions

President Bush has ordered federal agencies to respond to recent recommendations that address how to more efficiently declassify documents.

In an executive memorandum issued Tuesday, the president ordered the agencies to submit responses to the 49 recommendations, which were released earlier this month through a report by the Public Interest Declassification Board. The agencies have until April 15, 2008, to file the responses with assistants to the president for National Security Affairs and for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism.

Among other suggestions, the report recommends that a National Declassification Program be created and then overseen by the National Archives and Records Administration within a new National Declassification Center.