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'For the President's Eyes Only'

September 17, 2015

The CIA has released more than 19,000 pages online of its "President's Daily Brief," reserved for the US president. The release includes intelligence memos for US President John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War.

https://p.dw.com/p/1GXvO
John F. Kennedy Weißes Haus Kommandanten Marine Navy Gespräche Situation Kuba CIA
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/William J. Smith

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on Wednesday released a trove of daily intelligence memos produced for the late President John F. Kennedy and his successor Lyndon B. Johnson.

The release comprises around 19,000 pages of CIA documents, available for public scrutiny for the first time since they were produced.

Despite the collection being heavily redacted, more than 75 percent of it - from June 17, 1961 to January 20, 1969 - is declassified.

The collection includes intelligence memos from the height of the Cold War, including the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, when the US and Russia edged closer to heated conflict over ballistic missiles deployed in the Caribbean.

Screenshot PDF CIA John F. Kennedy Briefing Dokument Kuba Information
The intelligence memos illustrate what the US president wanted to know at the height of the Cold WarImage: foia.cia.gov

A move towards transparency?

The release was possible due to a 2009 executive order in 2009 by US President Barack Obama that ensures all classified material undergoes a declassification review and release after 25 years.

"These release of these documents affirms that the world's greatest democracy does not keep secrets merely for secrecy's sake," CIA Director John Brennan said after unveiling the release, reported Reuters news agency.

"Whenever we can shed light on the work of our government without harming national security, we will do so," Brennan said.

According to the CIA, it took several years to review and censor the latest release of Washington's most secret intelligence briefs - the "President's Daily Brief" - which was often stamped "For the President's Eyes Only."

"This is just the beginning - some 2,000 additional declassified PDB [President's Daily Brief] documents from the Nixon and Ford administrations will be released next year," the spy chief said.

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ls/jil (AP, AFP)