How Long Does It Take Before Information Is Declassified?
So large an amount of information has stayed classified for so long partly because of the past failure of agencies to employ adequate and reliable means to move some of it out of the classification system when it no longer needs protection. The requirement in Executive Order 12958 that classifiers mark documents with a date or event for future declassification is a step toward dealing with this problem. However, past executive orders also have included this requirement, with little apparent effect on the duration of classification past the point it is required. One reason the requirement of denoting declassification dates or events seems not to have worked in the past is that many government officials simply resist implementing it, arguing that it takes a crystal ball to determine when information will no longer need protection. They may also resist because they have not been trained in how to make such judgments or because such requirements are rarely enforced, making it easy for them
