ISCAP Appeal Document from 2011 under the reference number 25
The "Secret Ink Technical Manual," dated August 1945, is a 227-page document housed at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). This technical document, which falls under the jurisdiction of NARA, is currently classified as Secret and is a sensitive intelligence tradecraft tool.
The document's classification under Executive Order (E.O.) 13526, § 3.3(b)(1) is primarily based on the potential damage its unauthorized disclosure could cause to national security. This order governs classified national security information, and section 3.3(b)(1) specifically addresses information that, if released without authorization, reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security.
The "Secret Ink Technical Manual" contains detailed technical methods and formulas for creating and detecting secret inks. Revealing such information can compromise covert communication methods used by intelligence agencies, provide adversaries with insight into U.S. espionage and counter-espionage techniques, and undermine secure messaging capabilities critical during wartime or intelligence operations.
As a result, the information is deemed to meet the criteria of potentially causing exceptionally grave damage if disclosed, justifying its classification under E.O. 13526, § 3.3(b)(1). The classification protects highly sensitive technical details that are vital to national intelligence and security operations, preventing adversaries from gaining a strategic advantage.
The document can be contacted through the National Declassification Center (NDC) at NARA, Room 3400, College Park, MD 20740-600. The ISCAP Declassification Decision for the document is to affirm its classification in its entirety. The document's agency tracking number is EOM-2006-00600.
- The "Secret Ink Technical Manual" houses crucial details about creating and detecting secret inks, which, if disclosed, could reveal sensitive intelligence techniques and compromise secure messaging, falling under the business of national security.
- The sensitivity of the information in the "Secret Ink Technical Manual" is rooted in its potential effects on the finance of national security operations, as its unauthorized disclosure could lead to exceptionally grave damage and provide adversaries with a strategic advantage.
