U.S. Wrongly Resealed Third of Files, Audit Says

The government improperly sealed hundreds of previously public CIA, Pentagon and other records by reclassifying them as secret on questionable grounds, an internal review by the National Archives determined.

The audit, of thousands of records withdrawn from public view since 1995, contends that one of every three was resealed without justification.

The investigation covered historical records held by the National Archives. But it comes amid broader debate on classifying records on national security grounds, which critics say is often done based on political expediency. The Archives said it was working with the government to make the historical documents public again.