There should be some interesting historical news popping up over the next few weeks. During the days of the Clinton Administration, a policy was implemented that forcibly de-classified documents that are older than 25 years. Exemptions to automatic declassification are available, so I wouldn't expect the Jack Ruby files to suddenly pop out into the public eye, but that's not to say there aren't some hidden gems of knowledge being made public for the first time today.
In the past, this mass declassification has shed light on some very interesting subjects - from the cuban missile crisis to the vietnam war and everywhere in between. Including information about a network of Russian spies that had infiltrated the US government.
25 years ago, in the early 1980's there was a serious concentration of government resources focused on the Middle East, including Iraq and Iran.
Clinton should not be given full credit for the availability of all of this documentation - in 1995 he set a five year deadline for agencies to prepare for the release of documents. The deadline was then pushed to 2003 and again to 2006.
There is currently a backlog for mass declassification extending to documents numbered in the hundreds of millions. This is partially a result of the mass declassification program, and partially a result of a small budget crisis within the National Archives. Even still, loads of documents are being released almost daily.
It certainly will take time for scholars and journalists alike to pour through the mountains of recently declassified documents, but as they do, expect some interesting news releases.
Thousands of Documents Declassified Commentary
