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Executive Order 14040 of September 3, 2021

Declassification Reviews of Certain Documents Concerning the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order as follows:

Section 1. Policy. Many Americans continue to seek full accountability for the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11), including 9/11 survivors and victims’ family members. As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the American people deserve to have a fuller picture of what their Government knows about those attacks. Although the indiscriminate release of classified information could jeopardize the national security—including the United States Government’s efforts to protect against future acts of terrorism—information should not remain classified when the public interest in disclosure outweighs any damage to the national security that might reasonably be expected from disclosure. The significant events in question occurred two decades ago or longer, and they concern a tragic moment that continues to resonate in American history and in the lives of so many Americans. It is therefore critical to ensure that the United States Government maximizes transparency, relying on classification only when narrowly tailored and necessary. Thus, information collected and generated in the United States Government’s investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks should now be disclosed, except when the strongest possible reasons counsel otherwise.

Sec. 2. Declassification Reviews. The Attorney General and the heads of any other executive departments and agencies (agencies) that originated relevant information shall complete declassification reviews:

(a) not later than September 11, 2021, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) electronic communication dated April 4, 2016, from the subfile investigation described in chapter V of the 2015 Report of the Congressionallydirected 9/11 Review Commission to the Director of the FBI (subfile investigation), which was identified but withheld in full during discovery in In re Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001, MDL No. 03–1570 (S.D.N.Y.);

(b) not later than 60 days after the date of this order, of:
 * (i) all other records that previously were withheld as classified, in full or in part, during discovery in In re Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001; and
 * (ii) the 2021 FBI electronic communication closing the subfile investigation;

(c) not later than 120 days after the date of this order, of all interview reports, analytical documents, documents reporting investigative findings, or other substantive records (including phone records and banking records, if any) from the FBI’s initial investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks—known as the Pentagon/Twin Towers Bombings (PENTTBOM) investigation—that reference the individual subjects of the subfile investigation and may be found through search terms, keyword identifiers, and other diligent means; and

(d) not later than 180 days after the date of this order, of all records from any separate FBI investigation other than the PENTTBOM investigation or the subfile investigation of any individual subjects of the subfile investigation that are relevant to the 9/11 terrorist attacks or to any of the individual subjects’ connection to an agency relationship with a foreign government.