National Security & Human Rights: Resources

Office of the Director of National Intelligence

• Currently provides: Intelligence Community Legal Reference Book (Summer 2024).
  • The introduction (p. iii) states: "The body of law contained in this collection provides the Intelligence Community with much of its authority and guidance."
• Currently provides report: Global Trends: A More Contested World (Mar. 2021).  Since NIC has published Global Trends "every four years since 1997," researchers should periodically check for a possible updated report.    
• See also: Reports & Publications 2025 + Reports & Publications 2024.
  • Provides Annual Statistical Transparency Report (ASTR) Regarding the Intelligence Community’s (IC) Use of National Security Surveillance Authorities for Calendar Year 2024 (May 5, 2025).
  • Provides Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community (Mar. 25, 2025).   
• See also: Speeches & Interviews 2025.
  • Includes: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Transcript of Fireside Chat, AWS Summit 2025 (Washington, DC, June 10, 2025) + Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Remarks As Prepared for Delivery, GEOINT Symposium 2025 (St. Louis, Missouri, May 19, 2025)

Tip: Apply here for a New York Public Library card to have "home access" to subscription databases such as:

Digital National Security Archive (vendor: ProQuest)

NYPL states: "Contains over forty collections of declassified government documents related to U.S. foreign and military policy since 1945."

U.S. Declassified Documents Online (vendor: Gale)

NYPL states: "This archive allows researchers to access more than 700,000 pages of selected previously classified government documents online.  The archive includes declassified documents from agencies and organizations such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the White House, United Nations, and the Atomic Energy Commission.  Content from this archive includes: diary entries, FBI surveillance and intelligence correspondence and memoranda, CIA intelligence studies and reports, Joint Chiefs papers, and technical studies."

FBI Records: The Vault (@ U.S Federal Bureau of Investigation)

FBI describes The Vault as its "FOIA Library."  The Vault provides a search feature, an A-Z Index (which includes people's names) and the ability to view documents by Categories (including: Civil Rights, Counterterrorism + Foreign Counterintelligence).

FBI: Reports and Publications (@ U.S Federal Bureau of Investigation)

Tip: Filter by Categories, such as: Counterintelligence or Terrorism.  Results display by: Newest.

Donohue Intelligence Law Collection (@ Georgetown University Law Center)

Georgetown University Law Library describes this resource as "a collection of the most important primary and secondary resources pertaining to U.S. foreign intelligence law and national security."  Prof. Laura K. Donohue collaborated with the Georgetown University Edward Bennett Williams Law Library to create this collection.  This collection provides a search feature and the ability to browse by: Creators, Titles and Creation Date.

Excerpt from description: "The collection includes foreign intelligence-related statutory and regulatory instruments; the legislative histories for statutory changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA); publicly available and declassified opinions and orders issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review (FISCR); FISA-related cases in non-specialized Article III courts; statutorily-required reports on the operation of FISA and formal correspondence between FISC and Congress; FISC/FISCR Rules of Procedure; and an annotated bibliography of secondary sources related to FISA, FISC/FISCR, and foreign intelligence law.

Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) (sponsor: U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA)

HSDL states it is "the nation’s premier collection of documents related to homeland security policy, strategy, and organizational management."

National Security Archive (a non-governmental organization located @ George Washington University)

Its guide states National Security Archive is "an award-winning investigative journalism center, research institute, and archive of declassified U.S. documents." The guide describes/provides screen shots of how to use this archive's Search feature (on the home page) and how to find documents through tab: Documents > which directs researchers to a Virtual Reading Room.  

U.S. Department of Defense (DOD): News: Publications + U.S. Department of Defense: Resources

DOD's site includes: U.S. Department of Defense Law of War Manual (updated July 2023)

Military and Government (in HeinOnline)

HeinOnline states this searchable collection includes "books, congressional hearings, committee prints, legislative histories, CRS and GAO Reports."  BLS students can "research the functions of the federal government in administrating the armed forces and the issues confronting service personnel both on and off the battlefield, from women’s changing role in the military, hollow forces, the development of new weaponry, free speech rights, and navigating benefits offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs after service."  Covers "the American Revolution up to the War on Terror."

Finding Declassified Documents (@ [U.S.] Library of Congress: Research Guides)