In 1978, the director of the CIA warned that excessive, impulsive secrecy was a danger — not only to the public’s right to know, but to the agency’s ability to keep the important secrets. 40 years later, that lesson still needs repeating.

After five years of trying to get records out of the Harvard University Police Department, I ended up spending $125 on a high-resolution photo German Chancellor Angela Merkel. This is the story of how and why.

Celebrated Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme found himself in hot water for accidentally bringing a loaded firearm to the airport on more than one occasion, according to his FBI file.

Heading to New Orleans for #ONA2019 and not sure what to wear in Louisiana in the fall? Well, you’re in luck. The Society of Former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation had their annual conference in NOLA in 1972, and their official publication, “The Grapevine,” has you covered. Literally.

There’s a running joke on both sides of the transparency community that the standards for secrecy are so absurd that “you could easily classify a ham sandwich.” And nowhere does that dictum ring more true than in regards to the Central Intelligence Agency, which has, on multiple occasions, classified ham sandwiches.