11 November 2014 News Releases

Snowden’s Leaks and the Documents that Tell the History of Electronic Surveillance Now Accessible Online for Researchers

Digital National Security Archive’s Electronic Surveillance and the National Security Agency: From Shamrock to Snowden brings together the world’s most comprehensive, publicly available collection of materials on the subject. The works have been digitized, supported with precision search tools and are now accessible to libraries and researchers via ProQuest.

ANN ARBOR, MI, November 11, 2014 – In 2013, when Edward Snowden leaked classified National Security Agency (NSA) documents, he brought the world’s attention to the issues of privacy, security and global surveillance, begging questions with few simple answers. Now, researchers can go deeper into this controversial topic by exploring its history and impact through primary sources.  Digital National Security Archive’s Electronic Surveillance and the National Security Agency: From Shamrock to Snowden brings together the world’s most comprehensive, publicly available collection of materials on the subject. Each piece has been carefully gathered and selected by the staff of the National Security Archive (the Archive) – an award-winning nonprofit research institute, library and publisher of declassified documentation based at The George Washington University. The works have been digitized, supported with precision search tools and are now accessible to libraries and researchers via ProQuest.

Learn more about the Digital National Security Archive here: http://bit.ly/DNSASurveil.

Available in November, Electronic Surveillance and the National Security Agency: From Shamrock to Snowden includes:

  • A comprehensive set of the documents disclosed by Snowden
  • Documents produced or released in response to those disclosures by a variety of sources -- the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Agency, congressional offices and other U.S. and foreign government organizations.
  • Historical context, with documents that chronicle electronic surveillance activities and controversies of much earlier years, including SHAMROCK (telegram collection), MINARET (the watch list), warrantless wiretapping, ECHELON (satellite communications intercepts), and USSID 18 (retention of information on U.S. citizens).

Records from the U.S. and foreign governments were obtained via archival research, Freedom of Information Act requests, and a scouring of the media outlets that to date have posted thousands of pages of still-classified documents.

“This is a one-of-a-kind resource on an issue of extraordinary public – not just academic – importance,” said Malcolm Byrne, research director, The National Security Archive. “The collection’s editor, Dr. Jeffrey Richelson, is one of the world’s leading scholars of the U.S. intelligence community.  He will provide regular updates to ensure its ongoing currency and value to researchers.”

DNSA is a creation of the National Security Archive with its associated experts and top scholars, and presented exclusively by ProQuest. Now totaling 44 collections that cover the most critical world events, countries, and U.S. policy decisions from post World War II through the 21st century, DNSA provides unparalleled access to the defining international strategies of our time through:

  • More than 104,000 meticulously indexed, declassified government documents
  • More than 733,000 [pages of material.
  • Glossaries, chronologies, bibliographies, overviews, and photographs

ProQuest’s expansive digitization program broadens access to unique information that advances research and global knowledge. To learn about ProQuest’s mission to make serious research more productive, visit www.proquest.com.

About the National Security Archive

The National Security Archive is an innovative, award-winning research institute, library and publisher of declassified documentation based at The George Washington University.  Since 1985 the Archive’s mission has been to expand public knowledge and debate over critical issues in United States foreign policy by identifying, making available (through the Freedom of Information Act), organizing, indexing and disseminating the primary sources that make up the available historical record.

About ProQuest (www.proquest.com)

ProQuest connects people with vetted, reliable information. Key to serious research, the company’s products are a gateway to the world’s knowledge including dissertations, governmental and cultural archives, news, historical collections and ebooks. ProQuest technologies serve users across the critical points in research, helping them discover, access, share, create and manage information.

The company’s cloud-based technologies offer flexible solutions for librarians, students and researchers through the ProQuest®, Bowker®, Dialog®, ebrary®, EBL® and Serials Solutions® businesses – and notable research tools such as the Summon® discovery service, the RefWorks® Flow™ collaboration platform, the Pivot™ research development tool and the Intota™ library services platform. The company is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with offices around the world.

arrow_upward