In 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt issued an executive order authorizing government officials to protect information pertaining to military and naval installations. The report of the Joint Inquiry was completed in 2002 and referred to the executive branch for a classification review, which determined that three of the four parts of the report could be disclosed to the public, but that the disclosure of a portion of the report would pose national security risks. Handling of Unauthorized Disclosures

Under E.O. Officers and employees of the United States (including contractors, licensees, etc.) (b) Was classified information compromised? There is no blanket prohibition on the unauthorized disclosure of classified information. 13526 describes safeguarding of classified information from unauthorized disclosure and preventing access to such information by "unauthorized persons."
This report provides an overview of the relationship between executive and legislative authority over national security information. It summarizes the current laws that form the legal framework protecting classified information, including current executive orders and some agency regulations pertaining to the handling of unauthorized disclosures of classified information by government officers and employees. The report also summarizes criminal laws that pertain specifically to the unauthorized disclosure of classified information, as well as civil and administrative penalties. Finally, the report describes some recent developments in executive branch security policies and relevant legislative activity.