Much about the clearance process resembles the Pirate’s Code: “more what you’d call guidelines than actual rules.” This case-by-case system is meant to consider the whole person, increase process security, and allow the lowest-risk/highest-need candidates to complete the process. However, it also creates a  lot of questions for applicants. For this reason, ClearanceJobs maintains ClearanceJobsBlog.com – a forum where clearance seekers can ask the cleared community for advice on their specific security concerns. Ask CJ explores questions posed  on the ClearanceJobs Blog forum

We all have interesting families. Some of them make for colorful  conversations at Thanksgiving. Others make for frustrating liabilities on the SF-86. But one thing is sure about every family: they all have secrets. Whether it’s about Uncle Harry’s dalliances with the maid or an alleged relation to a Bavarian duchess, we all have family mysteries that we’ll probably never be able to confirm or deny.

But what happens when a family’s secrets intersect with America’s secrets? That’s the question that popped up this week on the ClearanceJobs Blog. A user wrote this:

I have recently discovered information about my dad, from Ancestry dot com records. One part is his security clearance, while he was in the Army in 1957. I’m trying to figure out how to decipher what it means, since we know very little about him and have been surprised by his military record and medals.

I recently ordered replacement medals, but am still puzzled by the security clearance. Here is the only line or info about his clearance. I added the quotation marks:

“Security Clearance NAC March 10, 1957 4AA +10 years continuous service, Top Secret; Dossier NRG4”

If anyone can tell me what Dossier NRG4 is or any other part of this clearance, I’d be very appreciative.

Thanks.

How intriguing! And also, how complicated!

Government Systems of Record and FOIA Requests

Now, as any current or recently former security clearance holder can attest, finding written documentation of your clearance is no easy task. Currently, the only written proof of clearance exists in the system of record, DISS (formerly JPAS). For those who received their clearance in the military, the clearance isn’t even listed on the DD214, the official discharge papers upon leaving  active military service.

Given that this clearance was adjudicated decades before DISS or JPAS existed, it won’t be there. The proof is somewhere with the Department of the Army…but that’s a mighty big haystack to sift through for a tiny needle. Furthermore, because “Dossier NRG4” was at some point (and may still be) classified information, there’s one best recourse: a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. 

A FOIA request is a formal petition to the government for the release of previously unavailable documents. The government will locate the documents and assess whether they are still classified, for official use only, or available for release. And you don’t have to be related to someone to request a copy of their security clearance records (assuming that person is deceased). FOIA is how we found out Steve Jobs held a Top Secret security clearance from 1988-1990, despite lawsuits and LSD use. This process often takes a good amount of time, but can be an incredible resource for researchers, journalists, historians – and kids who want to know if their dad was a real-life James Bond.

If you’d like to submit a FOIA request, this article contains information on what kind of documents are usually attainable and how to make a request.

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Caroline's background is in public policy, non-profit fundraising, and - oddly enough - park rangering. Though she once dreamed of serving America secretly in the CIA, she's grateful she's gotten to serve America publicly - both through the National Park Service and right here at ClearanceJobs.