What did the declassified documents reveal?

Document: National Program Office – Project 908 Agency: Central Intelligence Agency Date: 1982-1983 Notable: Reveals a secret line of succession to the presidency in the event of a nuclear attack, established by a secret executive order during the Cold War. Provenance: This document was released to the public through a Freedom of Information Act request by Mr. John Greenewald, and was subsequently declassified by the Central Intelligence Agency on January 13, 2015. The document was originally released as part of a larger collection of previously released records on the National Program Office and Project 908. The Document: Memorandum for: Planning Staff From: [Unknown] Date: [Unknown] Subject: MEDUSA Project Office Representative Attached is a letter for DDCI signature responding to a request for a MEDUSA Project Office Representative from the Director, Defense Communications Agency. A representative from the Office of Communications is recommended as most National Program Office activities relate directly to communications systems issues. It is not clear, at this time, that full-time representation is either needed or asked for, so designation of a point of contact is an appropriate first step. This has DDA and D/Commo concurrence. [Four lines redacted under exemption B1] Note for: Deputy Director for Administration, Director of Communications From: [Unknown] Date: [Unknown] Subject: MEDUSA Project Office Representative Attached for your review is a draft letter to Director, Defense Communications Agency, from the DDCI. Also attached is a note to the Executive Director and DDCI about the letter. [Discussion with Bill] They agreed that a full-time representative to help out with the Crisis Information and Management System implementation did not seem warranted now. If you concur with the wording, I will forward the letter to the DDCI for his signature. [Attachment redacted under exemption B1] Note for: Deputy Director for Administration, Director of Communications From: [Unknown] Date: October 3, 1983 Subject: MEDUSA Project Office Representative Attached for your review is a draft letter to Director, Defense Communications Agency, from the DDCI. Also attached is a note to the Executive Director and DDCI about the letter. [Discussion with Bill] They agreed that a full-time representative to help out with the Crisis Information and Management System implementation did not seem warranted now. If you concur with the wording, I will forward the letter to the DDCI for his signature. Context: According to an article by Eric Schmitt in The New York Times, a secret Federal agency established a line of succession to the presidency in the early 1980s to assure continued government in the event of a devastating nuclear attack. The existence of this plan was disclosed in a television program on the Cable News Network. The officials involved refused to discuss details of the plan. Outro: This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. A…

Why was this case declassified?

This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process.

National Program Office – Project 908

◆ BLUF — The short version

Document: National Program Office – Project 908 Agency: Central Intelligence Agency Date: 1982-1983 Notable: Reveals a secret line of succession to the presidency in the event of a nuclear attack, established by a secret executive order during the Cold War.

Date: JUL 6 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)

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What was National Program Office – Project 908 about?: Document: National Program Office – Project 908 Agency: Central Intelligence Agency Date: 1982-1983 Notable: Reveals a secret line of succession to the presidency in the event of a nuclear attack, established by a secret executive order during the Cold War.
Why was this case declassified?: This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it directly from the public release.

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National Program Office – Project 908

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