History of the Freedom of Information Act
Congress passed the Freedom of Information Act of 1966 in response to increasing concerns about the lack of accountability in federal bureaucracy and the “mushrooming growth of Government secrecy.” At the time, President Lyndon B. Johnson remarked that, “a democracy works best when the people have all the information that the security of the nation permits. No one should be able to pull curtains of secrecy around decisions which can be revealed without injury.” The FOIA underwent amendments in 1974, 1976, 1986, 1996 and 2007. Each manifestation has adopted new measures to enhance the public’s access to documents.