The Freedom of Information Act of 1966

Prior to 1966 the American people were unable to view documents or records which its government had or was currently working on.  The public elected officials into governmental positions and after elected it was as though what was being done, while they were in office, was a mystery.  Thanks to lobbyists, the government, and the persistence by the public, The Freedom of Information Act was created.  In later years it became even more important through the transformation of its amendment.  The Freedom of Information Act became an important act to the American people, allowing them access to governmental documents.

The Freedom of Information Act of 1966 is a public disclosure policy of information of the executive branch in the federal government. This law gives the general public, upon request, the permission to release and view executive branch records. The policy, however, allows the withholding of information by the government to the public in nine categories. Some of the classified information includes national security information, information protected by other statutes, internal advisory memoranda, invasions of privacy, certain law enforcement records, and certain confidential business information.  Nine categories of information are unavailable so as to maintain defense and trade secrets of the government which helps the country defend and protect the American people (Freedom of Information Act).  

The idea of a freedom of information law was first thought up by journalists who were worried about the effects of government restrictions.  The problem of not being able to overlook the government agencies was brought to American’s attention as a national issue, and the country needed the government to do something about it.  A couple of important reasons to create such a policy were the bureaucratic secrecy on freedom of press and the responsibility of public officials.  Most of the public wanted to know what was going on in their government, so they wanted the ability to look over the files of federal agencies (Hernandez). 

A Democratic congressman, John Moss from Sacramento, California, was a big supporter of the Freedom of Information Act. He was supported by the press and active lobbyists. Moss led hearings beginning as far back as1955 which documented and criticized excessive government privacy. But as long as Eisenhower was president, Moss could not find a Republican co-sponsor for his proposed reforms for opening up the information on the government agencies (Keen).