Discovery of “Nonhuman Intelligence” in 2012 DOE Document
I came across a fascinating document while exploring the DOE OpenNet site using the search term “nonhuman.”
You can check out the document here: National Security Information Fundamental Classification Guidance Review, Report to the Information Security Oversight Office, June 2012.
This report discusses the DOE’s internal classification guidance developed in response to a 2012 Executive Order. It outlines various topics that are exempt from automatic declassification after 25 years.
The phrase “nonhuman” appears three times in the document: on page 85 in the “Working Group for Intelligence” section, and twice on page 90 in the “Working Group for Counterintelligence” section.
One notable excerpt reads:
“Seventy-nine topics exempt from automatic declassification at 25 years because the release would reveal a relationship with an intelligence or security service of a foreign government or international organization, or the use of a nonhuman intelligence source; or impair the effectiveness of an intelligence method currently in use, available for use, or under development, with 75 of the topics referring declassification to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), another Intelligence Community agency, or by source document (25X1).”
This language suggests that the DOE acknowledges having information derived from a nonhuman intelligence source. While it’s arguable that the term “nonhuman” may hold different meanings today—often associated with aliens or extraterrestrials—it’s also possible that it refers to information gleaned from material samples or signals intelligence, which, although human-derived, may not typically be considered “human intelligence.”
To me, this seems like a significant find, and I’m curious to hear others’ thoughts on it.
Interestingly, the 2017 and 2022 follow-up versions of this report do not mention “nonhuman intelligence” at all. You can find reports from all agencies here: Review of Fundamental Classification Guidance.
For those interested, here’s the link to DOE OpenNet, which serves as a database for declassified information: DOE OpenNet. I found 63 other references for “nonhuman” in my search—most of which seem to relate to animal testing—but I haven’t explored them all yet.
This is a fascinating find! The usage of the term “nonhuman intelligence” in a 2012 DOE document definitely raises intriguing questions about how the agency was framing its classification policies at that time. It’s interesting that the term appears in the context of intelligence and security, hinting at either sources or methods that are not derived from conventional human operations.
While you pointed out that the term could be understood in various ways—perhaps referring to information from non-human entities like animal research, or even advanced technologies—it’s hard to ignore the contemporary connotations that “nonhuman intelligence” carries today, especially in discussions regarding extraterrestrial life or unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs).
The fact that later reports in 2017 and 2022 do not contain any references to “nonhuman intelligence” could suggest a shift in how these topics were regarded or classified, possibly due to changing political or public attitudes towards such subjects. It would be interesting to delve deeper into those documents to see what other significant information might have been omitted or altered over time.
Your mention of the broader implications of this discovery is critical. It raises questions about transparency in government communications and what might be withheld from the public regarding nonhuman entities. I’m keen to hear what others think, particularly about how the context of the term might affect interpretations around national security and intelligence acquisition. Thanks for sharing these insights!