Executive Order 12356 (National Security Information)

Executive Order 12356 was signed by President Reagan on 2 April 1982 (47 FR 14874) and governed U.S. national security classification until it was replaced in 1995 [S1]. Its section 4.2 lets agency heads create special access programs by written direction, and requires each agency to keep an accounting of them that the Information Security Oversight Office can inspect [S1].

What changed

Carter's Executive Order 12065 (1978) had already set up the SAP framework. It also required every SAP to "terminate automatically every five years unless renewed", and ordered a review of all existing SAPs within 180 days [S2]. EO 12356 dropped both requirements. That makes it a loosening of SAP control rather than a tightening. Some UAP narratives claim it forced hidden programs deeper underground, and the text of the order does not support that [S3].

Sources

[S1] "Executive Order 12356" (NARA) / https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12356.html / Accessed 2026-09-18 / Signing date and §4.2 text. [S2] "Executive Order 12065" (American Presidency Project) / https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-12065-national-security-information / Accessed 2026-09-18 / Five-year sunset and 180-day review. [S3] Full research report