Steve A, Federation of American Scientists

Steven Aftergood directs the Project on Government Secrecy, which works to accelerate the declassification of cold war documents and to promote reform of official secrecy practices. He writes and edits the email newsletter and blog Secrecy News. In 1997, Aftergood was the plaintiff in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) which successfully led to the declassification and publication of the total intelligence budget ($26.6 billion in 1997) for the first time in fifty years. Aftergood authored or co-authored papers and essays in Scientific American, Science, New Scientist, and Issues in Science and Technology, on topics including space nuclear power, atmospheric effects of launch vehicles, and government information policy.