About BlackVaultDocs

BlackVaultDocs is an open, machine-readable index of declassified US government records. The archive catalogues documents released through FOIA, special disclosure statutes (like the JFK Records Act), and executive-order-driven releases.

Where the documents come from

Every document indexed here is hosted at its original source — the National Archives at archives.gov. We do not rehost or mirror any files. Instead, we extract canonical metadata (record identifier, collection, agency, release date where available) and provide deep-links so researchers can always see the primary source.

Why this archive exists

Government release pages are PDF-heavy and search-hostile. A raw directory of 2,000 files named 104-10414-10124.pdf is hard to reference, link, or reason about. BlackVaultDocs turns those releases into structured data: each record gets a canonical URL, a collection tag, and an agency — so the corpus is usable by researchers, journalists, and machines alike.

Corrections and additions

Found a mislabeled record or know of a collection we should ingest? Reach out and we'll add it. Priority collections include FBI Vault FOIA releases, CIA CREST, DOJ OIG reports, and State Department declassified cables.

BlackVaultDocs is not affiliated with any US government agency or with The Black Vault (theblackvault.com).