Executive Order 14040: Declassification Reviews of Certain Documents Concerning the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001
President: Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Ordered the Attorney General and agencies to review specified 9/11 investigation records for declassification and public release on a staged six-month timetable.
Status: Completed/expired. Is Executive Order 14040 still in effect? No. Executive Order 14040 is completed or expired. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 14040 do?
The Attorney General and FBI were assigned staged reviews of specified records, with continued withholding requiring justification.
Before and after
Before the order
Many investigative records remained classified or withheld under national-security, privacy, grand-jury and law-enforcement rules.
After the order
The FBI and National Archives released multiple tranches after interagency review, with redactions and continued withholding where legally required. No express revocation was located in the principal rescission orders checked.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney General and FBI | Review specified records and release declassified material | 60–180 days |
| Agencies | Conduct declassification review and justify continued withholding | Staged deadlines |
What happened next
EO 14040 signed.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The President’s classification authority operates alongside grand-jury secrecy, Privacy Act interests, FOIA exemptions and protection of intelligence sources and methods. The order required review, not automatic unredacted disclosure.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 9, 2026. How we research →