Declassification of information that is more than 25 years old and is not otherwise prevented by an exemption, declassified on the 31st of December, 25 years from the date of original classification. Which term fits?

• A. Automatic Declassification
• B. Branch Office
• C. Bilateral security agreements
• D. A&E

Answer: (A)

Automatic Declassification is the policy that releases information after a fixed period, provided there is no exemption preventing it. In this case, records that are more than 25 years old and not covered by an exemption are declassified on a specific date—here, December 31—exactly 25 years from when they were originally classified. This timing matches how automatic declassification operates: it ensures older records become public unless a valid reason keeps them classified.

The other terms describe things unrelated to this time-based release mechanism. A branch office is just a physical or administrative unit of an organization, bilateral security agreements are treaties or arrangements with other countries, and A&E refers to something outside the declassification process. None of these explain the automatic release of long-ago records based on a 25-year rule.