I propose a change in the law. In a Republic you have a duty to tell it all to the citizenry who paid for the expedition after 50 years. 50 years is enough time for the government to get its shiite together about what missions were carried out.
I don't care if its about how we accidentally dropped nuclear bombs on South Carolina, or infected civilian populations with specially fitted Chevy Bel Airs, or the freaks from Jekyll island hired a patsy to kill JFK. That is the balance point for a free society with national security needs. 50 years. Just as the right age for humans to explore sex is 18. It just is.
I would agree there are standards that need to be set.
However, we MUST keep in mind that a person who was 20 years of age 50 years ago could quite possibly be alive and open to retaliation at the age of 70. If not him, his family. People have long memories.
That has to be taken into account.
You got your wish. The DoD already uses a system that automatically declassifies information after a set amount of time unless the organization controlling that information can make a case that it shouldn’t be released. I can’t speak to any of the other agencies.