Documentation
This page explains how Cold Light sources its material, how a single fact traces back to a primary document, and which archives we return to repeatedly. It is the brand's editorial conscience made visible.
The Sourcing Standard
Every claim in every episode of Cold Light must satisfy one of three conditions:
- It is supported by a declassified primary document, with archive reference and page number.
- It is supported by contemporaneous journalism from a reputable publication, with date, reporter name, and original source attribution.
- It is supported by peer-reviewed academic work, with full bibliographic citation.
Claims that satisfy none of these conditions do not enter the script. This is not a guideline. It is a rule.
"The Freedom of Information Act should be administered with a clear presumption: in the face of doubt, openness prevails." — Barack Obama, Presidential Memorandum, 21 January 2009
How a Fact Travels
Consider this claim from Episode 003: "The Italian stay-behind network, known as Gladio, was formally established in 1956 under the authority of SIFAR, the Italian military intelligence service."
Here is how that claim traces back to the primary document:
"The Italian stay-behind network, known as Gladio, was formally established in 1956 under the authority of SIFAR..."
Claim matched to: Italian parliamentary commission report on Gladio and the intelligence services (1995), p. 23.
Commissione parlamentare d'inchiesta sulle stragi e sul terrorismo in Italia, Doc. XXIII, n. 64, 1995.
Senato della Repubblica, Archivio storico. Available via the European Parliament's Gladio resolution documentation.
This is the minimum standard. Where possible, we link directly to the digital copy. Where the document is not digitised, we provide the archive reference number and the finding aid. Where the document has been translated from another language, we note the translator and the original publication.
Recurring Archives
The following archives appear repeatedly in Cold Light episodes. We list them here with brief descriptions of their holdings and their reliability as sources.
National Security Archive
George Washington University
The gold standard for declassified document collection and publication. The Archive acquires documents through FOIA and litigation, then publishes them with expert contextual essays.
Visit archive →CIA Reading Room
Central Intelligence Agency
The Agency's own declassified document repository. Surprisingly clean interface, extensive holdings, and the only source for certain categories of intelligence history.
Visit archive →FBI Vault
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Declassified FBI files on a wide range of subjects, from COINTELPRO to organised crime to counterintelligence operations.
Visit archive →The National Archives
Kew, London
The UK's official archive, holding government records from Domesday Book to the present day. Essential for British intelligence history and colonial records.
Visit archive →Wilson Center Digital Archive
Woodrow Wilson International Center
International history declassified — Cold War documents from multiple national archives, with expert annotation and translation.
Visit archive →The Black Vault
Independent FOIA Repository
A citizen-run archive of declassified government documents, acquired through persistent FOIA requests and published without institutional gatekeeping.
Visit archive →GovInfo
US Government Publishing Office
Official government publications, including congressional reports, committee hearings, and executive branch documents.
Visit archive →Handling Disputed Material
Not all declassified documents tell the same story. Agencies declassify selectively. Documents written by different offices within the same agency may contradict one another. Memos from 1967 may be contradicted by testimony from 1975.
When Cold Light encounters disputed material, we do not resolve the dispute in the narration. We present the contradiction. We say: "The CIA memorandum of March 1962 states X. The Church Committee testimony of 1975 states Y. Both are in the file. We do not know which is more accurate."
This approach is slower. It is less satisfying. It is also more honest. The historical record is full of contradictions, and our job is to present them, not to smooth them over.
Copyright, Fair Use, and Attribution
Cold Light uses declassified documents, which are generally in the public domain in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Where we quote from copyrighted material — academic works, journalism, books — we do so under fair use / fair dealing provisions for the purposes of criticism, review, and quotation.
We attribute fully. Every quotation is followed by a citation. Every image is credited. Every archival reference is specific enough to allow independent verification.
If you believe we have used your material in a way that exceeds fair use, please contact us. We take attribution seriously and will correct any oversight promptly.