Crittenden Report facts for kids
The Crittenden Report was a special investigation by the United States Navy in 1957. It was led by Navy Captain S.H. Crittenden, Jr. The official name was very long, but its main goal was to look at the Navy's rules and policies for its members.
The Crittenden Report looked closely at the Navy's rules for its personnel. These rules were partly based on an earlier report from 1950, sometimes called the Hoey Report. That report was from a committee in the United States Senate.
Key Findings of the Report
The Crittenden Report came to an important conclusion. It said there was "no good reason to believe" that certain individuals were a security risk. It also criticized the earlier Hoey Report. The Crittenden Report stated that no intelligence group had provided facts to support the opinions in the Hoey Report. It found that the idea of these individuals being a security risk was "not supported by enough facts."
The report was finished on March 15, 1957. It focused on three main things:
- What was known about human behavior and how to understand it.
- The rules and methods the military used for its policies.
- Suggestions for how to handle situations, investigations, and policies.
The Crittenden Board noted that the military seemed to focus too much on certain behaviors. They also said that many old ideas about these behaviors were wrong. They explained that new facts were showing how these old ideas were incorrect.
Keeping the Report Secret
The Crittenden Report was kept secret for many years. It was not made public until 1976. Navy officials first said they had no records of such studies. However, lawyers found out about the report. They were able to get it using a law called the Freedom of Information Act.
Even in 1981, the Navy still could not provide all parts of the report. Some parts, like those with copies of old rules and statements from Navy officials, were still missing.
