[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 5, Volume 3]
[Revised as of January 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 5CFR1312.4]

[Page 125]
 
                    TITLE 5--ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL
 
              CHAPTER III--OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
 
PART 1312_CLASSIFICATION, DOWNGRADING, DECLASSIFICATION AND SAFEGUARDING OF 
 
   Subpart A_Classification and Declassification of National Security 
                               Information
 
Sec.  1312.4  Classified designations.

    (a) Except as provided by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, 
(42 U.S.C. 2011) or the National Security Act of 1947, as amended, (50 
U.S.C. 401) Executive Order 12958 provides the only basis for 
classifying information. Information which meets the test for 
classification may be classified in one of the following three 
designations:
    (1) Top Secret. This classification shall be applied only to 
information the unauthorized disclosure of which reasonably could be 
expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security 
that the original classification authority is able to identify or 
describe.
    (2) Secret. This classification shall be applied only to information 
the unauthorized disclosure of which reasonably could be expected to 
cause serious damage to the national security that the original 
classification authority is able to identify or describe.
    (3) Confidential. This classification shall be applied only to 
information the unauthorized disclosure of which reasonably could be 
expected to cause damage to the national security that the original 
classification authority is able to identify or describe.
    (b) If there is significant doubt about the need to classify 
information, it shall not be classified. If there is significant doubt 
about the appropriate level of classification, it shall be classified at 
the lower level.