Thanks kcvl!
Howlin...that "operational" word is BIG...because I know that even in the classified hearings that were given to the Congress re: the NSA program..AFTER they pitched a fit...
they were NOT given "operational" information about the program and Rockefeller and others were FURIOUS..that they weren't...
So...that word "operational"..is a BIG hint at the seriousness, IMHO>
NSA officials have helpfully explained that what they mean by "operational files" is the "nuts and bolts" technical documentation of signals intelligence collection. They indicated that this means material that "documents the conduct of signals intelligence" such as "SIGINT analyst notes and technical targeting information."
Such records are not distributed evenly or randomly throughout the agency. Rather, they are concentrated almost exclusively in the NSA Signals Intelligence Directorate.