There is a cost to maintaining the clearance. For Top Secret, I believe every 3 years it needs to be reauthorized. Though I agree with the point that it would h

There is a cost to maintaining the clearance. For Top Secret, I believe every 3 years it needs to be reauthorized. Though I agree with the point that it would have been cheaper to bring back the people who knew the first time - if they remembered. I'm sure a lot of people involved with the project know in general what it is, but the details are the missing problem. If there are no official files, the retirees don't know any better. Who remembers chemical formulations of 1 thing you designed out of hundreds, a couple decades ago?