Cite as: 508 U. S. 165 (1993)
Opinion of the Court
7(D), the Government had to provide " 'detailed explanations relating to each alleged confidential source.' " 956 F. 2d, at 435 (quoting Lame, supra, at 928).
We granted certiorari to resolve the conflict among the Courts of Appeals over the nature of the FBI's evidentiary burden under Exemption 7(D). 506 U. S. 813 (1992).
II
A
Exemption 7(D) permits the Government to withhold
"records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes, but only to the extent that the production of such law enforcement records or information . . . could reasonably be expected to disclose the identity of a confidential source, including a State, local, or foreign agency or authority or any private institution which furnished information on a confidential basis, and, in the case of a record or information compiled by criminal law enforcement authority in the course of a criminal investigation . . . , information furnished by a confidential source." § 552(b)(7)(D).
The Government bears the burden of establishing that the exemption applies. § 552(a)(4)(B).
We have described the evolution of Exemption 7(D) elsewhere. See John Doe Agency v. John Doe Corp., 493 U. S. 146, 155-157 (1989); FBI v. Abramson, 456 U. S. 615, 621- 622 (1982). When FOIA was enacted in 1966, Exemption 7 broadly protected " 'investigatory files compiled for law enforcement purposes except to the extent available by law to a private party.' " Id., at 621. Congress revised the statute in 1974 to provide that law enforcement records could be withheld only if the agency demonstrated one of six enumerated harms. The 1974 version of Exemption 7(D) protected
" 'investigatory records compiled for law enforcement purposes [the production of which] would . . . disclose
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