Glomar response

A Glomar response is an unofficial legal term for a response to legal discovery, which states "we can neither confirm nor deny" that the requested information exists.

It differs from a standard "no comment", in that a "no comment" means "we won't comment" about whether or not we have the information (or if it exists), a Glomar response implies that "we can't comment" on the information's existence. It is commonly used when classified information is involved, as sometimes the mere acknowledgement of its existence could reveal knowledge which is top secret (the unauthorized disclosure of which could cause "exceptionally grave damage" to national security).

The term comes from the top-secret Glomar Explorer project, which involved the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes working on a CIA project to recover a sunken Russian submarine. A later attempt by the media to report on the project led to the response.