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THE
TEN OLDEST FOIA REQUESTS IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
The requests included in this Audit Report are those that the
agencies themselves have identified as their ten oldest "currently
being processed or held pending coordination with other agencies."
(Note 1)
- November 9, 1987 Request to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) concerning Seth Rosenfeld's research into FBI activities
at the University of California. Mr. Rosenfeld initiated three
lawsuits in support of his FOIA request and ultimately settled
with the Bureau in 1996. The Bureau then released approximately
200,000 pages of records, but still refused to release several
categories of requested records. The records dramatically chronicle
unlawful FBI intelligence activities and the efforts to cover
up such conduct. In June 2002, after the San Francisco Chronicle
ran an extensive story describing the FOIA battle, Senator Diane
Feinstein inquired about the Bureau's failure to complete processing
of the FOIA requests. The Bureau has acknowledged that there
are at least 17,000 pages of records that still have not been
produced.
- 1989 [original date obscured] Request to the Secretary
of Defense seeking information regarding the Freedom of Navigation
program established in 1975 to protect traditional navigation
rights from encroachment. This request was filed by then-graduate
student William Aceves, who is periodically contacted by the
Department of Defense to determine if he continues to be interested
in the records that he requested. Now a full professor at California
Western School of Law, Professor Aceves says he remains interested.
- March 1989 [original date obscured] Request to the
Department of State. This request was referred by the Department
of State to the Department of Defense, which it provided as
one of its Ten Oldest FOIA Requests. Seeks information regarding
the Freedom of Navigation program. This request also was filed
by Professor Aceves, as noted above.
- March 23, 1989 Correspondence with the Department of
Defense Politico-Military Policy and Current Plans Division.
Appears to be follow-up correspondence to a request to the Department
of Navy, and appears to have been referred by the Navy to the
Department of Defense. Seeks information regarding the Freedom
of Navigation program. This request also was filed by Professor
Aceves, as noted above.
- October 5, 1989 Request to the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA). This request apparently was referred to the Department
of the Army Intelligence and Security Command and was produced
by the Intelligence and Security Command as one of its Ten Oldest
FOIA Requests. It is unclear from the request when it was referred
and whether the CIA is responsible for some of the delay associated
with completion of a response to the request. Request seeks
"any finished intelligence assessments or other documents
regarding the political, economic, military, and/or social situation
within Iran during the years 1973 through 1978." The request
was filed by the then-Washington Editor of The Nation.
- October 20, 1989 Request to the Central Intelligence
Agency for "records and correspondence pertaining to James
Howard Guerin, born 6/9/30 in Morristown, N.J.; his former company,
International Signal & Control Corp., London-based Electronics
Systems International, known as ESI and any other US or international
entities connected with Mr. Geurin." The request was filed
by the Intelligencer Journal newspaper, based in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania.
- November 2, 1989 Request to the Central Intelligence
Agency for extensive list of materials concerning terrorist
attacks at Frankfurt Airport during November and December 1988,
including Pan American Flight 103. The request was filed by
the American Broadcasting Company, Washington Bureau Investigative
Unit.
- November 3, 1989 Request to the Central Intelligence
Agency by a current Agency employee that seeks a copy of the
requester's "Official Security [] & Official Personnel
files."
- November 22, 1989 Request to the Central Intelligence
Agency seeking records pertaining to the bombing of Pan American
Flight 103 and terrorist threats at Frankfurt Airport. The request
was filed by The Post Standard newspaper, based in Syracuse,
N.Y.
- December 5, 1989 Request to the National Archives and
Records Administration (NARA). This request was referred by
NARA to the Air Force and produced by the Air Force as one of
its Ten Oldest FOIA Requests. The request was filed by William
Burr of the National Security Archive and seeks records concerning
the Berlin Crisis. In particular, request seeks documents from
1961 that were withdrawn from Joint Chiefs of Staff records
accessioned to the National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA). This request was referred by NARA to a number of agencies,
including Department of State, Army, Department of Defense,
and Southern Command, which each released records and accepted
appeals regarding excisions. Records have not been received
from Air Force pursuant to this request.
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