veeneman@MOT.COM (Dan Veeneman) (11/05/90)
I'm not sure if has been covered in enough detail already,
but I can give a first-hand account.
After a visit to my home and my place of employment by two Special
Agents of the FBI, I decided to get my "file." I waited about a month
after the visit (to let the field paperwork trickle down into the main
file) to make my request. I followed the request form contained in
the book "Are You Now, or Have You Ever Been, in the FBI Files ?"
(ISBN number and form letter upon request :-). I made three
copies and had them notarized. One copy went to the field office
(Lisle, Illinois, in this case), one went to the area office
(Chicago), and one to FBI HQ (Washington).
Lisle responded that no records were there -- they all get sent
to Chicago. Washington responded with a basic NO RECORD, and
suggested I contact Chicago.
Chicago sent a 9 x 12 packet about a month after my request.
The packet contained about two dozen single sheets of paper, a copy
of the relevant FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) regulations, and
a summary sheet indicating what was sent and what was NOT sent. The
items not sent were followed by a reference, giving a reason for the
denial. The two most common reasons given were (1) to protect the
identity of their sources, and (2) not reveal information pertaining
to an ongoing investigation (even if you're involved in that
investigation !).
The papers that they did sent, for the most part, had large
areas blacked out. It was rather difficult to put together a coherent
picture of the investigation with 70 - 80 percent of the papers
blacked out.
Under the FOIA you can challenge the "editing" that the agency did,
and possibly receive more information. At the time I decided not to do
this.
All this occured about three years ago, so my memory is a little hazy,
but if anyone wants further details, or the text of the letter that I sent,
I can look it up in my files.
-- Dan
veeneman@mot.com