F-2002-01395 FINAL RESPONSE

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00829639
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: July 13, 2023
• Document Release Date: December 12, 2022
• Case Number: F-2018-00822
• Publication Date: August 22, 2002

Approved for Release: 2022/12/05 C00829639
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D.C. 20505
22 August 2002
Mr. Richard Banks
(b)(6)
Reference: F-2002-01395
Dear Mr. Banks:
This acknowledges receipt of your 18 July 2002 letter requesting records
under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Specifically,
your request is for records pertaining to "the Motorized Submersible
Canoe, code-named Sleeping Beauty." For identification purposes we
have assigned your request the number referenced above. Please refer to this
number in future correspondence.
As you may know, the discovery of anthrax in a letter mailed to the
United States Senate on 15 October 2001 led to a series of escalating safety
concerns about opening, handling, and even being in the proximity of mail,
especially in government offices in Washington, D.C. These concerns, in turn,
led to disruptions in, and then total curtailments of, mail delivery service, to
include Freedom of Information Act-related correspondence, at many federal
agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency.
Under such extraordinary circumstances, the administration of the
Freedom of Information Act has inevitably been delayed at all affected federal
agencies. As a matter of both common sense and legal precedent, when mail
delivery is delayed, so is the commencement of the process of FOIA
administration, regardless of the time at which a FOIA request is placed into
the mail by the requester or postmarked thereafter.
As to the matter of your request, while we can conduct a search of our
general records holdings for additional documents related to this subject, this
would require your commitment to pay fees incurred under the conditions
stated below. If you wish to have us conduct such a search, please so advise us
by return mail, and include your commitment to pay fees.
pproved for Release. 2022/12/05 C00829639
Approved for Release: 2022/12/05 C00829639
For your information, the FOIA authorizes federal agencies to collect
fees for records services. You will note on the enclosed fee schedule that we
charge search fees, including computer time where indices are computerized,
and copying costs for releasable documents. In accordance with Section (a) of
the schedule, search fees are assessable even if no records are found or, if
found, we determine that they are not releasable. This means you will be
charged even if our search results are negative or if we determine that no
information is releasable under the FOIA.
Based upon the information provided in your letter, we have determined
that your request would fall into the "all other" fee category, which means that
you would be required to pay charges which recover the cost of searching for
and reproducing responsive records (if any) beyond the first 100 pages of
reproduction and the first two hours of search time, which would be furnished
without charge. Copying costs are assessed at the rate of ten cents per page,
while search fees for each item in a request are usually about $150.
In an effort to assist you, we searched our database of officially released
records, locating the enclosed documents relating to the subject of your
request. These documents were released as the result of inquiries from
previous requesters. As the enclosed documents total 82 pages, no charges will
be assessed for these materials.
As an alternative, we would like to advise you that the majority of
records from the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and other predecessor
organizations have been reviewed and turned over to the National Archives
and Records Administration (NARA). We suggest you might be better served
by submitting a request to NARA at the following address:
Chief, Military Reference Branch
Textual Reference Division
The National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
We hope you find the foregoing information useful.
Sincerely,
Ae#
Kathryn I. Dyer
Information and Privacy Coordinator
Enclosures
pproved for Release: 2022/12/05 C00829639
Approved for Release: 2022/12/05 C00829639
(b)(3)
(b)(6)
CIO/IMS/IRRG/PIPD ../19AUG2002
Signature assigned by:
Distribution:
Orig - Adse
1 - PIPD/F-2002-01395 GIF
FOIA \ F-01395 BANKS CANOE
enclosures: fee schedule, mori doe 458902 (82 compilation of several does)
pproved for Release: 2022/12/05 C00829639