FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT PROCEDURES AT CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88G01332R000901120010-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 29, 2012
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: April 17, 1986
• Content Type: LETTER

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r4 _ Mt1 AN$MflTAt, Sall! 23 ;APR 86 EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT
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TION INFO DATE INITIAL
Remarks To 6: Please have appropriate response
prepared,, (Provide copy to ER,)
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DCI
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EXDIR
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D/ICS
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DDI
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DDO
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DDS&T
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Chm/NIC
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GC
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IG
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Compt
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D/OLL
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D/PAO
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STAT
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PORTER, WRIGHT,
MORRIS & ARTHUR
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
STAT
113 3 15TH STREET, N.W., WASHINGTON, D.C. 20005
TELEPHONE: [phone]
TELECOPIER: [phone]
TELEX: [phone]
April 17, 1986
Director
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D.C. 20505
1676X
41 SOUTH HIGH STREET
COLUMBUS, OHIO 43215
TELEPHONE: [phone]
TELECOPIER: [phone]
1650 ATRIUM ONE,
201 EAST FOURTH STREET
CINCINNATI, OHIO 45202
TELEPHONE: [phone]
TELECOPIER: [phone]
925 EUCLID AVENUE
SUITE 1500 HUNTINGTON BUILDING
CLEVELAND, OHIO 44115
TELEPHONE: [phone]
TELECOPIER: [phone]
2100 FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING
P.O. BOX 1805
DAYTON, OHIO 45401
TELEPHONE: [phone]
TELECOPIER: [phone]
Subject: Freedom of Information Act Procedures at CIA
I am sending copies of the attached correspondence to you,
despite the many pressing items on your agenda, because I find
the results so unacceptable that I think it deserves your
attention.
I initially filed a Freedom of Information request with the
Agency on December 10, 1982. The inquiry related not to some
matter of historical interest or of journalism, but to the
whereabouts of two missing children of American citizens, who
disappeared in Colombia. This kind of inquiry has some
inherent urgency about it, even though, as we now assume, the
persons in question are probably dead.
Notwithstanding the above, it took the Agency until April
8, 1986 to finally dispose of this inquiry by finally releasing
to us a cable of extremely marginal relevance and withholding
two documents in their entirety without any indication of
whether or not they contain any information which might be
useful to the family.
There must be a way to place certain inquiries on a
priority list particularly when they deal with missing persons
or situations of similar urgency.
Finally, the form letter used by the FOIA Office for such
situations reads like a bureaucratic joke. It states the basis
on which the two documents are denied but provides no
information which could conceivably serve as the basis for
appeal. Nevertheless, the letter requires that the basis for
appeal be explained.
'ADMITTED IN DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA. NEW JERSEY. NOT IN OHIO.
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As a former government attorney, I must say I paid less
attention to Freedom of Information requests when I was within
the government than perhaps I should have. The concerns
expressed here are, I believe, serious and I hope that you will
take steps to review the process and to determine whether there
is not some basis on which we can learn something about the
contents about the two documents which have been withheld.
STAT
Very tray yours,
cc:
Information and Privacy Coordinator
PORTER, WRIGHT,
MORRIS & ARTHUR
STAT
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Central Intdligmcr Agency
Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur
1133 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
O 8 APR 1986
STAT
STAT
STAT
Ile
During the course of its search for documents in response
to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, on behalf of
determined that one document, a cable dated 4 January 1983, may
be released to you in a segregable form. Deletions were made on
the basis of the (b) (3) exemption of the FOIA. A copy of the
segregable portion of the document and explanation of the
exemptions are enclosed under Tab A.
located three documents originated by this Agency. They have been
referred to us for review and direct response to you.
After a careful examination of the material, it has been
of 10 December 1982, the Department of State
The remaining two documents, reports dated 29 April and 14 May
1982 are denied in their entirety on the basis of the (b)(1) and
(b)(3) exemptions of the FOIA.
The CIA officials responsible for these determinations are
, Directorate of Operations, Information Review
Officer andl Directorate of Science and
Technology, Chief, Management Staff.
Enclosed under Tab B is copy of our 29 December 1983
STAT letter to of your firm providing him with
STAT the results A request (F82-0964) on behalf of
01r11 As indicated in our letter, an exception was
made, the responsive substance was extracted from the two denied
STAT
reports, recast into two separate documents and copies furnished to
You may appeal this decision by addressing your appeal to the
CIA Information Review Committee, in my care. Should you decide to
do this, please explain the basis of your appeal.
STAT
STAT
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We apologize for the length of time it has taken to respond to
your request.
Sincerely,
Information and Privacy Coordinator
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 STAT
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29DEC 1983
STAT
STAT
STAT
CTAT
STAT
Porter, i;rignt, iorris and Arthur
1133 15th Street, N*i
riasaington, DC 20005
This is our final response to your Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) request of 10 December 1982 ch, on behalf of
your clients, ou re u
information Co
-ruin
of the Agency's Office of General Counsel
aier a you earlier that the Agency's response to your
client's FOIA request is being sent in an unusual form. This
letter will confirm what you have been told and also transmit
the information CIA has which is responsive to the FOIA request.
The search for responsive documents resulted in the
retrieval of two CIA records. They have been reviewed witn
particular care. The documents in their original form are
clearly exempt in their entirety pursuant to FOIA exemptions
(b) (1) and (b) (3) . An explanation of the exemptions and the
related statutes is enclosed at Tab A. They are exempt in
entirety principally because of the form in which they appear.
That form is incicental to the substance which your clients are
interested in receiving. After several false starts it became
apparent that it was impossible to treat the documents in such
a mariner as to remove all exempt information without removing
the responsive substance as well. Normally in such circun-
stances the Agency would merely deny the documents in entirety.
Recognizing the anxious concerns of your clients, th=
Agency made an eac:eption. The responsive substance has been
extractec:. from the documents and recast is two s-arate
d9ments which are enclosed with this letter. There was no
attempt to paraphrase the substance. The language was liftef
almost verbatim from the original documents. We recognize an:'
have earlier statco to you that our infor::,ation adds little, if
anytr ing, to that availaole in the State Department documents
tnat have already been released to you. I want to assure you,
however, the Agency his made a conscientious effort to to as
STAT
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fortncoming as possible. The determination to withhold the
remaining portions of the documents was made by
Information Review Officer for the Directorate o operations o
CIA.
I ar., informing you of your right to appeal the above
decisions ty addressing your appeal to the CIA Information
Review Committee, in my care. Should you decide to do this,
please explain the basis of your appeal.
we apologize for our long response time.
Sincerely,
/s/ Larry A..~#
Larry R. Strawderman
Information and Privacy Coordinator
STAT
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 STAT
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