Freedom of Information Act - II


May 21, 2010

A change in how you can request a file from the FBI. There’s now an electronic form, and it’s on the Internet. And there are thousands of files to choose from.


Audio Transcript

Mr. Schiff: A change in how you can request a file from the FBI. There’s now an electronic form, and it’s on the Internet. And there are thousands of files to choose from.

Mr. Miller: “We have the standard Hollywood celebrities—Steve Allen is there, Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball; presidents—John F. Kennedy; Martin Luther King’s file is posted there; Malcom X’s file; and of course, I can’t forget, we’ve got the King on there—Elvis.”

Mr. Schiff: That’s Joel Miller, he’s an attorney in the FBI’s Office of General Counsel, and oversees operations at the Freedom of Information Act Program at the FBI. Miller says that, per Congress, sometimes things in the files have to be redacted.

Mr. Miller: “There are national security considerations, and individual’s privacy considerations, and of course, we would never want to compromise an ongoing investigation.”

Mr. Schiff: That electronic form to make an FOIA request is at www.fbi.gov. I’m Neal Schiff of the Bureau and that’s what’s happening at the “FBI, This Week.”

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