Freedom of Information Act - I


May 7, 2010

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has a lot of files. At the FBI’s Office of General Counsel, Attorney Joel Miller says you may read some of them under the Congress-approved Freedom of Information Act, FOIA.


Audio Transcript

Mr. Schiff: The Federal Bureau of Investigation has a lot of files. At the FBI’s Office of General Counsel, Attorney Joel Miller says you may read some of them under the Congress-approved Freedom of Information Act, FOIA.

Mr. Miller: “ It had a basic premise that was very simple: The public’s got a right to know how the government works.”

Mr. Schiff: There’s a new, easy way to ask for an FBI file. It’s an electronic form at the FBI’s website, and you simply request the file you want to see. Miller says upon receipt, the Records/Information Dissemination Section, RIDS, begins the process.

Mr. Miller: “ They do a search of our central records system for records that answer the question. We call that responsive to the request. They process those records, and then they would make a release to the requestor.”

Mr. Schiff: Miller says there’s lots of interest in famous people.

Mr. Miller: “ Michael Jackson, Jackie Kennedy, and the Beatles. Of course, they have the gangster files that everybody likes to look at: John Dillinger and Al Capone.”

Mr. Schiff: It’s FBI.gov to make a file request. I’m Neal Schiff of the Bureau, and that’s what’s happening at the “FBI, This Week.”

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