Letters to the Editor
The New York Times

Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
29 West 43rd St.
New York, NY 10036

Dear Editor:

I believe it's important to set the record straight on an inaccuracy in Monday's story "FBI Under Pressure, Gets Inside Push," a reference to a request by Senators Leahy and Grassley for copies of internal FBI messages sent to the employees over the past few weeks. The story asserts that the Senators have been denied those documents.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The request for the documents came in a letter received by the FBI on November 28, 2002, asking that they be provided by December 19. The FBI will fully comply with the request -- prior to the deadline -- and has never indicated otherwise, as part of an ongoing commitment to responding in a timely manner to requests by Members of Congress who are exercising their oversight authority.

Sincerely,

Michael P. Kortan
Chief
Public Affairs Section