07-05-2014, 07:09 PM
David Guyatt Wrote:My sense too, is that the vast bulk of material is kept, as there is confidence that the classification and redacting system will handle all formal requests, and the law for breach of secrets covers everything else.
I filed an FOIA for Brig. General Erle Cocke Jr of the CIA Nugan Hand bank fame. In a deposition he gave shortly before his death from pancreatic cancer, Cocke openly said that he did jobs for the US and regularly got visits from the CIA for debriefs when he returned from abroad.
The CIA in their rejection stated they had never heard of him.
Entirely disbelieve-able and, in my view, simply a "go away and don't come back again" strategy. In their reply, they referenced "Erle Cocke Jr.", and I guess this was purposeful as it was probably filed under his military rank and name.
Oh, the CIA, FBI and Military Agencies are experts at purposefully misfilling, misspelling, or other finding ways of denying FOIA requests based on: not requesting the name they have on the file [though they know exactly who you mean]; their filing based on a nom de guerre; wrong rank; not listing all names and ranks in FOIA - and endless other variants. I was very lucky to get my most important files on someone only because I had an inside 'friend' in some entity that held files. They found files with the exact name I sought; but they had been filed in a folder [and recorded in the general index] under a mis-spelling of the person's name.....the reason the 'others' in this entity said they couldn't find any files responsive to my request. Then there is always the 'do not file file'.....which are kept in a place where no one is allowed to look for files. There is the 'we had a fire in the record storage area' [I officially have one of those...no make that three]...and endless other clever [sic] methods of denying they have anything or will give up any files on your request. I've seen everything except [so far] 'the dog we keep at the agency here ate your files requested'.
Then sometimes [often, in fact] they just say no....with Plumlee, for example - the FBI gave up some of their files on him [many heavily redacted - see post above], but the CIA said they had files 'responsive', but do to 'reasons of National Security' denied them all in full. Yes, you can if you have lots of time and money fight with them in Court....but....
....look at the situation with JFK assassination-related files after 50 years!...and they hope to do the same with the 9-11-01 files and all files on all of their own dirty tricks. ::bowtie::
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass