1942 Lee Street riot reports (National Archives and Records Administration)

This message is to confirm your request submission to the FOIAonline application: View Request. Request information is as follows: (https://www.foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/submissionDetails?trackingNumber=NARA-NGC-2021-001001&type=request)

* Tracking Number: NARA-NGC-2021-001001
* Requester Name: Benoit Morenne
* Date Submitted: 06/04/2021
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

Any public and/or declassified files on the riot that took place on Lee Street in Alexandria, La. on January 10, 1942.
Date range of request: 1942 - 1945.
Requesting information on behalf of Atlas Obscura magazine, with the intention of using the files as research for a magazine article.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Benoit Morenne

Upload documents directly: https://https://www.muckrock.comhttps://www.muckrock.com/

Dear Mr. Morenne:

Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via the *FOIAonline*
website. We received your request on June 4, 2021. Your request concerns
records from 1942-1945 about a riot in Alexandria, LA on January 10, 1942.

Our office uses the *FOIAonline* portal for FOIA and Privacy Act requests
for the National Archives and Records Administration's *operational *records
(records created by this agency). Because your *FOIAOnline *request is for
records that may be textual *archival *records (records created by or
originated in a different agency but that may have been transferred to the
legal custody of NARA), we have forwarded it to our *Office of Research
Services, Textual Reference (RR2R)* staff who handle FOIA requests for
archival records.

Since *Research Services* does not process FOIA requests through
*FOIAOnline*, we removed your request from the *FOIAOnline* website.
Textual Reference will assign you a new tracking number, and respond
directly to you. In the future, if you need to follow up with that office,
please contact them at the address below, or electronically via email
(email is preferred).

National Archives and Records Administration
Research Services, Textual Reference Branch (RR2R)
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2400
College Park, MD 20740

By phone: 301-837-3091
By fax: 301-837-1752
By email: archives2reference@nara.gov

For your reference, a copy of your request is below.

Please visit our website at www.archives.gov/foia for further information
about submitting a FOIA request to NARA. On our main website,
www.archives.gov, you can learn more about the resources we offer to the
public, and you can access our online catalog.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal
operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may
experience a delay in receiving a substantive response to your FOIA
request. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your
understanding and patience.

Sincerely,
Susan Gillett
Government Information Specialist
Office of General Counsel
National Archives and Records Administration
College Park, MD 20740-6001
susan.gillett@nara.gov

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <admin@foiaonline.gov>
Date: Fri, Jun 4, 2021 at 8:31 AM
Subject: FOIA Request Deletion: NARA-NGC-2021-001001
To: <susan.gillett@nara.gov>

Below is an export of the submitted request information for the FOIA
request NARA-NGC-2021-001001.

- *Name and Address*
- First Name: Benoit
- Middle Initial:
- Last Name: Morenne
- Organization:
- Mailing Address Location: United States/U.S. Territories
- Address Line 1: MuckRock News DEPT MR 113297
- Address Line 2: 411A Highland Ave
- City: Somerville
- State/Province: MA
- Zip/Postal Code: 02144
- *Contact Information*
- E-mail Address: requests@muckrock.com
- Phone Number:
- Fax Number:
- *Agency and Fee Information*
- Assigned Agency: NGC - Office of General Counsel
- Will Pay Up To: $0.00
- *Description*
- To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the
following records:

Any public and/or declassified files on the riot that took place on
Lee Street in Alexandria, La. on January 10, 1942.
Date range of request: 1942 - 1945.
Requesting information on behalf of Atlas Obscura magazine, with the
intention of using the files as research for a magazine article.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public,
and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would
inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my
request. I would
prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment
if available
or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter.
I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20
business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Benoit Morenne

Upload documents directly: https://https://www.muckrock.comhttps://
accounts.muckrock.com/accounts/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.muckrock.com%2Faccounts%2Flogin%2F%3Fnext%3D%252Faccounts%252Fagency_login%252Fnational-archives-and-records-administration-129%252F1942-lee-street-riot-reports-national-archives-and-records-administration-113297%252F%253Femail%253Dfoia%252540nara.gov&url_auth_token=AAAj2nwxH2q2mOIAOmGEko20B1Q%3A1lp109%3AYlhBpwd3j-f4DJTeY2ko-komGYM
- *Fee Waiver*
- Fee Waiver Requested: No
- Fee Waiver Reason:
- *Expedited Processing*
- Expedited Processing Requested: No
- Expedited Processing Reason:

Dear Benoit Morenne,

This is in reply to your Freedom of Information Act request, dated June 4,
2021 for records relating to the riot that took place on Lee Street in
Alexandria, LA on January 10, 1942. Your request was received in this
office on June 17, 2021 and assigned the case number 21-36919.

We located a file responsive to your request in the following series in *Record
Group 107: Records of the Office of the Secretary of War:*

General Correspondence, 1940 - 1948 <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/614595>
Entry A1 188
Box 179
File: Alexandria, Louisiana Disturbance

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal
operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, we are
unable to provide a reproduction services at this time or to make the file
available in our research room. We apologize for this inconvenience and
appreciate your understanding and patience.

We welcome you to resubmit your request to archives2reference@nara.gov when
the National Archives resumes normal operations. You do not need to submit
another FOIA request as these records are open; you can email us directly,
and we will be pleased to assist. For updates on our status, please visit
https://www.archives.gov/coronavirus.

We also reviewed our holdings of Department of Justice records. The
National Archives holds litigation case files of the Department of Justice
in *Record Group 60: General Records of the Department of Justice*. These
records are arranged into numerical classes based on the infraction of the
law involved, and we hold various indexes to these case files allowing us
to locate records related to specific individuals or organizations. We
reviewed the General Index to Litigation Case Files
<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1882794> and the Civil Rights Division Name
<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/731115> and Subject
<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/731476> Indexes. We did not locate any
responsive Department of Justice case files.

It is possible that we hold FBI investigative case files related to this
incident. We have referred your request to our Special Access and FOIA
office for a search of the FBI files. They will provide a separate response.

Finally, there may be records relating to this incident in the records of
the Army's Eighth Service Command, which was responsible for Louisiana.
Records of the Eighth Service Command are part of *Record Group 160:
Records of Headquarters Army Service Forces *and are held in the following
series:

Decimal Files, 1930 - 1946 <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12092447>

Entry UD 35

Decimal Files, 1942 - 1944 <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/24200553>

Entry UD 36

At this time, we are not able to access these two series. We will continue
to process your request when the National Archive resumes normal
operations. For updates on our status, please visit
https://www.archives.gov/coronavirus.

We do not consider this a denial of your FOIA request. However, if you are
not satisfied with our action on this request, your options for appeal and
dispute resolution are outlined in the attachment. If you have any
questions, you may reach us at archives2reference@nara.gov.

Sincerely,

David Castillo
Archives Specialist
Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD

Dear Benoit Morenne,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information Act request for records in the
custody of the National Archives and Records Administration. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, we are not able to process FOIA requests according to
our normal procedures. We have assigned your request the temporary tracking
number RF-829. When we resume normal operations, we will log requests into
our system in the order they were received. At that time, we will provide
you with a new FOIA tracking number and a more substantive response. We
apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and
patience.

Sincerely,
Jason Mincey
Special Access and FOIA Program

Dear Benoit Morenne,

This is in further response to your FOIA request 21-36919 regarding a riot
in Alexandria, LA in 1942. An interim response was provided to you on June
17, 2021.

We were able to review the records of the Eighth Service Command in *Record
Group 160: Records of Headquarters Army Service Forces* and located a file
that is responsive to your request:

Decimal Files, 1942 - 1944
Entry UD 36
Box 1
File: 291.2

Attached are courtesy scans of this file.

We do not consider this a denial of your FOIA request. However, if you are
not satisfied with our action on this request, your options for appeal and
dispute resolution are outlined in the attachment. If you have any
questions, you may reach us at archives2reference@nara.gov.

This completes the processing of your request.

Sincerely,

David Castillo
Archives Specialist
Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD
--
David Castillo
Archives Specialist
Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD
Phone: (301) 837-0751

Thanks for checking in. Unfortunately, I don't have a timeframe for when
we'll resume normal operations.

David
--
David Castillo
Archives Specialist
Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD
Phone: (301) 837-0751

Good afternoon,

I wanted to follow up on my email from last week. As you may have seen,
last Friday, NARA announced the limited reopening of our research rooms to
the general public beginning August 2 (
https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2021/nr21-50). If you wish to
schedule a visit, please email archives2reference@nara.gov. In your email,
please provide a brief summary of your topic and indicate that you
previously corresponded with us under correspondence control
number 21-36919.
Thanks,

David

--
David Castillo
Archives Specialist
Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD
Phone: (301) 837-0751

I am out of the office until August 26 and will respond to you when I return. If you would like to submit a reference inquiry, please email archives2reference@nara.gov with your request. (mailto:archives2reference@nara.gov)

If you need assistance with a labor relations or union matter, please contact AFGE Council 260 at afge.council260@nara.gov. (mailto:afge.council260@nara.gov)
--

David Castillo
Archives Specialist
Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD

Phone: (301) 837-0751

Dear Benoit Morenne,

I am writing in response to your request for an updated status on the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request received by this office for
records in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not able to provide status updates for
FOIA requests. Once normal operating procedures resume, we will provide you
with a response to your status update request. We apologize for this
inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Sincerely,
Brigitte Flynn
Special Access & FOIA Program

This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your email.

We have received your request and will respond within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.

If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.

Notice to NARA Researchers and FOIA Requesters

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Thank you.

This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your email.

We have received your request and will respond within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.

If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.

Notice to NARA Researchers and FOIA Requesters

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Thank you.

Dear Benoit Morenne,

I am writing in response to your request for an updated status on the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request received by this office for
records in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not able to provide status updates for
FOIA requests. Once normal operating procedures resume, we will provide you
with a response to your status update request. Please note, we will not
respond to requests for status updates more than once every six months. We
apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and
patience.

If you would like to keep up to date in regards to the latest operating
status of any NARA office or facility, you can monitor our webpage at
* https://www.archives.gov/coronavirus*.

Sincerely,
Ashney Randle
Special Access & FOIA Program

This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your email.

We have received your request and will respond within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.

If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.

Notice to NARA Researchers and FOIA Requesters

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Thank you.

This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your email.

We have received your request and will respond within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.

If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.

Notice to NARA Researchers and FOIA Requesters

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Thank you.

Dear Benoit Morenne:

I am writing to acknowledge your frustration about the long wait time you
have been experiencing in regard to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
request.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has created many unprecedented
challenges in our work. The majority of the records that our customers
request require our staff to be on-site to search for and review microfilm,
microfiche, or original textual records. Even as we expand our reopening,
operations may be temporarily curtailed due to limited staffing and/or
deteriorating local health conditions.

Due to limitations on staff in our facility over the course of the
pandemic, the backlog of FOIA requests has significantly expanded, and we
are continuing to work on logging in and providing initial responses to the
FOIA requests we received over the past 18 months.

When we receive a request, we inform you in writing that we received your
request and provide you with an interim FOIA tracking number. Once we have
logged in your request, we will provide an updated FOIA tracking number and
a more substantive response.

Our small staff has and will continue to work diligently to process each
request as quickly as possible. I want to assure you that we are aware of
your request and we will contact you as soon as we have any updates.

We appreciate your continued patience.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Sharp
Special Access & FOIA

This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your email.

We have received your request and will respond within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.

If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.

Notice to NARA Researchers and FOIA Requesters

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Thank you.

This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your email.

We have received your request and will respond within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.

If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.

Notice to NARA Researchers and FOIA Requesters

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Thank you.

Dear Benoit Morenne:

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request
of June 4, 2021, for records in the custody of the National Archives and
Records Administration. Your request was received in this office on June
17, 2021, and assigned FOIA tracking number 65813, interim tracking number
RF-829.

You requested access to any FBI case files relating to a riot that took
place on Lee Street in Alexandria, La. on January 10, 1942. We conducted a
search of all available indexes transferred to the National Archives for a
riot that took place on Lee Street in Alexandria, La. on January 10, 1942, and
were unable to identify any FBI case files responsive to your request in
our holdings.

Because we were unable to identify any records pertinent to your subject of
interest, we are closing your request administratively. This concludes the
processing of your request.

If you are not satisfied with our action on this request, you have the
right to file an administrative appeal within ninety (90) calendar days
from the date of this letter. Appeals must be in writing and may be
delivered by regular U.S. mail or by email. By filing an appeal, you
preserve your rights under the Freedom of Information Act and present the
deciding agency with an opportunity to review your request and reconsider
its decision. If you submit your appeal by regular mail, it should be
addressed to the Deputy Archivist of the United States (ND), National
Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 4200, College
Park, Maryland 20740-6001. Both the letter and envelope should be clearly
marked “FOIA Appeal.” If you submit your appeal by email, please send it to
foia@nara.gov, addressed to the Deputy Archivist, with the words “FOIA
Appeal” in the subject line. Please be certain to explain why you believe
this response does not meet the requirements of the Freedom of Information
Act. All communications concerning this request should reference your FOIA
tracking number.

If you would like the opportunity to discuss our response and attempt to
resolve your dispute without initiating the appeals process, you may
contact our FOIA Public Liaison for assistance:

Accessioned Executive Branch Records – Washington, DC Area

FOIA Requester Service Center: 301-837-3190

FOIA Public Liaison: Rebecca Calcagno

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500

College Park, MD 20740-6001

dc.foia.liaison@nara.gov

301-837-3190

You may also contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS),
the Federal FOIA Ombudsman’s office, for assistance. OGIS offers mediation
services to help resolve disputes between FOIA requesters and Federal
agencies. The contact information for OGIS is:

Office of Government Information Services

National Archives and Records Administration

8601 Adelphi Road–OGIS

College Park, MD 20740-6001

Email: ogis@nara.gov

https://www.archives.gov/ogis

Phone: 202-741-5770 or 1-877-684-6448

This concludes the processing of your request. If you have additional
questions, please contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Jason Mincey

Archives Specialist

Special Access and FOIA Program (RF)

(301) 837-1624

https://www.archives.gov/research/foia

Your FOIAonline user account for requests@muckrock.com will be deactivated in 5 days due to inactivity.

Thank you for contacting the Textual Reference Branch at the National Archives at College Park, MD.

We will assign your request to a staff member who will contact you with a more substantive response. Due to the number of reference requests received -- including virtual consultation requests -- and the limitation of staff time available to answer correspondence, requests may take approximately 3 weeks to receive a response.

Our research room is open on a limited basis. Research visits are by appointment only. At this stage in our reopening, we are scheduling visits no more than three months in advance as we are closely monitoring local public health metrics due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Research room hours will be Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm. Please contact visit_archives2@nara.gov to request a research appointment.

One cart of records may be pulled in advance if accurate and complete information is provided when a research appointment is scheduled. Please provide us with the citations for the records you would like to view -- including Record Group #, Entry #, Series Title, and Container #(s) -- when confirming your appointment. Please note that due to the high demand of ad hoc (day-of) pulls, advance pulls are not guaranteed.

It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you schedule a virtual consultation BEFORE scheduling a research appointment, particularly if you do not know the specific boxes you would like to request; working with a reference consultant will help you better prepare for your visit. Contact archives2reference@nara.gov to schedule a virtual consultation.

Please monitor our web page (https://www.archives.gov/college-park) for details and updates, as the situation can change quickly. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

Sincerely,
Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD

Good afternoon:

This is in response to your inquiry to the National Archives regarding FOIA
21-36919.

Below is a copy of the final response sent on June 30, 2021. Included are
copies of relevant records.

We hope this information assists you.

Sincerely,
Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 29, 2022 at 6:55 AM
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request #RF-829
To: Textual Reference Archives II Branch <archives2reference@nara.gov>

Nat'l Archives & Records Admin
FOIA Office
Room 3110
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740

June 29, 2022

This is a follow up to request number RF-829:

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request,
copied below, and originally submitted on June 4, 2021. Please let me know
when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference
number #RF-829.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

View request history, upload responsive documents, and report problems here:
https://www.muckrock.com/

If prompted for a passcode, please enter:
••••••••

Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com

PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 113297
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115

PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share,
and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed
(i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the
department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.

---
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: David Castillo <david.castillo@nara.gov>
Date: Wed, Jun 30, 2021 at 1:03 PM
Subject: Re: [21-36919] Freedom of Information Act Request - Benoit Morenne
To: <requests@muckrock.com>

Dear Benoit Morenne,

This is in further response to your FOIA request 21-36919 regarding a riot
in Alexandria, LA in 1942. An interim response was provided to you on June
17, 2021.

We were able to review the records of the Eighth Service Command in *Record
Group 160: Records of Headquarters Army Service Forces* and located a file
that is responsive to your request:

Decimal Files, 1942 - 1944
Entry UD 36
Box 1
File: 291.2

Attached are courtesy scans of this file.

We do not consider this a denial of your FOIA request. However, if you are
not satisfied with our action on this request, your options for appeal and
dispute resolution are outlined in the attachment. If you have any
questions, you may reach us at archives2reference@nara.gov.

This completes the processing of your request.

Sincerely,

David Castillo
Archives Specialist
Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD

On Thu, Jun 17, 2021 at 11:46 AM David Castillo <david.castillo@nara.gov>
wrote:

> Dear Benoit Morenne,
>
> This is in reply to your Freedom of Information Act request, dated June 4,
> 2021 for records relating to the riot that took place on Lee Street in
> Alexandria, LA on January 10, 1942. Your request was received in this
> office on June 17, 2021 and assigned the case number 21-36919.
>
> We located a file responsive to your request in the following series in *Record
> Group 107: Records of the Office of the Secretary of War:*
>
> General Correspondence, 1940 - 1948
> <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/614595>
> Entry A1 188
> Box 179
> File: Alexandria, Louisiana Disturbance
>
> Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the
> Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal
> operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
> while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
> our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, we are
> unable to provide a reproduction services at this time or to make the file
> available in our research room. We apologize for this inconvenience and
> appreciate your understanding and patience.
>
> We welcome you to resubmit your request to archives2reference@nara.gov
> when the National Archives resumes normal operations. You do not need to
> submit another FOIA request as these records are open; you can email us
> directly, and we will be pleased to assist. For updates on our status,
> please visit https://www.archives.gov/coronavirus.
>
>
> We also reviewed our holdings of Department of Justice records. The
> National Archives holds litigation case files of the Department of Justice
> in *Record Group 60: General Records of the Department of Justice*. These
> records are arranged into numerical classes based on the infraction of the
> law involved, and we hold various indexes to these case files allowing us
> to locate records related to specific individuals or organizations. We
> reviewed the General Index to Litigation Case Files
> <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1882794> and the Civil Rights Division
> Name <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/731115> and Subject
> <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/731476> Indexes. We did not locate any
> responsive Department of Justice case files.
>
>
> It is possible that we hold FBI investigative case files related to this
> incident. We have referred your request to our Special Access and FOIA
> office for a search of the FBI files. They will provide a separate response.
>
>
> Finally, there may be records relating to this incident in the records of
> the Army's Eighth Service Command, which was responsible for Louisiana.
> Records of the Eighth Service Command are part of *Record Group 160:
> Records of Headquarters Army Service Forces *and are held in the
> following series:
>
>
> Decimal Files, 1930 - 1946 <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12092447>
>
> Entry UD 35
>
>
> Decimal Files, 1942 - 1944 <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/24200553>
>
> Entry UD 36
>
> At this time, we are not able to access these two series. We will continue
> to process your request when the National Archive resumes normal
> operations. For updates on our status, please visit
> https://www.archives.gov/coronavirus.
>
> We do not consider this a denial of your FOIA request. However, if you are
> not satisfied with our action on this request, your options for appeal and
> dispute resolution are outlined in the attachment. If you have any
> questions, you may reach us at archives2reference@nara.gov.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> David Castillo
> Archives Specialist
> Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)
> National Archives at College Park, MD
>
>
>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
>> From: Susan Gillett <susan.gillett@nara.gov>
>> Date: Fri, Jun 4, 2021 at 8:45 AM
>> Subject: Fwd: FOIA Request Deletion: NARA-NGC-2021-001001
>> To: <requests@muckrock.com>
>> Cc: Textual Reference Archives II Branch <archives2reference@nara.gov>
>>
>>
>> Dear Mr. Morenne:
>>
>> Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request
>> to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via the
>> *FOIAonline* website. We received your request on June 4, 2021. Your
>> request concerns records from 1942-1945 about a riot in Alexandria, LA on
>> January 10, 1942.
>>
>> Our office uses the *FOIAonline* portal for FOIA and Privacy Act
>> requests for the National Archives and Records Administration's
>> *operational *records (records created by this agency). Because your *FOIAOnline
>> *request is for records that may be textual *archival *records (records
>> created by or originated in a different agency but that may have been
>> transferred to the legal custody of NARA), we have forwarded it to our *Office
>> of Research Services, Textual Reference (RR2R)* staff who handle FOIA
>> requests for archival records.
>>
>> Since *Research Services* does not process FOIA requests through
>> *FOIAOnline*, we removed your request from the *FOIAOnline* website.
>> Textual Reference will assign you a new tracking number, and respond
>> directly to you. In the future, if you need to follow up with that office,
>> please contact them at the address below, or electronically via email
>> (email is preferred).
>>
>> National Archives and Records Administration
>> Research Services, Textual Reference Branch (RR2R)
>> 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2400
>> College Park, MD 20740
>>
>> By phone: 301-837-3091
>> By fax: 301-837-1752
>> By email: archives2reference@nara.gov
>>
>> For your reference, a copy of your request is below.
>>
>> Please visit our website at www.archives.gov/foia for further
>> information about submitting a FOIA request to NARA. On our main website,
>> www.archives.gov, you can learn more about the resources we offer to the
>> public, and you can access our online catalog.
>>
>> Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and pursuant to guidance received from the
>> Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal
>> operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
>> while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
>> our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may
>> experience a delay in receiving a substantive response to your FOIA
>> request. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your
>> understanding and patience.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Susan Gillett
>> Government Information Specialist
>> Office of General Counsel
>> National Archives and Records Administration
>> College Park, MD 20740-6001
>> susan.gillett@nara.gov
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
>> From: <admin@foiaonline.gov>
>> Date: Fri, Jun 4, 2021 at 8:31 AM
>> Subject: FOIA Request Deletion: NARA-NGC-2021-001001
>> To: <susan.gillett@nara.gov>
>>
>>
>> Below is an export of the submitted request information for the FOIA
>> request NARA-NGC-2021-001001.
>>
>>
>> - *Name and Address*
>> - First Name: Benoit
>> - Middle Initial:
>> - Last Name: Morenne
>> - Organization:
>> - Mailing Address Location: United States/U.S. Territories
>> - Address Line 1: MuckRock News DEPT MR 113297
>> - Address Line 2: 411A Highland Ave
>> - City: Somerville
>> - State/Province: MA
>> - Zip/Postal Code: 02144
>> - *Contact Information*
>> - E-mail Address: requests@muckrock.com
>> - Phone Number:
>> - Fax Number:
>> - *Agency and Fee Information*
>> - Assigned Agency: NGC - Office of General Counsel
>> - Will Pay Up To: $0.00
>> - *Description*
>> - To Whom It May Concern:
>>
>> Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the
>> following records:
>>
>> Any public and/or declassified files on the riot that took place
>> on Lee Street in Alexandria, La. on January 10, 1942.
>> Date range of request: 1942 - 1945.
>> Requesting information on behalf of Atlas Obscura magazine, with
>> the intention of using the files as research for a magazine article.
>>
>> The requested documents will be made available to the general
>> public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
>>
>> In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would
>> inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would
>> prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available
>> or CD-ROM if not.
>>
>> Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this
>> matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20
>> business days, as the statute requires.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Benoit Morenne
>>
>> Upload documents directly: https://https://www.muckrock.comhttps://
>> accounts.muckrock.com/accounts/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.muckrock.com%2Faccounts%2Flogin%2F%3Fnext%3D%252Faccounts%252Fagency_login%252Fnational-archives-and-records-administration-129%252F1942-lee-street-riot-reports-national-archives-and-records-administration-113297%252F%253Femail%253Dfoia%252540nara.gov&url_auth_token=AAAj2nwxH2q2mOIAOmGEko20B1Q%3A1lp109%3AYlhBpwd3j-f4DJTeY2ko-komGYM
>> - *Fee Waiver*
>> - Fee Waiver Requested: No
>> - Fee Waiver Reason:
>> - *Expedited Processing*
>> - Expedited Processing Requested: No
>> - Expedited Processing Reason:
>>
>>
>
>
--
David Castillo
Archives Specialist
Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD
Phone: (301) 837-0751