CIA-Agriculture liaisons 1970s (Department of Agriculture)

Emma North-Best filed this request with the U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary of the United States of America.
Multi Request CIA-Agriculture liaisons 1970s
Est. Completion None
Status
No Responsive Documents

Communications

From: Emma North-Best


To Whom It May Concern:

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

Records mentioning or generated as a result of liaisons and contacts between CIA officials and the following Dept. of Agriculture personnel:

IRWIN, Rick (contracting officer)
BROCATO, Louis (project engineer)
BLUM, Judy - contact in 1973 re incentive awards positions
EMERSON, Leonard - Agricultural Research Service - contact in 1975 re Agricultural Scientist positions

For the purposes of this request, the words "contacts" and "liaisons" are being used in the way CIA used them in CIA-RDP78-00300R000100090121-9 (dated 1975), which officially disclosed these relationships. A copy of the file can be found at https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP78-00300R000100090121-9.pdf. This request may be limited to the beginning of 1970 through the end of 1979.

I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have previously written about the government and its activities, with some reaching over 100,000 readers in outlets such as MuckRock, Motherboard, Property of the People, AND Magazine, Unicorn Riot, and more. As such, as I have a reasonable expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well established. In addition, I discuss and comment on the files online and make them available through non-profits such as the library Internet Archive and and the journalist non-profit, MuckRock, disseminating them to a large audience. While my research is not limited to this, a great deal of it, including this, focuses on the activities and attitudes of the government itself. As such, it is not necessary for me to demonstrate the relevance of this particular subject in advance.

Additionally, case law states that “proof of the ability to disseminate the released information to a broad cross- section of the public is not required.” Judicial Watch, Inc. v. Dep’t of Justice, 365 F.3d 1108, 1126 (D.C. Cir. 2004); see Carney v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 19 F.3d 807, 814-15 (2d Cir. 1994). Further, courts have held that "qualified because it also had “firm” plans to “publish a number of . . . ‘document sets’” concerning United States foreign and national security policy." Under this criteria, as well, I qualify as a member of the news media.

Additionally, courts have held that the news media status "focuses on the nature of the requester, not its request. The provision requires that the request be “made by” a representative of the news media. Id. § 552(a)(4)(A)(ii)(II). A newspaper reporter, for example, is a representative of the news media regardless of how much interest there is in the story for which he or she is requesting information." As such, the details of the request itself are moot for the purposes of determining the appropriate fee category.

As my primary purpose is to inform about government activities by reporting on it and making the raw data available, I request that fees be waived.

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,

Emma Best

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Hello Ms. Best,

Your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request has been forwarded to the Research, Education, and Economics (REE) FOIA office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for processing and direct reply to you.

Your request was assigned tracking number 2019-REE-00651-F.

For purposes of fee assessment, you have been categorized as a “news media” requester pursuant to 7 CFR Part 1, Appendix A, Section (5)(c). No charge shall be made for providing search or review services.

The FOIA, 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(i), requires USDA to make a determination in response to a FOIA request within 20 business days from its date of receipt. In unusual circumstances, the Federal agency time limit may be extended by 10 business days as stated in 5 U.S.C. § 552(a) (6)(B). If your request seeks numerous documents that will necessitate a wide-ranging search, including searches with components and possible consultations with components that have a substantial interest in the determination of this request, USDA will invoke a 10 business day extension for determination of your request.

A search will be initiated by REE for records responsive to your request. If any responsive records are located, they will be reviewed for determination of releasability. Please be assured that a FOIA Analyst in this office will respond to your request as expeditiously as possible. REE appreciates your patience as it proceeds with your request.

Please refer to the case number in any future correspondence. If you have any questions regarding this letter, please contact me at 202-205-9784 or electronically at this address or REEfoia@ars.usda.gov<mailto:REEfoia@ars.usda.gov>.

For additional information regarding USDA FOIA regulations and process, please refer to the information available on-line at www.dm.usda.gov/foia<http://www.dm.usda.gov/foia>.

Sincerely,

I. Cristina Abello, Esq.
Senior FOIA Analyst
USDA/ARS Contractor
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington DC 20250
202-205-9784

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Hello Ms. Best,

I have been in touch with the agency records officer regarding your request (due to the age of records re quested) and REE continues to process your request. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Regards,

I. Cristina Abello, Esq.
Senior FOIA Analyst
USDA/ARS Contractor
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington DC 20250
202-205-9784

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Good morning,

Apologies for the delay in response, as today is the first day I have been authorized to work since the government shutdown. I will check on the status and get back to you as soon as I can.

Cristina

I. Cristina Abello, Esq.
Senior FOIA Analyst
USDA/ARS Contractor
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington DC 20250
202-205-9784

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Dear Ms. Best,

Attached please find a letter with regard to your FOIA request. [http://email.requests.muckrock.com/o/eJwNzEESwiAMAMDXyDFD0gLhwEUe4qSAyrSVEVrfbx-wm4MxVtVAGhlpQtRakwMEjtFhtLOxjt3d423WvXzPMo4B-5nW3tIKqe3qHUpZMlk2JJ6fnMSUbA3qy3pPMk-q7FK3R82BiclOqofU6zjqR0CWsm3tyqUPOEcWeLXfH_ZJLBg]

Sincerely,

I. Cristina Abello, Esq.
Senior FOIA Analyst
USDA/ARS Contractor
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington DC 20250

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

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