Documents pertaining to Cuban baseball defectors

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: <requests@muckrock.com>
> Date: Fri, Sep 27, 2013 at 10:36 AM
> Subject: Freedom of Information Request: Documents pertaining to Cuban
> baseball defectors
> To: foia@nara.gov
>
>
>
> September 27, 2013
> National Archives and Records Administration
> FOIA Officer
> National Archives and Records Administration
> 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 3110
> College Park, MD 20740
>
>
>
>
> To Whom It May Concern:
>
> This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request
> the following records:
>
> Any documents pertaining to baseball players who defected from Cuba to
> play in the United States in Major League Baseball between January 1, 1960
> and January 1, 1989.
>
> I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this
> request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made
> available to the general public free of charge as part of the public
> information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the
> news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for
> commercial usage.
>
> In the event that fees cannot be waived, 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,
>
> Zack Sampson
>
> Filed via MuckRock.com
> E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com
>
> For mailed responses, please address (see note):
> MuckRock News
> DEPT MR 6874
> PO Box 55819
> Boston, MA 02205-5819
>
> PLEASE NOTE the new address as well as the fact that improperly addressed
> (i.e., with the requester's name rather than MuckRock News) requests might
> be returned by the USPS as undeliverable.
>

An acknowledgement letter, stating the request is being processed.

Dear Mr. Sampson:

This relates to your recent Freedom of Information Act request
relating to baseball players who defected from Cuba to play in the
major leagues.

Your request consists of a stated topic rather than describing
specific documents, and therefore is not reasonably specific enough
for us to be in a position to easily locate documents responsive to
your request. Before we can begin to search for pertinent records,
you will need to provide the names of the individuals in whom you are
interested and the year of their defection.

Sincerely,
DAVID A. LANGBART
Textual Archives Services Division
National Archives at College Park, MD

david.langbart@nara.gov
www.archives.gov

Mr. Sampson:

As noted in my earlier message, we need to know the date (year) of
defection, too.

DAVID A. LANGBART
Textual Archives Services Division

Dear Mr. Sampson:

This is in response to your September 27, 2013, Freedom of Information
Act request (#41358) about defections of unspecified Cuban baseball
players later clarified to be Rogelio Alvarez and Barbaro Garbey. We
received your request on September 30, 2013. Due to the government
shutdown, the National Archives was closed from October 1 through
October 16. As such, our response to you was delayed.

Your request consists of a stated topic rather than describing
specific documents, and therefore is not reasonably specific enough
for us to be in a position to easily locate documents responsive to
your request. Without knowing the agency that created the records in
which you are interested, we are unable to begin a search for
pertinent records.

We did search the NAME CARD INDEX to the central file of the
Department of State for 1963, part of RG 59: General Records of the
Department of State. We located no entries for Rogelio Alvarez. The
Department’s central file for 1980 remains in the custody of that
agency. You must send the Department a Freedom of Information Act
request to request access.

This concludes the processing of your request.

If you consider this an adverse response, you may appeal by writing to
the Deputy Archivist (ND), National Archives at College Park, 8601
Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland, 20740-6001, and explain why you
think our search does not meet the requirements of the FOIA.