FBI Case File Number 157-HQ-7782

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-2018-000795&type=request)
* Tracking Number: NARA-NGC-2018-000795
* Requester Name: JPat Brown
* Date Submitted: 08/21/2018
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description: To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
A digital copy of FBI Case File Number 157-HQ-7782, AKA the "Rabble-Rouser Index"
I request media status, as I am a journalist who writes extensively about FBI files - https://www.muckrock.com/project/subjects-matter-fbi-files-10/, which have received national and international attention - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3219376/Undercover-FBI-agents-spy-annual-Burning-Man-festival-light-ongoing-war-terrorism-use-test-new-intelligence-collection-technology.html
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,
JPat Brown

Dear Mr. Brown:

Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act request to the
National Archives and Records Administration, via the *FOIAOnline*
website. We received your request on August 21, 2018.

This office handles 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 *archival
*records (records that were 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, Special Access and FOIA*
staff who handle FOIA requests for archival records.

Since the *Office of Research Services, Special Access and FOIA* does not
process FOIA requests through *FOIAOnline*, your request has been removed
from the *FOIAOnline* website and you will be assigned a new tracking
number by that office within the next 20 business days. If you would like
to follow up with that office directly, please contact them at the address
below, or electronically via email.

Special Access and FOIA Staff (RD-F)

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500

College Park, MD 20740

By phone: 301-837-3190

By fax: 301-837-1864

By email: specialaccess_foia@nara.gov

Please visit our website at www.archives.gov/foia for further information
about FOIA. 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.

Thank you for contacting the National Archives

Sincerely,
Susan Gillett
Government Information Specialist
Office of General Counsel
National Archives and Records Administration
College Park, MD 20740-6001
301-837-3409
susan.gillett@nara.gov

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <admin@foiaonline.gov>
Date: Tue, Aug 21, 2018 at 8:33 AM
Subject: FOIA Request Deletion: NARA-NGC-2018-000795
To: susan.gillett@nara.gov

Below is an export of the submitted request information for the FOIA
request NARA-NGC-2018-000795.

- *Name and Address*
- First Name: JPat
- Middle Initial:
- Last Name: Brown
- Organization:
- Mailing Address Location: United States/U.S. Territories
- Address Line 1: MuckRock News, 411A Highland Ave
- Address Line 2: DEPT MR 59756
- 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:

A digital copy of FBI Case File Number 157-HQ-7782, AKA the
"Rabble-Rouser Index"

I request media status, as I am a journalist who writes extensively
about FBI files - https://www.muckrock.com/
project/subjects-matter-fbi-files-10/
<https://www.muckrock.com/project/subjects-matter-fbi-files-10/>,
which have received national and international attention -
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3219376/
Undercover-FBI-agents-spy-annual-Burning-Man-festival-
light-ongoing-war-terrorism-use-test-new-intelligence-
collection-technology.html
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3219376/Undercover-FBI-agents-spy-annual-Burning-Man-festival-light-ongoing-war-terrorism-use-test-new-intelligence-collection-technology.html>

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,

JPat Brown
- *Fee Waiver*
- Fee Waiver Requested: No
- Fee Waiver Reason:
- *Expedited Processing*
- Expedited Processing Requested: No
- Expedited Processing Reason:

Dear Mr. Brown,

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information Act request of
August 21, 2018 for records in the custody of the National Archives and
Records Administration. Your request was received in this office on August
22nd and assigned FOIA case number RD 58234.

You requested access to case file number 157-HQ-7782, the Rabble Rouser
Index. The file has an estimated 1217 pages, compiled as part of a civil
unrest investigation conducted between August 1967 and April 1968.

You may be interested to know that the National Archives has digitized the
bulk of 157-HQ-7782 and made its four volumes available online:

Volume 1: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6740971#.W5LBwVO9ZC4.link

Volume 2: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6740972#.W5LBwbdykeM.link

Volume 3: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6740973#.W5LBwYw5VbA.link

Volume 4: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6740974#.W5LBwTg22zk.link

The enclosure to serial 165, known as "Bulky 165", was not digitized.

The National Archives conducted a line-by-line review of FBI file
157-HQ-7782 in 2013 and released information to the greatest extent
possible. The file was redacted to protect the personal privacy of living
individuals per 5 USC 552 (b)(7)(C) and to protect the identities of
confidential sources per 5 USC 552 (b)(7)(D). A summary of what was
withheld during that review is provided below:

157-HQ-7782 Section 1: 103 pages released in redacted form under (b)(7)(C)
or (b)(7)(D)

157-HQ-7782 Section 2: 159 pages released in redacted form under (b)(7)(C)
or (b)(7)(D)

157-HQ-7782 Section 3: 125 pages released in redacted form under (b)(7)(C)
or (b)(7)(D)

157-HQ-7782 Section 4: 113 pages released in redacted form under (b)(7)(C)
or (b)(7)(D)

157-HQ-7782 Enclosure to Serial 165 ("Bulky 165"): Entire item (209 pages)
withheld in full under (b)(7)(C)

In response to your request, we will conduct a De Novo review of the pages
that were withheld in part during the initial review of the file. These
pages require screening for categories of information exempted from
disclosure under the terms of the FOIA, prior to public release. In
particular, there are documents that may be redacted to protect the
identities of confidential sources, including FBI informant codes and
informant file numbers.

Collectively, there are 709 pages withheld when 157-HQ-7782 was first
reviewed. Requests for materials that exceed 500 pages are assigned to
our second-tier processing queue. To give you an indication of our existing
backlog, we are currently processing requests received in January 2013. *While
we will be pleased to process your request for a De Novo review of the
withheld portions of 157-HQ-7782, we would like to offer you
the opportunity to narrow your request and potentially reduce the
processing time**. *

* Requests that do not exceed 500 pages are assigned to our
first-tier processing queue. Taking into consideration our existing
backlog, the estimated time required to complete the processing of a tier 1
request is approximately 24 months from the date of this letter. If you
remove 157-HQ-7782 Enclosure to Serial 165 ("Bulky 165") from your request
and leave only Sections 1-4, your request will amount to 500 pages. *

*Please let me know if you wish to take advantage of this option or if you
wish for us to process your request as you originally made it. *

To notify this office of a change in your contact information or to track
the status of your request, please telephone 301-837-3190 or e-mail
specialaccess_foia@nara.gov. If you have specific questions regarding the
subject of your request, please contact me directly at
christopher.abraham@nara.gov or 301-837-2958. All communications concerning
this request should reference your case tracking number 58234.

If you are not satisfied with our action on this request and would like the
opportunity to discuss our response, you may contact our FOIA Public
Liaison for assistance:

Accessioned Executive Branch Records – Washington, DC Area

FOIA Requester Service Center: 301-837-3190

Acting FOIA Public Liaison: Britney Crawford

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500

College Park, MD 20740-6001

Telephone: 301-837-3270

E-mail: dc.foia.liaison@nara.gov

Sincerely,

*Chris Abraham*
Archivist
Special Access and FOIA Branch (RD-F)
301.837.2958
www.archives.gov/research/foia/

Dear Mr. Brown,

In accordance with your instructions, we will rereview the entirety of the
redacted pages (709 in total) in 157-HQ-7782. Once more, this places your
request in our second tier queue.

Sincerely,

*Chris Abraham*
Archivist
Special Access and FOIA Branch (RD-F)

Dear Mr. Brown -

Your August 20, 2018 FOIA request for FBI case file 157-HQ-7782,
(Rabble-Rouser Index) is tracked by FOIA case number RD 58234. You
submitted your request to the Office of General Counsel which responds to
requests for records created by the National Archives and Records
Administration (operational records) rather than requests for records
within the archival collections. You received a response from that office
on August 21st informing you that your request was moved to the Office of
Research Services, Special Access and FOIA. Your request was received in
this office on August 22nd. I then responded to you on September 7th and
provided you with links to the digitized version of the open portion of
157-HQ-7782. I also informed you that there are approximately 709 pages
withheld from 157-HQ-7782 at this time and informed you that we would
conduct a De Novo review on your behalf. I inquired if you would like to
reduce the overall bulk of the request to have it placed in our shorter
first-tier queue as requests over 500 pages are placed in our longer
second-tier queue. In that same email I informed you that we were currently
processing second-tier queue requests received in January 2013. You
replied on September 11th that you wish for the review to be conducted "in
full" and I responded on September 12th with confirmation of your request's
placement in the second-tier queue.

To notify this office of a change in your contact information or to
track the status of your request, please telephone 301-837-3190 or e-mail
specialaccess_foia@nara.gov. If you have specific questions regarding
the subject of your request, please contact me directly at
christopher.abraham@nara.gov or 301-837-2958. All communications
concerning this request should reference your case tracking number 58234.

If you are not satisfied with our action on this request and would like the
opportunity to discuss our response, you may contact our FOIA Public
Liaison for assistance:

Accessioned Executive Branch Records – Washington, DC Area

FOIA Requester Service Center: 301-837-3190

Acting FOIA Public Liaison: Britney Crawford

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500

College Park, MD 20740-6001

Telephone: 301-837-3070

E-mail: dc.foia.liaison@nara.gov

Sincerely,

*Chris Abraham*
Archivist
Special Access and FOIA Branch (RD-F)

Your FOIAonline user account for requests@muckrock.com has been deactivated due to inactivity.

Sent via Fax

November 14, 2022

MuckRock News

DEPT MR 59756

263 Huntington Ave

Boston, MA 02115

RE: Freedom of Information Act Request RD 58234

Dear Mr. Brown:

This is in response to your fax dated November 11, 2022 asking for a status
update for FOIAonline request NARA-NGC-2018-000795, internal tracking
number RD 58234. Due to the nature of your inquiry, we had forwarded your
request to Special Access and FOIA Staff (RD-F) for appropriate handling,
on August 21, 2018. It appears that RD-F responded to your request on
October 12, 2018, and assigned your case tracking number RD 58234. I will
forward your request for a status update to the RD-F office. In the
future, if you need to contact the RD-F, you can do so by email, mail or
fax to the following address:

Special Access and FOIA Staff (RD-F)

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500

College Park, MD 20740

By phone: 301-837-3190

By fax: 301-837-1864

By email: specialaccess_foia@nara.gov

Sincerely,

Ashley A. Bryan
Government Information Specialist
Office of General Counsel (NGC)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, Maryland, 20740-6001
301-837-3642

Dear JPat Brown,

I apologize for the delay you are experiencing in receiving access to the
records you requested and appreciate your understanding.

You requested a status update on RD 58234, a request our office received on
August 22, 2018 and to which we initially replied on September 7, 2018. The
request was assigned to our Tier 2 processing queue for review.

To give you an indication of our existing backlog for cases in Tier 2,
there are *approximately 211 cases* ahead of yours. 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. Staffing levels on-site have been severely limited with
long periods where our facility was closed. Even as we expand our
reopening, operations may be temporarily curtailed due to limited staffing
and/or deteriorating local health conditions. We are currently processing
requests received in June 2014.

Our small staff has and will continue to work diligently to process each
request as quickly as possible.

*Please note, we will not respond to status update requests more than once
every six months.*

To notify this office of a change in your contact information or to track
the status of your request, please telephone 301-837-3190 or e-mail
specialaccess_foia@nara.gov. If you have specific questions regarding the
subject of your request, please contact Chris Abraham directly at
christopher.abraham@nara.gov or 301-837-2968. All communications concerning
this request should reference your case tracking number RD 58234.

Sincerely,
Alexis Bucher
Special Access and FOIA Program (RF)
National Archives at College Park

Dear JPat Brown,

I apologize for the delay you are experiencing in receiving access to the
records you requested and appreciate your understanding.

You requested a status update on RD 58234, a request our office received on
August 22, 2018 and to which we initially replied on September 7, 2018. The
request was assigned to our Tier 2 processing queue for review.

To give you an indication of our existing backlog for cases in Tier 2,
there are *approximately 211 cases* ahead of yours. 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. Staffing levels on-site have been severely limited with
long periods where our facility was closed. Even as we expand our
reopening, operations may be temporarily curtailed due to limited staffing
and/or deteriorating local health conditions. We are currently processing
requests received in June 2014.

Our small staff has and will continue to work diligently to process each
request as quickly as possible.

*Please note, we will not respond to status update requests more than once
every six months.*

To notify this office of a change in your contact information or to track
the status of your request, please telephone 301-837-3190 or e-mail
specialaccess_foia@nara.gov. If you have specific questions regarding the
subject of your request, please contact Chris Abraham directly at
christopher.abraham@nara.gov or 301-837-2968. All communications concerning
this request should reference your case tracking number RD 58234.

Sincerely,
Alexis Bucher
Special Access and FOIA Program (RF)
National Archives at College Park

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

We have received your request and you will receive a response 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.

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 you will receive a response 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.

Thank you.

Dear JPat Brown,

I am writing in further response to your Freedom of Information Act request
of August 20, 2018 for records in the custody of the National Archives and
Records Administration. Your request for FBI case file 157-HQ-7782 on
the Rabble
Rouser Index was assigned FOIA tracking number RD 58234.

Your request is nearing the front of our processing queue. Before we begin
processing your request, we want to verify your current contact information
and confirm that you are still interested in the records.

You may contact us by email at specialaccess_foia@nara.gov.
<specialaccess_foia@nara.gov> If we do not hear from you within 90 calendar
days from the date of this letter, your FOIA request will be
administratively closed.

If you are not satisfied with my 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 e-mail. 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. If you exercise your right to appeal, please 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 my 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

Sincerely,

Laurel Macondray (she/her/hers)

Archivist

Special Access and FOIA Program (RF)

National Archives and Records Administration

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500

College Park, MD 20740-6001

laurel.macondray@nara.gov

(301) 837-2997

https://www.archives.gov/research/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 you will receive a response 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.

Thank you.