FBI Minutemen 11.22.21
| Tracking # |
1510700-000 1510574-000 |
| Submitted | Nov. 22, 2021 |
| Due | Feb. 4, 2022 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Robert Skvarla, Jr.
To Whom It May Concern:
You are receiving this correspondence as a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. subsection 552. I am requesting the following:
All bureau files covering investigations into the Minutemen organization in the following cities: Chicago (105-11643), Los Angeles (62-5101), Miami (105-4921), Phoenix (105-1226), and San Diego (100-12461). The Minutemen were a right-wing paramilitary group founded in June 1960 by businessman Robert Bolivar DePugh and operated in some capacity in cities throughout the United States between 1960 and 1969. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has already made public files on Robert Bolivar DePugh and Minutemen operations in cities like New York City, so I am asking the FBI provide copies of files on these additional cities so the public may have a greater understanding of this organization and its place within the social unrest of the sixties.
Please conduct a search of the Central Records System, including but not limited to the Electronic Surveillance (ELSUR) Indices, the Microphone Surveillance (MISUR) Indices, the Physical Surveillance (FISUR) Indices, and the Technical Surveillance (TESUR) Indices, for both main-file records and cross-reference records.
I am a member of the news media, and I am asking you waive any fees associated with this request. I have written for Philly Voice and Atlas Obscura. Please take note of the Office of Management and Budget guidelines published March 27, 1987 (52 FR 10012) that include electronic publications and other nontraditional publishers as representatives of the news media.
This request is not being made for commercial purposes. All documents will be provided to the general public without charge.
In the event that there are fees, I am willing to pay up to $250. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
I look forward to your response within 20 working days, as the statute requires. If access to the records I am requesting will take longer, please contact me with information about when I might expect copies or the ability to inspect the requested records.
If you deny any or all of this request, please cite each specific exemption you feel justifies the refusal to release the information and notify me of the appeal procedures available to me under the law.
Sincerely,
Robert Skvarla, Jr.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
There are eFOIA files available for you to download.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
There are eFOIA files available for you to download.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
There are eFOIA files available for you to download.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
There are eFOIA files available for you to download.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
There are eFOIA files available for you to download.
From: Robert Skvarla, Jr.
To Whom It May Concern:
I do not wish to reduce the scope of requests 1510574-000, 1510698-000, 1510699-000, 1510701-000, and 1510700-000. Please search for all documents responsive to these requests.
From: Robert Skvarla, Jr.
To Initial Processing Operations Unit:
I do not wish to reduce the scope of requests 1510574-000, 1510698-000, 1510699-000, 1510701-000, and 1510700-000. Please search for all documents responsive to these requests.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Good morning,
Thank you for contacting foipaquestions@fbi.gov. Please check the status of your FOIPA Request at http://vault.fbi.gov by clicking on "Check Status of Your FOI/PA Request" on the right side of the page, and follow the instructions below.
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The FBI's FOIPA Program is searching the FBI's indices for potentially responsive documents.
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Requests are processed in the order in which they are received through our multi-track processing system. Requests are divided into two primary tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Complex requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks based upon request size. Simple track requests typically require the least amount of time to process. Currently, simple track cases average approximately 152 days from the date of receipt for processing. Our complex requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 922 days, large processing track are currently averaging approximately 1,964 days, and extra-large processing track are currently averaging 2,360 days for processing.
Respectfully,
Public Information Officer
FBI - Information Management Division
200 Constitution Drive
Winchester, VA 22602
O: (540) 868-4593
E: foipaquestions@fbi.gov<mailto:foipaquestions@fbi.gov>
Do you have further questions about the FOI/PA process? Visit us at http://www.fbi.gov/foia
Please check the status of your request online at https://vault.fbi.gov/fdps-1/@@search-fdps Status updates are performed on a weekly basis.
Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency, please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action, please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local field office.
-
~WRD0000
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 22, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #1510574-000.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
There are eFOIA files available for you to download.
You can download the files at:
* [Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114499_R394712_D164636693.pdf](https://efoia.fbi.gov/download-file/submission-aaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4/NXyJWot2AoEvueC/Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114499_R394712_D164636693.pdf)
* [Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114499_R394712_D164636695.pdf](https://efoia.fbi.gov/download-file/submission-aaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4/dTqDtfVSIfBTa9A/Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114499_R394712_D164636695.pdf)
* [Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114499_R394712_D164636697.pdf](https://efoia.fbi.gov/download-file/submission-aaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4/6E5AuWdQO0YA4XA/Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114499_R394712_D164636697.pdf)
* [Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114499_R394712_D164704277.pdf](https://efoia.fbi.gov/download-file/submission-aaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4/BIoIp8dvdCSzck9/Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114499_R394712_D164704277.pdf)
**Please Note:**
The above link(s) are only active for 48hrs. After the link expires you will
have the option to reactivate the link(s) for an additional 48hrs. The max
renewal limit is two (2) times. Thereafter, the links can no longer be
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From:
Please see attached. Thank you.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
There are eFOIA files available for you to download.
From: Robert Skvarla, Jr.
To FOIA Appeals Officer:
You are receiving this correspondence as a request under the Freedom of Information (FOIA) Act, 5 U.S.C. subsection 552. I am appealing the following:
On November 22, 2022, I submitted Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA) request number 1510574-000 via MuckRock seeking all Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) records on the Chicago chapter of paramilitary group the Minutemen. At that time, I included the chapter’s Bureau file number (105-11643) for reference purposes.
On June 16, 2022, I received a response letter from the FBI releasing only one page from the chapter’s Bureau file and rejecting the rest of my request. The rejection letter cited FOIA exemptions (b)(3) 50 U.S.C., § 3024 (i)(1), (b)(6), (b)(7)(c), and (b)(7)(e). I am appealing these exemptions for the following reasons:
(b)(6) and (b)(7)(c): Exemptions (b)(6) and (b)(7)(c) are written to protect the rights of individuals against a clear and unwarranted “invasion of personal privacy,” with (b)(6) specifically covering personnel and medical files. First, I am not requesting personnel or medical files; I am asking for files from investigations into a right-wing paramilitary group. I believe exemption (b)(6) may have been included in error and request a review of this exemption.
Next, persons and groups may retain privacy rights under some circumstances, but, per the United States Court of Appeals, District Columbia Circuit, in Fund for Constitutional Government v. National Archives & Records Service, these rights yield “where exceptional interests militate in favor of disclosure.” Through actions and public statements made by Minuteman founder Robert Bolivar DePugh, the Minutemen and any subsequent chapters have no expectations of privacy because they are figures of exceptional public interest. Mr. DePugh spoke at length with newspapers about the group and participated in an unofficial biography, published in 1968 under the title "The Minutemen" (later re-released in 1969 as "A Private Army").
Additionally, the FBI has already released files on Robert Bolivar DePugh and the Minutemen to researcher John Greenwald, Jr. in 2018, as part of FOIPA request number 1415062-000 (attached under "1510574-000 Appeal Documents"). Other files on the New York City chapter were released to researcher Ernie Lazar prior to that (attached under "1510574-000 Appeal Documents"). These documents are publicly accessible in a variety of formats as of the writing of this appeal; Mr. Greenwald’s can be found on his site, The Black Vault, while Mr. Lazar’s are collected at the Internet Archive. Privacy concerns cannot be re-extended to figures where they have already been waived or determined no longer applicable.
(b)(3) 50 U.S.C., § 3024 (i)(1) and (b)(7)(e): These exemption cover information that disclose “intelligence sources and methods” and “techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions, or would disclose guidelines for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions if such disclosure could reasonably be expected to risk circumvention of the law." However, these would not apply as the group in question, the Minutemen, ceased operations and disbanded in the 1970s. Although individuals may have claimed to revive the group at various points since then, there are no active chapters of the Minutemen at this time. The group’s founder, Robert Bolivar DePugh, passed away on June 30, 2009 (attached as "Minuteman outlasted notoriety..."). In the absence of a functioning body and the death of Mr. DePugh, the release of these files would not risk circumvention of the law by any living parties.
Many of the intelligence sources for the FBI have also been disclosed elsewhere. These individuals include: Michael Desmond Sadewhite, who served as a Bureau informant from 1966 until 1967 (attached under "1510574-000 Appeal Documents"); Henry Edward Warren, who disclosed information on the Minutemen from 1966 to 1968; and Jerry Milton Brooks, who testified against Mr. DePugh in 1966 and later claimed to have worked as an informant for both the FBI and then-Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Unit. These individuals have all been identified publicly in newspaper articles during the 1960s and 1970s or in J. Harry Jones’s book "The Minutemen".
Also, as previously mentioned, documents containing information about Mr. DePugh and the Minutemen have been released in other FOIPA releases in the past. Any concerns over disclosures with regard to intelligence sources or law enforcement investigation techniques or methods would have been voided upon the release of those documents.
Finally, I am renewing my request for a fee waiver. I am a member of the news media, with bylines including CovertAction Magazine, Janata Weekly, and Philly Voice. Please take note of the Office of Management and Budget guidelines published March 27, 1987 (52 FR 10012) that include electronic publications and other nontraditional publishers as representatives of the news media.
Thank you for your prompt response to this appeal. I appreciate the work that the FBI's Information Management Division does in processing FOIA requests and disseminating eligible material. As provided in 5 U.S.C. subsection 552(a)(6)(A)(ii), I anticipate that you will produce responsive documents within twenty (20) working days of receipt of this appeal.
Sincerely,
Robert Skvarla, Jr.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
There are eFOIA files available for you to download.
You can download the files at:
* [Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114715_R401632_D164756228.pdf](https://efoia.fbi.gov/download-file/submission-aaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4/C6DP72jnu9sLcLj/Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114715_R401632_D164756228.pdf)
* [Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114715_R401632_D164756229.pdf](https://efoia.fbi.gov/download-file/submission-aaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4/49ZtxoIPWk4Ai6u/Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114715_R401632_D164756229.pdf)
* [Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114715_R401632_D164756231.pdf](https://efoia.fbi.gov/download-file/submission-aaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4/Sug3Axgs1CrI8h0/Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114715_R401632_D164756231.pdf)
* [Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114715_R401632_D164777948.pdf](https://efoia.fbi.gov/download-file/submission-aaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4/qdE9vUyGFtFeVoh/Eaaf00c2a470cb203fccb5a0f24be5e78203d26e4_Q114715_R401632_D164777948.pdf)
**Please Note:**
The above link(s) are only active for 48hrs. After the link expires you will
have the option to reactivate the link(s) for an additional 48hrs. The max
renewal limit is two (2) times. Thereafter, the links can no longer be
accessed.
You can renew the download files by logging into the efoia system and clicking
the "Renew" button in the file list.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
There are eFOIA files available for you to download.
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