FBI PH 4.23.24

Dear FOIA Officer:

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 records related to or mentioning Paul Helliwell, aka Paul Lionel Edward Helliwell , aka Paul L. E. Helliwell (September 17, 1914 – December 24, 1976). Mr. Helliwell was an officer in the Office of Strategic Services and later a Miami-based lawyer representing clients like the Walt Disney Company. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) created records on Mr. Helliwell on a number of occasions, including:

- An applicant investigation for a position in the federal government, conducted in 1949;

- Criminal investigations related to bankruptcy proceedings in the 1970s;

- Criminal investigations related to organized crime in Las Vegas and the Bahamas in the 1960s and 1970s.

FBI memorandums containing information mentioning these records were furnished to the Watergate Special Prosecution Task Force between October 1974 and March 1975 and can be found at the National Archives, confirming the existence of an FBI file on Mr. Helliwell. Therefore, I am requesting these records and all others that were generated mentioning, or may be related to, Paul L. E. Helliwell.

Proof of death is not required as Mr. Helliwell's date of birth was over 100 years ago.

I am asking you waive any fees associated with this request. I am a member of the news media. My bylines, which include Unicorn Riot, Covert Action Magazine, and the Geopolitical Economy Report, can be found in both print and electronic publications, and I am sending this request in coordination with Muckrock, an award-winning and nationally-recognized news organization. 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.

A fee waiver is appropriate in situations where "disclosure of the requested information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of the government, and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester,” 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(iii). This request would contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of government with regard to the FBI's handling of the Watergate investigation and its investigations into organized crime. Mr. Helliwell was a subject of interest in multiple investigations, notably the financial connections between Howard Robard Hughes Jr., owner of the Hughes Tool Company and other businesses, and Charles Gregory "Bebe" Rebozo, an associate and financial advisor to former president Richard Nixon.

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 $100. 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.