Gun Camera Photos From US Navy Court Inquiry Report of Investigation of USS Liberty Attack
| Tracking # |
24-17203 24-16509 |
| Submitted | Jan. 6, 2024 |
| Est. Completion | None |
MuckRock users can file, duplicate, track, and share public records requests like this one. Learn more.
Communications
From: Joe Meadors
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
I was aboard the USS Liberty when the ship was attacked by the IDF on June 8, 1967 and serve my shipmates as Historian of the USS Liberty Veterans Association.
In June, 1997, Mr. A. Jay Cristol submitted a dissertation “to the Faculty of the University of Miami in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy”
The subject of that dissertation is the June 8, 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty.
On page 324 of his PhD dissertation, Mr. Cristol writes, “In addition to the gun camera film, the [US Navy] Court of Inquiry record contains a number of pictures taken by [USS Liberty Commanding Officer] CDR McGonagle during the attack.”
Under the Freedom of Information Act, we are asking for a copy of the US Navy Court of Inquiry Report that includes the “gun camera film” referenced by Mr. Cristol.
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,
Joe Meadors
From: National Archives and Records Administration
Dear Mr. Meadors:
Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via email to
foia@nara.gov. We received your request on January 8, 2024. Your request
states:
*Under the Freedom of Information Act, we are asking for a copy of the US
Navy Court of Inquiry Report that includes the “gun camera film” referenced
by Mr. Cristol.*
Our office handles FOIA and Privacy Act requests for NARA’s operational records
(records created by this agency). Because your FOIA request is for records
that may be archival records (records created by or originated in a
different agency but that may have been transferred to the legal custody of
NARA), we are forwarding it by this email to our Office of Research
Services, Textual Reference (RR2RR) staff who handle FOIA requests for
textual archival records. That office will assign your request a tracking
number and respond directly to you. In the future, if you need to follow up
with that office directly, please contact them at the address below, or
electronically via email (email is preferred).
National Archives and Records Administration
Research Services, Textual Reference Branch (RR2RR)
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2400
College Park, MD 20740
Phone: 301-837-3091
Fax: 301-837-1752
Email: archives2reference@nara.gov
Because your request is for records that may be archival records, we are
also forwarding it by this email to our Office of Research Services, Still
Pictures Branch that handles requests for photographic archival records. The
Still Pictures staff will assign your request a tracking number and respond
directly to you. In the future, if you need to follow up with that office
directly, please contact them at the address below, or electronically via
email (email is preferred).
The National Archives and Records Administration
Still Pictures Branch, Room 5360
8601 Adelphi Rd.
College Park, MD 20740
Phone: 301-837-837-0561
Fax: 301-837-3621
Email: stillpix@nara.gov
For your reference, a copy of your request is below.
Please visit our website at www.archives.gov/foia for further information
about making a FOIA request to NARA. 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.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA had adjusted its normal
operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may
experience a delay in receiving a substantive response to your FOIA
request. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your
understanding and patience.
Sincerely,
Ashley 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
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Sat, Jan 6, 2024 at 2:47 PM
Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request: Gun Camera Photos From US Navy
Court Inquiry Report of Investigation of USS Liberty Attack
To: <foia@nara.gov>
Nat'l Archives & Records Admin
FOIA Office
Room 3110
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740
January 6, 2024
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following
records:
I was aboard the USS Liberty when the ship was attacked by the IDF on June
8, 1967 and serve my shipmates as Historian of the USS Liberty Veterans
Association.
In June, 1997, Mr. A. Jay Cristol submitted a dissertation “to the Faculty
of the University of Miami in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy”
The subject of that dissertation is the June 8, 1967 Israeli attack on the
USS Liberty.
On page 324 of his PhD dissertation, Mr. Cristol writes, “In addition to
the gun camera film, the [US Navy] Court of Inquiry record contains a
number of pictures taken by [USS Liberty Commanding Officer] CDR McGonagle
during the attack.”
Under the Freedom of Information Act, we are asking for a copy of the US
Navy Court of Inquiry Report that includes the “gun camera film” referenced
by Mr. Cristol.
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,
Joe Meadors
View request history, upload responsive documents, and report problems here:
https://www.muckrock.com/
If prompted for a passcode, please enter:
••••••••
Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 156718
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share,
and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed
(i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the
department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.
From: National Archives and Records Administration
Dear Joe Meadors,
I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information Act sent on
January 6, 2024 for records in the custody of the National Archives and
Records Administration. Your request was received in this office on
January 8, 2024 and assigned FOIA Case Number 24-16509.
Your request indicated that you were interested in records relating to the
attack on the USS Liberty by the IDF on June 8, 1967 and the "gun camera
film" referenced in a dissertation by A. Jay Cristol. We ran a search
through our Department of Defense and U.S. Navy photographic holdings held
by my office and unfortunately, we did not locate gun camera photographs of
the incident. Your request was also forwarded to our Textual Records
Division who will respond separately.
While searching, we did find other photographs related to the incident. As
a courtesy, we scanned five of them and they are attached. Just in case
they are of interest to you.
This completes the processing of your request. If you have any questions,
the Still Picture Reference Team will be happy to assist you. Written
inquiries may be directed to the Still Picture Reference Team, RRSS, Room
5360, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road,
College Park, Maryland 20740-6001. Our phone number is 301-837-0561 and
fax 301-837-3621. We can also be reached by email at stillpix@nara.gov.
We do not consider this a denial of your FOIA request. However, if you are
not satisfied with our action on this request, your options for appeal and
dispute resolution are outlined in the attached document.
Billy Wade, Branch Chief
Still Picture Branch
National Archives and Records Administration
From: National Archives and Records Administration
Joe Meadors
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 156718
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
Dear Mr. Meadors,
This is in response to your Freedom of Information Act request dated
January 6, 2024, where you have requested a copy of the gun camera footage
from the Israel plane that shot up the USS *Liberty* (AGTR 5) on June 8,
1967 as referenced in a dissertation stating it was part of the U. S.
Navy’s Court of Inquiry. Your request was received by the Reference Branch
(RR2RR) on January 11, 2024 with the assigned tracking number 24-17203.
We have searched our holdings in Record Group 38: Records of the Chief of
Naval Operations, Record Group 125: Records of the Judge Advocate General,
and Record Group 457: Records of the National Security Agency, and we were
not able to locate this footage in textual records.
In RG 38, we were able to locate files on the *Liberty* Incident in Entry P
25: Records on Attacks, Accidents, and Other Topics of the Office of the
Chief of Information (CHINFO) in Box 2. But these are newspaper articles
and other public published media, which does not include film or video
media.
In RG 457, we were able to locate a report on the *Liberty* Incident in
Entry A1 9002: Studies on Cryptology in SRH-256: Attack on the *Liberty*.
This is a xerox copy of the Court of Inquiry into the Attack on the
*Liberty* but does not include exhibits and does not include special media,
photographs or video.
We are forwarding your request to the Motion Picture and Sound Reference
Branch regarding your request, and they will send you a separate response
to your inquiry.
We would also encourage you to contact the Naval History and Heritage
Command, for the Court of Inquiry into the Attack on the *Liberty* and
other operational reports relating to that incident.
Naval History and Heritage Command
805 Kidder Breese Street SE
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5060
Email: archives@navy.mil
Website: www.history.navy.mil
We would also encourage you to contact the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s
Office for material relating to records of the Court of Inquiry regarding
the Attack on the *Liberty* and what exhibits are available in video media.
Judge Advocate General’s Corps
1322 Patterson Ave., Suite 3000
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5066
We would also encourage you to contact the Navy’s Records Manager for
material relating to records of the Judge Advocate General and records
related to Courts of Inquiry.
Tanya Price
Department of Defense
Department of the Navy
1000 Navy Pentagon, 5E170
Washington DC 22350
703-693-9932
Records mentioned above, should you be interested, are declassified and
open and available to the public without restriction. We would recommend
that you or a representative working on your behalf make an appointment to
visit our facility to review these records in person.
Records in our custody contain a number of files that include information
on your topic. We regret that we are not staffed to conduct the extensive
research necessary to identify all pertinent records relating to your
request within the suggested record groups and their record series. We
would be happy to make them available to you or your representative in our
research room. Should you be unable to come to the National Archives you
may wish to hire a professional researcher. We are attaching a link to a
list of some of these researchers.
https://www.archives.gov/research/hire-help
To make an appointment to visit the National Archives, please visit the Textual
Research Room Appointments
<https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/textual-research-room-appointments-487599>
page if you are interested in accessing textual records.
All researchers must register for a NARA Researcher Card. Researchers are
further encouraged to pre-register in advance of a visit. This process
consists of two parts, including completing the Online Researcher
Orientation
<https://rise.articulate.com/share/uK5NGkSpg74JHLTOcGPmM4e94MJyxQgD#/>
and Online
Kiosk Registration
<https://researchercommunity.force.com/securitycentral/s/kiosk-registration>
.
We do not consider this a denial of your FOIA request. However, if you are
not satisfied with our action on this request, your options for appeal and
dispute resolution are outlined in the attached enclosure. If you have any
questions, you may reach us at archives2reference@nara.gov. This completes
the processing of your request.
Sincerely,
NATHANIEL PATCH
Archivist, Archives II Reference Section (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD
*FOIA Appeal and Dispute Resolution Options*
You have the right to file an administrative appeal in writing via regular
U.S. mail or email. Your appeal should be received within ninety (90)
calendar days from the date of this letter and it should explain why you
believe this response does not meet the requirements of the Freedom of
Information Act. Please address it to the Deputy Archivist of the United
States (ND), National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi
Road, College Park, Maryland 20740. Both the letter and the envelope
should be clearly marked “Freedom of Information Act Appeal.” You may also
submit your appeal to FOIA@nara.gov also addressed to the Deputy Archivist.
All correspondence should reference your internal case tracking
number 24-17203.
In addition to your right to file an administrative appeal with the Deputy
Archivist, you may seek assistance from our FOIA Public Liaison, Rebecca
Calcagno. Contact information for the FOIA Public Liaison at the National
Archives, Washington DC area is as follows:
Accessioned Executive Branch Agency Records - Washington, DC Area
FOIA Public Liaison: Rebecca Calcagno
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Email: DC.foia.liaison@nara.gov
Telephone: 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
<https://www.archives.gov/ogis>
Phone: 202-741-5770 or 1-877-684-6448
NATHANIEL PATCH
Archivist, Archives II Reference Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD
"Pax per scientiam"
Original Request:
Nat'l Archives & Records Admin
FOIA Office
Room 3110
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740
January 6, 2024
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following
records:
I was aboard the USS Liberty when the ship was attacked by the IDF on June
8, 1967 and serve my shipmates as Historian of the USS Liberty Veterans
Association.
In June, 1997, Mr. A. Jay Cristol submitted a dissertation “to the Faculty
of the University of Miami in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy”
The subject of that dissertation is the June 8, 1967 Israeli attack on the
USS Liberty.
On page 324 of his PhD dissertation, Mr. Cristol writes, “In addition to
the gun camera film, the [US Navy] Court of Inquiry record contains a
number of pictures taken by [USS Liberty Commanding Officer] CDR McGonagle
during the attack.”
Under the Freedom of Information Act, we are asking for a copy of the US
Navy Court of Inquiry Report that includes the “gun camera film” referenced
by Mr. Cristol.
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,
Joe Meadors
View request history, upload responsive documents, and report problems here:
https://www.muckrock.com/
If prompted for a passcode, please enter:
••••••••
Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 156718
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share,
and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed
(i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the
department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.
Files
pages