Hai Lin "Henry" Nee

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:

Any and all files on Hai Lin Nee, sometimes known as Henry Nee. Nee was a Chinese man who lived in central Florida (in and around Oviedo and Orlando), and worked for various technology companies there, including Yang Enterprises and Azure Systems. Until 2000, he was living in the US under a visa, which expired at the end of 1999. He was arrested in 2004 and pled guilty to illegally shipping missile chips to China.

To help you with your search, here are some links about Nee:

http://stars.library.ucf.edu/rtd/4479/
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=1209
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-03-16-china-tech-case_x.htm
http://www.bradblog.com/Docs/ClintCurtis/FDOT_YEIReport_CoordWithFeds1.htm
http://www.bradblog.com/Docs/ClintCurtis/FDOT_YEIReport_CoordWithFeds3.htm
http://www.bradblog.com/Docs/ClintCurtis/FDOT_YEIReport_CoordWithFeds2.htm

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

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 for all relevant names, agencies, organisations and companies including but not limited to those cited in the links I have cited.

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,

George Klees

I argue that this open records request is in the public interest. Hai Lin Nee was a Chinese national with access to some of the nation's most sensitive computer systems, including those of NASA, the Florida Department of Transportation, and Exxon Mobil (http://www.bradblog.com/?p=1209). He was also arrested in 2004 for illegally shipping missile chips to China (http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-03-16-china-tech-case_x.htm). The fact that a Chinese national convicted of espionage had access to such important infrastructure is a national security issue. It is in the interest of the public to know what, if anything, the FBI did to address this serious national security threat. Hai Lin Nee's records should be open to the public for that reason. By releasing the records, the public will be able to see whether the FBI investigated Nee, what actions the FBI took in the course of the investigation, and what the FBI discovered, all of which will shed further light on this significant national security issue. Withholding the records would leave the public in the dark about Nee's activities and the threat he poses.

I would request an explanation for why this request about Hai Lin Nee was not deemed to be in the public interest. Nee, as previously mentioned, was a Chinese national who was arrested for espionage and had access to sensitive US systems, including those of NASA. The public ought to know about the extent to which such a major national security threat was investigated and handled by the FBI.