Maurice Girodias (aka Maurice Kahane) and Olympia Press (National Archives and Records Administration)

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-2019-000087&type=request)
* Tracking Number: NARA-NGC-2019-000087
* Requester Name: Mary Jo Watts
* Date Submitted: 11/05/2018
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description: To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
A copy of all files regarding Maurice Girodias, aka Maurice Kahane, (1919 - 1990) publisher of Olympia Press.
Girodias was party to numerous lawsuits and obscenity charges regarding his publications
In 1974, according to the New York Times:
"A State Department spokesman said the Department had taken no action concerning Mr. Girodias, but Edward Kavazanjian, a criminal investigator with the Immigration and Naturalization Service here, confirmed that the bureau had ordered Mr. Girodias to leave the United States by mid‐June."
https://www.nytimes.com/1974/05/30/archives/publisher-of-book-on-kissinger-told-to-leave-us-anonymous-complaint.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,

The FOIA request - NARA-NGC-2019-000087 description has been modified. Additional details for this item are as follows:
* Tracking Number: NARA-NGC-2019-000087
* Requester: Mary Jo Watts
* Submitted Date: 11/05/2018
* Description: To Whom It May Concern: Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records: A copy of all files regarding Maurice Girodias, aka Maurice Kahane, (1919 - 1990) publisher of Olympia Press. Girodias was party to numerous lawsuits and obscenity charges regarding his publications. In 1974, according to the New York Times:
"A State Department spokesman said the Department had taken no action concerning Mr. Girodias, but Edward Kavazanjian, a criminal investigator with the Immigration and Naturalization Service here, confirmed that the bureau had ordered Mr. Girodias to leave the United States by mid‐June."
https://www.nytimes.com/1974/05/30/archives/publisher-of-book-on-kissinger-told-to-leave-us-anonymous-complaint.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,

Dear Ms. Watts:

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 November 5, 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

That office will let you know if you need to submit additional information
in order for them to locate any responsive records. For your reference, a
copy of your request is below.

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: Mon, Nov 5, 2018 at 9:25 AM
Subject: FOIA Request Deletion: NARA-NGC-2019-000087
To: <susan.gillett@nara.gov>

Below is an export of the submitted request information for the FOIA
request NARA-NGC-2019-000087.

- *Name and Address*
- First Name: Mary
- Middle Initial: Jo
- Last Name: Watts
- Organization:
- Mailing Address Location: United States/U.S. Territories
- Address Line 1: MuckRock News DEPT MR 63242
- Address Line 2: 411A Highland Ave
- 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 copy of all files regarding Maurice Girodias, aka
Maurice Kahane, (1919 - 1990) publisher of Olympia Press. Girodias was
party to numerous lawsuits and obscenity charges regarding his
publications. In 1974, according to the New York Times:
"A State Department spokesman said the Department had taken no action
concerning Mr. Girodias, but Edward Kavazanjian, a criminal investigator
with the Immigration and Naturalization Service here, confirmed that the
bureau had ordered Mr. Girodias to leave the United States by mid‐June."

https://www.nytimes.com/1974/05/30/archives/publisher-of-book-on-kissinger-told-to-leave-us-anonymous-complaint.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,
- *Fee Waiver*
- Fee Waiver Requested: No
- Fee Waiver Reason:
- *Expedited Processing*
- Expedited Processing Requested: No
- Expedited Processing Reason:

Ms. Watts--

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information Act request of
November 6, 2018, for records in the custody of the National Archives and
Records Administration. Your request for any FBI case files on *Maurice
Girodias*, aka Maurice Kahane, was received in this office on November 7,
2018, and assigned FOIA case number RD 59411.

I have searched our index of FBI case files. Please see the attached
worksheet, which describes the search terms I used.

Based on my initial evaluation, the National Archives does not have FBI
case files relating to Maurice Girodias, but there I did locate case file
numbers for case files which remain in the legal custody of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation. Files marked as "Primary" are files directly
concerned with Girodias. Please request the files from FBI at
https://www.fbi.gov/services/information-management/foipa.

This response is not considered a denial of your request under the terms of
the FOIA, only that we do not currently have records pertinent to your
subject of interest.

This concludes the processing of your request. If you have additional
questions concerning my review of this file, please contact me directly at
Amanda.Weimer@@nara.gov or (301) 837-0604.

If you are not satisfied with our 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 FOIA and give the deciding agency a chance
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 “Freedom of Information Act Appeal.”
If you submit your appeal by e-mail, please send it to foia@nara.gov,
addressed to the Deputy Archivist, with the words “FOIA Appeal” in the
subject line. Please be certain to explain why you believe this response
does not meet the requirements of the FOIA. All communications concerning
this request should reference your case tracking number RD 59411.

If you would like the opportunity to discuss our 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

Acting FOIA Public Liaison: Britney Crawford

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500

College Park, MD 20740-6001

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

If you are unable to resolve your dispute through our Public Liaison, the
Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) is the federal FOIA
ombudsman. OGIS offers mediation services to help resolve disputes between
FOIA requesters and federal agencies. You may contact OGIS at the following
address:

Office of Government Information Services (OGIS)

National Archives and Records Administration

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2510

College Park, MD 20740-6001

ogis@nara.gov

202-741-5770

1-877-684-6448

Dr. Amanda Weimer
Archivist, Special Access and FOIA (RD-F)
National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500
College Park, MD 20740-6001
+1 (301) 837-0604

https://www.archives.gov/research/foia
Main FOIA Telephone: 301-837-3190

This email is UNCLASSIFIED.

Dear Mary Jo Watts,

This is in response to your Freedom of Information Act request RD 59410
regarding records relating to Maurice Girodias, aka Maurice Kahane. Your
request was received by our office on November 9, 2018. Specifically, your
request quoted this statement from the New York Times: "A State Department
spokesman said the Department had taken no action concerning Mr. Girodias,
but Edward Kavazanjian, a criminal investigator with the Immigration and
Naturalization Service here, confirmed that the bureau had ordered Mr.
Girodias to leave the United States by mid-June."

Given this information, we searched the indexes to the records of the
Department of State for Girodias and Kahane. We located to relevant
documents in the Central Foreign Policy Files, one from 1974 and one from
1976. Complimentary copies of both documents are attached to this email.

Your request also mentions Immigration and Naturalization Service records
(Record Group 85); as such, we have referred your request to the office
that handles those records. Please expect a separate response from their
office.

This concludes the processing of this portion of your request. If you are
not satisfied with our action on this request, your options for appeal and
dispute resolution are outlined in the attached enclosure.

Sincerely,

Cate Brennan

Archivist | Textual Reference Branch (RDT2)

National Archives at College Park

Dear Ms. Watts:

Please find attached our response to your recent Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA)
request for a 1974 Immigration and Naturalization Service order related to
Maurice Girodias.

Please let us know if you cannot access the attachments.

Sincerely,

Rose Buchanan
--
ROSE BUCHANAN
Archives Specialist
Archives 1 Reference Section
Archival Operations - Washington, DC