MDR Request for Oct. 1948 CIA report on "Project Icon"

To Whom It May Concern:

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

I seek a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) of a CIA report made in October 1948. According to a 1998 declassified CIA history by Kevin C. Ruffner, "Cold War Allies: The Origins of CIA's Relationship with Ukrainian Nationalists" (hereafter "RUFFNER"), there exists a report entitled "Project ICON: Postwar Ukrainian Exile Organizations in Western Europe," which is 30 pages long and dated 20 October 1948. The requested report is hereafter referenced as "ICON." My request is specifically for the entire unredacted ICON report.

The report is referenced on pages 31 and 36 of RUFFNER, which can be accessed at the CIA's own FOIA reading room, URL: http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143/STUDIES%20IN%20INTELLIGENCE%20NAZI%20-%20RELATED%20ARTICLES_0015.pdf.

If it assists you in locating this document, RUFFNER gave the location of ICON as "MGM-A-793, Political and Psychological Staff Job, [one or two words redacted], Box 1, Folder 5."

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. There have been numerous articles on the history of Ukrainian nationalism and U.S. or other national assistance to Ukrainian nationalists. As one example, I reference two articles at the website of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, "Western Ukraine Deputies Dismiss Criticism Over Controversial War-Era Nationalist," March 30, 2010 (URL: http://www.rferl.org/content/Western_Ukraine_Deputies_Dismiss_Criticism_Over_Controversial_WarEra_Nationalist_/1973880.html); and "World War II -- 60 Years After: Mykola Lebed And The Ukrainian Partisan Army," May 6, 2005 (URL: http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1058754.html).

More recently, the subject came up at the online news and commentary site, Salon.com. See "Is the US backing neo-Nazis in Ukraine?", February 25, 2014 (URL: http://www.salon.com/2014/02/25/is_the_us_backing_neo_nazis_in_ukraine_partner/). There was also a joint publication by The Nation and Foreign Policy in Focus, "Seven Decades of Nazi Collaboration: America’s Dirty Little Ukraine Secret," March 28, 2014 (URL: http://www.thenation.com/blog/179057/seven-decades-nazi-collaboration-americas-dirty-little-ukraine-secret).

As the above references demonstrate, the subject is of ongoing interest to the public, and release of the requested document would further the public's understanding of government operations in relation to this subject. I further ask that, given the public's interest and the outstanding relevancy, given the primacy of the Ukraine crisis in the news, that this request be expedited.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. If portions of this document cannot be declassified according to this new review, I ask that the portions that can be declassified be released. My preference would be a total release of the new document containing the results of the mandatory declassification review in its text. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.I would prefer the request be 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,

Jeffrey Kaye