National Underwater Reconnaissance Office (NURO) records on USO/USP events (U.S. Navy)

This message is to confirm your request submission to the FOIAonline application: View Request. Request information is as follows: (https://foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/submissionDetails?trackingNumber=DON-NAVY-2022-010263&type=request)

* Tracking Number: DON-NAVY-2022-010263
* Requester Name:
Matthew Phelan
* Date Submitted: 07/07/2022
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

Any and all segregable portions of records (reports, memoranda, email correspondence, raw data, interviews, presentation slides, meeting minutes, audio recordings, and other materials) generated by the National Underwater Reconnaissance Office (NURO) with either or both of its parent institutions, the Central Intelligence Agency and the US Navy, regarding "Unidentified Submerged Objects" (USOs), "Unidentified Submerged Phenomena" (USP), "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" (UAP), or "Unidentified Flying Object" (UFOs).

Attached for reference is an academic paper by Ola Tunander of the International Peace Research Institute Oslo that references some of NURO's operations, primarily during the 1980s. Please note that the office's existence has appeared in multiple editions of a reference book by former National Security Archive senior fellow Jeffrey T. Richelson, "The U.S. intelligence community" now in its seventh edition (Westview Press. 2016. ISBN 978-0-8133-4918-3).

Please note that, pursuant to Executive Order 13526 (https://www.archives.gov/isoo/policy-documents/cnsi-eo.html) signed by President Barack Obama in December 2009, and still in effect, classified documents 25 years or older that "have been determined to have permanent historical value under title 44, United States Code, shall be automatically declassified whether or not the records have been reviewed."

Furthermore, please also note that I am a freelance reporter and would request that any relevant fees be waived. My past work has appeared at New York magazine's Intelligencer blog, Scientific American, Slate, The New Republic, The New York Review of Books, Chemical Engineering magazine, and elsewhere. I am also asking for a staggered release schedule if certain material will take significantly longer to collect and release than the rest of the requested records. I am further requesting expedited processing on this FOIA request, made pursuant to 28 CFR 16.5(d)(1).

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,

Matthew Phelan

Attachments:

https://cdn.muckrock.com/outbound_composer_attachments/Matthew_Phelan/110314/Ola_Tunander_NURO_paper.pdf
Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/

Your request for Fee Waiver for the FOIA request DON-NAVY-2022-010263 has been
determined to be not applicable as the request is not billable.
Additional details for this request are as follows:

* Request Created on:
07/07/2022
* Request Description:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

Any and all segregable portions of records (reports, memoranda, email correspondence, raw data, interviews, presentation slides, meeting minutes, audio recordings, and other materials) generated by the National Underwater Reconnaissance Office (NURO) with either or both of its parent institutions, the Central Intelligence Agency and the US Navy, regarding "Unidentified Submerged Objects" (USOs), "Unidentified Submerged Phenomena" (USP), "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" (UAP), or "Unidentified Flying Object" (UFOs).

Attached for reference is an academic paper by Ola Tunander of the International Peace Research Institute Oslo that references some of NURO's operations, primarily during the 1980s. Please note that the office's existence has appeared in multiple editions of a reference book by former National Security Archive senior fellow Jeffrey T. Richelson, "The U.S. intelligence community" now in its seventh edition (Westview Press. 2016. ISBN 978-0-8133-4918-3).

Please note that, pursuant to Executive Order 13526 (https://www.archives.gov/isoo/policy-documents/cnsi-eo.html) signed by President Barack Obama in December 2009, and still in effect, classified documents 25 years or older that "have been determined to have permanent historical value under title 44, United States Code, shall be automatically declassified whether or not the records have been reviewed."

Furthermore, please also note that I am a freelance reporter and would request that any relevant fees be waived. My past work has appeared at New York magazine's Intelligencer blog, Scientific American, Slate, The New Republic, The New York Review of Books, Chemical Engineering magazine, and elsewhere. I am also asking for a staggered release schedule if certain material will take significantly longer to collect and release than the rest of the requested records. I am further requesting expedited processing on this FOIA request, made pursuant to 28 CFR 16.5(d)(1).

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,

Matthew Phelan

Attachments:

https://cdn.muckrock.com/outbound_composer_attachments/Matthew_Phelan/110314/Ola_Tunander_NURO_paper.pdf
Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
* Fee Waiver Original Justification:
Furthermore, please also note that I am a freelance reporter and would request that any relevant fees be waived. My past work has appeared at New York magazine's Intelligencer blog, Scientific American, Slate, The New Republic, The New York Review of Books, Chemical Engineering magazine, and elsewhere. I am also asking for a staggered release schedule if certain material will take significantly longer to collect and release than the rest of the requested records. I am further requesting expedited processing on this FOIA request, made pursuant to 28 CFR 16.5(d)(1).

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
* Fee Waiver Disposition Reason:
N/A

Sir,

A final response was provided on April 26, 2023.