Operation Mosaic

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter constitutes my formal request under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. §552) and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

Records Sought:

I request disclosure of any and all records that were prepared, received, transmitted, collected and/or maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) relating or referring to Operation Mosaic. Operation Mosaic was an FBI test conducted in the early 1980s and/or late 1970s using previously released FOIA documents that concluded that seemingly innocuous information could be combined to reveal protected information like the identity of an informant or details about an investigation. Operation Mosaic is discussed in the following public document: "Remarks by William H. Webster, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation, Before the National Conference of Bar Presidents, American Bar Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, August 8, 1981". To this date, no details and none of the results of this test have been made public.

Request for FBI Headquarters, Field Office, and Task Force Office Searches:

I request that a complete and thorough search for any and all records relating or referring to the subject of my request be conducted in any and all indices, filing systems, and locations maintained by FBI Headquarters, any and all FBI field offices and/or resident agencies.

Request for Main File and Cross-Reference Searches:

I request that a search of all main file and cross-reference indices, filing systems, and locations be conducted for any and all records relating or referring to the subject of my request.

Instructions Regarding “Leads”:

As required by the relevant case law, the FBI is required to follow any leads it discovers during the conduct of its searches and perform additional searches when said leads indicate that records may be located in another FBI system. Failure to follow clear leads is a violation of FOIA.

Request for Text Searches of the ECF:

For both main file and cross-reference searches, I request that text searches of the ECF (Electronic Case File) be conducted.

Request for ELSUR, MISUR, and FISUR Searches:

For both main file and cross-reference searches, I request that searches of all electronic, microphone, and physical surveillance indices, filing systems, and locations for any and all records relating or referring to the subject of my request be conducted.

Please search field office ELSUR records for “overhears” that might refer to Operation Mosaic.

Request for Searches of Laboratory Records:

For both main file and cross-reference searches, I request that searches of all laboratory indices, filing systems, and locations for any and all records relating or referring to the subject of my request be conducted. My request includes, but is not limited to, searches for laboratory records.

Request for Searches of the FBI’s “Bureau Mailing Lists” records system:

For both main file and cross-reference searches, I request that searches of the FBI’s “Bureau Mailing lists” records system for any and all records relating or referring to the subject of my request be conducted.

Request regarding Photographs and other Visual Materials:

I request that any photographs or other visual materials responsive to my request be released to me in their original or comparable forms, quality, and resolution. For example, if a photograph was taken digitally, or if the FBI maintains a photograph digitally, I request disclosure of the original digital image file, not a reduced resolution version of that image file nor a printout and scan of that image file. Likewise, if a photograph was originally taken as a color photograph, I request disclosure of that photograph as a color image, not a black and white image. Please contact me for any clarification on this point.

Instructions regarding Scope and Breadth of Requests:

Please interpret the scope of this request broadly. The FBI is instructed to interpret the scope of this request in the most liberal manner possible short of an interpretation that would lead to a conclusion that the request does not reasonably describe the records sought.

Additionally:

Please produce all records with administrative markings and pagination included. Please place any “missing” files pertaining to this request on “special locate” and advise me that you have done this.

Please send a memo (copy to me) to the appropriate units in your office to assure that no records related to this request are destroyed. Please advise of any destruction of records and include the date of and authority for such destruction.

Format:

I request that any releases stemming from this request be provided to me in digital format (soft-copy) on a compact disk or other like media.

Payment:

I am willing to pay any reasonable expenses associated with this request, however, as I am a non-commercial requester, I request to be placed in the “other” category. I have no commercial interest in the information sought. 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.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions concerning this request.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Gradecki