Request to Marines for list of 2021 film collaborations

To Whom It May Concern:

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

A list of all the films that the U.S. Marine Corps has participated in the production of, in any capacity whatsoever, for the year 2021. Any and all such lists, full or partial, would be appreciated and may include, but are not limited to, entertainment liaison (ELO) reports. I request that you search for these documents in any location where they might be located, including but not limited to the entertainment liaison offices and communications HQ.

I am the Director of Research Operations at a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called The Decoding Culture Foundation. These documents will be used for public education and research purposes. I therefore request a waiver of all fees that may otherwise apply.

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,

Brett Carollo

Dear S. A. Hughes,

This message pertains to request DON-USMC-2024-000076.

Based on the four factors listed, my waiver request certainly meets the Department of Defense standard for waiver of fees.

As I explain in my original FOIA request, I am the Director of Research Operations at a non-profit organization that makes these records available to the public. These and other records available will, we hope and expect, be referenced in research papers and other writings, and the mere availability of them makes the public aware of an entire field of government operations (namely, collaboration with Hollywood) of which the public is largely not aware. This increased awareness, in turn, has the potential to transform the way the public sees films.

I therefore repeat my request for a waiver of fees. In the event that this waiver request is not accepted, I still wish you to process the FOIA request, with the understanding that I will pay fees up to $100 and ask to be informed if fees exceed this amount.

Sincerely,

Brett Carollo

This message pertains to the following FOIA requests DON- 'USMC-2024-000076 and DON-USMC-2024-000086, respectively.

The most recent communication I received from you includes the following statement:

"Due to the | anticipated cost of the scarch for records, we also advised you to please indicate your willingness to pay fees, in order for us to perfect your request and begin processing, Having received no response, we have now administratively closed your requests, but you may re-submit at any time, bearing in mind the fee issue."

I did in fact respond to you (on 10/27/2023), offering further justification of my request for waiver of fees; and in my original request, I indicated a willingness to pay fees if my waiver was not accepted. I reiterate my willingness to pay any and all fees if my waiver is rejected, provided that I am given notice of said fees in accordance with the original request.

I ask that both requests remain open.

Sincerely,

Brett Carollo