Rev. Carl Kabat (FBI Files)
Tracking # |
1592331-000 |
Submitted | May 10, 2023 |
Due | June 8, 2023 |
Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Nicholas Marritz
This is a request for records under the Freedom of Information Act. Please produce all records related to anti-nuclear protester and peace activist Rev. Carl Kabat (born 10 October 1933 in Scheller, IL, USA; died 4 August 2022). Kabat was a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the "Plowshares Eight," a group of eight people who staged an anti-nuclear protest at a General Electric plant on 9 September 1980.
CROSS-REFERENCE SEARCH
Please conduct a cross-reference search of the Bureau's records on the following people, organizations, and events to see if they contain additional records regarding the subject:
1. Plowshares Movement
2. Plowshares Eight anti-nuclear protest of 9 September 1980
3. Daniel Joseph Berrigan, born 9 May 1921 in Virginia, MN, USA; died 30 April 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/nyregion/daniel-j-berrigan-defiant-priest-who-preached-pacifism-dies-at-94.html
4. Philip Francis Berrigan, born 5 October 1923 in Two Harbors, MN, USA; died 6 December 2002, https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/08/us/philip-berrigan-former-priest-peace-advocate-vietnam-war-era-dies-79.html
5. Elmer Howard Maas, Jr., born 29 August 1935 in Kansas City, MO; died 8 May 2005, http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/2009/05/remembering-elmer-maas-he-died-on.html
6. Anne Montgomery, born 30 November 1926 in San Diego, CA, USA; died 27 August 2012, https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/sr-anne-montgomery-plowshares-leader-against-nuclear-weapons-dies
SCOPE OF SEARCH
Please conduct a search of the Central Records System, including but not limited to the Electronic Surveillance (ELSUR) Indices, the Microphone Surveillance (MISUR) Indices, the Physical Surveillance (FISUR) Indices, and the Technical Surveillance (TESUR) Indices, for both main-file records and cross-reference records for all relevant names, individuals, agencies and companies at FBI Headquarters. Please also conduct a search for records at the Alexandria Records Center and the Central Records Complex (CRC) in Winchester/Frederick County, Virginia. If any potentially responsive records have been destroyed or transferred to NARA, please produce all records related to the transfer or destruction. If previously-released records are available, then I request a rolling release consisting of those records while additional records are located and processed for release.
REQUEST FOR FEE WAIVER
I respectfully request that all fees related to this request be waived.
Public Interest Factors:
1. The subject of the request must concern identifiable operations or activities of the Federal Government. My request satisfies this factor because it seeks records created or maintained by the FBI.
2. The records must be likely to contribute to the understanding of the subject of the request. My request satisfies this factor because Rev. Kabat has recently died, meaning that the Bureau will now be able to release records that were not previously available publicly.
3. The disclosure must contribute to the understanding of the public—meaning a reasonably broad audience of persons interested in the subject—as opposed to the individual understanding of the requester. My request satisfies this factor because Rev. Kabat was a public figure. News obituaries for Rev. Kabat ran in the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/17/us/carl-kabat-dead.html and the Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/08/11/carl-kabat-nuclear-cleric-dies, among other places. Thus, a broad audience of persons will likely be interested in the records I seek. I will also make any records publicly available online for free via MuckRock.com.
4. The public's understanding must be enhanced by the disclosure to a significant extent. My request likely satisfies this factor because Rev. Kabat has recently died—meaning that the Bureau can now publicly release responsive records that it could not have released until now. It will also allow the Bureau to un-redact portions of other records already available on The Vault. For example, the files on The Vault related to Daniel Berrigan are filled with redactions related to Rev. Kabat. Those records can now be un-redacted, increasing the public's understanding even further.
Commercial Interest Factors
1. The existence and magnitude of a commercial interest: I have no commercial interest whatsoever in these records; I am just a curious American citizen with an interest in his government's surveillance of its critics. Thus, this factor cuts in favor of a fee waiver.
2. The primary interest in disclosure, i.e., whether disclosure is primarily in the commercial interest of the requester: I have zero commercial interest in disclosure, therefore the public interest outweighs my (nonexistent) private interest.
Conclusion: on balance, all of the Bureau's regulatory factors tilt decisively in favor of granting me a fee waiver. If you do decide to charge me fees, please notify me in advance if you anticipate that those fees will exceed $25.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
An acknowledgement letter, stating the request is being processed.
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