Sidney Robert Buchman FBI files

Thank you for contacting foipaquestions@fbi.gov. Please check the status of your FOIPA Request at http://vault.fbi.gov by clicking on "Check Status of Your FOI/PA Request" on the right side of the page, and follow the instructions below.

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If your FOIPA Number is [1234567-0] please enter [1234567-000] into the system. If your FOIPA Number is [1234567-1] please enter [1234567-001] into the system. If you have any questions about the status of your FOIPA request, please e-mail foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov.

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The FBI's FOIPA Program is searching the FBI's indices for potentially responsive documents.
You may be contacted via formal letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply.

NOTE: Recent requests are entered into the FOIPA database in the order that they are received. Before you can check the status, you must have received correspondence assigning a FOIPA request number and the information transferred to the online database. Status information is updated weekly. If a request has been closed within the last six months the online database will display the following: The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file.

Estimated Dates of Completion
Requests are processed in the order in which they are received through our multi-track processing system. Requests are divided into two primary tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Complex requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks based upon request size. Simple track requests typically require the least amount of time to process. Currently, simple track cases average approximately 138 days from the date of receipt for processing. Our complex requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 571 days, large processing track are currently averaging approximately 1,289 days, and extra-large processing track are currently averaging 1,649 days for processing.

Respectfully,

Public Information Officer
FBI - Information Management Division
170 Marcel Drive
Winchester, VA 22602
O: (540) 868-4593
F: (540) 868-4391
E: foipaquestions@fbi.gov<mailto:foipaquestions@fbi.gov>

Do you have further questions about the FOI/PA process? Visit us at http://www.fbi.gov/foia

Please check the status of your request online at https://vault.fbi.gov/fdps-1/@@search-fdps Status updates are performed on a weekly basis.

Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency, please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action, please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local field office.

An acknowledgement letter, stating the request is being processed.

A fix is required to perfect the request.

Dear Mr. Baber:

Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) [Privacy
Act] request to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via
email to *FOIA@nara.gov* <FOIA@nara.gov>. Your request concerns FBI
files. We received your request on August 5, 2020.

This office handles FOIA and Privacy Act requests for the National Archives
and Records Administration's *operational *records (records created by this
agency). Your request is for *archival* records (records created by or
originated in a different agency, but that may have been transferred to the
legal custody of NARA) to which access is restricted. Therefore, we have
forwarded it to our *Office of Research Services, Special Access and FOIA*
staff who handle FOIA requests for such archival records.

That office will assign your request a tracking number, and respond
directly to you. In the future, if you need to follow up with that office,
please contact them at the address below, or electronically via email.

The National Archives and Records Administration
Special Access and FOIA Staff (RF)
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500
College Park, MD 20740

By phone: 301-837-3190
By fax: 301-837-1864
By email: specialaccess_foia@nara.gov

For your reference, a copy of your request is below. In the future, you
can submit requests for FBI files directly to Special Access at their email
address above.

Please visit our website at www.archives.gov/foia for information about
when and how to file a FOIA request with NARA. On our main website,
www.archives.gov, you can learn more about the resources that we offer to
the public, and access our online catalog.

Sincerely,
Susan Gillett
Government Information Specialist
Office of General Counsel
National Archives and Records Administration
College Park, MD 20740-6001
susan.gillett@nara.gov

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: requests@muckrock.com <
requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Wed, Aug 5, 2020 at 7:16 PM
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request #1466436-000
To: <FOIA@nara.gov>

Federal Bureau of Investigation
FOIA Office
170 Marcel Drive
Winchester, VA 22602-4843

August 5, 2020

This is a follow up to request number 1466436-000:

Hello,

Please find attached a referral from the FBI, which suggested these
responsive file numbers: 100-HQ-74274; 100-WF-12179; 100-LA-8887;
100-NY-80006; 100-HQ-271036 Sub A; 100-NY-11720.

Thank you so much for your time and help.

___________

To Whom It May Concern:

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

A copy of the FBI files on Sidney Robert Buchman (1902-1975) screenwriter
and producer whose death on August 23, 1975, was widely reported in the
media.* Mr. Buchman was best known for his scripts for Mr. Smith Goes to
Washington, Jolson Sings Again, and Talk of the Town.

His IMDB page gives more info at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0118227/.

* Re Proof of death See for example this NYTimes article:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=17&ved=2ahUKEwin0-Shm5vpAhXeHTQIHWnoAgsQFjAQegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F1975%2F08%2F25%2Farchives%2Fsidney-buchman-scenarist-dead-writer-of-mr-smith-goes-to-washington.html&usg=AOvVaw02VUELqqvsk2J1CqCp27kv

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,

William Baber

Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com
Upload documents directly:
https://www.muckrock.com/
Is this email coming to the wrong contact? Something else wrong? Use the
above link to let us know.

For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 92844
411A Highland Ave
Somerville, MA 02144-2516

PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share,
and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed
(i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the
department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.

---

On July 16, 2020:
Subject:
A fix is required to perfect the request.
---

On June 17, 2020:
Subject:
An acknowledgement letter, stating the request is being processed.
---

On June 3, 2020:
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request: Sidney Robert Buchman FBI
files
Thank you for contacting foipaquestions@fbi.gov. Please check the status of
your FOIPA Request at http://vault.fbi.gov by clicking on "Check Status of
Your FOI/PA Request" on the right side of the page, and follow the
instructions below.

Check the Status of Your FOIPA Request
If your FOIPA Number is [1234567-0] please enter [1234567-000] into the
system. If your FOIPA Number is [1234567-1] please enter [1234567-001] into
the system. If you have any questions about the status of your FOIPA
request, please e-mail foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov.

FIND STATUS OF FOIPA- Request statuses are updated weekly

Please enter the whole FOIPA number-Example: [1234567-000]

FOIPA:
Results will show the Request Number, Case Type and Process Description
shown below:
FOIPA:
1234567-000

Case Type:
FOIPA

Process Description (Will display the current progress of the request)
The FBI's FOIPA Program is searching the FBI's indices for potentially
responsive documents.
You may be contacted via formal letter for all fees and/or negotiation
issues that may apply.

NOTE: Recent requests are entered into the FOIPA database in the order that
they are received. Before you can check the status, you must have received
correspondence assigning a FOIPA request number and the information
transferred to the online database. Status information is updated weekly.
If a request has been closed within the last six months the online database
will display the following: The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and
appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file.

Estimated Dates of Completion
Requests are processed in the order in which they are received through our
multi-track processing system. Requests are divided into two primary
tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and
complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Complex
requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks
based upon request size. Simple track requests typically require the least
amount of time to process. Currently, simple track cases average
approximately 138 days from the date of receipt for processing. Our complex
requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 571 days,
large processing track are currently averaging approximately 1,289 days,
and extra-large processing track are currently averaging 1,649 days for
processing.

Respectfully,

Public Information Officer
FBI - Information Management Division
170 Marcel Drive
Winchester, VA 22602
O: (540) 868-4593
F: (540) 868-4391
E: foipaquestions@fbi.gov<mailto:foipaquestions@fbi.gov>

Do you have further questions about the FOI/PA process? Visit us at
http://www.fbi.gov/foia

Please check the status of your request online at
https://vault.fbi.gov/fdps-1/@@search-fdps Status updates are performed on
a weekly basis.

Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency,
please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action,
please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local
field office.

---

On May 4, 2020:
Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request: Sidney Robert Buchman FBI files

To Whom It May Concern:

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

A copy of the FBI files on Sidney Robert Buchman (1902-1975) screenwriter
and producer whose death on August 23, 1975, was widely reported in the
media.* Mr. Buchman was best known for his scripts for Mr. Smith Goes to
Washington, Jolson Sings Again, and Talk of the Town.

His IMDB page gives more info at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0118227/.

* Re Proof of death See for example this NYTimes article:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=17&ved=2ahUKEwin0-Shm5vpAhXeHTQIHWnoAgsQFjAQegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F1975%2F08%2F25%2Farchives%2Fsidney-buchman-scenarist-dead-writer-of-mr-smith-goes-to-washington.html&usg=AOvVaw02VUELqqvsk2J1CqCp27kv

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,

William Baber

Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com
Upload documents directly:
https://www.muckrock.com/
Is this email coming to the wrong contact? Something else wrong? Use the
above link to let us know.

For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 92844
411A Highland Ave
Somerville, MA 02144-2516

PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share,
and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed
(i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the
department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.

Dear William Baber,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information Act request for records in the
custody of the National Archives and Records Administration. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, we are not able to process FOIA requests according to
our normal procedures. We have assigned your request the temporary tracking
number RF-177. When we resume normal operations, we will log requests into
our system in the order they were received. At that time, we will provide
you with a new FOIA tracking number and a more substantive response. We
apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and
patience.

Sincerely,

Brigitte Flynn
Government Information Specialist
Special Access and FOIA Program (RF)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500
College Park, MD 20740-6001
brigitte.flynn@nara.gov
https://www.archives.gov/research/foia

This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your e-mail.

We have received your request and will respond within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.

If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.

Notice to NARA Researchers and FOIA Requesters

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Thank you.

This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your e-mail.

We have received your request and will respond within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.

If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.

Notice to NARA Researchers and FOIA Requesters

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Thank you.

Dear William Baber,

I am writing in response to your request for an updated status on the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request received by this office for
records in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not able to provide status updates for
FOIA requests. Once normal operating procedures resume, we will provide you
with a response to your status update request. As stated in our previous
email, your request has been assigned as RF-177, and once we log your
request into our system, we will send you another email with more
substantive information. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate
your understanding and patience.

Sincerely,
Brigitte Flynn
Special Access & FOIA Staff

Dear William Baber:

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request
of August 6, 2020, for records in the custody of the National Archives and
Records Administration. Your request was received in this office on August
6, 2020, and assigned FOIA tracking number RD 64330, interim tracking
number RF-177.

You requested access to FBI case files 100-HQ-74274; 100-WF-12179;
100-LA-8887;

100-NY-80006; 100-HQ-271036 Sub A; and 100-NY-11720 on Sidney Robert
Buchman.

Case file 100-HQ-74274 on Sidney Buchan was created between February 1942
and February 1964, and consists of an estimated 400 pages.

Case file 100-WF-12179 on Sidney Robert Buchman was created in February
1943, and consists of an estimated 20 pages.

Case file 100-LA-8887 on Sidney Buchman was created between December 1941
and October 1945, and consists of an estimated 600 pages.

Case file 100-NY-80006 on Sidney Robert Buchaman was created between
September 1945 and July 1964, and consists of an estimated 500 pages.

Case file 100-HQ-271036 Sub A on Motion Pictures Alliance for the
Preservation of American Ideals was created in May 1944, and consists of 10
pages.

Case file 100-NY-11720 on League of American Writers was created between
July 1941 and August 1956, and consists of an estimated 600 pages.

These records require review for information protected from release under the
FOIA <https://www.archives.gov/foia/foia-guide#determine>:
https://www.archives.gov/foia/foia-guide#determine.

The estimated total page count for your request is 2130 pages. Requests for
between 700 and 3,000 pages are assigned to our second-tier processing
queue. To give you an indication of our existing second-tier backlog, we
are currently processing requests received in June 2014.

Once we notify you that processing is complete, you may either visit our
College Park, MD facility to view the file at no cost, or order a
reproduction. Our current fee for reproductions is 80 cents per page, so we
estimate the total cost will be $1,704.

If you are willing to narrow your request to 700 pages or less, we can move
your request to our first-tier processing queue. Taking into consideration
our existing backlog, the estimated time required to complete the
processing of first-tier requests is approximately 39 months.

Please let me know if you would like to narrow your request.

You must notify this office of changes to your contact information. If
communication is returned as undeliverable and no return address is
provided, your case will be administratively closed. To change your contact
information or to track the status of your request, please email
specialaccess_foia@nara.gov or call 301-837-3190. Please include your FOIA
tracking number in all communications concerning this request.

If you are not satisfied with our action on this request and would like the
opportunity to discuss our response, you may contact our FOIA Public
Liaison for assistance:

Accessioned Executive Branch Records – Washington, DC Area

FOIA Requester Service Center: 301-837-3190

FOIA Public Liaison: Michael Marquis

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500

College Park, MD 20740-6001

dc.foia.liaison@nara.gov

301-837-3190

If you have other questions regarding your request, please contact me
directly.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Coon
Archivist
Special Access and FOIA Program (RF)

National Archives and Records Administration

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500

College Park, MD 20740-6001

stephanie.coon@nara.gov

301-837-1604

https://www.archives.gov/research/foia

Dear William Baber,

I am writing in response to your request for an updated status on the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request received by this office for
records in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are unable to provide status updates for
FOIA requests.You previously asked for a status update, so we already have
you logged in our queue to receive a status update response as soon as we
are able to. When normal operations resume, we will be responding to all
status update requests in our queue in the order they were received.

Based on previous correspondence, your case was just triaged a month ago in
the 2nd tier, and there are no further updates at this time. Please note
that Stephanie provided the following estimate regarding the timeline for
processing your request: "The estimated total page count for your request
is 2130 pages. Requests for between 700 and 3,000 pages are assigned to our
second-tier processing queue. To give you an indication of our existing
second-tier backlog, we are currently processing requests received in June
2014." "If you are willing to narrow your request to 700 pages or less, we
can move your request to our first-tier processing queue. Taking into
consideration our existing backlog, the estimated time required to complete
the processing of first-tier requests is approximately 39 months. Please
let me know if you would like to narrow your request."

Sincerely,
Brigitte Flynn
Special Access and FOIA Staff

This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your email.

We have received your request and will respond within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.

If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.

Notice to NARA Researchers and FOIA Requesters

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Thank you.

This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your email.

We have received your request and will respond within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.

If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.

Notice to NARA Researchers and FOIA Requesters

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Thank you.

Dear William Baber,

I am writing in response to your request for an updated status on the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request received by this office for
records in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are unable to provide status updates for
FOIA requests.You previously asked for a status update, so we already have
you logged in our queue to receive a status update response as soon as we
are able to. When normal operations resume, we will be responding to all
status update requests in our queue in the order they were received.

However, again - based on previous correspondence, your case was just
triaged two months ago in the 2nd tier, and there are no further updates.
Please note that Stephanie provided the following estimate regarding the
timeline for processing your request: *"The estimated total page count for
your request **is 2130 pages. Requests for between 700 and 3,000 pages are
assigned to our second-tier processing queue. To give you an indication of
our existing second-tier backlog, we are currently processing requests
received in June 2014." "If you are willing to narrow your request to 700
pages or less, we can move your request to our first-tier processing queue.
Taking into consideration our existing backlog, the estimated time required
to complete the processing of first-tier requests is approximately 39
months. Please let me know if you would like to narrow your request."*

Sincerely,
Brigitte Flynn
Special Access and FOIA Program

This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your email.

We have received your request and will respond within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.

If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.

Notice to NARA Researchers and FOIA Requesters

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Thank you.

Dear William Baber,

I am writing in response to your email to narrow your Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) Request number 64330.